The short visit

An excerpt of my 23rd book and thriller A Pincer Movement, no ready cover yet.

The short visit

A pincer movement

An excerpt

The defense secretary returned to his suite at the Babylon Hotel in Baghdad rather satisfied, he had a very positive meeting with the president of the Iraqi Kurds; and things seemed getting better at last, despite the recent hardships to resolve the controversies between the Iraqi coalition members.

He took a quick shower, changed and called the armored limousine's crew, which waited for him at  Baghdad airport, and as he got off the chopper and were ready at his disposal twenty four hours every of his stay in Baghdad.

'I'll be down at the underground parking lot in a few moments, so switch on the vehicle's engine.'

The armored limousine was ready to move instantly when he reached it, and Colonel Sheldon that commanded the defense secretary's crew of body guards, opened the armored limousine's rear door to let the secretary inside.

'Where to sir?' He asked him, as soon as boarded the vehicle after the secretary.

'Our embassy John,' was the secretary's answer, while he sneaked a surprised look at the Colonel.

Didn't he grasp our immediate destination? The defense secretary wondered disappointed.

When they reached the Embassy, the secretary allowed his crew of body guards to leave the limo and have dinner at the embassy's improvised cafeteria, as it was too risky to leave the embassy's premises in these hectic times.

'I'm going up to see the ambassador; it will some time so keep your mobile switched on John.' He told the Colonel and went over to the one of the elevators.

The ambassador and the president's special envoy who were expecting his arrival welcomed the defense secretary nodding their heads with a mute greeting, the successful conquest of Ramadi and Fallujah were forgotten while the Mosul offensive advancement was too slow.

'So what is their plans sir, and is their president someone we can rely on?'

The ambassador asked his guest, as soon as the defense secretary shook hands with his two compatriots and sat down.

'The question is the aftermath, I mean the mess we're going to confront after the conquest of Mosul; according to the Kurdish president Mosul must be part of the Kurdish autonomy, and Baghdad claims that Mosul will be part of the liberated Iraq…'

'And there're the Turks with their demands…' The Ambassador reminded his prominent guest.

'I wouldn't take the Turks' demands too seriously, apart from interfering in the fighting here and in Syria to make sure the Kurds won't declare independence; they won't bother us or more accurately their neighbors.'

'Why not initiate a summit meeting between the Iraqis and the Kurds?'

'It's too early to initiate such a move, but I'll bring it up in Washington as soon as I'll return.' The defense secretary summed up the short discussion.

 

On his way back to his hotel suite to pack up his personal things, in the armored limo escorted by his crew of body guards; and somewhat later on  his way to the airport and the official departure ceremony, the secretary of defense kept thinking worried on the end of the Mosul offensive possible consequences. The ambassador's advice about a summit meeting was wishful thinking, while he did not have the slightest idea how to resolve the future heated disputes between the current allies, which might turn into deadly rivals.

Why wreck my head over such a complicated issue? I'd better leave it to the president and to the National Security Council, the defense secretary concluded before falling asleep during the long flight back home.

© Haim Kadman Nov. 2016 " all rights reserved.