Pursued "The Emir of Al-Shabaab"

PURSUED

The Emir of Al-Shabaab

Jack Kassinger

Brighton Publishing LLC

435 N. Harris Drive

Mesa, AZ 85203

www.BrightonPublishing.com

Copyright © 2015

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN13: 978-1-62183-337-6

eBook

SMASHWORDS EDITION

All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. The characters in this book are fictitious and the creation of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

CIA Disclaimer

The Central Intelligence Agency requires all former employees to submit their work for review, before publication, in order to prevent the disclosure of classified information.

All statements of fact, opinion, or analysis expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official positions or views of the CIA or any other U.S. Government agency. Nothing in the contents should be construed as asserting or implying U.S. Government authentication of information or Agency endorsement of the author’s views. This material has been reviewed by the CIA to prevent the disclosure of classified information.

From the Department of Defense website

News Release

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Release No: NR-465-14

September 05, 2014

Statement from Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby on Ahmed Godane

We have confirmed that Ahmed Godane, the co-founder of al-Shabaab, has been killed. The US military undertook operations against Godane on Sept. 1, which led to his death. Removing Godane from the battlefield is a major symbolic and operational loss to al-Shabaab. The United States works in coordination with its friends, allies, and partners to counter the regional and global threats posed by violent extremist organizations.

Author Note

Godane, also known as Sheikh Mukhtar Abu Zubayr, was the target of the airstrike that took place at a training camp between the villages of Dhay Tubako and Haway along the Lower Shebelle River south of Mogadishu. US special operations forces using manned and unmanned aircraft targeted Godane and destroyed an encampment and a vehicle using several Hellfire missiles and laser-guided munitions. According to various media sources, other al-Shabaab leaders said to have been with Godane at the time were Muhammad Abu Abdallah, the group’s shadow governor of Lower Shebelle; Muhammad Abu Sham, Godane’s aide; Ali Muhammad Gulled, a logistics officer; Muhammad Husayn Nur (aka Abu Hamza Al Ayman); Sheikh Muhammad Dulyaden; Iqri Ubayd, a Sudanese operative; and Mubarak Abdallah, a Yemeni.

Prologue

Scott Sandowski was leaning back in his chair with his legs stretched out and feet propped on the corner of his desk. He was holding a classified field intelligence report, a CFIR, sent in from a CIA field station in Africa. The heading of the report, Confirmation of Iran’s Support to Al-Shabaab, was the reason he had printed the document and the accompanying ops cable. He scanned the distribution line and noticed that the report had been widely disseminated to various other entities in the US government. He had long suspected, as did other Western intelligence organizations, that Iran had been providing support to al-Shabaab for many years. If this was the first time the CIA could show evidence to that effect, then he needed to study the report. He would, no doubt, be receiving calls from the oversight committees in the days to come. Collecting corroborating intelligence that verified Iran’s materiel support to al-Shabaab was the type of intelligence the new administration needed to push for more sanctions.

He began reading the CFIR.

The government of Eritrea has made a deal with Iran to use Eritrea as a transit point for moving materiel to al-Shabaab in exchange for financial assistance. This information was obtained during several telephone intercepts in an operation managed by a CIA station in Africa. The Eritrean Ambassador to Sudan, a former commander of Brigade 72, the military intelligence division of the Eritrean army, is the man responsible for negotiating the deal with Iran. He is currently the nonresident Ambassador to Iran in Khartoum and a regular contact of al-Shabaab. He maintains regular contact with the Eritrean UN Ambassador in Nairobi.

Sandowski didn’t need to read any further. His suspicions regarding the Eritrean Ambassador’s activity with Iran and al-Shabaab had just been confirmed. He looked at the bottom of the page and recognized the pseudonym of the reporting officer— Sandowski knew the woman well, she had become an exceptional field officer. He remembered the operation she ran to secure the cell phone number of the target. The follow-up collection activity against that number was now producing some damn good intelligence, but this recent reporting was the best so far.

