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

by Phillip Strang

  ‘I intend to remove them. The plan needs you there,’ Archie answered.

  ‘You mean to kill them? All of them?’

  ‘Yes, I see no alternative. Not all obviously, but a very large number. Even if we were not planning to claim the mineral wealth, it still remains clear that they would have to be dealt with at some stage. Unchecked these types of organisations will multiply and expand to a situation that we will never be able to control.’

  ‘I don’t like it. You are talking about murder. I understand the rationale, but I have serious qualms.’

  ‘Steve, I don’t expect you or any rational person to feel comfortable with what I am suggesting.’

  ‘You will never get permission to conduct such an operation.’

  ‘That may have been the case in the past, but now we have a unique situation. We need to fix the economy of Afghanistan. We also have an expansionist Russia who will move in eventually, and we have a mineral that is to transform the American economy. There is just too much pressure for those in power in this country to refuse to give the command.’

  ‘If permission is granted, then I will support your action. Is there no option to me being in country while this is going on?’

  ‘I need you there to coordinate, and it’s best handled there.’

  ‘I will be public enemy number one to the Taliban. If they find out what I am doing, I will be dead. You do realise that.’

  ‘I do, and that is why we will need to make your security tighter than ever before. Will you do it? We need you in the country. It’s the best solution to get the results that we need.’

  ‘I will, but I need to be fully informed as to the plan, and I need to feel that the security given is the best possible.’

  ‘That’s great. Let’s proceed with the meeting,’ Archie said, relieved that Steve was on board.

  Steve had seen there was no other option. He had spent long enough in the country to realise that something dramatic needed to be done. He had grown fond of the people there. They were unique with an amazing culture stretching back thousands of years. The majority were not violent, in fact, the opposite, but history and their strategic importance to other countries forced them to take arms to defend themselves. If the economy of the country was rectified, then peace may be possible. None of it was possible with the Taliban.

  ‘I was planning to leave the country in another six months,’ Steve said.

  ‘We will require you there for possibly longer, maybe one year. Is that a major problem?’ Archie replied.

  ‘I’ve committed to marrying my girlfriend, Megan, in Australia, but now I may have to delay. She will not be pleased.’ They had agreed to make their relationship more permanent. It was already as far as they were concerned, but her parents were anxious for a permanency as recognised by the law and the church. It was an old-fashioned concept in a modern age, but they were happy to go along with it.

  It seemed fine to Steve, although a marriage celebrant under a palm tree on the beach in Queensland would have suited him, and then there was the issue of the “tie.” He may have to break his golden rule for once. If it made her happy, he would relent.

  Chuck brought the meeting back to the subject at hand. ‘We have some areas to discuss. We need to break down their organisational structure, and to decide whether those senior people in the structure are to be considered as part of the elimination process being put forward by Archie.’

  ‘I believe that all of the senior people be included.’ Archie interjected.

  ‘Archie, you may be right, but we need to be sure. As you have alluded, the authority will be forthcoming subject to analysis, cross-checking, and then further analysis by us and others.

  ‘Those persons answerable on behalf of the American government will need certainty, that the action will result in the demise of the Taliban. We need to be able to countenance any argument for approval, taking into account the current and past situation relating to what is an assassination program.

  ‘President Gerald Ford signed an executive order in nineteen seventy-six banning the American intelligence forces from engaging in assassination. Is that what we are proposing here? Is it mass-murder, or an act of war? There are two drone programs in Afghanistan. One is run by the U.S. military in the country and targeted at the enemies of the USA. This can be classified as an act of war. The second one, however, is run by the C.I.A. and is aimed at Taliban outside of the country, namely in Pakistan. They are by definition not combatants actively engaged in battle with the U.S. military and is more contentious.

  ‘We will require the president’s authority to initiate action, although the current situation is that the White House has delegated trigger authority to C.I.A. officials, including the head of the Counter-Terrorist Centre, his identity is secret. The current president has shown more enthusiasm for the use of drones than the previous incumbent. He believes there is less likelihood of U.S troops being involved in potentially dangerous battle situations.

