HALAT HANYURAH ISLAND, ABU DHABI, UAE—13:50 / 1:50 P.M. GST
The boat noiselessly slid into the slip, its port side kissing up against the wood. The voyage across the Persian Gulf had been smooth, particularly for February. The winds were low, which kept the waves to a minimum, and the boat’s pilot had a deft hand having smuggled goods in and out of Abu Dhabi for decades. As the mooring ropes were tied to the bollards, Muzahim al-Aiyubi breathed in deeply of the mild, humid air. The boat secured, he stepped off and began directing the unloading.
Even though they were padded inside, the cases were still handled carefully as they were moved from the cargo hold to the three panel trucks waiting at the end of the dock. During training, al-Aiyubi had received the brunt of Seif Abdel Abbas’s vitriol. Many times the proud warrior had to bite his tongue as he was humiliated for the failures of others. Rather than let it break him, though, he’d used it as motivation. With Abu Mustafa gone, Abbas was destined to be the next leader of Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada. That meant al-Aiyubi’s future lay in that man’s hands. He was determined to not let this back-country rabble he was overseeing mess up his reputation in Abbas’s eyes.
Al-Aiyubi thought about where he and the 13 men on his team found themselves. The eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates was solid coastal land. The west coast, however, was made up of hundreds of islands. Abu Dhabi itself was an archipelago of more than 200—some large, some small, some built up and inhabited, some barren and covered in sand. One of these islands, located almost halfway between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, was Halat Hanyurah. At its western end was a long peninsula, and built onto this peninsula was the dock the men were on.
Halat Hanyurah had been used by smugglers for many years but usually at night. The arguments Abbas had made for traveling by day were understandable, but for al-Aiyubi they were not compelling. Yes, the navy would be expecting them to cross at night. Traffic in the Gulf was much greater during the day. Traveling the day of the attack gave the drones less time away from the safety of Iran. All strong reasons. Still, daylight was the enemy of stealth, and he prayed that the integrity of the mission wouldn’t be compromised by a random patrol boat or local fisherman who just happened to be passing by.
Once the cases had all been transferred to the trucks, al-Aiyubi checked to make sure they were secure. Two trucks held 100 small cases each. The truck he would be driving with three of his men held only 50. The extra space would be needed for a secondary cargo they would pick up soon.
Now he spoke to his men. “Remember, we will meet at the warehouse off Channel Street at 6:30 p.m. That will give us 90 minutes to set up. This is not where the show is usually launched from, so people may wonder why there is activity there after business hours. If anyone stops you, just act like you belong there. If that doesn’t work, send them to me. The only way this will fail is if somebody panics. Tawfiq, you leave five minutes after me. Arshad, you leave five minutes after that. Go straight to the parking garages and wait for the right time to leave. Do not leave your truck. Do not go get something to eat. Do not walk around to stretch your legs. If you have to pee, use a bottle. No one is to leave the truck. Am I understood?”
Nods all around.
One of these idiots is going to step out, even if just to look around. I have no doubt. Allah, strike down the fool who compromises the mission.
“Okay, my brothers, we are about to be part of something big. Inshallah, we will survive to fight another day. However, if we do not, we know that we will die shaheed, martyrs for Islam. In your quiet times of waiting inside the truck, pray that Allah will give us success and that we will strike a great blow in his name.”
Al-Aiyubi saluted his men, trying to convey a confidence in them he didn’t feel. They saluted back, and he wondered if they felt the same lack of confidence in his leadership. Ultimately, it didn’t matter. It was too late to do anything about it. These were his men, and he was their commander. He felt sure that, at least when it came to his part, he would serve his god faithfully and would bring honor to his family’s name.