Echo Six: Black Ops 8 - ISIS Killing Fields Read Online Free PDF Page A

hide his rugged physique and muscles like whipcord. To the Colonel, he was a dangerous man, a threat to his authority.
    Petersen adopted a pugnacious expression. "Mister, do you think you know better than our various intelligence gathering agencies? Despite their massive resources, you think you're superior to them, is that what you're saying? Better than their satellite surveillance, armed drones, communications intercepts, and battalions of analysts." His face lapsed into a sneer, "Maybe you could replace them with a crystal ball, or whatever it is you Special Forces use to predict the future."
    He put the accent on 'Special' and 'Forces' to make sure his feelings were clear.
    I wonder which outfit has trod on his toes in the past. Navy SEALs, Delta Force, British SAS? It could have been any of them, but Petersen’s not the kind of officer to forget a slight.
    He fought down a sharp reply and kept his voice level low. "It's an opinion based on combat experience in the region, Colonel. As I said, things change. We can't know what the enemy is planning tomorrow, or the next day, or the day afterward. Not unless we have someone inside the local ISIS regional command, and I'm not aware we do."
    Petersen grimaced. “We do not. However, I won't go over this again. The worst you’ll encounter out there is some rustler stealing his neighbor’s goats. A flag waving exercise, to show the natives we're here, and we mean to stay and look after them.”
    It was pointless to argue. “Show the flag, yes, Sir. I get it.”
    “Damn right. Keep your weapons on safe, and remember; we’re looking to win hearts and minds here. Not go shooting up everything that moves. Watch my lips. There are no hostiles in your patrol area. None.”
    “Copy that, Colonel.”
    "Right. One more thing, you know about the ten most wanted photoset that intel supplied?"
    "They gave us the mugshots before our last operation."
    Just before they gave us a heap of intel that turned out to be a pile of manure.
    "You still have them?"
    "Yessir."
    "Okay, so you know about Hasan Jafaar, and the other guy, Khalil al-Khalil. Right now, they're the most prominent of the ISIS insurgents, so keep it in mind. Show the photos around to anyone you meet. Find out if they've passed through the area during the past few weeks. As for the rest of it, you know the financial constraints we're all working with. The Pentagon has tightened up, as has NATO. There just isn't enough to go around, and if you need support, you can forget it. The area is peaceful, so stay out of trouble.”
    "Even so, Colonel, we could hit problems. There're no guarantees out there."
    He grimaced. "The cupboard's bare, Commander. If you do hit problems, I may be able to assign a gunship at short notice, but don't count on it. I won’t call on them unless it's a real emergency. They're flying every available minute. The crews are tired, and their maintenance is way behind schedule. Understood? Stay out of trouble."
    "Copy that."
    Talley had legitimate reasons for his concern, and it wasn't just the intel failures last time out. They were close to the Syrian border, and the region was important to the ISIS insurgents. It was true that lately, the Islamic madmen had been too busy creating mayhem in Syria to renew their cross-border offensive.
    All we can hope is that the situation doesn’t change. As for staying out of trouble, is this stuffed shirt serious? What does he think Special Forces trained for, washing down Humvees when they came in from patrol covered in dirt?
    The border badlands were the perfect place for them to hit, if they so wished. ISIS was a terrorist organization. The purpose of terrorism is to terrorize, the words of V. I. Lenin, father of the communist revolution in Russia, master of the business of terrorism on a grand scale. What was the best way to succeed? Hit the enemy where they least expected it. ISIS had demonstrated time and again they were masters of that doctrine.
    We’ll