Re: Life - Business & Technology

Chapter 131 The Levant

The underground Al-Qaeda insurgent base located in Syria near the western border of Iraq was full of newly arrived extremist fighters ranging from locals to foreigners from far-off lands like Belgium and Germany, including a familiar face plastered on all international most-wanted lists.

Ashkan, the recently rescued insurgent officer who lost more than a thousand militants due to a failed FOB raid, was able to keep his position within the organization with the assistance of Fawdaa and their new dealings with his Syrian comrades like General Qadir.

Fawdaa pushed the war between the Syrian government and the Free Syrian Army as instructed by their true leader, Enigma, using their newfound influence in Qadir and his military unit.

A few of the Fawdaa operatives attended the meeting after receiving a covert invitation directly from Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a high-ranking official in the Islamic State of Iraq during the war against the United States and currently the Emir.

He held much influence over many different Al-Qaeda cells and was the mastermind of retaliatory terrorist attacks after the Navy Seals' raid on Osama Bin Laden in 2011, killing more than 500 civilians across multiple bombings from 2011 to 2013.

He also corralled the Baathist-leaning Iraq Army intelligence officers and soldiers to defect from the western-installed government to join his cause of ultimately expelling western influence in the Middle East.

The shy religious scholar turned career terrorist, Abu Bakr, was statistically one of the evilest men on Earth, considering all the crimes against humanity he has committed, with more heinous plans in the future.

The US military was preoccupied with the rising violent tensions in Syria, which were mostly orchestrated covertly by Fawdaa and Anarchy, so Abu Bakr saw this as an opportunity to strike against the infidels where they least expected, Iraq, where the US military recently pulled out their soldiers in 2011 when Obama's administration decided to end the war prematurely.

Abu Bakr walked up to the makeshift podium and confidently said in Arabic, "Your Emir and future Caliph appreciates everyone's presence in this meeting. We have a few honored guests such as Ashkan, who courageously resisted months of interrogation by those CIA scum."

Abu Bakr's speech was interrupted by cheering and hollering in support of their comrade who braved the infamous pockets of hell on Earth known as CIA black sites, where laws against torture were more of a suggestion.

Ashkan was quite infamous in terrorist circles now that he had an international bounty on his head of $10 million.

Abu Bakr waited for the crowd to calm down and continued, "We also have a few representatives here from Fawdaa, our recent ally, which most of the active cells in the region should be familiar with already. I've invited them here to discuss tactical options we can explore for the Islamic State's next major operation. Before we can even plan for the offensive, my fighters require weapons and ammunition, and I've heard from Ashkan that Fawdaa would provide enough. Is that true?"

Zahid Kalil, the Fawdaa unit leader who facilitated the purchase of warheads with the Syrian government, stepped up and replied, "Ashkan mentioned you required enough armaments for at least 30,000 fighters. That's a lot of guns to move and smuggle, but we have contacts that can deliver the weapons gradually within the year."

Abu Bakr devilishly smiled as he laughed before saying, "It seems the rumors and what Ashkan had told me about your organization wasn't all bullshit. I'll speak with you shortly after this meeting regarding the guns. Now, my officers shall explain our short and long-term objectives starting with the assault in Northern Iraq. The timeline was originally meant to begin in 2014, but if our Fawdaa friends can deliver the weapons earlier, we'll have more flexibility with our strategic options."

Abu Bakr's officers started explaining details and assignments for each insurgency cell associated with the Islamic State to leaders present for the meeting and representatives for those too busy to attend.

Any observer with an IQ over 85 could quickly tell Abu Bakr's plan wasn't a religious or holy war but rather a political war meant to restructure Middle Eastern authority, with him as the Supreme Caliph of all Muslims. It was quite an outrageous proposition for almost all Muslim civilians living in the region, Sunni or Shiite.

A few hours later, most of the attendees were dismissed by Abu Bakr except a few of his officers, Ashkan, and the three Fawdaa operatives.

