The Third Target: A J. B. Collins Novel

  As I entered the terminal, I was struck by the much-heavier-than-usual presence of armed Jordanian soldiers and border police. Each passenger coming off the flight was thoroughly checked for weapons and explosives. All luggage was put through X-ray machines, subjected to bomb-sniffing dogs, and then hand-searched. In addition, Jordanian officials were asking questions of all passengers to determine why they had been in Iraq and why they were coming to Jordan. The whole process took more than an hour. But when it was finally over and I headed through the main hall outside to get a taxi, I suddenly ran into Matt, who greeted me with a relieved bear hug.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, looking me over.

  “I’m fine,” I said, truly glad to see him again but wishing he wasn’t making a scene. “Thanks for coming to get me.”

  It wasn’t true, of course. I wasn’t fine. But I couldn’t say anything more, not in public.

  “We were worried sick,” Matt said. “Annie and I thought we’d never see you again. And don’t even ask about Mom.”

  “But you let her know I’m out, right?” I asked, guilty for all I was putting her through.

  “Of course,” he said. “As soon as I got your text that you were here, I called her right away. She said she’d just gotten a note from you as well.”

  “How is she?”

  “She’s pretty shaken up. I mean, she’s been reading all of your articles, and those were hard enough, but she can read between the lines. She knows it was even worse than you wrote.”

  “It was,” I told him. “Worse than you can imagine.”

  We headed straight out of the airport to his car. As we got in, he asked me how in the world I had gotten back to Jordan in one piece.

  “It was bizarre,” I told him. “Late last night, Jamal Ramzy and some soldiers came down to the basement where I was chained up. They blindfolded me and carried me upstairs. I was sure this was it, that they were going to behead me right then. Instead, they threw me, bound, into the trunk of a car and started driving. After fifteen or twenty minutes, they stopped the car, pulled me out of the trunk, and removed the blindfold and shackles. It was night, but there was a full moon. So I could see that we were in the middle of nowhere. That’s when I thought they were going to shoot me. But instead, Ramzy handed me the keys to the car and a map. He told me to follow the map out of the province of Nineveh until I got to the border of Kurdistan. Then he told me to explain to the peshmerga that I was a journalist who had been covering the war and needed to get to Erbīl to catch a flight to Amman.”

  “They just gave you the keys?” he asked.

  “I know. It was crazy.”

  “So then what?”

  “Ramzy and his men got into an SUV that had apparently been following us, and they drove off into the night.”

  “Just leaving you standing there.”

  “Yeah.”

  “And it worked? The Kurds let you in?”

  “I’m sitting here with you, aren’t I?”

  “Why do you think they let you go?”

  “I don’t know for sure,” I said as we worked our way through the neighborhoods of Amman. “I think they changed their focus. Yes, Khalif and Ramzy would have loved to send my head to the president of the United States via FedEx. But I think they decided they liked the WMD story out there. Maybe they think it makes them look tough. I don’t know. But I don’t think they’re content just having the story published. They want me out there doing radio and television shows, telling people what I saw, that they really do have chemical weapons.”

  “It’s so sickening.”

  “You don’t know the half of it,” I told him. “I’ve never seen anything like Abu Khalif. He rarely shows emotion. He talks in a monotone. But you should have seen the sheer twisted joy on his face when he sawed off Ismail Tikriti’s head and when he was watching that sarin gas kill the warden and those three guards. It was sick, Matt, worse than any horror film you could possibly imagine.”

  “You didn’t write any of that in your articles, of course,” he noted. “I could tell you were trying to be very careful with your words, and I figured he was watching you write.”

  “It was the most horrible experience of my life.”

  “Thank God you’re out.”

  “Thanks again for picking me up. It really means a lot to me.”

  “Of course. What are brothers for? I’m just glad it’s over.”

  “But it’s not.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It’s not over,” I said. “I think ISIS is going to strike soon.”

  “In Israel or back in the States?” Matt asked.

  “Actually, I think he’s going to strike here.”