  ‘I feel that I should give you an overview on the drones and what they can achieve and the potential errors that occur. Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of the Taliban in Pakistan was believed responsible, for the assassination of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, and the bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad. He could be seen on the rooftop of his father-in-law’s house, in Southern Waziristan. He was with his wife and uncle, plus a medic who was there to treat him for his diabetes and kidney ailment.

  ‘This was all clearly shown on the video of an infrared camera mounted on a Predator drone, hovering three kilometres above. The drone was silent, the picture clarity was clear. That same drone fired two Hellfire missiles. All that remained of Mehsud after the missiles had impacted their target was a detached torso. A further eleven people died including his wife, his father-in-law, his mother-in-law, a lieutenant, the medic, and seven bodyguards.

  ‘The first two C.I.A. drone strikes of the current president took place on his third day in office. In the first strike, four Arabs died, but in the second strike, the drone targeted the wrong house, killing a tribal leader’s entire family, including his three children.

  ‘We will not garner any support, at least publicly from any Islamist government, but we will receive de facto appreciation after the task is completed. There are too many of these countries being held to ransom by a few rabid and backwards thinking people.’

  Chuck continued, ‘Let me return to the Taliban organisational structure. The Afghan Taliban Leadership Council was originally based in Quetta, Pakistan, but has now decamped in part to Karachi, Pakistan. We may have to implement parts of the plan in locations at some distance from the primary locations. The leadership council is comprised of educated religious ideologues, who while they will be coherent and vocal in their criticism, and certainly willing to use the Western media, will not determine the success of our mission. Their education may not be as we would understand; it will be primarily religious.

  ‘Below them, there will be the regional military shuras or councils. They are based in Quetta, Peshawar, and two locations in Waziristan. They need to be eliminated.

  There are a further ten committees that deal with specific issues, such as military, finance, political affairs, education and so on. Education would appear to be an oxymoron in reference to the Taliban, but they regard religious studies as education. They are similar to a functioning government.

  ‘Within Afghanistan, there are the provincial military commissioners, with subordinate military commissioners who supervise the military operations. There are a large number of foot soldiers, who purely take commands as given. They are largely uneducated, and without any direction, will in the main disperse.’

  ‘All foreign fighters who have no family roots in either Afghanistan or Pakistan will need to be eliminated,’ Archie aiming to gain control of the meeting spoke. ‘We will need assistance from Pakistan for this. They will need to be coerced into assisting.’

  Howard spoke, ‘Chuck has
given a breakdown on the structure, and Archie has explained his position on the foreign fighters. What we need to do is to formulate who is to be put on the list for attention.’

  ‘The foreign fighters are there for jihad.’ Archie said. ‘They are not some poor, illiterate peasant who believes he is fighting for his religion and his country. They will not disperse when we remove the leadership. They will stay and cause trouble.’

  ‘As we have mentioned before, we have a consolidated list of about four thousand,’ Howard said, ‘plus Archie’s contacts have supplied an additional six hundred foreign fighters and at least three hundred more locals to add to the list. Steve is now coordinating with our operatives undercover with assistance from back in the States. They will account for the maximum possible, but to achieve the required numbers, intensified use of drones will be required.’

  ‘How long will this take?’ Steve asked.

  ‘Four weeks is the maximum.’

  ‘That doesn’t seem to be sufficient.’

  ‘Steve, you are correct, but it is the longest we can be assured before Western media condemnation. Human rights activists and foreign governments will place so much pressure on our political leaders, that they will be forced to halt our operation.

  ‘The Taliban will disappear after the first couple of weeks anyway. They are very capable of blending into the general populace,’ Steve said.

