Executive orders - Tom Clancy [206]
It must have been a hard thing, fighting in the swamps, the mullah told him a few minutes later, as the conversation turned to relations between the two Islamic countries.
War is evil. I never took pleasure in killing, the colonel admitted. It was rather like being a Catholic in the confessional, and all at once the man's eyes teared up, and he related some of the things he'd done over the years. He could see now that while he'd never taken such pleasure, he had hardened his heart to it, finally not distinguishing the innocent from the guilty, the just from the corrupt, and done what he'd been told-because he'd been told, not because it had been in any way the right thing to do. He saw that now.
Man falls often, but through the words of the Prophet we may always find our way back to a merciful God. Men are forgetful of their duties, but Allah is never forgetful of His. The mullah touched the officer's arm. I think your prayers are not finished this day. Together we will pray to Allah, and together we will find peace for your soul.
After that, it had been very easy indeed. On learning that the generals were even now leaving the country, the colonel had two good reasons for cooperating. He had no wish to die. He was quite willing to follow the will of his God in order to stay alive and serve. In demonstration of his devotion, he assembled two companies of soldiers to meet with the mullahs and get their orders. It was very easy for the soldiers. All they had to do was follow the orders of their officers. To do anything else was a thought that never occurred to any of them.
It was now dawn in Baghdad, and at a score of large houses, doors were kicked in. Some occupants they found awake. Some were drunkenly asleep. Some were packed to leave and trying to figure a place to go and a way to get there. All were a little too late in their understanding of what was going on around them, in a place where a minute's error was the difference between prosperous life and violent death. Few resisted, and the one man who came closest to doing so successfully was cut nearly in half by a twenty-round burst from an AK-47, along with his wife. Mostly they were led barefoot from their homes into waiting trucks, heads down to the sidewalk, knowing the way this particular drama would end for them.
THESE TACTICAL RADIO nets were not encrypted, and the faint VHF signals were monitored, this time at STORM TRACK, which was closer to Baghdad. Names were spoken, more than once in every case as the pickup teams reported back to their dispatchers, which made life easy for the ELINT teams close to the border and at King Khalid Military City. The watch officers called in their supervisors, and Critic-priority dispatches were shot off via satellite.
RYAN HAD JUST walked the last of the new senators to the door when Andrea Price walked up.
My shoes are killing me, and I have a procedure at- Cathy stopped talking.
FLASH Traffic coming in now, sir.
Iraq? Jack asked.
Yes, Mr. President.
The President kissed his wife. I'll be up in a little while.
Cathy had no choice but to nod and head to the elevator, where one of the ushers