  Matt looked stunned. “Here, where? Jordan? Amman?”

  “Yes.”

  “You think Jordan is the third target?”

  “I’m starting to, yes.”

  “Why? What do you mean? I’ve seen all the stuff you’ve written in the last few days. Khalif told you point-blank he was gunning for Israel and the U.S. If I were him, I’d be planning to hit the peace summit in Jerusalem, wouldn’t you? It’s one-stop shopping.”

  “I have no doubt Khalif would love to strike the summit in Jerusalem, but I don’t think he’d ever get that far,” I said. “There’s too much security. I think he’s coming here first. He’s just in Mosul. That’s practically right down the road.”

  “But why here?” Matt asked. “Isn’t Khalif Jordanian, from Zarqā?”

  “Absolutely, and that’s all the more reason,” I said. “He hates the king. He believes His Majesty is an infidel. He said as much when I interviewed him.”

  “Sure, but he gave a laundry list of leaders he wants to kill,” Matt replied. “Don’t you think he was just talking trash, listing everyone he could?”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “Several reasons,” I said as Matt wove through traffic. “First, yes, he gave quite a hit list. But look who’s not on it—the prime minister of Lebanon, the emirs in the Gulf, the mullahs in Iran.”

  “So what?”

  “So he wasn’t just giving me a laundry list,” I explained. “I think he was giving me his list of priorities in order.”

  “Okay, fine, but that still proves my point,” Matt replied. “He said specifically he’s going to attack the U.S. and Israel with suicide bombers and chemical weapons. That was the first thing he mentioned.”

  With that, Matt pulled into his neighborhood and we were at his apartment building, a modest complex in a rather run-down section on the outer eastern edges of Amman. The street was crowded, but we soon found a parking space around the corner.

  “Go back and reread the transcript,” I said when he had turned off the engine. “I can’t believe I didn’t see this earlier. Khalif told me exactly what he was going to do.”

  Matt pulled out his smartphone and brought up the Times website. A moment later, he had the transcript.

  “Okay, now find the section where Khalif vows to capture and behead the American and Israeli leaders,” I said.

  Matt quickly scanned through the interview and found the section.

  “Got it.”

  “Good, now read exactly what he says there.”

  So Matt did.

  “KHALIF: We aim to capture and behead the president of the United States. . . . We aim to assassinate the prime minister of Israel. In due course, we will unleash a wave of suicide bombers and other attacks against the Great Satan and the Little Satan and rid the world of these cancerous tumors.

  “See?” Matt said. “He couldn’t be clearer—he’s coming after the U.S. and Israel.”

  “I know, I know, but keep reading,” I insisted.

  “KHALIF: But our highest priorities are to rid the region of apostate Arab leaders who have betrayed the Muslim people and the Prophet himself. We will target the leaders of Jordan and the Palestinian Authority and Saudi Arabia, as well as Syria and Iraq—we will find them, k
ill them, and topple their governments one by one.”

  “There it is,” I said. “Khalif says his highest priority is taking out apostate Arab leaders who have betrayed the Muslim people and the Prophet.”

  “He’s coming after the king of Jordan,” Matt said.

  “Exactly.”

  “So you think Iraq and Syria were ISIS’s first two targets, and Jordan is the third?” he asked.

  “I think so,” I said. “And what if it is? Imagine if ISIS attacks Amman with chemical weapons, kills the king, destroys most of the government, and establishes an Islamic state right on the border of Israel?”

  “That’s terrifying.”

  “Especially if ISIS ends up in control of all of Iraq and Syria too.”

  We sat for a moment, trying to make sense of all that. Then Matt said, “I have to admit, I never really thought much about Jordan or its importance until we came here for my sabbatical.”

  “You’re not alone,” I said.

  “But it’s actually quite nice here,” Matt continued. “I mean, the king seems pretty moderate. And the country is peaceful, friendly, stable. They’ve got a peace treaty with Israel. They’re probably the best Arab ally America has.”