He turned his attention to the accompanying ops cable that provided most of the sourcing for the information contained in the CFIR. One particular paragraph in the ops cable gave him cause for concern. He reread the paragraph, focusing more closely on the details. The thought of another terrorist attack, perhaps against a Western country, created a momentary shiver.

During the intercept, the target told his colleague about a conversation he’d had with the courier. He told me that the emir wants to plan something big and is trying to get the resources from the provider. Those were the exact words. {Field Insertion: Provider, by other sourcing, is Iran.} The contact, by his response, knew something about the courier and asked if it was going to happen. The target responded by saying that he didn’t know, but the courier was delivering a request for more money and greater resources. No further intelligence was obtained during intercept 46IC. It is the reporting officer’s belief that the emir being talked about is the leader of al-Shabaab. Defer to headquarters on whether to publish an official classified terrorist threat warning notice.

Sandowski rolled his head back in a resting motion and rubbed his eyes. Mukhtar, the little pissant, is becoming a real pain in the ass and a growing threat. His thoughts were a stark reminder that every terrorist threat had to be taken seriously and pursued regardless of the difficulty.

As the Director of Clandestine Operations at CIA, Sandowski knew more about al-Shabaab activities than most in his line of business. Until recent years, the leaders of al-Shabaab were more interested in the nationalistic struggle against the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia than a global jihad against the West. But things had changed since al-Shabaab first made its presence known in early 2006. That’s when the militant youth wing of the Somali Council of Islamic Courts took control over most of central and southern Somalia and began challenging the central government.

During the latter part of that year, Somali and Ethiopian forces, with CIA backing, defeated the group in a two-week long battle. However, it proved to be a short-lived victory for Sandowski. Al-Shabaab regrouped and grew in size by recruiting regional subclans and their militias. Also, by accepting into the organization other more radical terrorists, those migrating into Somalia from Afghanistan, the goals of the organization began to change geopolitically.

By early 2008, using guerrilla warfare and other terrorist tactics, the group had resumed its struggle against the TFG and its allies—the AMISOM, African Union Mission in Somalia peacekeepers and the major nongovernmental aid organizations thought to be supporting the central government.

The ringing of the telephone caused Sandowski to drop his feet to the floor and resume a sitting position. The movement also reminded him of the need to find a men’s room. He picked up the receiver.

Sandowski, he answered.

Sir, mission is a go, choppers inbound; they’ll be on target in about thirty minutes.

Thanks, replied Sandowski.

Sandowski put the ops cable down, still wondering about the two Eritreans who seemed to know much of what the emir of al-Shabaab was up to. He got up and headed for the door. He walked out of his office and made a longer than normal pit stop at the nearest restroom. He shook off the thought of a potential terrorist attack against the West by al-Shabaab, zipped up, and headed out and down the hallway to the director’s office. He opened the door and walked in, stopping in front of the desk belonging to the director’s secretary. She looked up and smiled, expecting an exchange of pleasantries.

Janet, tell the director the choppers are inbound, it’s time for us to go, he stated.

She smiled at him then picked up the handset and buzzed the director. Sir, Scott Sandowski is here, he says it’s time to go. Seconds later she hung up the phone. He’ll be right out, Scotty.

Thanks, Janet, you doing okay today?

Doing fine, Scotty; thanks for asking, she said.

Sandowski turned and walked to a nearby window looking out from the seventh floor in the direction of the main entrance to the CIA compound. Was OPERATION DAGGER THRUST the multimillion-dollar activity that would finally put an end to the al-Shabaab organization? He hoped so. Hearing the director’s voice, Sandowski turned and headed toward Weaver, meeting him near the hallway door.

***

It was 1900 Tuesday in Washington, DC, 0300 Wednesday in Somalia, an eight-hour time difference. The USS Harry S. Truman had moved closer inland to lessen the distance the SEALS had to travel to get to the target. Weaver and Sandowski stood watching the huge screen displaying live video being streamed in by one of CIA’s unarmed drones. The drone operator for OPERATION DAGGER THRUST was tracking two Black Hawks as the choppers made their way toward an al-Shabaab compound. Getting the Pentagon to station assets offshore in the Indian Ocean was a key requirement identified in the operational concept, OPCON, presented by Weaver, at Sandowski’s urging, to the president for approval. Now, months later, the two men stood watching, hoping that the highly compartmented operation would soon result in the capture or death of al-Shabaab’s most senior leader.

