Nadir was livid. Responsible for coordinating Al-Qaeda operations worldwide, he had simmered for two days waiting for reports from the field about the Veterans Day events in the United States. Al-Qaeda affiliates had spread like wildfire over the past four years, and the rigid control had broken down. ISIL’s grip had loosened with the Arab coalition that had restored a fragile order in Syria, but Assad remained in power, and there were still strong pockets of resistance within the city. But to have attacks of this magnitude carried out without his prior knowledge and final approval was simply not acceptable. To Nadir, the operation was out of control, and he vowed to bring discipline and centralized planning back into the organization. Attacks had a simple purpose of advancing the agenda and recruiting disciples that could act independently to make the caliphate a reality. Nadir could not stomach the rogues that were crossing thresholds that would bring more attention to their operations. A delicate balance had to be preserved to avoid the massive attention that the West could dedicate to Al-Qaeda. If the situation in the Middle East stabilized politically, he knew that resources would be re-directed to eradicate the leadership of Al-Qaeda. He had transmitted a dozen queries around the globe and wondered how the operatives would respond. Had they lost control of their regional cells?
Nadir stubbed out his cigarette in the overflowing ashtray and called for another cup of tea. Of the four attacks on Veterans Day, only the contamination of the water supply in Newport had been reviewed and approved for execution. What other players were out there and who was controlling them?
In the United States, the public outcry was deafening. Congressional leaders called for significant increases in funding the continuing war on terror and fueled the notion that all the problems facing the US emanated from beyond its borders. They wanted to fund the activities that kept the ramparts far from the US shores and focus on the countries from which the terror had been metastasized.