Prelude To War: World War 3 (Steve Case Thriller Book 1)

by Phillip Strang

  Archie had spent some time with Steve before he left the office in Wall Street, outlining what was required regarding intelligence gathering. It was clear that either Chuck or Howard could have filled this role, but both made it clear, that they would work with the team in New York, but not Afghanistan. This suited Archie, he knew they were experienced and capable, but he also knew they would collect the information their way. That was not what he wanted. He wanted a clean slate, the ability to mould the operation. Steve was that clean slate.

  Archie realised the danger that Steve was going to be placed in, although he hadn’t outlined that he wanted him in the country when the Taliban elimination exercise commenced. He was fully cognisant of what Steve’s reaction would be; it would be assuredly negative.

  Steve needed a top rate administrator for the work ahead. Could Faheed serve that position? he thought.

  It was the next day when he contacted Archie and Fred. ‘I need to know if I can use Faheed, my office manager, as the administrator for our new project.’

  It was Fred who answered. ‘Let me check. All the personnel at Transcontinental Communications have been security checked, but I do know that some have received a high level of clearance. Some realise that you are more than an employee. I am certain you may be aware of that.’

  Archie added his approval, ‘I’m Okay, and long as he checks out.’

  ‘I’ve worked with him for some time. I know he could do the job, and I trust him more than anyone else in the country,’ Steve added. He took the next day off to get over the jetlag, it always troubled him.

  It was on the third night back in the country when Fred phoned. ‘Faheed checks out. We had already conducted some extensive background checks on him, and he has been given the necessary clearances to work with you. Don’t mention Archie’s Taliban plan. That may be too much for him to take.’

  ‘I am also working directly with the U.S. government.’ Steve mentioned to Faheed the next day in the office.

  ‘Yes, I have believed that for some time. Yesterday, I received a phone call from a British Army Major. He was interested in revalidating my security clearance. They just sounded me out in preparation for the conversation we’re now having.’

  ‘Fine, then let me tell you what I am involved with. Obviously, I will continue with my regular job at Transcontinental, but I have been asked to take an auxiliary position. That position, I believe will take predominance. You are aware that your country possesses vast quantities of minerals, oil and gas.

  ‘Yes, and they are stuck in the ground and doing nothing to help the country.’

  ‘This is what we are to become involved with. There is a plan to change Afghanistan into a country where the resources can be accessed. It is a mammoth undertaking which requires an understanding and a control of those who hold sway in the country. Those whose participation and acceptance is required.

  ‘In brief, we need a compliant Taliban, compliant Warlords, compliant Politicians and anyone else who could disrupt.’

  ‘So, who is going to achieve this? It sounds impossible, at least, where the Taliban are concerned.’

  ‘That is where our work comes into play. We are to conduct intelligence gathering to a level not attempted before. We need to know who the key players are, whether they would be conducive to the plan, and if not, how can they be marginalised. This is an intensive undertaking, and let me assure you, the planning is well underway for the extraction of the resources. There is a clear undertaking that a high percentage of any profits will be directed towards the Afghan people.’

  ‘Assuming that what you are saying is possible, any profits for the Afghan people will be taken by the corrupt politicians in Kabul.’ Faheed expressed concern.

  ‘Apart from the fact that they will not receive that money unless they are subjected to international auditors, as to their honesty and sense of fair play. Can’t you see, Afghanistan will no longer be a country in financial debt? It could be a country transformed.’

  ‘Hopefully, some of what you say may come to fruition.’

  ‘Great, let us spend time in the next day and analyse how we want to conduct our part of the operation.’

  Steve was soon on the phone to Archie. ‘Faheed is with us.’

  ‘That is good. My plan, I realise that you still have some concerns, is gaining support at the highest levels. I will need to set up meetings for you with the key people in charge of intelligence gathering with the U.S. and NATO military forces. They are mainly pulling out, a few will remain. They are still conducting “Hunt and Kill’’ operations undercover to deal with Taliban and Al Qaeda militants, only low numbers, and certainly not to the extent that I have planned.

  ‘There may be some reticence on their part to hand over their operatives to you, but I will deal with that from here. The president will soon put them in their place if needed. You will need to counsel the operatives in intelligence gathering for strategic, rather than military reason. Faheed will be invaluable here. I am anxious to keep you isolated from any more than minimal contact with the people in the field.’

  To Archie, having Steve and Faheed coordinating in-country was ideal. Initially, he had seen that he would either be assigned an Afghan controller with direction from the States, or he would have had to rely on limited intelligence from the U.S. military in the country. Both, he felt would have been less than satisfactory.

  ***

  True to his word, Archie had set up meetings with the U.S. military at Bagram airfield on the outskirts of Kabul, and as Archie had indicated they were reticent in giving Steve too much assistance. A quick phone call to Archie, who in turn phoned George Hampshire, who in turn spoke to the president in the White House, and very quickly those unwilling to assist were back on the phone to Steve, apologetic, and excessively agreeable.