  “Absolutely,” I agreed. “Plus Jordan is the quiet cornerstone of any peace deal with the Israelis and Palestinians.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, think about it,” I said. “The president’s entire strategic concept of persuading Israel to give up the West Bank for a final peace deal with the Palestinians is predicated on the Hashemite Kingdom being just what you said—a stable and secure friend and ally on the east side of the Jordan River. But what if the king falls? What if jihadists take over? The entire peace process goes up in smoke, right?”

  “I guess so. Hadn’t really thought about it that way.”

  “Sure. A strong Jordan is Israel’s buffer against any ground invasion from the east. If the jihadists take Amman, Israel’s entire security architecture falls apart. If the kingdom falls and ISIS takes over, the whole West Bank could become radicalized and go up in flames. Suddenly Israel isn’t facing a jihadi storm way out in the western provinces of Iraq. Suddenly they’ve got ISIS forces on the outskirts of Jerusalem. At that point, the U.S. and Israel would be facing a radical Islamic caliphate encompassing all of Syria, all of Jordan, most if not all of Iraq, and very likely allied with Iran, which could soon become a nuclear power.”

  Matt looked through the windshield, thinking. “Okay, that’s a horrifying scenario, I grant you that,” he said. “But is that really possible? I mean, Jordan’s got a great military. They’ve got American weapons. The king used to be the commander of the special forces here. Do you really think it’s possible ISIS could take over this country?”

  “Did you think Mubarak would fall in Egypt? Ghaddafi in Libya? The guy in Tunisia? Now Assad’s on the brink. And I’m telling you, the king is next.”

  “Maybe you’re right.” Matt sighed. “Maybe the king’s days are numbered. Maybe that’s how it’s going to happen.”

  I looked at him. “How what’s going to happen?”

  “The prophecies.”

  “What prophecies?”

  “You know, what I came here to research.”

  “I’m not following.”

  “My sabbatical—the whole reason I came here. Don’t you remember?”

  “Did you ever tell me?”

  “Of course I did,” Matt said. “I sent you a long e-mail last year explaining the research I was going to do here and suggesting you might do a story on it at some point.”

  “I don’t remember ever getting that.”

  “Well, that figures. You never reply to any of my e-mails.”

  I didn’t know what to say to that, so I just asked, “What’s your research on?”

  “Jordan in biblical eschatology.”

  “Escha-what?”

  “Eschatology—End Times theology.”

  “What about it?”

  “Bad times are coming for Jordan.”

  “Meaning what?”

  “Meaning that aside from Israel, few modern nations are mentioned more in the Bible—and especially in Bible prophecy—than Jordan.”

  46

  “Jordan is mentioned in the Bible?” I asked.

  “Well, not per se,” Matt replied. “Jordan is a recent name. But the nation we call the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan today is actually comprised of territory once held by three biblical nations: Ammon, Moab, and Edom. And the Bible says a terrible judgment is coming against the people who live in these places in the last days before the return of Christ.”

  “So?”

  “So many people—myself included—believe we’re living in the last days. Which means the prophecies that describe the epic destruction of Jordan’s cities and the apocalyptic devastation of the Jordanian people could come to pass soon. After all, we’ve already seen so many other End Times prophecies come true.”

  This was all news to me. “Like what?”

  “Like the miraculous rebirth of the State of Israel. Like the dramatic return of the Jewish people to the Promised Land. Like the Jews rebuilding the ancient ruins of Israel. The ancient Hebrew prophets said all these things would happen in the last days. And one by one, they’re happening.”

  “And you’re saying the judgment and destruction of Jordan is next?”

  “I can’t say it’s next, but according to the Bible, it’s coming. Maybe what you’re describing with ISIS will set the prophecies into motion.”

  “Hold on a minute. What prophecies are you referring to? What kind of ‘terrible judgment’ does the Bible actually say is coming? How bad are we talking?”

  “Catastrophic.”

  My first instinct was to dismiss this as crazy talk from my crazy brother. A few days before, I would have. But something in me was changing. I had seen too much horror to be able to discount the possibility that more horror could be coming. Besides, I figured, if anyone knew about this stuff, it was Matt. “Keep talking,” I said.

