Death Drones

by Christopher Fox

  Part of the anti-interrogation techniques was to provide information, but not the information asked for. Detainees would cheerfully boast about their crimes against America and Mohammad was following the script perfectly. He admitted to intercepting the Colombian drugs and lacing them with Succinylcholine. When asked why he did it he said he wanted to destroy the heroin drug trade coming from Colombia so that suppliers will turn to the purer and better ‘White’ heroin produced in Afghanistan. “Just getting rid of the competition” was how he nonchalantly put it. While this seemed to be a viable reason, the CIA did not buy it and were of the opinion it was an operation that was a prelude to a bigger attack.

  Daniel Templeton made the trip from his CIA office in Honduras to Nicaragua where Miguel and the team were holding Mohammad. He had also brought along with him an interrogator who worked on many of the high-level assets prior to the ban on E.I.Ts. Robert (Bob) Stevenson had two degrees in Psychology and now ran a very successful practise in New York City. Richard, another agent, also accompanied him to act as a guard for Mohammad. A loft-type apartment above the garage was where Richard slept .

  “How is he?” Daniel asked as Miguel strode through the door. Miguel could barely hear him over the noisy air-conditioner shaking in the window. The cool air it was dispensing was welcome, however. A wobbling ‘Bogart fan’ spun lazily in its bid to circulate the humid air around the small office. Roberto and Bob sat across the room from Daniel.

  “Asleep.”

  “My question is,” Daniel said, “what is the true story behind this drug-lacing deal? I don’t accept for a minute his story about eliminating the competition. My guess is that they were doing a trial run on delivery of something through injection, something where regularly injected products can be laced with poisons.”

  “Maybe not,” said Bob, pushing his black-framed spectacles so they would sit on his beak-like nose. White hair and matching full beard covered most of his cherubic face. He wore a long-sleeved, white shirt, decorated with a red bow tie, with sleeves rolled up to his elbows. “It’s possible that the lacing of drugs has nothing to do with any other plans in their arsenal. It is conceivable that this is as he says it is, merely a way to target the competing heroin distributors.”

  “He hasn’t been forthcoming so far,” said Daniel. “So what do you propose to do next?”

  “I suggest we should try walling first, then, if that doesn’t produce results, we’ll water-board him,” said Bob.

  Walling is a process whereby the interrogator harshly and continually bangs the detainee’s shoulders against the wall. His/her head and neck is supported by a towel to prevent whiplash. However, the ‘walling wall’ is a flexible wooden wall built of ¼" plywood with no studs in the middle of its span and a plywood clapper suspended inside. The process does no physical damage, but the noise and the movement of fluid in the ear makes it extremely disorienting. Water-boarding, on the other hand, is a technique whereby water is poured on a cloth that covers the recipient’s face, specifically the nose and mouth, while the head is inclined downward. Again, no physical damage is inflicted, but operators need to be vigilant in the time of the pours and allow time in between to permit the receiver to breathe normally. The procedure effectively produces the sensation of drowning and can be very uncomfortable. However, many high-level assets have been water-boarded in a training process to help them resist such techniques should they be captured. Very few detainees fail to give up information during successive water boarding treatments and it is considered one of the most effective of the E.I.T. methods.

  The walling wall was already constructed, but had not been used yet. Daniel, Bob, Roberto, and Miguel entered the cell with the guard, Richard, and Daniel instructed Richard to get Mohammad up. They each had ear protectors slung around their necks. The cell was roughly twelve feet by fifteen feet and became somewhat cramped when all six persons were in there. The cell also did not have the benefit of air-conditioning and, as a result, was stifling. Richard grabbed him under the arms and heaved him up. Seemingly disoriented and exhausted, he staggered on his feet as he tried to stand unassisted. Richard shackled him and placed a black hood over his head. Daniel rolled the towel he had in his hands and wrapped it around Mohammad’s neck, then forced him to back-pedal to the walling wall. Grabbing the two ends of the towel tight around Mohammad’s neck, he slammed him against the wall, ensuring that only his shoulder blades made contact. There was a loud bang as the wall moved and the clapper inside rattled between the sheets of plywood. After doing this several times, he stopped.

  “We have some questions for you,” said Bob, turning on the tape recorder and removing the hood.

  “I have nothing more to say to you,” said Mohammad defiantly. “I have given you all the information about the lacing of the drugs. Why do you not believe me?” his breathing was heavy, and he sounded somewhat scared, as he did not understand what was going on.

  “Oh, we believe you all right, but we are not interested in what you have done. We need to know what you are planning to do.”

  Mohammad turned his face toward Bob. “I’m not planning to do anything.”

  Daniel placed the hood back over Mohammad’s head, donned his ear protectors and nodded to the others to do the same. He pulled on the towel until Mohammad’s face was mere inches from his own. Then he slammed him back against the wall again, and again, several times. The noise was deafening although muffled by the ear protectors—for those who had them. Mohammad yelled for Daniel to stop.

  Daniel stopped and removed the hood again. Mohammad’s eyes were wide with terror as he looked around at all the people in the room. “What is it you want me to tell you?” he said .

