Chapter XXI. The electronic sect

Walid eagerly listened to the latest audio speech of the Sheikh Leader, which had just been broadcast online, and then he started composing his report on the responses to it.

The leader vowed with it to strike all the infidels on the land of Iraq, and what fate willed is that these infidels are the same ones who were yesterday, the allies of the resistance, before the sect turned against them, because of their refusal to submit to it, and their adherence to the constants of religion and resistance, and their rejection of deviation and deviant thought, they became its first target.

In 2006, the report writer rose to positions, as he became a writer of international reports, following the events of Iraq, writing detailed security reports from there.

At the same time, the pure sect started to become more active online, using websites and closed debate platforms, where its adherents are required to pass a series of intellectual tests to demonstrate their support for takfiri philosophy.

For the pure sect, it has resembled the dark web.

It is imperative to strive to control this group using all possible means, including the virtual world, since the farm team is playing with fire and facilitating the propagation of ideas that they cannot control, nor their repercussions, and one day their fire must reach them.

Many report writers were assigned to be present on these sites, to follow every word that was said, and try to discover who said it. Among them was a person who called himself “The Levantine fighter”, the pseudonym of Walid.

His phone rang, the caller, Basel….

-Hello, my friend, how are you

Hello sir, did you know what’s going on?

-What is it?

– The sheikh of the sect issued a new audio, a while ago

-No, I did not hear anything. send me a detailed report of all that was said in it

-I’m working on it, as soon as I’m done I’ll send it to you

-Walid, I want you for an important matter. Do you follow the news of the sniper of Mesopotamia?

-Yes sir

-Focus on him during this period, try to find out any information, determine his personal identity if you can, and you will be well rewarded.

The professional sniper from Mesopotamia, whose identity or look is unknown to everyone, shone brightly in Iraq. The American army is worried about him since he always shoots one soldier in the head before vanishing with no sign of having done so. He always leave behind one empty bullet.

More importantly, he became a source of concern for the Takfiri sect, the Sheikh Leader, and Basel. His fame caused many fighters to rally around groups other than the Takfiri group, and he became an icon of the Iraqi resistance.

The Takfiri sect, which has started to create justifications for fighting them and ending their presence, has just started working to dismantle all of these groups, and right now, coordination is at its maximum level regarding the necessity to find and kill the sniper of Mesopotamian.

If he decides to announce a new resistance group he is leading, for instance, he can decide to generate confusion as long as he is alive!

An icon like this should not live on, even if the group he works with and any others whose ranks he works with crumble, as his presence poses a threat to everyone. The Takfiris, the Americans, Iran, and all other countries want to get rid of him.

In Iraq, American forces are chasing him. An American officer who calls him the Hammer takes over the task. He swore to arrest him no matter what the cost, and he is still trying. So does the sect, and so does Basel. No one wants him alive. It is forbidden to him. He lived as a stranger and will die as so. But first, we must know his identity.

Two days later, an idea popped into Walid’s head.

Called Basel

Hello sir, do you remember that man you met in Al-Hamidiyah market?

-Which of them?

-Hammam

-Yes, what’s wrong with him?

-On that day, he said something about heroes. He said that Iraq needs an icon around which people rally! Like the heroes of Hollywood films, what is the chance that he knew something about him?

-Yes, I remember your report.

He hesitated for a moment, then added: I don’t know, but we lost track of him. He was supposed to come back again but he didn’t!

About a year ago, Walid got acquainted on the Internet with a person who called himself “Hammam”, who introduced himself as a donor of money. Whereas Walid, with his pseudonym “The Levantine fighter”, presented himself as having a relationship with the fighters in Iraq, a follower of the Takfiri sect, and he could provide any support to it. And this is indeed the case, as he met many men, who came specifically to Damascus, who follow the sect’s ideology, some of whom received donations from him, and some of whom facilitated the task of entering Iraq to fight, in coordination with Basel, who in turn coordinates with Sheikh Suleiman, and monitors all of them and their activities.

On 19-4-2005,

The place, the main entrance to Al-Hamidiyah Market,

Walid was standing wearing the agreed-upon dress, a black shirt embroidered with red stripes, glasses and a black hat, waiting for the donor to come, when a voice called out to him from directly behind him..