  ‘Good to see you,’ Steve said, when he realised that André was to be his NATO contact, ‘I didn’t realise you were the key person that I would interface with here.’

  ‘I wasn’t, but in light of our good working relationship, my superiors have assigned me to this position and given me another twelve months in country.’

  There was not a great deal for Steve and André. Archie’s plan was still in formulation, and not totally revealed as yet. The best that Steve, with Faheed’s assistance could do was to understand how the current intelligence gathering of the foreign militaries worked, and to endeavour to come up with a better system.

  ‘My concern, ‘Steve mentioned to Faheed, ‘is how do those gathering the intelligence know who can be trusted out in the field.’

  ‘They do not. The most they can do is hope that the money ensures their trust. A percentage of the information they receive is probably false, but how do they quantify? I cannot see how they can double check.’

  ‘It is possible that lives have been lost in counter-insurgency activities due to false information.’

  ‘It probably has occurred,’ replied Faheed.

  Steve would ask André this very question at a later time. For the moment, he focussed on other issues. ‘How do you feel about your interfacing with the primary contacts that we have been given? How are you going to ensure their trustworthiness?’

  ‘Difficult, I cannot see any better method than they have utilised. I trust my family, my tribe, but apart from that, there is little trust. The best method is to ensure that our coordinators out in the field are given the authority to choose who they feel are best, who they can trust. And that will be family.

  ‘The coordinators, of course, are a different issue. They will be of other tribes to mine; there will be no allegiance to me. I cannot trust them any more than they would me.’

  ‘Faheed, then we will do the best with what we have. I realise that their choosing family does not always ensure the best person for the job, but if the best person cannot be trusted, then he is of no use.’

  It was becoming difficult for Steve to maintain his official job description with Transcontinental in a manner
that would not raise suspicion. It was true that everyone in the office had been subjected to a security check on joining, but it could only be limited in its thoroughness. He remembered what a colleague had told him when the Taliban fell. One day, all the men wore long beards, the next day, neat and trimmed. If the Taliban did not want to be recognised, it was easily achieved.

  There had been one of his engineers, a Pashtun from Logar Province, a surly individual but a good worker. There had been a roadside bomb just on the outskirts of the city. A NATO personnel carrier had been targeted. Four German soldiers plus a dozen locals had died that day. The next day, the surly engineer did not appear in the office. He had always professed enthusiasm for what Transcontinental was trying to achieve, but three days later, he was cornered and shot. His last words were “Allah Akbar.” He was Taliban, and he had organised the bombing of the NATO vehicle.

  ***

  ‘Faheed, how do you intend to maintain communication with the operatives in the field?’ Steve asked. ‘The mobile phone coverage is good, but many of the remote regions will not pick up a signal.’

  ‘I see no reason to change from the previous communication process. Mobile phone and designated control points where messages could be relayed. In most cases, we just wait until the operative moves to where he can use his mobile.

  ‘I am endeavouring to ensure that an operative, at least as much as possible, does not know of another operative, only his coordinator. The U.S. and NATO intelligence officers tended to be a bit slack on this,’ Steve said.

  ‘There is no way,’ Faheed shuddered at the thought, ‘that an operative if captured, would resist telling what he knows. Taliban torture is severe, nobody will stay silent. Neither you nor I will fare any better. We will tell them anything they want to hear, true or otherwise, and once they have extracted as much as possible, then our deaths would be slow and severe. I just don’t want to think about it.’

  It was clear to Steve that he and Faheed were placing themselves in the sights of the Taliban. It would be increasingly difficult to keep their spying activities hidden for much longer. He intended to talk to Archie about this very subject, to reiterate his concerns.

  With the intelligence gathering activity in progress, and his relationship with the American military and NATO, courtesy of André, working well, he had a chance to reflect of where they stood. Faheed was relishing his new role and showed a genuine belief in the validity of their activity.

  ‘Archie, Steve said, ‘I haven’t had a chance to speak to you for a few days.’

  ‘It’s going well. The information that you are collating is great.’

  ‘That’s fine, but that is not the reason for my call. What has been done to ensure my safety, and that of Faheed and the operatives around the country?’

  ‘Are you seeing any signs of danger? Is there any reason for your increased concern?’ Archie enquired, concerned by the tone of Steve’s conversation.

  ‘No, nothing has changed, but it is clear that we must be noticeable to the Taliban. We are conducting intelligence gathering throughout the country, but it is the Taliban areas that receive the majority of our focus. They only need to capture an operative, or even worse a coordinator. It wouldn’t take long for the Taliban, at least a Taliban with education to trace the chain of command back to us here in Kabul.’

  ‘You summed it up correctly, a Taliban with education. Thankfully, there aren’t too many of them, but as you state, it wouldn’t take long to trace back to you.’

  ‘I am staying in a house in Wazir Akbar Khan, it only has a metal gate at the front, a guard who is rarely awake, and I’m still moving around the country. My security has not concerned me greatly before. I have always been seen as someone trying to help the country, but now I feel it needs upgrading. Also, Faheed. He will be more noticeable to the Taliban than me, and he has a family in the country as well.

