(Page 4 headline from "The Voice of The Republic")
TLF Pilots go AWOL after Amamake Op
by Our Correspondent
Tribal Liberation Force Commanders came under fire today as reports were leaked to this news organisation of the defection of a number of pod-pilots. The pilots apparently failed to regroup following the aborted assault on the Amarr controlled bases on Amamake III last week, and have been declared AWOL. A TLF spokesperson told The Voice: "It now appears that Squad 36 Alpha of the Strike Force failed to regroup with their squadron when ordered. The TLF has nothing further to add at this time."
This news could not come at a worse time for the TLF, who have already been criticised by some Senators for the use of press gang tactics to recruit pilots for the war. Senator Tarsem, leader of the Matari Defence Council, published a protest letter signed by 55 delegates condemning the use of forced conscription which called the use of convicts "an abhorrence", and comparing the TLF's tactics to those of the Amarrian slave hunters.
The identities of the AWOL pilots have not been released, however independent sources have suggested that they may have headed to Caldari space, fuelling speculations that they have defected.