-Hello, do you have a cigarette lighter?

The Levantine fighter turned around excitedly, to find himself in front of a young man of his age, strong build, tall, white-skinned, bald-headed, light beard, black-eyed, his looks nothing but emptiness.

-Yes, here you are

He pulled out a green cigarette lighter from his pocket

-Do you have a yellow one?

I have a lot of colors, but I prefer green

The man smiled: Welcome, it is an honor to meet you today

The Levantine fighter: Welcome, brother Hammam. I have been looking forward to meeting you for some time

They walked in the alleys of old Damascus, after this quick, pre-agreed dialogue, to get to know each other.

Hammam appeared reassured and relaxed, not worried about anything, calm, unstressed, and confident of himself. He talked to Waleed about many things in Iraq, the resistance groups, their future, and his expectations in this regard.

 He even told him that Iraq needed a Hollywood-style icon, a superhero who could not be killed or touched, someone who would give people hope so they can follow and love him.

After half an hour of walking in the old alleys of the Levant, and talking, he handed him a sum of money, and then left on his way.

One thing made Walid careful towards him, as the man seemed to know the smallest details, knew many things, and had relations with many groups in Iraq! Why did he even want him to deliver the money there, either he is lying, or there is something fishy about him.

He submitted his report as usual.

As for Basel, he was monitoring everything, so he added to the report all the surveillance photos that his agents took of the stranger that day, and a copy of his passport, which he got from the airport.

 What Walid does not know is that Hammam, as soon as he left him, went directly to Damascus International Airport and left the country.

Another thing that angered Basil is that he arrived in Syria, hours before he met Walid, he went directly from the airport to Al-Hamidiya market, sat with Walid for half an hour, then turned back to where he came from!

To Egypt, Cairo…

A few days later, Hammam communicated with the Levantine fighter electronically, and told him that he would be absent for some time, as his security situation is difficult, and there are parties trying to find out who he is.

He agreed with him on the same secret code that they used in Al-Hamidiyah market, to identify him when he returned under a new name.

Walid was nervous that day, afraid that he might have been exposed, so he called Basel, and the latter reassured him not to worry, as he did not suspect you. We let him enter the country, meet you and hand you the money, then he  left, without anyone attacking him.

Since that day, for a whole year, Walid feels that there is something strange about him, and even something that connects him with the sniper of Mesopotamia. After this meeting, the sniper’s name brightened, and Hammam’s prophecy of what the Iraqi resistance needed was fulfilled.

As for Basel, he was tired of searching, and he did not find any trace of him. Even his passport, which indicated that he was a citizen of another Arab country, proved to be forged, in a way that was difficult to detect.

The Egyptian authorities were informed about him, and they were provided with surveillance photos and a copy of his passport. Their research did not produce any positive results, as if he was a ghost who disappeared without a trace.

We had him in our possession when we left him, but we had no idea of his significance at the time. Despite the fact that there have been no signs that he is significant up to this point, his mode of travel—a fake passport—remains a mystery.

The fact that he was in our hands and then just slid away, leaving us powerless to stop him, stings because everything points to him as a significant man. We anticipated that he would return so that we could keep an eye on him for any more ties he might have in Syria.

With this, Basel proved his case to his Air Force Intelligence superiors, and he was correct—how could he have known that this stranger would vanish without a trace? Other than the few thousand dollars he gave as a donation to the sect, he will benefit nothing from him!

Well, Basel asked to know anything about the sniper, he just disappeared, there is no news about him!

If Hammam knows something, he must be found…

For the following weeks, The Levantine fighter continued to search for Hammam, asking about him. He published more than one post in their secret societies, asking Hammam to contact him if he saw this post of his, without any trace of him.

He just finished with one of his friends, left the bed, went to the office, turned on the computer, entered one of the websites of the Takfiri sect,

He just finished with one of his friends, left the bed, went to the office, turned on the computer, entered one of the websites of the Takfiri sect,

At the top left of the screen, an alert appeared.

New private message

Clicked on the link, went to his inbox…

Number of unread messages: 1

Title: Do you have a yellow lighter?

Sender: Baibars.