Do you really believe he’s there, Scotty? asked the director.

We think there’s a chance he might be, J. D.; it’s definitely one of his camps, but we don’t have a good handle on who all might be inside the compound—we’ll just have to wait and see. Zubaya’s a merciless son of a bitch and so secretive in the way he operates that it has been nearly impossible to track his movements.

He may be a true believer in the cause of global jihad, Scotty, but I’m not so sure it warrants the time and effort we’ve been putting into tracking him down. Al-Shabaab activities have been limited to the Horn and most recently East Africa. It’s one thing to plan and execute something there; but in my opinion, it would take a hell of a lot more capability and financing for them to pull off something here in the United States. I’m not convinced he’s that much of a threat to the West.

Mukhtar Abu Zubaya, the Emir of al-Shabaab, is one nasty dude, J. D., and apparently hell-bent on lashing out at the West. That’s according to some recent reporting. Also, State now has him listed on the Rewards for Justice Website and has authorized up to seven-million dollars for information leading to his capture. We know that he’s trying to transform al-Shabaab into a major terrorist organization. He has aspirations of inflicting pain on countries other than those in Africa; and unless we get the son of a bitch in the very near future, those aspirations just might become a reality. Yes, sir, I consider him to be a very dangerous man. The money we’re spending to go after him will be money well spent if we are successful. I’ll rest a lot easier when he’s six feet under.

Here we go, exclaimed Sandowski. They saw figures disembarking from one of the choppers and seconds later, after an explosion, others repelling down from another chopper that had been hovering over the rooftop of the main dwelling. The explosion had blown open the front gate and SEALS could be seen rushing in, dispersing throughout the compound.

The assault on the compound was being controlled by the military, so all Weaver and Sandowski could do was watch—they couldn’t hear the audio feed being streamed to the Truman and the National Command Center at the Pentagon, but they didn’t need to. Watching the operation as it unfolded was good enough, as long as the SEALS were able to capture or kill the emir of al-Shabaab.

They watched the infrared images with great anticipation as the Actual for SEAL Team Six directed his men attacking the compound. Bursts of light from explosive devices began to appear on the screen and streaks of gunfire crisscrossed the compound in several directions as the SEALS fought their way past sentries and moved inward, deeper and deeper into the fortified compound toward the main dwelling. From the air, SEALS repelled down to the roof patio and penetrated the house through the upper level. The attack lasted for no more than fifteen or twenty minutes and then it was over. They watched as the SEALS made their way back to the choppers. Minutes later, they were back in the air and heading out to sea.

Weaver and Sandowski left the Operations Center and walked back toward the director’s office.

Were they successful? asked Weaver.

I don’t know, J. D., I hope so; it was hard to tell from what we were able to see. It’ll take some time before the SEALS get back to the Truman and file their report.

How much do we know about this guy, Scotty?

Mukhtar Abu Zubaya is the pseudonym for Mukhtar Abdirahman. He was born in Hargeisa, Somalia. He received training and fought in Afghanistan. He became the emir of Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, the most prominent insurgent group in Somalia after loyalists from his clan killed another key leader in the al-Shabaab organization. He was publicly named emir of al-Shabaab in December of 2007. If you want to know more about him, J. D., I’ll have a complete bio worked up and sent to you tomorrow.

No, that won’t be necessary, Scotty, I was just curious. Thanks for the information. Weaver opened the door to his office suite but paused momentarily before heading in. He turned and looked at his operations director.

It’s seven thirty. I’m going to have Janet lock up so we can head home. I hope your folks got it right out there, Scotty, good night.

We’ll just have to wait and see, J. D. Good night, see you tomorrow.

