The Assassins Read online

  PRAISE FOR THE BEST-SELLING NOVELS

  by Oliver North

  * * *

  MISSION COMPROMISED

  “A Tom Clancy-esque tale of White House intrigue.”

  THE NEW YORK TIMES

  “Sends chills up my spine…on target and current.…

  Couldn't stop reading it.”

  PINE BLUFF COMMERCIAL

  “Combines the suspense of Tom Clancy with the drama of Blackhawk

  Down, the complexity of Mission Impossible, the dogged morality of High

  Noon.…The result is a story that causes the reader to wake up in the

  middle of the night wondering how much of it is true.”

  MOODY MAGAZINE

  THE JERICHO SANCTION

  “Another great read from Ollie North. I couldn't put it down.”

  SEAN HANNITY, cohost of FOX News' “Hannity & Colmes”

  “Oliver North pens an exciting and highly readable tale of

  courage, faith, and international intrigue all set within the

  milieu of today's Middle East politics.”

  CROSSWALK.COM

  “A lot of this reads like today's headlines,

  and it makes for a very good read at that.”

  BOOKVIEWS

  For Betsy

  And our adventures: past, present, and future

  CONTENTS

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  Acknowledgments

  Glossary

  Prologue: In the Event of War …

  01. Gathering Fury

  02. Know Your Enemy

  03. Pennsylvania Avenue

  04. Ultimatum

  05. “The Congress, in Secret Session Convened, Does Hereby …”

  06. Prey without Ceasing

  07. Dirty Bomb

  08. The Sky Is Falling

  09. Flames and Fury

  10. Making a List and Checking It Twice

  11. Elevens Everywhere

  12. Needles and Haystacks

  13. Dark Domain

  14. In the Crosshairs

  15. Running Away

  16. Stay of Execution

  17. Running Out of Time

  18. Blame America First

  19. Approaching Fail-Safe

  20. Veterans' Day

  21. Eulogy for a Brother

  Epilogue

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

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  David Shepherd and his team at Broadman & Holman Publishers have once again proven that patience really is a virtue. I'm grateful for the understanding they have shown for the chaotic life that I lead—and how it tends to sabotage deadlines. The whole B&H team was remarkably tolerant while awaiting completion of this third novel in our series.

  Joe Musser, my friend and partner in this effort, made it possible to finish this book. Often, I left him and my indomitable assistant, Marsha Fishbaugh, waiting by a computer while I ran off to cover events in Iraq or Afghanistran for FOX News, where it's tougher than it ought to be to receive or return e-mails—except in the middle of the night. I'm glad that neither have yet seen fit to put out a contract on me.

  Because of my several protracted absences, copy editor Amanda Sauer had to read and edit this book a chapter at a time over many months. And on project editor Lisa Parnell's schedule, proofers George Knight, Mary Maddox, and Dean Richardson had to read and pray their way through a belatedly delivered manuscript.

  Kudos also go to B&H Author Relations Manager Mary Beth Shaw, Marketing Director Paul Mikos, Sales Director John Thompson, Publicity Director Heather Hulse, Book Marketing Manager Robin Patterson, Creative Director Jeff Godby, Copywriter David Schrader, and Duane Ward of Premiere Speakers Bureau—all performed “above and beyond the call of duty,” for which I'm truly grateful. Thanks, too, for the resourceful maps by David Deis that help readers coordinate the geography about which this story revolves.

  Of course there would be no “story” to tell without the encouragement and inspiration of my wife, Betsy, and our children and their mates: Tait and Tom, Stuart and Ellen, Sarah and Martin, and Dornin. Through their faith and affection I am reminded of God's love in my life—for shaping my faith and giving me His guidance for this project.

  Semper Fidelis,

  Oliver L. North

  GLOSSARY

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  Alpha radiation. A positively charged particle emitted from the nucleus of an atom during radioactive decay. Heavy dosage of alpha particles can be harmful if they enter the body through inhalation, ingestion, or open wounds.