  ‘If one of the coordinators is taken by the Taliban, he will soon give them Faheed as their contact, and then he will give my name under torture. He was remarkably open about this. He said he would not be able to resist and neither would I.’

  ‘Faheed is correct. Nobody can resist. The indomitable hero holding out in the movies is just make-belief. Thirty minutes’ maximum and anyone would be broken, including me.’

  ‘There are two security personnel keeping you in their sights, at least in Kabul, as I promised. Don’t look for them, they will not be obvious. For Faheed, I will make sure his accommodation in Kabul is secured, and regular checks are conducted on his family. Any moves on him, his family will be moved to a safe location immediately.’

  ‘Fine, let’s get back to our activities here. At the present moment, we appear to have about five hundred operatives in the field, most we inherited from the U.S. and NATO, plus some additional that we have sourced. It seems to be a sufficient number. They are feeding back good information as you well know, but the veracity of the information always carries an element of risk.’

  ‘We are finding that there is often an overlap of information from two or more operatives and we can validate from there. We must always allow for a small percentage of spurious and misleading information.’

  With the increasing reduction of foreign troops and the worsening situation in Kabul, the expatriates continued to move out. Most of the embassies had minimised staff, closed down their houses and brought all accommodation into a central compound within their premises. A few countries had relocated consular activities to their embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan.

  To Steve, it was becoming a ghost town. Certainly, it was not a one-horse kind of ghost town. The city was overly populated, but the camaraderie, the vibrancy and the companionship that existed before, for a Westerner were rarely experienced. There had always been a party, a get-together at the weekends. Now, it was stay back in your residence with a few beers. It was boring.

  A core group of expats still continued with their macho infallibility. Most of these characters had never experienced any problems in these crazy countries. Mugged on holiday in France, car accident back home, or break a leg falling down the stairs in their house in their home country, certainly. Come to Afghanistan, Iraq, Liberia and all the other places that make the midday news and nothing happens. They perceive themselves to be immune to danger, but in reality, they are cautious, ever vigilant, looking over their shoulder, watching where they walk. Back home they relax, and then the problems occur.

  There was the occasional tension with the locals, but it was rare. They were a genuinely hospitable people, although there had been a few Arabs working for Transcontinental in the past. Decent people, but once it became known that they were from the Middle East, then issues would arise. Al Qaeda was well remembered, and they were tarred with that brush. Steve had not been in the country at the time of Taliban dominance, but he had been told many times, that a large proportion of the Al Qaeda Arabs were no more than thugs. There had been no religious piety about them. It was just the opportunity to cause mayhem, to kill and maim as they wanted.

  ***

  ‘Steve, one of our operatives has been captured and killed down near Kandahar.’ Faheed’s revelation came as no surprise to Steve. It was inevitable that some would be discovered.

  ‘Do you have any details?’ Steve reacted with alarm.

  ‘Limited, but it is certain that he will have been tortured, and he would have quickly revealed all that he knew. It will not be difficult for them to trace back to us. We need to be very careful. It would be better if you curtail your movement around the city.’

  ‘Faheed, I have already spoken to Archie about upgrading our security. I still need to travel round the country, and as much as possible, act as I did before. If I change my routine too dramatically, others will notice, it will raise suspicion, and we can’t totally trust all the people in the office. We can never be sure where their true loyalties lie.’

  ‘We need to make sure that the operative’s family are looked after financially. Can we do that?�
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  ‘We can try. All I can do is to give the money to his coordinator and hope he passes it on intact. He will almost have certainly gone underground to avoid the Taliban’s retribution, and whether the family of the operative is still alive is uncertain. The Taliban will attempt to kill them as a lesson to others.’

  Steve continued his official work with Transcontinental Systems. He still met with André and Abdul on an occasional social basis, although they were much more cautious than before. Abdul felt that the central government in Kabul was increasingly marginalised and ineffective, and there was a genuine fear that the insurgents were continuing to assert their influence in Kabul.

  Steve was down in Kandahar when Archie phoned. ‘I have nearly formulated my plan. I will endeavour to make the initial removals look like an accident. I want to avoid their becoming martyrs. As we know, the male members of their family, by honour and tradition will be obliged to join the Taliban to avenge the slaying. I don’t believe I will be able to do this for more than a few, but it may help.’

  ‘I’m still uneasy with your plan. I grant that it may be the only solution. Kabul is becoming increasingly unsafe, and my activities will become known very shortly. If the insurgents start disappearing, accident or otherwise, then I will feel very concerned. The mood in Kandahar is very hostile. I can sense it on the street.’

  ‘Stay with my plan, it is the only solution, and it is vital that you are there to coordinate. I will ensure that we have a rapid extraction set up for you if it becomes untenable.’

  Archie and his plan caused Steve to reflect. The West is obsessed with a plan; every activity must have a date against it. They never consider the enemy. The Taliban’s time scale was flexible, this year, next year, or twenty years in the future.