Sword of Allah Read online

  David A Rollins is a former advertising creative director who lives in Sydney. He is working on his next book.

  Praise for Sword of Allah:

  ‘[Sword of Allah’s] cross-cutting often beautifully rendered as it drives its compelling narratives along’

  THE AGE

  ‘This is a racy book that is both entertaining and gently informative. It is a good read for those who like fast action and enjoy being just a little bit scared’

  WEST AUSTRALIAN

  ’A chilling but thrilling study of the post-September 11 world’

  GOLD COAST BULLETIN

  Praise for Rogue Element:

  ‘a ripping, high-octane page-turner’

  BRISBANE NEWS

  ‘Shrieks across the page like a scramjet and hits home like a small nuke. Totally awesome’

  JOHN BIRMINGHAM

  Also by David A Rollins

  ROGUE ELEMENT

  First published 2004 in Macmillan by Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Limited

  This Pan edition published in 2005 by Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Limited

  St Martins Tower, 31 Market Street, Sydney

  Copyright © David A Rollins 2004

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a

  retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,

  mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission

  in writing from the publisher.

  National Library of Australia

  cataloguing-in-publication data:

  Rollins, David A

  Sword of Allah.

  ISBN 0 330 42149 2.

  1. Terrorists – Australia – Fiction. 2. Terrorism – Fiction. I. Title

  A823.4

  The characters in this book are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons,

  living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Typeset in Birka by Post Pre-press Group

  Printed in Australia by McPherson’s Printing Group

  Papers used by Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Ltd are natural, recyclable products

  made from wood grown in sustainable forests. The manufacturing processes

  conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.

  Author photograph: Samantha Rollins

  These electronic editions published in 2007 by Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Ltd

  1 Market Street, Sydney 2000

  The moral right of the author has been asserted.

  All rights reserved. This publication (or any part of it) may not be reproduced

  or transmitted, copied, stored, distributed or otherwise made available by any

  person or entity (including Google, Amazon or similar organisations), in any

  form (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical) or by any means (photocopying,

  recording, scanning or otherwise) without prior written permission from the

  publisher.

  Sword of Allah

  David A Rollins

  Adobe eReader format 978-1-74197-040-1

  Microsoft Reader format 978-1-74197-241-2

  Mobipocket format 978-1-74197-442-3

  Online format 978-1-74197-643-4

  Epub format 978-1-74262-591-1

  Macmillan Digital Australia

  www.macmillandigital.com.au

  Visit www.panmacmillan.com.au to read more about all our books and to buy

  both print and ebooks online. You will also find features, author interviews and

  news of any author events.

  For Jack, Bart, Ruby and their mum

  Acknowledgements

  An enormous amount of research goes into a book like this. Much of it is desk research, but not all.

  I’ve called on several sources without whose help this book would be lame. A couple I’d like to publicly thank but can’t. They’ve signed secrecy agreements with various governments and are a little nervous about any public spotlight. Not because they’ve done anything wrong, but because they want to keep their lives uncomplicated. And who can blame them for that? The reason these people helped me is purely so that the facts, when facts need to be told, are indeed fact and not fabrication. Notice I didn’t say ‘fiction’, because this book is as much about fiction as anything else. None of the events in this book has happened and I hope they never do. But I digress.

  Where the Special Air Service is concerned, I called on the services and knowledge of an experienced officer from that regiment. I couldn’t have written this book without his patient assistance. So, thank you very much, Captain X – you know who you are.

  The Royal Australian Navy figures in this story. I admire anyone who goes to sea, and most especially when it’s in the defence of their country. Mark, a former RAN communications NCO, tirelessly put up with my incessant emails and questions about seemingly insignificant details, and then put in the time and the effort to read an early draft of the story. Thanks, Mark, for all your help, which was always delivered with a smile.

