That particular unit was commanded by a deserter from the British Army, Joplin said. His men were all Arabs Shiites, to be exact, from several Middle Eastern countries and quite a few of them were killed. The survivors were reorganized into a small infantry unit and left Chehaar. They went to northwestern Afghanistan.
I cannot accept any of that, Carl. It is data that has been fabricated in a most preposterous manner.
There are two sorts of insurgents using that particular area for hiding, Joplin continued, unaffected by the denial. Taliban and disaffected Pashtuns. American intelligence surmises the Arabs from Chehaar joined one of those two groups. Common sense tells us it was the Pashtuns.
Kahnani chuckled. The idea that a British deserter is commanding a small armored-car unit under the direction of the Iranian government is ludicrous. I stick to my opinion that somebody is making up a story to alarm you Americans.
The Englishman's name is Archibald Sikes, Joplin said. British MI-Five has given us a full dossier on him.
Well, if this mysterious Englishman is working for Iran, why in the world would he and his Arab chums go to Afghanistan to live among Pashtuns?
Because this particular group of Pashtuns are being encouraged, bribed, and equipped by the Iranian Army. Obviously, an insurgency in Afghanistan is part of your big picture.
Conjecture! Kahnani exclaimed. And a poor example of it at that!
We desire for you to report back to your ambassador and inform him that the United States is fully aware of the Iranian plot to organize both Arab and Pashtun insurrections in the Middle East, Joplin insisted. We demand it be brought to an immediate halt.
What about our nuclear activities that irritate you so much? Kahnani asked. Has the United States government grown bored with that old song and dance?
That is still very much on our collective minds, Joplin said. And I can assure you it remains part of our agenda in dealing with the Iranian government. But as of this moment, we will concern ourselves with your nation's contacts among Arab terrorist groups.
Very well, Kahnani said. I will pass your message to the ambassador and he will inform Tehran forthwith.
Excellent! Joplin said. He looked at his watch. Where would you like to go for lunch, Saviz?
Mmm, the Iranian mused. I was thinking of that Italian place over on C Street.
Ah! Mario's, eh? Joplin said. Y'know, I just happen to be in the mood for some of his lasagna.
It's spaghetti and meatballs with a side dish of sausage for me, Kahnani said. Shall we go?
After you, my friend.
The two men got their hats and left the office.
.
PASHTUN STRONGHOLD
GHARAWDARA HIGHLANDS
THE Pashtuns' reaction to having Arsalaan Sikes Pasha appointed their leader was one of calm acceptance. The men all admired Sikes's leadership skills, and none of them felt capable of taking over the planning and execution of complicated operations involving a lot of men. The leaders among them were in charge of small units, or had specific talents that made them commanders of specific types of missions or weapons mortars, Stinger AA launchers, etc. There were a few reservations because Sikes was an Englishman and not a Pashtun, but at least he was a Muslim. Nobody stepped forward with any serious objections, and that was pretty much all it took to ratify Sikes's appointment.
Sikes's newly assigned interpreter was a fourteen-year-old boy by the name of Malyar Lodhi. He spoke excellent English, Dari, French, and of course Pashto. He had gone to the same school in Kandahar as his leader, Yama Orakzai. In fact, it had been Orakzai Mesher who chose him out of all the other boys to get an education and return to the mountains an enlightened young man ready to take up a meaningful leadership position within the group. Unfortunately, Malyar's mathematical instructor in the sixth form at the Kandahar school was a bad- tempered New Zealander who ran his classes under his own rules and regulations. This rather large man was prone to spontaneous outbursts of rage that were the worst in the insti-tution's long history. The only reason he wasn't fired was because of the difficulty in attracting teachers to Afghanistan.
One day, he caught Malyar staring out the window during a lecture on algebraic formulae. The boy was gazing to the north toward his home mountains, wishing he were back in the Gharawdara Highlands, minding goats with his pals. When the teacher noted the youngster's inattention, he strode rapidly to his desk and pulled him to his feet. Then he slapped the boy's face.
Pashtuns believe in always being armed, and Malyar was no exception. He was never without the small qasab knife in a sheath in the pants waist of his school uniform. This was a tool normally used to strip the last bits of meat off the bones of animals, but Malyar used it on that memorable day to cut into, then across, the New Zealander's ample belly. Fortunately, all that fat protected the victim, but he immediately began bellowing and shrieking like a wounded ox. Eight years of schooling went into the toilet as Malyar made a quick exit through the nearest window despite the fact that he was on the second floor. The young Pashtun hit the ground, rolled, then leaped to his feet and started running north as fast as he could.
Malyar endured six weeks of flight and evasion following the bloody event, with several harrowing close calls during searches conducted by soldiers and police. But he managed to slip through the nets and reached the foothills, where he began a determined climb into the high country. He made it to the stronghold despite a lack of food and rest. When he explained what had happened, Orakzai forgave him and sent him home to his parents. He chose another boy to replace the fugitive at the school, but when the lad reached Kandahar, he was told no more Pashtun boys from Gharawdara would be accepted as students. The New Zealander's wound had required more than a hundred stitches to close it, and other teachers were seriously concerned for their safety if other lads from the same clan came to study at the institution.
Now working for the new leader Sikes Pasha, Malyar accompanied him wherever he went. The first thing Sikes wanted to check out were the defenses. He found them more than adequate in both the protection they afforded as well as the camouflaging techniques to keep them concealed from view. The Pashtuns had learned much during the war with the Soviets.
Every mujahideen was armed with a well-kept AK-47 assault rife with cleaning tools and spare barrels. Everyone was well versed in the care and maintenance of the weapons as well as the need for having a good stock of ammunition on hand. They weren't the most accurate of shooters, but modern warfare consisted mostly of putting out a lot of firepower to keep the enemy pinned down while the attackers maneuvered to close with them.
However, there was a problem with the heavy weapons that the Englishman had not expected. In fact, the difficulty belied all previous information about the stronghold's support capabilities. The mortars and machine guns were all well maintained and operational, but the problem was the different types and calibers. Sikes Pasha discovered there were three different types of mortars: Soviet M-1937 82-millimeters, Soviet M-1943 120- millimeters, and Spanish ECIA 60-millimeters. The machine guns were just as varied, with 5.56-millimeters, 7.62- millimeters, and 12.7-millimeters in models from four different nations. There was also a Soviet ZU 23-millimeter twin antiaircraft gun. Even though this miscellaneous mix was troubling, it was not pressing at the moment, because there was no ammunition available no matter what the type.
Another perplexing situation was that the organization of the mujahideen was inconstant and fluid. If a man had the necessary skills for certain weapons, he generally preferred to serve them. But, for example, Sikes found that many times during past operations, trained mortarmen would tire of the complexities of setting up and sighting in the weapons. There were also the heavy base plates and tubes that had to be lugged around. This was particularly vexing when having to move up and down the steep ridges of the Gharawdara Highlands. When it all got to be too much, the gunners would unilaterally decide to serve as riflemen for a while. Naturally, due to the Pashtuns' instinctively casual attitudes, this was done without informing anyone or seeking permission. Consequently, there had been times when a field commander called for fire support and there were no men or weapons to provide any.
.
CAPTAIN KHADID'S QUARTERS
1 MAY
1300 HOURS