  Amn al-Khass. Iraq's Special Security Service (also SSS)

  APU. Auxiliary power unit

  ARS. Acute radiation syndrome, or radiation sickness, usually results when a person gets a high dose of radiation in only a few minutes.

  ASDS. Advanced SEAL Delivery System, a submarine-mounted mini-sub used for Special Operations

  ATF. Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Department

  AWACS. Airborne Warning and Control System; aircraft with long-range radars capable of locating and identifying other aircraft in the region and of relaying the information to its own air forces

  BDA. Bomb Damage Assessment

  Beta. Beta particles are ejected from a radioactive atom during decay. Beta radiation is smaller and faster than alpha radiation and can penetrate human tissue.

  BOLO. Be on the lookout

  C. The abbreviation for chief of British SIS (see MI6). A green C in the logo of the SIS is an allusion to its founder, the original C, Sir Mansfield Cumming. A tradition of SIS is that all chiefs are known simply as C and sign their documents using green ink.

  CENTCOM. Central Command

  CinC. Commander in Chief

  CNO. Chief of Naval Operations

  CO. Commanding Officer

  DCI. Director of Central Intelligence

  DCM. Deputy Chief of Mission

  D-DACT. Dismounted Data Automated Communications Terminal; a computing device weighing thirty-one ounces, built to withstand the most rugged of field conditions and designed to perform key field communications functions, interfaces with GPS—used to provide real-time encrypted reports on troop and threat locations to higher commands and among other units

  DEA. Drug Enforcement Agency

  DGI. Cuban General Intelligence Directorate

  DGSE. Direction Generale de la Securite Exterieure (General Directorate for External Security, France)

  DHS. Department of Homeland Security

  DIA. Defense Intelligence Agency; military intelligence gathering arm of the U.S. Armed Forces and the Department of Defense

  DINA. National Intelligence Service (Spain)

  Dirty bomb. Whereas nuclear weapons are designed to kill and destroy through a huge blast and heat, a “dirty bomb” uses conventional explosives to spread radioactive material to sicken and kill people.

  DNI. Director of National Intelligence

  DOD. Department of Defense

  Dose. Also, dose equivalent; a general term for the quantity of energy absorbed when exposed to radioactive materials or reactions. Rads represent the energy absorbed from the radiation in a gram of any material. The dose or dose equivalent is a measure of the biological damage to living tissue from the radiation exposure and is measured in REMs or sieverts (also see both).

  Dosimeter. A small, portable device used to measure and record the amount of a radiation dose a person has received

  Duvdevan. Also Sayaret Duvdevan; an undercover cou
nter-terrorism unit of the IDF

  DZ. Drop zone

  ECHELON. The name of a global eavesdropping service established by the U.S. National Security Agency in cooperation with Great Britain's GCHQ, Canada, and New Zealand

  ELINT. Electronic intelligence

  EOD. Explosive ordnance disposal

  FAPSI. Federal Agency for Government Communications (Russian Federation)

  FARC. Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

  Fatwa. A legal pronouncement of Islamic law issued by a Muslim cleric

  FEMA. Federal Emergency Management Agency

  FFP. Final firing position (usually refers to a position used by a sniper)

  FIR. Flight information region

  FMF. Fleet Marine Force

  GCHQ. British Signals and Intelligence Agency; similar to U.S. National Security Agency

  GOSP. Gas-oil separation plant

  GRU. Russian Military Intelligence

  HAHO. High-altitude, high-opening parachute deployment

  HALO. High-altitude, low-opening parachute deployment

  HASC. House Armed Services Committee

  HF. High frequency

  HUMINT. Human intelligence

  IAEA. International Atomic Energy Agency

  ICE. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement

  IDF. Israel Defense Force; the name of Israel's armed forces

  IED. Improvised explosive device; usually made from artillery shells, mines, or other high explosives—often set up along heavily traveled roads and often detonated by remote control

  IFF. Identification friend or foe; a device used to discriminate between friendly and enemy units, individuals, weapons, and aircraft. In aircraft, an IFF device will display altitude, speed, and direction on an air traffic controller's computer display.