  Wing Commander Peter Spiess, from RAAF Williamtown, helped me bring to life the F/A-18 sortie towards the end of the book. I also received assistance from a former USAF F16 fighter pilot who patiently helped me on a number of details. I’d like to point out that while the radio work between the pilots featured in the story is reasonably authentic, it’s a little overstated in parts to make the meaning clearer for the reader.

  Thanks also to Bonnie Warn from the Australian Federal Police for pointing me in the right direction on a few issues.

  The medical information contained herein was vetted by my friend and personal physician, Dr Malcolm Parmenter. Malcolm also suffered through an earlier draft and pointed out several flaws that I’ve since bandaged.

  I’d like to thank the search engine Google.com for saving me a good year in research time.

  I’d like to thank Andrew Sargant, my friend and former business partner, for his eternal encouragement and willingness to read unfinished manuscripts. Thanks, Sarge, I owe you.

  Then there’s Rose Creswell and Annette Hughes, from the Cameron–Creswell Agency, thank you for believing in me.

  And finally, I’d like to thank the people at Pan Macmillan: the fiction publisher, Cate Paterson; the senior publicist, Jane Novak; and all the fantastic, hardworking sales representatives nationally and internationally, who made the writing of this book possible.

  Contents

  Glossary

  Western Highlands, Papua New Guinea

  The Persian Gulf

  Manila, Philippines

  Ramallah, West Bank, Israel

  Australian Defence Force HQ, Russell Offices, Canberra, Australia

  South Java, Indonesia

  Townsville, Queensland, Australia

  Via Veneto, Rome, Italy

  Nam Sa River, Myanmar

  US Embassy, Canberra, Australia

  Australian Federal Police HQ, Canberra, Australia

  Jakarta, Indonesia

  Townsville, Queensland, Australia

  Jakarta, Indonesia

  Amman, Jordan

  Jakarta, Indonesia

  Townsville, Queensland, Australia

  Australian Defence Force HQ, Russell Offices, Canberra, Australia

  Townsville, Queensland, Australia

  Flores, Indonesia

  Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel

  Townsville, Queensland, Australia

  Sirkin Air Force Base, Israel

  Central Intelligence Agency, Australia bureau, US Embassy, Canberra

  Flores, Indonesia

  Manila, Philippines

  Flores, Indonesia

  Townsville, Queensland, Australia

  Camp Echo, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

 
; Manila, Philippines

  Camp Echo, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

  Port Botany, Sydney, Australia

  Australian Defence Force HQ, Russell Offices, Canberra, Australia

  Tamarama, Sydney, Australia

  Richmond, Melbourne, Australia

  Australian Federal Police HQ, Canberra, Australia

  Flores, Indonesia

  Central Intelligence Agency, Australia bureau, US Embassy, Canberra

  Sydney, Australia

  Australian Defence Force HQ, Russell Offices, Canberra, Australia

  Flores, Indonesia

  Nam Sa River, Myanmar

  Manila, Philippines

  Diego Garcia, Indian Ocean

  Nam Sa River, Myanmar

  Ten miles due south of Thai–Myanmar border, 35 000 feet

  Nam Sa River, Myanmar

  Flores, Indonesia

  Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia

  Flores, Indonesia

  Bangkok, Thailand

  Flores, Indonesia

  Jakarta, Indonesia

  Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia

  Arafura Sea, 15 000 feet

  Flores, Indonesia

  S10°30'10" E126°15'02", Timor Sea

  Flores, Indonesia

  Australian Defence Force HQ, Russell Offices, Canberra, Australia

  Sirius 3, Bayu-Unadan field, Timor Gap, Timor Sea

  S10°51'12" E126°17'09", Timor Sea

  Indian Ocean, 25 000 feet

  S11°05'50" E126°18'42", Timor Sea

  Sirius 3, Bayu-Unadan field, Timor Gap, Timor Sea

  Sirius 3, Bayu-Unadan field, Timor Gap, Timor Sea

  Port Botany, Sydney, Australia

  Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

  Townsville, Queensland, Australia

  Timor Sea

  Glossary

  ADF Australian Defence Force

  AFP Australian Federal Police

  AGL Above ground level

  AGM-154D Guided missile (JSOW)