  ‘We have seen that,’ Howard continued. ‘It is clear that the Pakistan Taliban and the foreign fighters will answer a call to arms and head into Afghanistan. We will not be able to hold them all off. That is when we need the Pakistan Military to assist.’

  ‘You cannot tell Pakistan in advance. They leak like a sieve. It would get through to the Taliban in an instant.’

  ‘Correct, we must maintain it secret, and then ensure they move within a week to assist. This will require careful diplomacy coupled with a military and economic threat.’

  ‘How do you intend to control the borders until the Pakistani army becomes involved?’ Steve asked.

  ‘This is not going to be an easy exercise,’ Rusty responded. ‘The border is extensive and covers several hundred kilometres. The most we can do in the early stages is to know those crossings, to monitor constantly, and at any time there is a substantial movement we cannot deal with, then we will either use a drone with a Hellfire missile or preferably send in U.S. special forces by helicopter.’

  Archie added to Rusty’s statement. ‘I believe that once the Pakistan military is given a clear directive and see no gain in maintaining an uneasy rapport with the Taliban, they will act with gusto and determination. There will be no subtlety in their approach; they may well finish the job for us.’

  It was clear to Steve that his remaining in Afghanistan was extremely dangerous, and he still had serious concerns about the level of violence to be meted out. There was bound to be collateral damage, innocent civilians were bound to be killed. He had accepted the role, and he would comply, he just needed some reassurance. He saw that to be able to function, he needed to separate his emotions from the strictly professional and organised detail of the exercise. He would need to see these people not as living beings, but somehow as a project. He could do that.

  It was clear that his conscience may suffer later on, but hopefully, he would be a long way from Afghanistan, preferably on a beach in Australia with Megan.

  Chapter 20

  ‘The original plan was to commence the elimination exercise with no foreign militaries in the country,’ Archie said. ‘That is not going to occur, although the U.S. and NATO troops that remain do not intend to take part in the overt military action. Their mandate is only to provide training for the Afghan Army and to conduct counterinsurgency activities. This has some bearing on our detailed plan. It may indeed be beneficial.’

  ‘Can we use them to assist?’ Steve asked.

  ‘Possibly,’ Archie replied, ‘although they cannot be seen to be assisting openly. What they can do is to provide bases for the drones and some Special Forces personnel.’

  ‘Once Kandahar falls, it appears probable you will receive the presidential authority to commence.’ Chuck said.

  ‘Then we don’t have much time.’ Archie replied, relieved to hear encouraging news. ‘We need to deal with the specifics.’ Steve had spent some time with Archie discussing his role in the country.

  ‘Steve, you will need to be fitted with the latest personnel tracking devices, and your position will be monitored on a twenty-four-hour basis from here,’ Archie said. ‘Any deviation, any rapid change in direction from agreed routes, and we will have people on the ground to pick you up. I believe it to be solid and fool proof.’

  ‘I’ve heard fool proof mentioned before. Invariably some greater fool seems to get through.’

  ‘You are right of course. It was naïve of me to say fool proof. It will be the very best that we can give.’

  ‘I remain committed to the mission, but I am under no illusions. The danger is extreme.’

  ‘Can we detail the plan, Archie?’ Howard asked.

  ‘Sure, I believe the people consolidating the information that Steve’s people, as well as the U.S. and NATO military intelligence have supplied, have comprehensively identified names, locations and movements, and how best to deal with those on the list.’

  ‘Collateral damage will be a stumbling block in gaining approval for this action to commence,’ Chuck said. ‘Has this been taken into account?’

  ‘We have, although we need to be pragmatic. However, much we dislike the idea of innocents being harmed, there is always the potential for some to be killed or injured in the crossfire. We will try our best, but I will not make a hard and fast statement that non-targeted persons will not be harmed.’

  ‘If you did make such a statement, nobody would believe you. It is just a question that the doves in the Security Council will focus on. The president will need to see a plan of how to minimise innocent casualties, knowing full well that such casualties will occur.’