  “Don’t play coy with me,” Bob said. “We know that Al-Qaeda is planning an attack on American soil. Tell us what it is.”

  Mohammad managed a smile. “Al-Qaeda is always planning attacks on American soil.”

  “Yes, we are aware of that. So tell us about what attacks are planned now or for the near future.”

  “Why would you think I would know about what is going on with Al-Qaeda? I have been here in Nicaragua for the last few years. I have no idea what they plan back in Afghanistan.”

  “You have had recent trips to Afghanistan, so don’t pull the wool over our eyes,” said Daniel. “What did you go there for?”

  “Just family visits,” Mohammad said.

  “Bullshit!” Daniel said, tightening the towel around Mohammad’s neck. “You had to leave Afghanistan because you suspected that you were on the CIA’s targeted list after 9/11. You have no immediate family in Afghanistan any more. Both your brothers were killed during fighting, and your mother and three sisters left there for Pakistan many years ago.”

  “So, you’ve been keeping tabs on me.”

  “Oh, yes, we have been keeping tabs on you,” said Daniel. “So,” he said as he tightened the towel. “What business did you have in Afghanistan? Did you meet with Aywan al-Zawahiri?”

  Aywan al-Zawahiri is the current leader of al-Qaeda and took over when Osama bin Laden was killed.

  “Who?”

  Richard placed the hood over Mohammad’s head as Daniel tightened the towel and pulled him away from the wall.

  “OK. OK,” he said before he was thrown back to the wall. Richard removed the hood.

  “Yes. I met with al-Zawahiri—just briefly. The web of security around him now is formidable, with layers upon layers of safety nets in place to keep his location at any one time secure. I could get in to see your President easier than get to see al-Zawahiri.”

  “So,” said Daniel, “what did you see him for and what did you discuss?”

  “It was three years ago now, and we discussed strategic issues with the al-Nursa front in Syria. The al-Nursa is made up of Syrian Jihadists with a goal to overthrow Basher al-Assad’s government and create an Islamic emirate under Sharia law. They have no interest in the global jihad even though they proclaim the United States and Israel as enemies of
Islam.”

  “So what was your role supposed to be?” said Bob.

  “I really didn’t have a role; just an opinion around the table. Both al-Qaeda and al-Nursa wanted to take a more moderate approach to the spread of Islam. They felt that the ISIL group alienated people too much due to its radical methods. We proposed a more gradual approach by preparing society to accept it and indoctrinate people through education before implementing the hudud aspects of Sharia.”

  The hudud , meaning ‘limit’ or ‘restriction’ in Arabic, is an Islamic concept invoking punishment for crimes outlined in the Qur'an as being against God. Few Islamic countries adopt these except those following a strict interpretation of Sharia, such as Saudi Arabia and Iran.

  “Were there any strikes planned against US interests?” asked Daniel.

  “No, none at all. That wasn’t the focus of attention for the gathering. We were concerned more with the circumstances in the Middle East and how to best influence the current unrest to that which was aligned with al-Qaeda policies.”

  “About eight months ago, you were in Afghanistan. What was that for?” this from Daniel.

  “I met with a few al-Qaeda members who had the idea to use the lacing of Colombian heroin to draw more users to our heroin. It was just a business opportunity, and they paid me lots of money to arrange it.”

  “Just a business opportunity?” Miguel blurted out. “People died, and it was just a business opportunity?”

  “They were druggies, so what was the loss?”

  Miguel grabbed him by the throat and throttled him. Richard intervened and pried Miguel’s fingers from around Mohammad’s neck.

  “Son of a bitch!” Miguel spat.

  “That’s enough for now,” said Daniel and gestured to Richard to remove the shackles.

  “Same time tomorrow?” Bob said cheerfully as the entourage left the cell.

  * * * *

  “So, do you believe what he says?” Daniel asked the others when they returned to the office. Although still warm, the relative humidity was much lower, thanks to the barely effective AC unit, and the comfort level was at least acceptable.

  “What he told us was the truth,” said Bob, “but this is normal in interrogations. It’s what they are not telling us is the issue, and I am sure there are other operations planned on American soil.”

  “NSA picked up some suspicious chatter,” said Daniel. “We have thousands of keywords we listen for and we picked up the words alharb albiulujia a few weeks ago. It translates to ‘biological warfare’ and what made it more compelling is that they used the word ‘Sarin’ in the same conversation.”

  “That’s not good,” said Miguel. “Sarin is one of the most potent of toxins and it was suspected that Saddam Hussein was manufacturing it. They’ve been using it in Syria recently.”

  “No, it’s not good,” said Daniel, “and it is the reason we suspect there may be a biological attack on American soil. I’m sure that if that is the case, Mohammad has information about it.”

  “Would you let me talk to him?” Miguel said.

  “As long as you don’t throttle him again.”

  “I won’t. It just pissed me off at his cavalier attitude about killing people.”

  “That’s one thing you have to understand about terrorists,” Bob chimed in. “They have their cause and there are no boundaries set for them to achieve it. You need to get inside his head, and although you don’t agree with where he is coming from, you have to try to ‘walk in his shoes’. Most of these high-value assets are very intelligent people with high values. It’s just that their values do not align with ours.”

