The Devil's Handshake

18

Washington, D.C.

Back in Washington three days later, Navjot and his team sat down to debrief Ali in the Cube.

As Wasir Osman Hassan’s face appeared on the screen, Navjot commenced the briefing.

“The baseline with Hassan is now in place. Over the next two months, we will court him, increase his profile and allow him the opportunity to ‘step up’ in the tribal politics by offering a deal as a counterpoint to the Russian influence in the country,” he said and then continued. “He is purely motivated by money and power despite the promotion of himself as a trusted militia leader to the Clan chiefs.”

“Our assessment of him is he only did this to eradicate rival pirate competitors despite him saying he did it to counter the growth of Al Shaahab Islamists in line with the wishes of tribal elders,” he said before pausing for a moment while one of the team changed the PowerPoint slide, he then pressed on.

“Since giving up piracy he has used his wealth to take control of money lending, Hawala, general trading, prostitution, and slavery in Adwalland, ruthlessly taking out any competitors in the process.” Again Navjot paused for the next slide, which showed an organization chart.

“Using his wealth as a tool enables him to recruit former pirates from all the Clans then with their placement into the Interior Ministry he ensures their loyalty by providing members of his Clan with loans or equipment to make money themselves, much in the same way a classic Mafia Mob boss does. In so doing he successfully took them outside their traditional Clans.”

“This means he has created in effect his own Clan?” Ali offered.

“Yes,” answered Navjot.

“Don Osman doesn’t have the same ring though!” thought Ali silently as Navjot continued to brief him on his various family connections and their organization within his Clan.

Inwardly Ali was pleased that their initial synopsis of the Minister was proving correct because until Navjot’s team met him they had no intelligence on the ground in Adwalland to give them a full profile, only the bullshit peddled by Somalis from Mogadishu.

The next PowerPoint slide arrived with a pie chart.

“In terms of assets, Reza advises he currently holds approximately ten million U.S. dollars in cash assets in Dubai with him at the bank and a number of properties including a large villa in the salubrious Emirates Hills area of Dubai.”

“In Adwalland, Wasir owns a hotel and offices that are rented out to NGOs; An exchange shop, a couple of Petrol Stations, a fleet of tanker trucks all rented out to members of his Clan, and an IL-76 cargo plane which is owned in partnership with a Turkmen based in Dubai.”

“On the coast, he owns a fleet of about hundred fishing boats all conversions from his pirate days when the Pirates would rent the boats from him for a share of the spoils and finally a fish cannery that exports through Mogadishu onto Jebel Ali in Dubai then onwards to Iran.” Navjot briefed as he explained the charts.

“This explains, incidentally, why he survived the international efforts to round up the pirate leaders and how he stayed under the radar,” Ali offered with his own review.

“Yep, he’s a string puller,” Navjot answered in agreement.

“I bet you enjoyed your tour of all them!” offered Ali deadpan, earning smirks from his team around the table if not Navjot, before asking, “Education?”

“That’s the interesting bit actually, as his father before the war was a manager at Italian Oil Company; he was able to gain an education at the school provided by them.”

“So he speaks Italian, not just English”

“Although he has had no formal university education he’s street smart and knows his way around a bookkeeping ledger,” responded the behavioral science expert.

“If Reza is right then he’s our man!” Ali stated, pleased with his young protégé. When he had called him initially for a possible lead he had instantly said he had just the man for him.

“He’s turning into a real asset that young man!” he thought to himself with pride as Navjot for the third time agreed with Ali’s study.