Chapter 4
THE ROAD TO CASTLE
Fallujah, Iraq
Al - Anbar Province
Euphrates River East Bank
November 7, 20042200 hour
An insurgent in green camouflage jacket and armed with an obsolete AK47 is walking along the Euphrates River east bank under the night's moonless darkness. Everything is quiet. The only sound he hears clearly are his breath and footsteps He then stops and stares toward the opposite river bank and shivers with hands folded. Suddenly, a left hand in black gloves and covered with a black uniform suddenly jumps out of water and grasps his tan chest AK magazine webbing and pulls him swiftly toward the river. A man in full black attire thrusts a medium straight sword at the insurgent's belly. The insurgent immediately collapses to the front but is held by the man. Three other masked men and an unmasked woman in black rise from underwater. The first man passes the dead insurgent to the three ninjas behind him. They quietly put the insurgent and his rifle at water who slowly drowns. The infiltrating party then moves to a bush nearby and form a defensive position by proning and crouching while aiming their silenced mini and micro Uzi.
Nate looks at his illuminated watch. It shows glowing green 22:04 in its screen. He then watches his surrounding to identify the place where he is. When he turns left, a bridge and houses are seen, everything's in dark silhouette. Nate gives the rest a gesture to move. While they are moving to a street, suddenly Nate dives to ground which is followed by the rest. A pair of conical dipped beam ray appears from the left direction of the road which is also the ninjas' left. An armed patrolling technical boarded by several insurgents immediately passes them. When Nate sees through his night vision googles that the ninjas are alone again, he observes the street's surrounding and the dark houses on opposite street bank in front of him. No one is seen. He then leads his group to cross the street. The party slips through a narrow dirty alley between square houses. No signs of civilians are seen. Voice of chatter in Arabic is suddenly heard. Upon hearing that, Nate and his ninjas immediately lean their backs, wielding their ninjato and silenced Uzi. Nate, followed by the three ninjas approaches the source. A light forming a rectangle on floor lies on ground from an opened door. Nate slips himself near the door. Inside the fortified two stories building, five insurgents are having conversation and watching the street. Nate now realizes he is at a fortified defense civilian building told by Al-Saleh's captured messenger. The building was prepared to defend the city from Coalition imminent offensive. The building where Nate and his team are is reinforced with jersey barriers and sandbags. The occupying insurgents are armed with PK machine guns and two RPG-7 beside their AK47 as basic weapon. Nate wields his ninjato when he hears an insurgent walking to the door. The insurgent stops right on the interior side of the door and smokes while looking outside. Nate's adrenaline rises high. One more step to outside, it would be the end to the unsuspecting insurgent. Fortunately for the insurgent, he turns back and walks away from the door. The three ninjas silently slips behind him crossing the door while Nate watches with his mini Uzi pointed at him in case they are spotted.
On their way to a designated rendezvous point near Al - Saleh's compound, they silently kill all insurgents they run into and hide their bodies if it is impossible to sneak behind them. It has been known that other thirty six ninjas have entered the city previously but they won't appear until their time comes. After an hour sneak toward the direction of Al-Saleh's stronghold, Nate orders Shiori to check her handheld GPS (Global Positioning System) navigation device. It shows that Al - Saleh's compound is nearby. Its screen shows a digital colorful map on which a flashing red dot from a beacon put inside the compound by a local informant appears on a wide complex area. Nate checks his current position with the compound. It is only two blocks away. Their proximity is also proved by constant enemy patrol around the area. Suddenly, a window on a second floor on a three story building that on day is used as a store opens and a red scarf is dangled on its bottom window frame. Nate knows it is a sign from his informant that marks the house as the rendezvous point. After taking out two masked insurgents in black standing in pavement after they disembark from a passing technical, the ninjas cross the street and reaches its backdoor on an alley. Nate knocks the door three times in slow rhythm as his password. The door is opened and Nate soon grabs the house occupier by pushing him inside to the interior wall and sticks his ninjato near the house host's neck. The other three then barge in as well wielding their Uzi and ninjato then closes the door. The two genin ninjas position themselves at the door's right and left to guard it. Nate's eyes stares sharply right at the trembled host's eyes. " It's me, sir..." says Salim. The man Nate jumped at is his informant that assists him on Omar Hussaini's capture in Ramadi.Nate releases him and sheathes his sword, " My apologize, Salim, in case it was a trap." Salim gasps to take breath. " How are you?" Nate shakes Salim's hand. " I'm good, sir." Answers Salim. Nate immediately him, " Salim, give me update about the compound situation." Salim then asks Nate which is followed by Shiori to a wooden small square table. Salim opens his explanation while pointing his finger at a drawn compound map on a paper, " Sir, the compound interior is guarded by thirty five Al Zarqawi's Death Squad Brigade. While the other fifteen is on outside with six on the main gate, four at the compound yard and five patrol around occasionally aboard a technical jeep. About ten prisoners are held there, including an American and an Ugandan." Salim continues, " The main building is fortified with jersey barriers, barbed wire and sandbags over them are machine gun emplacements and RPG firing ports. All are placed toward all direction. The roof is guarded by a concealed machine gun and RPG post to prevent American rappelling tactic. The only way to enter the building is through the main entrance and scaling the wall." Salim then asks, " Sir, with all respect, you are only four and want to raid the building?" Nate smiles, " Relax, You'll see it, Salim."
To be continued
Disclaimer: All contents are fiction.
No comments:
Post a Comment