  “Okay, well, first of all, there are a number of other ancient sites, cities, or regions mentioned in the Bible that are located in the modern-day nation of Jordan.”

  “Such as?”

  “One would be what the Scriptures call ‘Mount Seir’ or the ‘hill country of Seir.’”

  “And where’s that?” I asked.

  “The term Seir is actually used to describe a specific mountain, a whole mountain range, and the entire nation or territory of Edom, which is the ancient name for the southern region of Jordan,” Matt explained. “Seir was first mentioned in Genesis 14:6 and then again in Genesis 32:3, among other places.”

  “So Seir is essentially synonymous with Jordan?” I clarified.

  “Southern Jordan, at least, yes,” Matt said.

  “Okay, what else?”

  “Well, there’s Bozrah,” he continued. “Bozrah was an ancient city located in Edom. For a time it was actually the capital of Edom.”

  “Any others?”

  “Yes, there’s Sela, which is also thought to have been a capital or stronghold of Edom. In 2 Kings 14:7, we learn that Sela, whose name was changed by King Amaziah to Joktheel, was located in Edom.”

  “So that’s in southern Jordan as well?”

  “Right. And here’s something interesting: Sela may actually be the biblical name for the city of Petra, the ancient capital city of the Nabataeans. Have you ever been there?”

  “No, can’t say I have.”

  “You would love it. Petra was carved out of solid rock inside a narrow canyon, so it was very difficult for foreign armies to penetrate. And it’s one of the biggest tourist attractions in Jordan today.”

  “Okay, fine, the Bible has all these names for Jordan,” I said. “But what about these judgments you’re talking about?”

  “Great question,” Matt said. “Should we finish this inside?”

  “No, let’s talk here,” I said.

>   “But Annie and the kids can’t wait to see you.”

  “And I can’t wait to see them,” I said. “But that’s why I want to finish this now. The moment we go inside, we’re going to get caught up in everything else.”

  “All right, if you insist,” he said.

  “I do.”

  Matt paused a moment, then continued. “Okay, one place where the Bible talks quite a bit about Jordan is in the book of Jeremiah, specifically in chapter 49. In verse 2, God says, ‘Behold, the days are coming . . . that I will cause a trumpet blast of war to be heard against Rabbah of the sons of Ammon; and it will become a desolate heap, and her towns will be set on fire.’”

  “Pretty dark,” I said.

  “Yeah, but that’s not all. In verse 13, the Lord says, ‘I have sworn by Myself . . . that Bozrah will become an object of horror, a reproach, a ruin and a curse; and all its cities will become perpetual ruins.’ And then, in verse 17, he says, ‘Edom will become an object of horror; everyone who passes by it will be horrified and will hiss at all its wounds.’ And these are just a few examples of what the Bible says will happen to areas that are within modern Jordan.”

  “How do you know all this stuff?” I said, not wanting to offend my brother but not sure what to make of any of it either.

  “I’ve been studying this for the past eight months, remember? You have to admit, it does kind of catch your attention—especially when you’re living here.”

  “It’s attention-getting, all right,” I said. “But how does all this relate to what could be going on with ISIS?”

  “I’m getting to that,” he said. “If you do a careful study of this section of Jeremiah, you’ll see that the prophecies are eschatological; that is, they concern the End Times. Jeremiah 48 is a prophecy against Moab, which is central Jordan. Most of chapter 49 is made up of prophecies against Ammon, which is north-central Jordan, and Edom, which is southern Jordan. If you look at these two chapters, you see a lot of language like ‘days are coming’ and ‘in that day’ and even ‘it will come about in the last days.’ Still with me?”

  I nodded.

  “So it’s these phrases, which are consistent with other End Times prophecies throughout the Bible, that let us know Jeremiah was not writing—in this section, at least—about prophecies that would take place in his lifetime but rather about things that would be fulfilled in the days leading up to the return of Christ. Does that make sense?”