Abu Bakr remained seated at the head of the table and calmly said, "Zahid, I trust the competence of Fawdaa, but please do explain how your services are worth my money."

Fawdaa and Anarchy had plenty of ways of arming the militants with their many global connections. Still, Zahid decided to share the most straightforward method, dealing with the Russian Mob, specifically, the Solntsevskaya Bratva, one of the largest criminal organizations in the Eastern Hemisphere.

Zahid retrieved a modified tablet from his pack and showed Abu Bakr a list of weapons available for purchase before explaining, "We have contacts within the Bratva who are willing to smuggle weapons through their Russian military connections in Syria. The products will be shipped via the Mediterranean Sea instead of using land smuggling routes in Georgia and Armenia."

Abu Bakr was impressed with how thorough Zahid had outlined their upcoming arms deal, even down to the logistics, and replied, "There are some interesting weapons on this list like the 9K333 Verba. It's quite an expensive item at $55 thousand apiece."

Zahid took the tablet from Abu Bakr, typed in his password to reveal the weapon's specifications in question, and explained, "It's Russia's newly developed man-portable air defense system for taking out air assets like fighter jets. The price is non-negotiable for these, unfortunately."

The Emir pondered the use of surface-to-air missiles for the Iraq offensive and considered the possibility of requiring a few to fend off the pitiful Iraqi Air Force.

The Iraqi government showed much interest in purchasing modern Jet Fighters from the US and other allied nations but couldn't prepare a proper budget until this year. Hence, their air space was completely vulnerable until the F-16s arrived in June 2014.

Abu Bakr thought about it for a second and replied, "We'll get 50 Verbas in case the US joins the fight early in the invasion. As for the regular small arms like AKs and ammunition, you can speak with one of my officers. It feels like the Islamic State has a new dependable ally. If you have any concerns regarding our deal or anything else, let me know. Ashkan, follow me for a minute. I need to speak with you."

The two walked further into the underground insurgent base camp towards Abu Bakr's personal quarters. He said, "I've known your allegiance through your Al-Qaeda superiors, so what's your opinion on this Fawdaa. I know they saved you from your hell on Earth but speak honestly. How does an Islamist group have ties with the Russian Bratva?"

Ashkan was in the presence of the Emir, so he respectfully answered, "I'm not entirely sure about their partnership with the Bratva, but I remember the man who led the extraction team for my rescue. He was definitely Russian based on his accent when speaking to me in Arabic. So I owe them my life, but the cause is more important."

Abu Bakr was content with Ashkan's explanation and said, "Of course. I trust your dedication to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. Keep your eyes and ears open and ensure the deal and delivery go down without issues."

Ashkan felt a wave of pride after receiving a direct mission from the Emir himself and replied as he bowed, "As you will it, Emir. I will not waste the money we've gathered and earned under my watch. A great army will soon descend on the unlawful government of Iraq, and many more shall follow in its wake."

Abu Bakr calmly stated, "Praise be to God." before the warlord retired to his quarters to further plan the assault on North Iraq and the subsequent invasion of Samarra and Mosul after a successful early campaign.

Ashkan returned to the meeting room where Zahid and the other officers were discussing the arms deal in detail and haggling prices.

The weapons list Zahid provided was completely different from the one he showed General Qadir, which included plenty more expensive options like the different types of warheads and mobile missile platforms.

Fawdaa performed their own intelligence gathering on Abu Bakr and found he was wealthy due to al-Qaeda's financial support. Still, he couldn't afford weapons only large nations like Syria could buy.

Zahid understood his mission wasn't primarily to profit off the dirty war going on in the Levant but to foster an even more chaotic environment to distract the US military and Future Tech from Anarchy's businesses in Russia and North Korea.

They ironed out a preliminary deal worth $45 million to arm at least 15 thousand fighters, and more contracts were on the table after a successful first delivery.

Abu Bakr and his officers weren't born yesterday and treated Fawdaa with equal respect and cautiousness.

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