  IM. Instant messaging; wireless instant messaging differs from email primarily in that its primary focus is immediate end-user delivery and does not use typical computer architecture and hardware.

  In Sha’ Allah. Arabic, from the Quran, meaning “God willing”

  IPSA. An oil pipeline between southern Iraq and northern Saudi Arabia

  IR. Infrared

  JCS. Joint Chiefs of Staff

  JDAM. Joint Direct Attack Munition

  JSOC. Joint Special Operations Command

  Klick. Military slang for kilometer

  LGB. Laser-guided bomb

  LHD. U.S. Navy and Marine Corps designation for an amphibious assault ship, helicopter, dock

  LMG. Light machine gun

  LZ. Landing zone

  Maddrassa. Schools for religious instruction in Islamic teaching

  MAMs. Military age males

  Materiel. Military term for all items necessary to equip, operate, maintain, and support military units

  MEU. Marine Expeditionary Unit

  MI6. United Kingdom's secret foreign intelligence service; similar to U.S. Central Intelligence Agency

  MOPP. Mission-oriented protective posture; designation for the protective suit, mask, and other equipment worn to shield troops from toxic nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons—also called “NBC suit”

  MPS. Maritime pre-positioning ships

  MSG. Marine security guard

  Mullah. A teacher or learned man (Islam)

  NBC suit. Nuclear, biological, and chemical protective gear; see also MOPP

  NCO. Noncommissioned officer

  NCOIC. Noncommissioned officer in charge

  NEO. Noncombatant Evacuation Operation

  NEST. Nuclear Emergency Search Team

  NIC. National Intelligence Council

  NMCC. National Military Command Center

  NOC. Network Operations Center

  NOTAM. Notice to Mariners

  NRO. National Reconnaissance Office, located near Dulles, Virginia; handles the operations of U.S. military and intelligence imagery satellites

  NSA. National Security Agency

  NVD. Night vision device; an optical device for sighting targets in darkness through a scope mounted on a rifle or other weapon

  NVG. Night vision goggles; worn by military personnel to enhance vision at night

  OIF. Operation Iraqi Freedom

  OP. Observation post

  OPEC. Organization for Petroleum Exporting Countries

  PAL . Permissive action links; devices that prevent the arming, release, detonation, or launch of a nuclear weapon by unauthorized personnel—often supplemented by sophisticated coded switch systems

  PAX. Military abbreviation for “passengers”

  PDB. President's Daily Briefing

  PFT. Marine Corps physical fitness test

  PM. Prime Minister

  PMMW. Passive millimeter wave; equipment that permits an operator to view through solid objects, producing an image similar to an X-ray

  POL. Petroleum, oil, and lubricants

  POTUS. President of the United States

  PSD. Personal Security Detail

  QRF. Quick Reaction Force (U.S. Marines)

  RAD. Radiation absorbed dose, which units measure the amount of energy from any type of ionizing radiation deposited in any medium (also see REM)

  RAF. Royal Air Force

  RCC. Revolutionary Command Council (government of Iran)

  RCT. Regimental Combat Team

  RDD. Radiological dispersal device; a “dirty bomb” using radioactive materials

  RDV. Rendezvous

  REM. Roentgen equivalent man/mammal; a unit that measures the effects of ionizing radiation on humans and other animals. One hundred REMs equal one sievert (also see sievert)

  ROE. Rules of Engagement

  RPG. Rocket-propelled grenade

  RTO. Radio transmitter operator; the acronym is used in military jargon for the radio operator.

