Simon Richmond was in command of sixteen men from 22 SAS Sabre Squadron G, Mountain Troop, and a further sixteen men from D Squadron’s Air Troop: a formidable force.
Each man carried at least 100 kilogrammes of equipment, but the combined muscle did not hang lead-heavy as Ashe might have expected; rather it seemed to shimmer in the rain, bristling like a porcupine and ready to take its cargo of death right into the unsuspecting face of the enemy.
‘Where the fuck did they all come from?’
‘These are the invisible men, Toby.’
‘Quite a sight for invisible men.’
Richmond addressed them. ‘I hope you’re all comfortable. Any outstanding issues or questions about equipment, this is your last chance. Good. Before we go, I want to introduce you to Toby Ashe, whose name you have just forgotten. He’s with intelligence, and the higher-ups want him here to help with identification and interrogation procedures.’
Ashe looked somewhat apologetic, only too aware that he owed his place on the operation more to Crayke’s insistence than strict operational necessity.
‘Toby’s not undergone specialist training, but take my word for it, he has distinguished himself in field operations. Bastard even saved my life.’
Richmond awaited the expected mild amusement; it didn’t come.
‘Right. He doesn’t expect anyone to wait for him, or carry him. He’s aware that if he’s incapacitated, he will have to make his own way to the RV. Needless to say, we’ll take a diamond formation on the open stretches, and single file when we reach the foliage.’
There was a murmur of ‘Needless to say, Major’, and ‘Tell us something we didn’t know’.
‘As we discussed this morning, there is a high risk of anti-personnel mines and booby traps closer to the target, so bear that in mind. OK, we shall depart RV at five-minute intervals. Note there is to be no Morse or any electronic signalling whatsoever within five kilometres of the target area under any circumstances. Before that, high-speed transmissions may be used. It’s likely the enemy has direction-finding equipment installed in their facility. Signalling may resume in the event of engagement. I think that’s it. Good luck.’
There was some good-natured nodding from some of the troops, but most had their minds fixed firmly on the operation objectives. The men, divided into groups of four, would each follow a different route to the target area. Each route had been planned meticulously to offer a consistent strategic arrival pattern. Each group of four had a specific set of objectives to accomplish before the attack on the facility proper began.
Richmond and Ashe set off first, with the four men from Squadron G Mountain Troop who had brought Ashe in from Mosul. Already, Ashe’s shoulders were beginning to ache. Richmond turned round and noticed his discomfort.
‘It’ll improve, Toby. Now, before we spread out, I think I’d better explain what’s been going on.’
‘I’d appreciate that, Simon.’
‘Yes. The planning stage is usually like that. We don’t like to dwell on an operation. Just get on with it.’
‘Feet first, is it?’
‘Deep end.’
‘Right.’
‘I wasn’t going to mention it, Toby. But that submachine gun you have there is not a fashion accessory. I’ve lost four from my allotted force.’
‘Casualties?’
‘You’ve heard of the Ken Bigley kidnap?’
‘Al-Tawhid wal-Jihad group.’
‘Yeah. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. He’s threatened to execute the poor chap. All on video. It’s one of those Iraq stories that newspapers really go to town on.’
‘Presumably why the kidnaps keep happening.’
‘Yeah, well. The PM has pulled out as many stops as possible. So I’ve lost a unit trying to find him. Of course, if they get to Bigley in time, they’ll also get the most-wanted terrorist in the region, so it’s worth the effort.’
‘D’you think our effort will make headlines?’
‘Rather doubt it, don’t you? Still, this operation makes sense. Remember last time you and I looked over a map of the region?’
‘In Shariya. You said there was the possibility of joint Turkish special forces and Ansar al-Sunna activity – weird though that sounded.’
‘Jolo’s men picked up one of the Ansar al-Sunna men in the area.’
‘Picked up?’
‘Abducted. Borrowed. Lifted. Took bloody prisoner. Anyhow, they got him talking. And he started gabbing about a bearded Yezidi brought in from Europe. Special hostage. He also identified a photograph of this Sami al-Qasr guy we and everybody else seems to have as a high-priority target. I’ve got to say though, Toby, it’s weird him turning up in these parts, given my briefing about him.’
‘Did the prisoner mention anyone else?’
‘Only a senior Turkish officer.’
Ashe felt a rush of excitement. He tried to sound unmoved. ‘Name?’
‘Didn’t know the name.’
‘Pity.’
‘Seems, Toby, this guy’s been running a special operation of his own.’
‘I’ll bet!’
‘Know this guy?’
‘Maybe.’
‘Well, he’s something special. He’s apparently turned about fifty captured Ansar al-Sunna volunteers into his own private force. They’re targeting PKK rebels operating inside northern Iraq. Some of the rebels are cooperating with American special forces, some are just hiding out in places the Turkish special forces can’t find. The Turkish justification is simple. It’s the war on terrorism.’
‘Of course it is. But Turkish style. Using Ansar al-Sunna volunteers distracts terrorists from killing Americans, while assisting the global war on terror by locating and/or liquidating Turkey’s internal enemies. Clever.’
‘And it keeps to a diplomatic minimum the number of Turkish special forces operating over the border. Now, Toby, you can answer a question of mine. We’ve been told this isn’t a simple blat-and-splat mission. There’s the hostage-release aspect.’
‘That’s just part of it, Simon. I presume you know that if this comes off, your command will have found the only significant WMD in the Iraq conflict.’
‘That aspect’s been rather muted. We can’t be sure what we’re going to find, if anything.’
‘So what’s your question?’
‘Why no US forces? Does Blair want the honours – save his career and trounce his enemies?’
Ashe laughed. ‘I doubt it. Maybe the prospect of US forces going out to hit Turks is embarrassing for all parties. On the other hand, a regular mission against Ansar al-Sunna forces by Kurdish irregulars, albeit with some SAS backup – which also happens to locate some Turkish forces – I suppose that could be dressed up rather differently. But there’ll be diplomatic problems if the Yanks find we’ve gone after al-Qasr without telling them. Success will be our proof.’
Richmond squinted, not entirely convinced. ‘Is that the only reason our allies are in the dark on this one, Toby?’
Ashe thought it best to avoid the question. ‘Of course, there’s the capability factor.’
‘Capability, Toby?’
‘I’m told cave-bashing operations like this normally get US AC-130 Spectre Gunship support with deep-penetration bombs targeting the cave entrances. But in this case, we can’t risk killing either the hostage or those in charge of holding him.’
‘That’s been made clear. Who’s the hostage?’
‘They didn’t tell you?’
‘It was made clear there was no guarantee the hoped-for hostage would be there at all. Crayke suggested you would know.’
‘And this mission was okayed on that basis?’
‘That’s how it is sometimes. Uncertainty complicates things, Toby, but sometimes you just have to go.’
‘I presume hostage release is nothing new to you.’
‘Never done it from inside a bloody cave in the mountains before! It’s the worst of two worlds.’
‘That’s life.’
Ashe found the going easier now the blood was flowing and his mind was active. As the men curved round the brow of the mountain and headed towards a stunning serpentine valley of gentle serrations, streaked by a gushing tributary of the Great Zab River, the autumn sun poked out from behind the clouds. Its cleansing beams flooded the valley.
Richmond turned to Ashe. ‘Know something?’
‘What?’
‘You’ve changed.’