Sandowski walked on down the hallway thinking of the ongoing operation in Somalia. Mike Shocklee, his man in the field, was one hell of an operative, but running an op like DAGGER THRUST in a hostile environment like Somalia was a very dangerous proposition. He reflected on his earlier decision to send Shocklee after the emir of al-Shabaab, hoping that it was Zubaya who ended up six feet under and not Shocklee.

Chapter One

Mike Shocklee, one of the better-known field operatives in the CIA’s Operations Directorate, lived in a condo across the street from the Hyatt Hotel in Reston, Virginia. He liked the location. It wasn’t that far from headquarters and was even closer to Dulles International Airport, which he traveled in and out of on a rather frequent basis. Although his latest trek through an obscure portion of the airport was not one that he cared to repeat. He’d been injured, nearly killed, as had two colleagues assigned to an operation with him. Sandowski was responsible for getting them home and treated in a covert medical facility managed and operated by CIA’s Office of Medical Services.

After months of convalescence, entailing an abundance of physical therapy, Shocklee was close to being fully recovered. To him, five months was a long time to remain inactive as an agent. Shocklee was restless and ready to get back to work when he received an unexpected visit from Sandowski.

You’ve come to visit for a reason, Scotty. You don’t normally make house calls unless it’s something you need to discuss on a personal basis. Coffee or tea? he asked as the two walked into his kitchen.

Coffee, if you’ve got it on, Mike, Sandowski stated as he sat at the table. How’s the therapy going? You about ready to get back to work?

Another couple of weeks, and I’ll be ready. What’s on your mind? Shocklee asked as he handed the cup of coffee to Sandowski.

Al-Shabaab, Mike, the terrorist group that’s been causing all kinds of problems in the Horn of Africa.

Yeah, I know their history, Scotty, also the fact that a lot of jihadist from Afghanistan have migrated to that region of the continent and joined forces with them.

That’s right, Mike. Mukhtar Abu Zubaya is the current emir of al-Shabaab. He’s got the organization focusing on activity outside of Somalia, even kidnapping Westerners and demanding a ransom for their release. I’m concerned about the growing boldness of their operations. We need to put them down and destroy their leadership before their capable of doing something far more radical, Sandowski said.

I take it that the ‘we’ you’re talking about involves me? Mike asked.

"Perhaps so, Mike, that’ll be up to you after hearing what I’ve got to say. For your information, the Kenyans are sending more troops into Somalia to help prop up the TFG and to try and retake control of the border areas now controlled by al-Shabaab. They’re real pissed after the mall bombing in Nairobi and want to put an end to al-Shabaab.

"I want to embed someone with them, someone with area knowledge and with the right language skills. That person has to be able to blend in with the Kenyans and the Somalis and be capable of running the back streets of Mogadishu as if native to the area, if necessary. Being African American, you’re the perfect fit for the operation, Mike. You’ve got a military background, you speak Swahili and Arabic, and you’ve had in-country experience, even though it was years earlier. Nonetheless, you’ve had your boots, or should I say sandals, on the ground there before. The mission, if you decide to take it, is to set up an operation to penetrate the al-Shabaab network and provide real-time intelligence that can be used to destroy the organization.

Think it over, Mike, and let me know. You don’t have to make a decision today—tomorrow will be fine, Sandowski concluded, while avoiding Shocklee’s eyes and staring into his coffee cup.

Silence permeated the room as Shocklee mulled over Sandowski’s request. And it was a request. Sandowski would not direct Shocklee to take the assignment even though that was an option at his disposal. He knew the operative had been through a tough situation on his last assignment, and it was possible that he needed more time to mentally prepare himself for another dangerous overseas assignment. Sandowski lifted his cup and downed more coffee while waiting for a response.

Shocklee was a soldier, true and blue, and a man deeply committed to the mission of the Agency. His silence evoked memories of past assignments, thoughts of how he could operate in Somalia, and who and what supporting infrastructure would have to be put in place in order for him to take on the mission. Shocklee knew one thing for certain. He was not going to put more men’s lives at risk than would be absolutely necessary. The assignment, if he took it on, was going to be limited to himself and possibly one other man.

This is pretty short notice, Scotty.

"Yes,