  SAR. Search and rescue

  SAS. Special Air Service; elite unit of the British Royal Army and Air Force used for special operations

  SAVAMA. Iran's former National Intelligence Security Organisation (Sazamaneh Ettela at va Amniateh Mihan) and still the nickname for its current apparatus (see VEVAK)

  SBS. Special Boat Service; an elite British Special Forces unit

  SecDef. U.S. Secretary of Defense

  Sievert. The international standard unit of dose or dose equivalent; one sievert (Sv) is equal to one hundred REMs.

  SIGINT. Signals intelligence

  SIS. Special Intelligence Service, a British agency.

  SOCOM. Special Operations Command

  SOF. Special Operation Forces

  SOP. Standard Operating Procedure

  SPR. Strategic Petroleum Reserve

  SSCI. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence

  SubLant. Naval submarine force; U.S. Atlantic fleet

  SVR. Federal Security Service (Russian Federation, successor to KGB)

  SWO. Senior watch officer

  TSA. Transportation Security Administration

  UAE. United Arab Emirates

  UAV. Unmanned aerial vehicle

  USCG. U.S. Coast Guard

  VBIED. Vehicle-borne improvised explosive device

  VEVAK. Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security (Vezarate Ettelaat va Amniat-e Keshvar VEVAK/MOIS). The intelligence service used by the Shah of Iran (SAVAK) has been defunct since 1979, when it was absorbed by SAVAMA (Sazamaneh Ettela at va Amniateh Mihan), which in turn was absorbed by VEVAK. Many Iranians still refer to Iran's primary intelligence service as SAVAMA.

  XO. Executive officer

  ZULU. Military term for Greenwich Mean Time, used as a reference for all military activities

  IN THE EVENT

  OF WAR …

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  PROLOGUE

  Royal Saudi Air Force Early Warning Center

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  King Khalid Air Base, Saudi Arabia

  Sunday, 14 October
2007

  1056 Hours Local

  When the tiny blip first appeared on his radar screen, Maj. Achmed Musa glanced at it and resumed drinking his coffee. He'd already checked the display next to the screen, confirmed that Iran Air Flight 6 was due to appear at this time, and so he merely shrugged. Musa had seen “IA#6” pop up on the radar console three times a week at this time of day ever since the Saudi government had granted the Iranians over-flight rights for their commercial aircraft heading to and from Egypt.

  The Saudi officer glanced at the wide screen at the front of the room. Sure enough, the Japanese computers that drove the American-installed software showed the flight tracks of a dozen aircraft in the air above the kingdom. A few minutes earlier Musa had glanced up to see the flight tracks of two chartered civilian Gulfstream aircraft—both of them on flight plans to pick up VIP passengers—and now he could see the track of IA#6 on a bearing of 285 degrees as the Airbus A300 headed across the Persian Gulf, toward Saudi airspace. Until January this year, Standard Operating Procedures had called for him to contact the Royal Saudi Air Force AWACs aircraft, orbiting at 37,000 feet some 230 miles north. But that part of their SOP had changed—overruling the American military advisors.

  Ever since 9/11—as they called it—the Americans had been fanatical about the Persians and were always reminding the Saudi officers about the “jihadist menace.”

  Maybe they have always been that way, the Saudi major reflected. The Americans had sold the big Boeing 747 AWACs, with their revolving PNQ-41 radar antennas, to the Saudis way back in 1981—when Musa was still in diapers—on the infidels' paranoid premise that the Iranians were a threat to the Saudi kingdom.

  “Praise be to Allah,” the Saudi major said to himself, “we've gotten a lot smarter since then. Now we know that the real threat isn't our Muslim brothers in Tehran—it's the Zionists and their infidel supporters.” And that's why, since the Israelis were the real threat, the Saudi AWACS and the Early Warning Center had stopped alerting each other every time an Iranian airplane took off. That's also why the big 747s now took station on Saudi Arabia's northern border. If an airplane got more than a few feet off the ground in Israel, the Saudi AWACS would spot it and respond to the threat.