Five Years in Yemen

by Luana Ehrlich

  I was surprised to hear that. I wasn’t aware we had any Agency personnel in Yemen that would be helping us with logistical support.

  Evidently, I wasn’t able to hide my surprise, because when Carlton glanced over at me, he said, “The safe house doesn’t belong to the Agency. We don’t have any of our people in Yemen right now. However, the Israelis have offered to assist us with logistical support for this operation, if we need it.”

  Olivia said, “The Ops Center will coordinate with the Israelis if the need for a safe house arises, but, personally, I don’t expect that to happen.”

  Carlton didn’t indicate whether he agreed or disagreed with Olivia. Instead, he took another folder out of his stack and said, “Let’s move on to Phase III, the Marlize Refugee Camp in Somahi.”

  As soon as he mentioned the refugee camp, Olivia pulled up a map of the Somahi area and displayed it on the video screen.

  Carlton identified the site with a laser pointer. “Here’s the compound where Jacob is living. It’s approximately two miles from the refugee camp, where you’ll be staying, and here’s the Al-Jarba Saudi military base located in the same area.”

  Carlton circled the military base with his pointer. “There’s a definite connection between the Al-Jarba air base here, and the compound where Jacob’s been living. During the week, a vehicle from the base arrives at the compound every morning to take Jacob over to the base, and it returns him to the compound every evening. The military base is where Jacob has been working on the MODD system for the Saudis.”

  Olivia clicked her remote mouse and brought up the image I’d seen as she was leaving the RTM Center control room. Although the building appeared completely isolated, sitting all by itself in the middle of the desert, Carlton said it was located at the western end of the Al-Jarba air base.

  “This is where we believe Jacob’s been working on the MODD system. It’s also one of two locations where you may be able to make contact with Jacob without encountering his security detail.”

  “Jacob doesn’t have security when he’s working there?” I asked.

  Carlton shook his head. “Since the base itself has restricted access, his security detail doesn’t accompany him out to the MODD building.”

  Taylor said, “That restricted part doesn’t sound too promising.”

  Carlton agreed. “Getting on the military base will be difficult. To that end, I’ve had our analysts combing through the base’s computer records, specifically their personnel database, to see if they can find any vulnerabilities there. They tell me they’ve come up with a couple of people who might be willing to help us—for a price, of course.”

  Carlton gestured over at Katherine Broward, “Our ASA director will give us a full report on their findings in a moment, but before she does that, Olivia will brief you on the Marlize Refugee Camp.”

  I wasn’t looking forward to hearing about the refugee camp. I’d been to a few of them in Iraq and Syria, and they were depressing beyond description.

  Perhaps Olivia felt the same way, because she quickly zipped through several slides of the Marlize camp without making any comments on the refugees themselves.

  The images were typical of most refugee camps. They showed large white canvas tents scattered across the desert landscape in a haphazard fashion. Portable toilets and shower facilities were seen throughout the camp, while potable water tankers, along with relief agency trucks and trailers, were parked at the entrance.

  Olivia paused when she came to a slide showing several prefab steel buildings located along the outer perimeter.

  Pointing to the first building in a row of five such buildings, she said, “This building houses their medical clinic. The next one is their administrative unit, and the rest are used for classrooms.”

  The next slide showed several concrete buildings. “The only permanent buildings at the campsite are the housing units for the administrative staff, plus a guest house.”

  When she mentioned the guest house, she smiled. “The guest house is where you’ll be staying, but, if I were you, I wouldn’t expect your accommodations to merit more than a one-star rating.”

  After displaying a map of the entire camp from a bird’s eye view, she returned to the slide of the prefab buildings.

  Using her laser pointer, she circled one of the mobile classrooms. “When you’re given a tour of the campsite, you should ask permission to use it in one of your news stories. This is where the older children receive their instruction, and an American who calls himself Kadi Faisal teaches a science lesson here on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.”

  She looked over at Carlton. “Shall I identify him?”

  He nodded.

  “Kadi Faisal is Jacob Levin.”

  * * * *

  After Olivia turned the briefing back over to Carlton, he explained why Jacob was teaching a science class at the refugee school.

  “When the Israelis contacted the Agency to give us the intel they had on Jacob, they told us he had volunteered to teach at the camp after hearing there weren’t any qualified science instructors among the refugees. From what we’ve been able to observe by way of our reconnaissance satellites, the same military vehicle that delivers Jacob to the MODD building also drops him off at the camp.”

  I asked, “By any chance, is this the other location where Jacob doesn’t have any security with him?”

  “That’s correct,” Carlton said. “However, since he’s surrounded by students, he’s not exactly alone in the building.”

  “I’m not questioning the protocols here,” I said, “but I don’t believe Jacob would want to be seen by an American news crew, so I can’t see how asking permission for us to film in this classroom will help us that much.”

  “I hear what you’re saying,” Carlton said, “but when I had Delaney contact the Saudis and request permission for a GNS crew to visit the Marlize camp, I told her to ask them not to make a big deal about their presence at the camp.”

