Valley of Stars

Andersen Niels

Description

America's influence wanes around the world as political turmoil in the U.S. fuels the growth of the brutal Islamic Caliphate. Over-extended intelligence assets tracking the global Islamist movement struggle to piece together random bits of information about a mysterious place in the Afghan mountains called the Valley of Stars. The Valley is a treasure trove of precious metals and gem stones that could fund global Islamic extremism for generations and ignites a race to secure it. The crisis forces Secretary of Defense Madeline Coltrain to fight a political war with her nemesis at State, and a shooting war with a drastically eroded military capability. Coltrain must walk a fine line between what's needed to meet the threat and what's constitutional as she stretches the boundaries of the President's directives. The race to the Valley of Stars violently erupts when Pakistani forces, led by a rogue General aligned with the Caliphate, collide with the severely outnumbered allied forces in the rugged Afghan mountains. As the battle for the Valley rages, a new set of leaders emerges from unlikely places. The allies, led by Lieutenant Colonel Abdul Qadir, a Shia, unique among Afghan officers, who commands unwavering loyalty from his mostly Sunni troops. Lieutenant Colonel DB Watkins, a highly decorated American commander with a reputation of building relations with local leaders. And Staff Sergeant Shirin Kirkorian, nicknamed "The Lioness," an intelligence asset and first female to complete Ranger training who balances deference to Islamic customs and culture with deadly efficient combat skills. They form a lethal triad to counter the savagery of the Islamist forces aligned against them. The tentacles of the Caliphate's violent ideology expand across the globe, and blurs the lines between ally and enemy. The twisting confluence of Islamic extremism, politics, and war force the players to battle both external, and internal enemies. As the scope and ferocity of the fighting expands across Afghanistan, it threatens to engulf the whole world in a gripping story of faith, conflict, intrigue, and heroism.

Sujets

• Political
• Politics
• Thriller

Informations

• Publié par: First Edition Design Publishing
• Date de parution: 01 janvier 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781506905365
• Langue: English

Extrait

Valleyof Stars
NielsAndersen

FirstEdition Design Publishing
Sarasota,Florida USA
Valley of Stars
Copyright ©2017 Niels Andersen

ISBN 978-1506-905-35-8 PRINT
ISBN 978-1506-905-36-5 EBOOK

LCCN 2017960689

November 2017

Published and Distributed by
First Edition Design Publishing, Inc.
P.O. Box 20217, Sarasota, FL34276-3217
www.firsteditiondesignpublishing.com



ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of thisbook publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, ortransmitted in any form or by any means ─ electronic,mechanical, photo-copy, recording, or any other ─ except brief quotation in reviews, without the prior permission of the authoror publisher.

This is a workof fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents areeither the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner.Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purelycoincidental.

Editor: Terrie Scott
Tofamily and friends who have sacrificed so much to protect our freedoms and wayof life at home and abroad. And to the thousands who work in our Intelligenceagencies, Military, and Law Enforcement who put their lives on the line withoutfanfare. They are the true heroes who silently fight the marathon that is thewar on terror, you deserve infinitely more respect than you get.
Acknowledgments

First,I want to thank my wife who patiently waited for me to finish this first bookby asking, “isn’t that book done yet?” each time I’d sit down for anotherrewrite. After quite some time, and a steep learning curve on how to be abetter writer and story teller, I can now say… yes, it’s done! Michael James,Chris Paige, and Terrie Scott who were gracious enough to open my eyes not onlyto the publishing process, but gave me some great advice to become a betterauthor. A simple thank you doesn’t seem to do justice to the immense impact youhad on my writing.
Althoughthis is a fictional story, the struggles by the people of Afghanistan is real.I’d like to thank the Afghan Embassy for helping to connect me with one oftheir countrymen to ensure I portrayed the lives of ordinary Afghans accuratelyand with respect. Especially to Hamid, I thoroughly enjoyed our conversationsand hope to work with you again in the future. I pray that Afghanistan can findyour “Qadir” who can inspire and unify, and bring peace to your troublednation.
Andfinally, to the authors of Military/Political thrillers who inspired me likeTom Clancy, Vince Flynn, John LeCarré, and many others, I hope this story doesthe genre proud. It is a dangerous world we live in, and there are many peoplewho work in complete anonymity to keep us safe. It is these men and women whonot only work on the front lines of danger, but who support the tip of spear,who are the real heroes. Unseen and unheralded, I hope this story does justiceto the tremendously difficult job you do every day.
Valleyof Stars
NielsAndersen
Chapter 1
Joint Patrol



