MĘĆ RZEGAŁY (WASP) — Twelve thousand soldiers from the Republican army have left for Florida this morning. Under the command of general Emanuel Krowiranda they will participate in a huge military exercise in the region of Rzebamarz. Męć Rzegały's mayor Krzysztof Kawaliniany accompanied them on a large parade through the city center, before they finally took off from the city's aerodrome.
Defense minister Edmund Mielć has denied any connection with the recent events in the Northern part of Southeast Florida, where a group of rebels are seeking international recognition for an independent state they recently proclaimed under the name “Four Palms”. “Although the situation is tense in the North of our Zone, this operation has nothing in common with these separatists”, Mielć explained. “We have picked Rzebamarz, because it is a scarcely populated region with a unique nature – an ideal shooting range for our brave young men. It is nothing but an exercise. Besides, it was scheduled years ago. That it would happen during a period of growing foreign agitation and increased terrorist activity was something nobody could foresee. A coincidence, nothing more or less.”
Not everyone is convinced by the minister's words. Observers within the Republic and abroad expect a huge pacification of Northern Southeast Florida. Because the Republican Guard has been decimated and forced to accept a humiliating ceasefire with the rebels, they predict Krowiranda's men will join their ranks immediately after they arrive, to restore law and order in the rebellious province. Furthermore, some argue that given the growing international tension surrounding Florida, their presence might have a preventive side-effect, as the fear for a potential invasion by the NAL seems to become more and more substantiated every day.