  AH-1 (Zefa or Cobra) Helicopter gunship

  AIM-9 Air-to-air heat-seeking missile

  AK-47 (Kalashnikov) military assault carbine

  AMSL Above mean sea level

  ANZUS Australia–New Zealand–United States defence pact

  APC Armoured personnel carrier

  APFSDS Armour-piercing fin-stabilised discarding sabot (tank-fired round)

  AS Able seaman

  ASIO Australian Security Intelligence Organisation

  ASIS Australian Secret Intelligence Service

  ATO Australian Tax Office

  AV-TUR Aviation jet fuel

  AWACS Airborne warning and control system

  AW-1W Super Cobra helicopter gunship

  BI Babu Islam

  BK-117 (Eurocopter) Helicopter

  Blackhawk (S70 A9) Helicopter

  BUFF (B-52) Big Ugly Fat Fucker

  B-52G US long-range bomber

  CDF Chief of the Defence Force (Australian)

  CFDP Combat Forces Digitisation Program

  CIA Central Intelligence Agency

  CMDR Commander

  CO Commanding officer

  CPU Central processing unit

  C-4 Plastic explosive

  C-5A (Galaxy) transport aircraft

  C-130 (Hercules) transport aircraft

  DEA Drug Enforcement Agency

  DG Diego Garcia

  D-G Director-general

  DIO Defence Intelligence Organisation

  DIP Desired impact point

  Dragon Warrior Unmanned aerial vehicle

  D-9 (Caterpillar) Armoured bulldozer

  EA-1729 LSD

  F/A-18 Jet fighter plane

  FNC80 Indonesian army issue assault carbine

  Fox one Radar-guided missile launched

  Fox three Guns selected

  Fox four Ram

  GLTD Ground based laser target designator

  GPS Global positioning system

  H&K MP5SD Heckler & Koch machine pistol

  HAHO High altitude high opening (parachute jump)

  HALO High altitude low opening (parachute jump)

  HE High explosive

  HEAP High-explosive armour piercing

  HEAT High-explosive anti-tank (tank-fired round)

  Hercules C-130 transport aircraft

  HUD Head up display

  IAF Israeli Air Force

  IDF Israeli Defence Forces

  IFF Identify friend or foe

  IIR Imaging infrared

  INS Inertial navigation system

  IR Infrared

  JSLIST Joint service lightweight integrated suit technology (chemical warfare suit)

  JSOW Joint stand-off weapon

  KC-130 Airborne fuel tanker (Hercules-based)

  KC-135 Airborne fuel tanker (Boeing 707-based)

  KIAS Knots indicated air speed

  Kopassus Indonesian special forces

  LAV Light armoured vehicle

  LM Loadmaster

  LS Leading seaman

  LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide (hallucinogenic drug)

  LTCOL Lieutenant colonel

  MBT Main battle tank

  M1Abrams US main battle tank

  M16A1 US military assault weapon

  M16A2 Current issue US military assault weapon

  M2 Heavy machine gun

  M203 Grenade launcher

  M36A2 Fragmentation grenade

  M4A2 Assault carbine favoured by special forces

  M61A1 20mm Gatling gun

  M82A1A Sniper rifle

  Merkava Mk IV Israeli main battle tank

  METFOR Meteorological forecast

  Minimi General-purpose machine gun

  Mossad Israeli external security organisation

  NBC Nuclear biological chemical (warfare)