  ‘We are going to give a classification on a scale from one to three,’ Archie said, ‘Not all those slated for elimination have a name, they may just be foot soldiers, at least, if they are non-Pashtun speaking.’

  ‘Won’t they blend into the scenery quickly?’ Howard asked.

  ‘Unlikely, if the Taliban is no longer exerting control over the remote villages, the locals will deal with them. They have no love for these foreigners. They well remember the cruel and barbaric Arabs who came in with Bin Laden,’ Steve stated.

  ‘The Pashtuns are fiercely loyal. They do not appreciate outsiders,’ Archie added.

  ‘What about the Pashtun foot soldiers? Are they slated for elimination?’ Steve asked.

  ‘No, they are mainly illiterate villagers. They will head back to where they came from. I don’t think we need to concern ourselves unduly with them. There may be isolated cases where they continue to cause trouble, but we will deal with that on an as needs basis.

  ‘I should make it clear about collateral damage. We will endeavour to minimise, but when the Pakistan Military takes up the baton and assist, they will show scant regard for innocent bystanders. Their collateral damage will be high.’

  The list, it was extremely detailed, had been prepared for the meeting by the people working behind the scenes in New York. The team checked it out. It seemed clear and concise. It would be continually updated before the commencement of the initiative.

  ‘As you can see,’ Archie said, ‘the plan is comprehensive. We need to take out most of the leadership on the first day. Some of them are located far to the South in Karachi, Pakistan. We will need to use trusted Pakistani operatives, and of course, no mention to the Pakistani government or military. This must be covert, and once the government there gets wind of what we are up to, there will be the normal diplomatic posturing. Our politicians will need to deal with that. We know full well we cannot risk trusting anyone in power in that country with any confidential information.r />
  ‘That first day will also aim to focus on the foreign fighters in Pakistan, and those Pashtuns situated in Quetta and Waziristan who may cause trouble.’

  ‘Have you considered Uzbekistan? The Taliban operate out of there as well,’ Chuck asked.

  ‘Yes,’ Archie replied, ‘it is in the plan. We had considered the Warlords helping us, but they will be of limited effectiveness. If necessary, we will send in operatives to deal with the Taliban and their Uzbek counterparts. The authorities in Uzbekistan may take the opportunity and respond to our initiative and deal with the troublemakers themselves.

  ‘I should clarify, that whereas we intend to go after the foreign fighters and the Taliban in Pakistan, we must be careful to avoid directly attacking any madrassas or places of worship. If we touch them, then immediately it becomes labelled as an attack on Islam.

  ‘We are aware of training camps in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. They need to be taken out in the first week. Total obliteration appears to be the only approach. Remote control drones, with follow up by elite special operations troops. No distinguishing uniforms and Russian Mil-Mi8 helicopters.’

  ‘Will the Taliban attack the U.S. and NATO bases as a reprisal?’ Steve asked.

  ‘It’s possible,’ Archie replied, ‘although their ability to maintain a sustained attack after the first week will be substantially diminished. It may be to our advantage, the troops defending the bases will take out a few more for us.’

  ‘Can we get back to the plan?’ Chuck asked.

  ‘Sure, let me detail,’ Archie replied. ‘The first day as we mentioned previously would be slated for the elimination of the senior leadership and the foreign fighters in Pakistan. As the plan shows, we have detailed a window of opportunity for each kill. If the window is missed, or the hit is unsuccessful, there will be a contingency alternative put in place.

  ‘The first day will be maximum undercover using trusted Pakistanis. Any attempt to use other nationalities would make it difficult to blend into the local population. This was the tactics the Taliban utilised, and it was successful for them. We learn from our adversaries. Once, one person is eliminated, then this would trigger a subsequent operation for another person or another group. Each time, there will be contingencies and counter plans. We cannot afford to eliminate some people, and then one person is left who can alert others. By the end of the first day, it is intended that those who have the ability, the education, and the common-sense to understand what is happening would be eliminated.