There’sbeen tension and instability all along the 1500-mile-long Durand Line thatforms the disputed border between Afghanistan and Pakistan since the day it wasdrawn in 1896. Created by a treaty between the British Empire and the AfghanAmir, the Durand Line was an arbitrary barrier for political expediency to fix theirrespective spheres of influence. But it cut the Pashtun and Baloch tribalregions nearly in half. And like a river dam, pressure for tribal reunificationbegan building as soon as it was drawn, driven today by the Pashtun dominatedTaliban. It’s a line that seemingly no one but the Afghan and Americangovernments had an interest in protecting.
Thearea around Khost, in the central Kaitu River valley near the Pakistan border,is one of the most active for Taliban operations. This rib of the Hindu KushMountains between Afghanistan and Pakistan is dotted with small villages alongits streams and rivers. Engorged with runoff from the melting snows of the highmountains, they feed a fertile patchwork of agriculture.
Cradledin the foothills of the majestic mountains to the north, far from the bustlingcity centers of Kabul and Kandahar, the air is crisp and clean. The earthysmells of the countryside get carried on the gently swirling wind currentsthrough the hills and valleys. The smoke and spices from a thousand cookingfires, the herbs and produce from the fields, and the ripening fruit in their grovesform an aromatic kaleidoscope of the simple life on the Afghan frontier. Butthe picturesque serenity of the rugged frontier belies the danger hiddenbeneath its canvas of soaring landscapes, vibrant colors, and intoxicatingsmells.
It’sa danger that creates a sense of dread that the serenity could rupture at anymoment into a deadly fight for survival. It was that feeling of imminent dangerthat caused the allied patrol to move cautiously along the southeast bank ofthe Kaitu River about 20 miles east of Khost. This region had gone back andforth between allied and Taliban control for the past two years. Though theTaliban had some supporters in the area, the villagers around here just wantedto be left alone. It was this desire for independence that the commander of theANA forces, Lieutenant Colonel Abdul Qadir, used for leverage.
Withthe U.S. drawdown, Qadir, Commander 2 nd Battalion, 1 st Brigade, 203rd Corps, had to work overtime to prepare his Afghan National Armytroops to take over security from the Americans. When he wasn’t training withhis men, he was tirelessly working to build relations among the tribal andvillage elders in the region. Like the Anbar Awakening effort, the U.S. used togain the trust of the Sunni tribes in Iraq, his efforts resulted in thingsbeing fairly quiet lately. But quiet is a relative term in the Afghan-Pakistanborder region.
Acalm, stoic, and religious man, Qadir conversed in the deliberate, indirect,almost circular way common in Afghanistan, very different from the directmanner of the Americans. It was a lyrical, noncommittal style, avoidingdefinitive statements so as not to offend, but always respectful. He had aknack for understanding people and how to appeal to their cultural sense ofhonor, loyalty, and religion, the bedrocks of Afghan culture. Qadir knew exactlywhen to use his authority and when to defer to the local elders. He not onlylistened to them but when he made a promise, he always kept it.
Itwasn’t just deference to the elders, but Qadir’s way of weaving their commonreligion, traditions, and rich tribal history into everything he did, and said,to gain their trust and cooperation. He understood that every action he and hismen took would be watched, analyzed, and judged against the backdrop of localnorms not national. So, he demanded that his men adhere to the fundamentaltenets of Islam in all interactions with friend or foe. None of this was loston the villagers Qadir encountered. It solidified cooperation from villageelders against the Taliban and had nearly shut down their supply lines throughthis part of Afghanistan.
Qadirwas an imposing figure for an Afghan. At five foot ten and 180 pounds, he wastaller than most Afghan men but had a powerful, muscular frame that was obviousunder the digital camouflage of his uniform and body armor. With short brownhair, full beard, penetrating eyes, high cheekbones, and angular face, heemanated confidence and authority. He not only looked powerful, but sounded ittoo. In battle, his deep baritone voice thundered over the din of gunfire with clear,crisp commands. And unlike the indirect communication style he used in conversation,when the lives of his men were involved, Qadir was short and direct. His commandswere issued with such authority that they were obeyed without hesitation.
Qadirhad fought the Taliban for most of his life. He was a unique commander in theANA, a Shia Muslim from the mountainous Hazarajat region who’d fought with theNorthern Alliance during the civil war. The minority Shia Hazaras not onlysuffered from discrimination from the much larger Afghan tribes but from the 1400-year-oldschism between the sects of Islam. The more radical Sunni elements believeShia’s to be apostates deserving only death. Yet here was Qadir, not onlycommanding respect from his Sunni men but absolute devotion.
Hismen trusted him, loved him, and would gladly die a thousand deaths if hecommanded it. Quite an accomplishment, considering several under his commandwere former Taliban fighters, including his most trusted senior NCO. He had a charisma,not the boastful, gregarious preacher type, but a patient, quiet confidencewith a deference to the common tenets of Islam and tradition that drew men tohim.
ThroughQadir’s humility, dedication, actions, and words, he changed people'sperceptions of both Islam and Afghanistan. He offered them a perspective theyhad never heard nor imagined, thereby turning enemies into friends, and friendsinto followers. It was this dedication to and from his men, Pashtun, Uzbek,Tajik, Turkomen, and Hazara alike that made him the only ANA officer who neverhad an Afghan soldier attack his American counterparts -- a green-on-blueincident, as the Americans called it. And within the ANA, his units cameclosest to matching the Americans in fighting skills, tenacity, andeffectiveness.
Thecurrent mission was to check on several villages in a region where clashes withthe Taliban were common. Today would take them to Zakar Khel, the last of the villagesthat straddled the river close to the border. The joint patrol had been out forseveral days, slowly making their way up the river. So far, they had notencountered any enemy resistance, but every man in the formation knew it couldchange in an instant.
Thepatrol had left Kazeh Kalay an hour earlier and was moving along a dirt andgravel road that was slightly more than a cart path on the east side of theriver. Qadir was soaking up the warm mid-morning sunshine. The sights andsounds of the villagers working the groves of f