THE KINGDOM UNDER ATTACK
Astana hit by four terrorist attacks in the evening
Astana.
Since this evening, the capital city of the Kingdom are living in terror. At least four terrorist attacks have been made in the city, and the authorities are still trying to figure out the death-toll and what exactly had happened.
The nightmare began at 8.30 (local time), when a bomb exploded at the entrance of the seat of the Ministry of Education and Research. The time was not casual: with all the employees leaving the building at that hour, the effect of the bomb has been maximized.
When already emergency services were reaching the Ministry, a second attack, this time brought by a gunmen, was made against the famous restaurant
Koenig, not far from Conrad III Avenue, the so called
"road of the embassies" (almost every embassy is located there). The terrorist came into the restaurant with a machine gun, causing the death of at least 40 people before being shoot down by the police.
Two more attacks were simulataneously made against Bellvue Station, the most important railway station of the city (and, probably, of the whole Kingdom), where another bomb exploded near an high-speed train (luckily, it was almost empty), killing at least 12 people; and against the Van Goethe Opera Theatre, when people was gathering to come inside, killing 20 people.
Now Astana is a ghost city. The authorities of the city, in cooperation with the Ministry of Homeland Security and Justice, ordered a no-fly zone over the capital for the next 24 hours, and the complete stop of any train to and for Astana, while the police and the military established checkpoints on every main road. Citizens have been told not to leave their home if not strictly necessary, tourists from foreign countries must check as soon as possible with the respective embassies about their status in order to have a complete picture of the situation. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs opened a special line to all Tarajani embassies to give immediate response to relatives concerned about the safety of their loved ones residing in Astana.
For the moment, police officials affirmed that at least 30 of the people killed are from foreign countries (mainly Antanares, Duresia, Arveyres and Eurasia, although the exact numbers have not been figured out yet).
Khanate terrorists claim responsibility for attacks
The few doubts persisting about who was responsible for the terrible attacks (someone even suggested a reprisal of activity by KLF) were dissipated by the video sent to the NTKO early this morning: there, Khanate terrorists, supporters of Queen Leo, declared that they have
"brought divine terror to the heart of those who refused to see light", a clear reference to the strong commitment of New Tarajan against Queen Leo and her supporters, and its participation in the Khanate War which overthrown her regime.
"From this very moment, those who oppose the light will know there is only darkness for them" the video continued.
The attacks were also coordinated with a series of insurrections near Rishbat, the base belonging to OMNI in the territory of the former Khanate, where many houses belonging to local civilians working at the base were burnt to the ground. Similar insurrections took place in the Tarajani Governatorate of the Gold Coast, also a former part of the Khanate.
The consequences
Although authorities have still to exactly figure how it was possible for the terrorists to attack the capital city of the Kingdom, the consequences of the attacks are already beginning to come to surface.
First of all, already in the morning the tourism industry of the Kingdom has seen a shocking decline, with almost three-quarters of bookings cancelled in two hours; the economy deeply felt the hit, and the Eindhoven Stock Exchange has been closed in order to stop the catastrophic fall of many indexes registered in the morning.
On the political side, solidarity came from every Party and from every Imperial State. However, critics also rose their voice against what is perceived by some has the real cause of the attacks:
"The death of so many innocent people" Gustav Lindemann, a notable communist leader, commented
"is the direct consequence of the decision of the government to embark in an imperialist war in the Khanate." Representatives of the Extreme Left already criticized the Tarajani administration in the occupied territories.
The Imperial Council has met this morning in an highly-fortified Royal Palace, linked via video conference with King Friederick (still in Duresia), to discuss about the next moves. Although details have not yet been leaked, Prime Minister Count Carl Van Houden already stated, in a brief press conference, that
"New Tarajan will not give respite to those responsibles of such an horrible crime.""Wherever they are hiding, whatever they plan to do, we will strike against them, and we will defeat them. This is a promise I make to the victims, and to all those who lost someone they cared about: punishment will come."The fight against terrorism is, now,
"a top priority of the Tarajani Government. This is the time to mark the word end to the Jashinist Movement and its head, the so-called queen Leo."The Prime Minister will deliver a speech detailing the stance of his government and the next steps to the Landsraad and the Diet in joint session this afternoon.
Meanwhile, King Friederick Wilhelm, who will leave Duresia soon to come back to the capital, released a message to his citizens:
"This is dark day for all of us" he said
"But we need to work together, now: we need to show to those who attacked us that Tarajani people stand united against the Terror."