Chapter 4:
"You did
well, Rasheed," Ahmed Al-Majid told him. Rasheed couldn’t have been happier.
This was the first time he met the leader of terrorist group Al-Sayf.
"Thank
you, Emir," Rasheed said. He called him "Emir" as a title of respect. He also
kept his head bowed.
Two
armed men were in the room with them. They were at the headquarters of Al-Sayf.
But Ahmed always feared for his safety. So he made sure armed guards constantly
surrounded him.
Ahmed
also insisted on carrying a weapon of his own. The weapon he usually carried was
a Beretta 9mm handgun. That was the handgun the American military used.
"In
fact, you’ve done such a great job, I want you to do even more," Ahmed told
Rasheed. He paced around the front of the dark, cramped room.
Rasheed
felt a rush of excitement as he stood on the X taped one the floor. Everyone
who came into Ahmed’s office had to stand on the X. You didn’t move from it
unless Ahmed ordered you to do so.
"We now
need you to find out how close we can get a vehicle to the hospital," Ahmed
said. He wiped his sweating forehead with the back of his hand. There were no
windows in here. There was no air conditioning either. Ahmed had two electric
floor fans running. But they didn’t cut through much of the heat.
"Take
pictures of the parking lots. Take pictures of the emergency room entrance.
Take pictures of anywhere cars go near the hospital," Ahmed instructed him. He
now had his hands behind his back as he walked around the room. "We want as
much intelligence as we can get on where we can drive a vehicle."
Ahmed
was Arabic. He was born in Chad 45 years ago. Chad was a nation that bordered
Nigeria to the northeast.
Ahmed
had spent many years with the Janjaweed before he formed Al-Sayf as his own
terrorist group. The Janjaweed were nomadic Arabic tribesmen who acted as a
militia. They lived in Chad and Sudan–the nation that bordered Chad to the
east. Many people viewed the Janjaweed as terrorists.
Ahmed engaged
in battles while with the Janjaweed. He eventually felt that he was such a good
fighter and leader that he should have his own group. So five years ago he
formed Al-Sayf. He now used it to attempt to gain power and land, and to force
people to believe as he did.
"Yes,
Emir," Rasheed said in reply to the order to take photographs. He kept his
bowed and asked, "May I ask what specifically we are planning?"
The two
guards in the rooms were both native Nigerians like Rasheed was. One of them
stepped forward, clutching his rifle in his hand and glaring at Rasheed.
"I
apologize for asking my question," Rasheed said, his head and shoulders sinking
lower.
Ahmed
held up his hand and motioned for his guard to step back. "It’s okay." He
looked at the other one who never moved.
"Yes,
brother. I will tell you exactly what I am planning," Ahmed told him. He walked
up to Rasheed and stood in front of him. "You already know we are going to
strike at the infidels at the hospital. Now I will tell you how we are going to
do it. We are going to use a VBIED."
Rasheed’s
eyes grew wide. A VBIED–vehicle-borne improvised explosive device. Civilians
called it a car bomb. The damage it would do would be incredible. He had seen
photos of such attacks. He had seen videos of such attacks. A properly
positioned VBIED could bring down most of a building like the Lagos Tranquility
General Hospital.
"Emir,
the attack will be glorious!" Rasheed said as he looked Ahmed in the eyes for
the first time.
Ahmed
placed both his hands on Rasheed’s shoulders. "I know it will, my brother. I
know it will."