Later in the afternoon when Anita and Jack came back from exploring, Kathy suggested they go for a walk on the nearly deserted golf course. Kathy gave them a briefing on Hassan’s meeting with Abdul Ali Fahad at his import/export office. Kathy was ecstatic over the young man’s performance. He had met all of her interview objectives. Fahad was from Iraq. Not only did Hassan immediately recognize his Arabic as being Iraqi, Fahad himself told Hassan he was an Iraqi who had fled Iraq for political reasons. He also learned Fahad traveled to France and the U.K. three or four times a year and to Kathmandu quite often. In fact, he was going to Kathmandu in two weeks for a ten-day-plus visit. Hassan had also arranged a follow-on meeting after Fahad returned. Kathy had instructed Hassan to stay away from anyone he knew or thought might be part of the Brandon group. He was also to avoid Westerners and Americans in particular, to continue with his interview list, and to pray at a local mosque on a daily basis.
Kathy told Jack, she had made arrangements to meet with Hassan when Fahad returned from Kathmandu. She wanted to bring Hassan up to date on what they may learn in Kathmandu before his dinner meeting with Fahad. After their dinner meeting, Kathy told Hassan he could plan on returning to Amman.
Jack listened carefully to Kathy’s briefing and said, “What’s your gut telling you? Go into your briefing style narration.”
Kathy thought for a moment and said, “I believe Fahad is our man. I believe he meets with his contacts outside of India. The police and intelligence service here are too good to allow a Muslim Arab on a work permit visa to meet with other Muslims who may be on their list of suspected persons. He has no need to take a risk with Kathmandu so close.
“I’m willing to bet, he’ll meet with his al-Qaeda contacts in Nepal the week after next. Nepal is always in some degree of turmoil with the police and security forces concentrating on internal security. Muslims are not their problem. The problem is an internal Communist Maoist group called the Pushpa Kamal Dahal or Prahanda, a group of radical anti-government terrorists or revolutionaries, depending on where you sit. Even with all the civil unrest, visas to Nepal are easily obtained.
“The Nepalese government is constantly trying to expand its tourism. They will not single us out, unless we cause some kind of trouble that makes the country look bad to prospective tourists and investors. I know from my CIA colleagues Nepal is a very difficult place to move around freely. The one road to India from Kathmandu is subject to road blocks. Air travel is limited and very controlled.
“The next valley over to the west is connected to Kathmandu by a road built by the Chinese years ago. I’ve been told the first wheel to come into the Pokhara Valley came in on the bottom of a DC-3 vintage aircraft. The other main road leads from Kathmandu to the Tibetan border. It’s also a road built by the Chinese. For at least a few centuries Nepal has served as a buffer state between China and India. It has taken advantage of this geo-political fact and carefully steered its foreign policy to avoid becoming linked too closely to either country. As a result, its relationship with India has been strained by India’s fear of China expansion and its expectation this Hindu/Buddhist nation on its northern border with similar religious and culture ties belongs in India’s orbit. Nepal is often said to be an Asian Switzerland without the internal greed of its European political model. Okay! Briefing is over.”
“Kathy, I’d never guess you were once on the path of becoming a South Asian scholar,” Jack said with a smile and a wink.
“Thank you very much, Mr. Brandon. Be careful or I won’t throw any more pearls from my years of study in front of an ungrateful audience.”
Jack said, “Not to worry, dear Kathy. I’m always grateful to attractive and sexy women, even those who are single and nearly always shoeless. Now, forgive my smart remarks and let me offer you a drink at the poolside bar.”
Facts and Fictions 