The Last Caliph

De: T. L. Williams

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

The Last Caliph is a fictional account of a Central Intelligence Agency operation to capture self-proclaimed Islamic Caliph, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Baghdadi, was a terrorist from Samarra, Iraq who assumed leadership of Islamic State, ISIS, for five years, from 2014-2019. During his reign, al-Baghdadi operated primarily out of war-ravaged Syria, inflicting horrors, not only upon those living within the boundaries of his domain, but worldwide. Al Baghdadi's goal was to restore the Muslim theocracy to the status it enjoyed during its heyday prior to the fall of the Ottoman Empire.

CIA Operations 0fficer, Logan Alexander, who had war-time service as a Navy SEAL in Afghanistan, was well aware of the threat posed by Islamic extremists. But as they became more technically savvy and strived to extend their reach beyond war torn Iraq and Syria, it became evident that ISIS was recruiting U.S. citizens to join them in Syria, receive training, earn their stripes and then return to the Homeland where they were charged with carrying out terrorist attacks.

Alexander volunteers for perhaps the most dangerous mission of his life. He will play the role of a disaffected former Navy SEAL, medically discharged because of an injury that earned him a Purple Heart, but later only to be cast aside. Alexander has to convincingly play the role of a troubled veteran who has come to question the U.S. role in the Middle East. His play-acting must be so convincing, that he is able to persuade an Iranian spotter/recruiter for ISIS that he is truly disaffected and willing to take up arms against his former comrades.

With the help of the FBI and CIA, Alexander establishes a security training company and is able to backdate his records and documentation to make it appear that he has been conducting defensive driving and other security-related courses for several years. In his role as sole proprietor of this Boston area business, Alexander has exactly what ISIS wants - a skilled military operator with the flexibility and resources to do ISIS's bidding in the United States.

In a bizarre twist, Alexander, is met by none other than Azar Ghabel, wife of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Qods Force Base Commander whom he had killed in a raid against an Iranian bomb making school in Bandar Deylam, Iran. Ghabel is unaware of Alexander's true history and she finds herself strangely attracted to him. When they meet in Istanbul the night before their trip into Syria where he will be introduced to al-Baghdadi, Azar seduces Alexander in a moment of weakness for both of them. Alexander and his wife, Zahir, are estranged and he submits to Azar's charms, although he comes to regret it later.

The plot twist and turns as Alexander encounters one obstacle after another. He is left largely to his own devices as Azar is unable to join him on his journey to al-Baghdadi's encampment, and the reach of Alexander's military and Agency colleagues, is limited. Williams conveys a strong sense of realism in these scenes, having spent a year and half in Esfahan, Iran working for Bell Helicopter in the late seventies. At the time the author was involved in training Iranian helicopter pilots and rode along with them regularly in their forays above the desert.