  NCO Non-commissioned officer

  NVG Night vision goggles

  OA Opening altitude

  PC3 (Orion) Anti-submarine warfare aircraft

  PDA Personal digital assistant

  PFC Private first class

  PNG Papua New Guinea

  Prowler Unmanned aerial vehicle

  RAAF Royal Australian Air Force

  RHIB Ribbed-hull inflatable boat

  RPG Rocket-propelled grenade

  SAR Search and rescue

  SAS Australian Special Air Service Regiment

  Sayeret Israeli special forces

  Shin Bet Israeli internal security and counterterror organisation

  SLAP Saboted light armour piercing round (armour piercing bullet)

  SOP Standard operating procedure

  S70 A9 Blackhawk helicopter

  S70 B2 Sea Hawk helicopter

  TACBE Tactical beacon – low power signal device and transceiver

  TCCC Transnational Crime Coordination Centre

  TDC Throttle designator control

  TNI Tentara Nasional Indonesia (Indonesian army)

  TNI-AU Tentara Nasional Indonesia – Angkatan Udara (Indonesian air force)

  TOW Tube launched, optically tracked, wire-guided missile

  TSS Tank sight system (external video cameras)

  UAV Unmanned aerial vehicle

  USCENTCOM United States forces in the Middle East region

  VHF Very high frequency

  VX Nerve agent

  WMD Weapon of mass destruction

  X Executive officer

  XO Executive officer

  Zefa (Cobra) AH-1 helicopter gunship

  Z80 Computer chip

  What an excellent slave of Allah: Khalid bin Al-Waleed, one of the swords of Allah, unleashed against the unbelievers!

  Prophet Mohammed, may His name be praised

  Fight and slay the pagans (infidels) wherever you find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem of war.

  Qur’an, Sura 9:5

  Make God laugh. Tell Him your plans.

  Anon

  Western Highlands,
Papua New Guinea

  ‘This looks bad,’ said Sergeant Tom Wilkes of the SAS, the Australian Special Air Service Regiment, thinking out loud. He was referring to the road ahead. It snaked up across the mountainside, a ribbon of orange mud that sucked at the tyres of the Land Rover and slowed the convoy’s progress to a walking pace. Wilkes repeatedly ran the flat of his hand across his short-cropped brown hair, vaguely reassured by the rough prickling on his palm. It was a habit he wasn’t aware of, something he did when he was stressed or concerned.

  ‘How did I know you were going to say that?’ said Ellis, used to his sergeant’s mannerisms. The jungle of the New Guinea highlands lay around them, heavy with the daily monsoonal downpour that had only just let up. The green mass pressed in on the road, overhanging it, trying to suffocate it, reclaim it. The Land Rovers bounced over tree roots that gave the tyres momentary purchase before the wheels sunk to their axles once more in the cloying mud. It was the perfect place for an ambush. Wilkes turned around briefly to check on the passengers cramped together in the back seat.

  Bill Loku, the member of parliament for these parts, had been happily pointing out various landmarks in the low country, but as the altitude had increased, so had his unease. He said, ‘Mi gat wari. Mi laikim stap.’

  ‘He’s worried, wants to stop,’ said Timbu, the translator.

  ‘Not here, mate,’ said Wilkes looking out the window. ‘We can’t turn around.’

  Loku sat in the back of the Land Rover with Timbu, Lance Corporal Gary Ellis and Trooper James Littlemore. It was hot, cramped and uncomfortable, but there were more pressing concerns than mere comfort. The politician looked decidedly tense, eyes darting left and right, shoulders bunched and rigid. Everyone felt it – the certainty of being spied on, watchful eyes hiding in the jungle, waiting for the right moment. Not everyone was happy with the government’s performance, and in these parts unhappiness was apt to be expressed in a most violent way. It was Loku’s first return visit to the highlands since taking up full-time residence in Port Moresby, the capital city of Papua New Guinea.

  Wilkes could only just penetrate Loku’s accent, and the fact that he slipped in and out of the local pidgin English didn’t help his understanding any. But Wilkes didn’t need to be a linguist to know when a man was shitting himself. ‘Isn’t this where those coppers were shishkebabbed?’ asked Ellis innocently.