  “How is murdering innocent women, children and other non-combatants, qualify them as having high values?” said Roberto.

  “Their values are reflected in their religious beliefs. It is permitted under their beliefs to kill enemies of Islam. To kill women and children serves to reduce the propagation of the species—women can’t produce more combatants and children cannot grow up to be soldiers to fight against Islam. Islamic Jihadists can’t fight the advanced weaponry available to western cultures, so they do the best they can with what they have—and nothing is off the table as long as it achieves their goals.”

  Miguel got up and downed the bottle of water he had been nursing through the conversation .

  “Are we recorded in there?”

  “Yes, and video-taped,” said Daniel.

  “OK, get him ready.”

  Daniel called over to Richard and instructed him to bring Mohammad to the house.

  Mohammad walked in front of the guard, his chains jingling as he shuffled along with steps only as big as the restraints allowed. Miguel sat behind the desk in the office when Mohammad was ushered in.

  “Sit down,” Miguel gestured to the chair in front of the desk. “Remove the shackles please Richard,” he said. Richard did so and left the room.

  “Water?” Miguel said as he offered a bottle of water to Mohammad.

  “Yes, thank you.”

  Mohammad quaffed the water as Miguel watched.

  “What do you know about Sarin?” Miguel asked, carefully looking at his reaction. He saw a twinge in the corner of his eye, signifying familiarity with it, but his face remained stoic.

  “It’s a nerve toxin, very deadly as far as I am aware. Been used in many clashes by government forces. Other than that, I don’t know much.”

  “There’s been chatter about it picked up by NSA and we suspect there may be a pending attack on American soil. Know anything about that?”

  Mohammad shifted in his chair and said: “No. Should I?”

  Miguel looked at him askew and steepled his fingers. He leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his hands.

  “Yes, I think you should, and I also suspect that you do,” he said staring into Mohammad’s eyes.

  “Well, I don’t,” he said defiantly.

  “We’ll see.”

  Miguel had always considered himself a moderate when it came to religious beliefs. Whereas he had no real interest in any of the established religions, he respected the beliefs of others and tried to understand their reasoning to believe what they did. For most people, there has never been a reason to question or challenge that which they were taught since childhood. One of the fundamental responsibilities of parents is to pass on their beliefs to their offsprings. Looking from the outside in, with no allegiance to any religion, he could better assess the validity of much of the rhetoric. He wanted to get a better understanding of what makes people like Mohammad tick—why they had become so radical, and what was their ultimate goal.

  “Allow me to understand why it is you do what you do. Why you feel that killing non-combatants indiscriminately will help further your cause, whatever cause that may be.”

  Mohammad looked at Miguel wondering whether to engage him in this type of conversation. How could he begin to understand? How could a non-believer, an infidel, understand the plan God has for Islam?

  “How could I even expect you to understand?” Mohammad said with a sigh. “In your world, I realize you see us as barbaric, with few morals and no compassion for others. That is not the case. In fact, our morals are of the highest standard because they follow that which God laid down, not mankind. And I don’t mean your idea of God, I mean a monotheistic God, a one true God.”

  “I presume you are referring to the Qur'an about standards being laid down by God?”

  “Of course.”

  “But surely, the Qur'an was written by mankind; by Mohammad. It was his interpretation of God, supposedly by his claim that the Angel Gabriel visited him.”

  Mohammad sighed and shook his head.

  “Do you know?” he said. “I sometimes feel sorry for the purgatory you unbelievers live in. How can you have any meaning to your life when you cannot embrace God? Is it all about profit and money; who can end up with the most? Muslims have meaning to their lives; a reason for living in the ways God has laid down for
them.”

  “What you don’t seem to understand,” Miguel went on, “is that God did not create mankind; it was mankind that created God. He did so in his own image by giving him emotions and feelings similar to his own. That is why most religions reflect the good nature of mankind and set rules for that behaviour. But mankind also has a dark side; a warring faction; a need to conquer those who oppose his beliefs. This is the why so many die in the name of religion and it causes much of the issues we face today. A caring and compassionate God would not sanction the killing of millions of people, no matter what side he apparently is on. ”

  Mohammad looked at Miguel, stared him in the face and said, “God gave us the wisdom to set our own path; to fight for what we believe in; to banish the infidels from our lands; and that is what we are doing even if it means bringing the fight to the infidels’ soil. No. You can mock me all you want, but it is inevitable that we will win over your kind.”

  Miguel wondered what he hoped to achieve during this conversation. There was no way that Mohammad would change his outlook on western society, no matter what Miguel said. It would be easier to turn a Republican into a Democrat.

  “So, you say you have no information about any plans to use Sarin in a terrorist attack.”

  “I do not.”

  “The problem is, we think you do. You are an important and high-ranking person in the Al-Qaeda network. It is only reasonable that they would have apprised you of such an important initiative.”

  “That is how we maintain security. Everyone in the organization is on a strict need-to-know-basis. That way, like now, if someone is captured and tortured, they have no information to give. So if you think torturing me will reveal anything, go right ahead.”