Sniper Elite by Scott McEwen Page B

of hundred miles north of where Operation Eagle Claw had ended in a humiliating failure during the hostage rescue operation back in November 1979, resulting in the loss of eight US Marines and Air Force personnel.
    After pausing long enough for this reality to sink in, Lerher continued. “Al-Nazari has no idea that he’s been compromised, no idea that we’re listening to his telephone conversations. He doesn’t even vary his schedule. It’s not that he’s careless as a general rule, rather, we believe he’s simply grown complacent, living within the relative safety of Iran’s borders.”
    Gil scrutinized the topography of the terrain, barren and largely deserted. He turned to Lerher in the dim. “So he’s operating inside of Iran with or without Ahmadinejad’s approval?”
    Lerher seemed to vacillate for a moment. “Well, as you know, the right hand doesn’t always know what the left hand is doing withinthe Iranian government. Our impression is that the Iranian president has been kept out of the loop on this one. We may safely assume, however, that someone with significant influence is supplying Al-Nazari with the necessary materials and logistical support. It is extremely important for this man to be eliminated before he constructs a radiation bomb or begins to pass his skills along. For the most part, he seems to be guarding his secrets at the moment, but we can’t expect that to last.
    â€œGil, we’ve got this guy nailed down to a fairly specific and isolated location not very far over the border into Iran. We’ve had him under drone observation for the last three weeks. We know his routine. We know that he travels with minimal security. Now is the time.”
    â€œI obviously can’t walk in there on my own. I assume you’ve made arrangements for transport at the Afghan border?”
    This time Lerher’s glance at the Mossad man was obvious. “No, we can’t risk having your movement detected. Al-Nazari would vanish the second it looked as though anyone might be moving against him. You’ll HAHO in, jumping from a Turkish commercial airliner during a scheduled flight from Kabul to Tehran. Next photo.”
    Another map appeared on the wall, this one showing in red the projected flight path from the city of Kabul to Tehran. A green x indicated the point at which Gil would exit the aircraft inside of Iranian airspace.
    â€œWe’ve got Turkey’s cooperation on this?”
    â€œWe do,” Lerher answered. “It’s an audacious mission, Gil, no doubt about it. That’s why it’s going to succeed.”
    â€œWhat am I jumping out of?”
    â€œA Boeing 727. It’s out there on the tarmac. Our people are going over it now, making all the necessary modifications. It’s in good shape. You’ll be jumping during a black moon from thirty-five thousand feet, using GPS to guide you as close to the kill zone as possible before you touch down. You’ll probably have to travel closeto thirty miles under canopy because it would look suspicious for the pilot to veer off course. This is a black operation, so you won’t be taking your usual gear. You’ll use a Dragunov SRV for the hit.”
    Gil glanced again at the map, reaffirming that he would be jumping very deep into Indian country. “And my extraction?”
    â€œAfter the hit, you’ll lay low and evade until dark,” Lerher said. “Once it’s dark, you’ll make your way south to the extraction point where the Night Stalkers will pick you up well inside the Iranian border. Now, we don’t expect you to have any contact with Iranian troops. This province is a wasteland, and there’s nothing there to protect. However, the area is rife with heroin smugglers sneaking back and forth across the border at all hours of the day and night. This is the reason we’re so confident we can hit Al-Nazari inside of Iran