  Delaney nodded. “I explained to the Saudi representative we wanted to film the refugees while they were engaged in their everyday activities, and I specifically told him we’d prefer not to have any publicity about our visit.”

  Carlton said, “But, you could be right, Titus. This classroom may not be the best place for you to make contact with Jacob. However, it’s only one of several options. Until you arrive in Somahi and have a chance to do a recon of the entire area, including the MODD building on the base, we won’t be able to make the final determination of when you’ll grab Jacob and Gault.”

  Barron spoke up. “Events on the ground can go south pretty quickly, and I know how sensitive this operation is when it comes to not offending our Saudi allies. If you don’t mind a suggestion, Douglas, it might be better for you to have a field officer in the vicinity to help with the logistics.”

  “I’m in full agreement with you, Mason,” Carlton said.

  Carlton’s response surprised me because it sounded like Barron was volunteering to be the field officer (FO) for the Rebel Merchant team, and I couldn’t believe Carlton would agree to that.

  Carlton continued, “That’s why I plan to be at the refugee camp in Somahi and handle all the logistics of the operation myself.”

  Chapter 27

  Carlton had never shown any aversion to being on the field with an operational team. He’d done it numerous times in my career, and, most of the time, I’d seen the necessity of his presence in country.

  Occasionally, I’d wondered if he’d put himself on the ground just to prove his tradecraft skills were still intact, but now, I was betting he’d made the decision to appoint himself as the FO for Rebel Merchant because of the politics behind the operation.

  It was either that or he knew if he didn’t take on the role of field officer, then the DDO would insist Mason Barron be given that responsibility.

  The truth was, I agreed with Barron about having a field officer on the ground in Somahi. Between the Marlize Refugee Camp, the Al-Jarba militar
y base, and the Saudi compound, there were too many variables.

  Too many variables meant too many things could go wrong, and when things went wrong, the danger increased. When the danger increased, the chances of a failed mission increased.

  If Carlton were on the ground, then he could deal with the variables before they morphed into a failed mission.

  A field officer was usually stationed in the same neighborhood as the mission’s operatives but at an off-site location—an embassy, a hotel, a safe house—anywhere he or she could have a secure communications linkup with the operatives and the Ops Center back at Langley.

  By being in close proximity to the operation, Carlton would be able to observe the conditions on the ground, authorize immediate changes to the protocols, and call in extra resources in the event of a crisis.

  Of course, his presence would also mean I would have less flexibility as the primary for the mission.

  At the moment, I couldn’t decide whether having less flexibility in Somahi would be a big deal or not.

  On a personal level, I didn’t think so, but on an operational level, I figured it might, because even though Carlton’s protocols put the operational team in the vicinity of Jacob’s location, I was concerned about how the mission was going to play out.

  During the last few days, whenever I’d thought about Rebel Merchant, I’d envisioned having an opportunity to sit down with Jacob and calmly offer him a chance to explain why he’d been willing to take the technology he’d developed for the Defense Department and turn it over to the Saudis.

  I’d imagined asking him why he’d allowed his family to believe he was dead all these years, and, after covering those issues, I figured I’d inform Jacob I’d been authorized by the President to bring him back to the United States.

  After that, I’d give him the President’s rationale for signing off on the order to take him into custody—namely, he was a traitor to his country.

  Depending on how Jacob reacted to this news, I’d have to decide whether to tell him right away about the President’s memorandum providing him immunity from prosecution or whether to withhold his get-out-of-jail-free card until after we were back on American soil.

  My ideal scenario included giving Jacob the chance to willingly return to the States with me, instead of forcing him to comply with the President’s orders.

  However, so far, I’d heard nothing in the briefing that would indicate I’d have the opportunity to have a fireside chat with Jacob.

  All I’d heard was grab and go.

  Sooner or later, I’d have to address that issue with Carlton.

  I wasn’t looking forward to it.

  * * * *

  Once Carlton announced his intention to be our handler on the ground in Yemen, he immediately began assuring Delaney she didn’t need to revamp the GNS crew to accommodate his presence.

  “By the time the GNS crew arrives in Somahi, I’ll already be at the Marlize Refugee Camp,” Carlton said. “Emergency Aid International has been at the camp for the past six months, and I’ll be joining them on Sunday.”

  EAI or Emergency Aid International was a non-profit relief agency headquartered in Brussels. It had an impeccable reputation; not only for the way it responded to disasters, but also for the quality of its leadership.

  Carlton was listed as one of its directors, and he’d often used that title as his cover when operating in country.

  The leadership of the EAI organization had no problem allowing a CIA division head to pose as one of its employees, because, even though the organization was entirely legitimate, the CIA had been responsible for bringing the relief agency into existence in the first place.

  Unlike other organizations or businesses operated by the CIA, I’d never heard the slightest hint the public knew EAI was an Agency-run entity. Perhaps that was because very few of the EAI employees were aware of this connection, plus the work they did for the victims of humanitarian disasters was truly extraordinary.

  Olivia said, “EAI has two trucks bringing supplies in and out of Marlize on a regular basis, and there’s a mobile trailer used for housing the EAI workers that’s kept at the site permanently.”

  She displayed a slide showing the entrance to the Marlize camp where vehicles belonging to various relief agencies were parked.

  “Last week, we switched out the old housing trailer for this one,” she said, pointing to a newer looking trailer with the EAI logo on the side. “The extra bedroom at the back is where Douglas will be staying. It’s equipped with a mobile communications system, along with a direct satellite uplink, and we’re sending a Level 2 systems officer to provide Douglas with tech support.”

  “I don’t anticipate coming in physical contact with you while I’m at the campsite,” Carlton said, “but if that happens, it shouldn’t be a problem. For this operation, we’ll all be using our Agency sat phones, and Titus will also have an encrypted laptop. Are there any questions?”

  Carlton waited a few seconds, and, when no one said anything, he pulled another folder out of his stack.

  Before he opened it, Mitchell spoke up. “Are you asking if we have any questions about the communications setup or are you asking about the operation itself?”

  “I was referring to any questions about how I’ll be communicating with you in Somahi, but if you have a question about the operation, feel free to ask it now.”

  I saw Mitchell glance over at me for a second before he looked across the table and addressed Carlton. “I’m not clear how we’re supposed to approach Jacob Levin. He’s an American citizen, and it’s not like he’s been kidnapped, and we’ve come to Somahi to rescue him from his captors. Of course, Stephen Gault is also there on his own. So, are we supposed to tell them to come with us, and then just expect them to do that?”

  Carlton didn’t answer him immediately.

  Instead, he stared down at the table for a few seconds.

  Finally, he looked up at Mitchell and said, “The President has authorized us to bring Jacob Levin back to the United States. If we have to use force to accomplish that mission, we will. According to the FBI, Jacob has committed a treasonous act by giving the Saudis the MODD system. I’m not sure about Gault’s legal status, but I doubt if he’d want to remain in Somahi without Jacob.”

  Mitchell slowly nodded his head and said, “Okay, that clears things up for me.”

  “For what it’s worth,” Taylor said, “I agree with the FBI. I believe Levin is a traitor to his country.”

  Although I would have preferred to discuss this topic with Carlton in private, I decided it was not meant to be.

  “Personally,” I said, “I’m trying to keep an open mind about Jacob. In fact, I believe we should give him an opportunity to explain his actions before we force him to do anything. If we made him that offer, he might come with us willingly, and I’m sure everyone would agree that scenario would work out better for all concerned.”

  “You’re being naïve,” Olivia said. “Jacob could have come home anytime he wanted to in the last five years, but he obviously chose not to do so. It’s not like the Saudis are keeping him there against his will.”

  Barron twisted the cap off a bottle of water. “I like your out-of-the-box thinking, Titus,” he said, raising the bottle toward me in a kind of congratulatory salute. “You’ve got my vote.”

  Carlton cleared his throat. “We’re not having an election here, Mason. But, to speak to your point, Titus, I’m not opposed to your approach, and if you were able to convince Jacob to completely sever his relationship with the Saudi government and return home, it might avert a diplomatic crisis between Riyadh and Washington. However, creating the opportunity to have such a discussion with Jacob is problematic. He’s living in a Saudi-controlled compound, working on a Saudi military base, and two days a week he comes to a Saudi-run refugee camp. If you have a chance to grab him, you’ll need to take it; no questions asked.”

  “Pardon the comparison,” Taylor said, “but to me it’s a c
ase of shoot first and ask questions later. You’ll have plenty of opportunity to interrogate him after he’s in our hands.”

  “I wasn’t talking about interrogating Jacob,” I said. “I was talking about allowing him to explain what he was thinking when he agreed to develop the MODD system for the Saudis without informing the Defense Department what he was doing.”

  “I may have something that would give you a chance to have some time alone with Jacob.”

  All eyes turned toward the end of the table where Katherine Broward and her ASA analysts were seated.

  Katherine said, “Forgive me for interrupting, but it might be a good time for my report now. My analysts have turned up some data that could be relevant to this discussion. Do you mind, Douglas?”

  * * * *

  I figured Carlton wouldn’t mind the interruption, and sure enough, when Katherine asked the question, Carlton immediately nodded and pointed to the folder he’d already taken out of his stack.

  “Your timing is perfect,” he said. “Your report was the next item on my agenda, and I have to say, Katherine, I was impressed by all the work you did.”

  Although Katherine immediately gave her staff credit for the report, she looked extremely pleased by Carlton’s praise.

  After working with her for several years, I’d learned Katherine enjoyed being complimented for her analytical abilities even more than she appreciated receiving admiring looks for her physical attributes.

  After tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she said, “When Douglas asked our analysts to hack into the computers on the Al-Jarba military base and do a deep data scan, he specifically requested we examine the personnel database for anyone who’d been found guilty of a disciplinary infraction during the last six months.”

  Katherine looked down at her computer for a second, hit some keystrokes, and when a document appeared on the video monitor on the opposite wall, she said, “Those of you who are familiar with the Saudi military probably won’t be surprised by how many names we turned up.”