Time Travel 04: I Fight the US in the Middle East

Chapter 133 Fire in the Green Zone

As the eastern sky slowly brightened, Hazim-Shalan slowly opened his eyes on the recliner, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and then knelt on the cushion beside him. Now that the sun had risen, it was time to pray!

Ta-da!

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded, and the next moment, Hazim-Shalan's ear was twisted.

"Ouch, that hurts!"

Without even looking up, he knew it was Salai, but—what on earth happened?

"I said, it's already dawn, why hasn't your nephew come to report yet? All you do is sleep here, don't you know how to go out and check?"

"What's the difference?"

"Of course, it's our stolen property!"

The stolen property? A moment later, Hazim-Shalan suddenly realized what was happening, his face changing drastically: "Quick, quick, call him!"

Beep beep beep————

The phone was constantly busy; no one answered!

"I, I'll go to the Baghdad garrison headquarters right away," Hazim-Shalan said, putting on his coat and getting into his Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

The streets were deserted. Clearly, what happened last night had terrified them, and no one dared to come out. But—where were the checkpoints on the roads? Where were the soldiers guarding the city?

The car continued forward, all the way to the headquarters.

There were no sentries standing guard at the entrance, and the place was completely empty; there wasn't a single person inside!

Could it be that the Mahdi Army came last night? My nephew led the resistance against the Mahdi Army? Impossible! Even if the Mahdi Army were coming, they should have dealt with the Sixth Division outside first!

"Nephew, nephew!" Hazim-Shalan shouted, and the echo even reverberated in the empty command post.

There's nobody here, there's really nobody here!

Meanwhile, at Iyad-Alawi's home.

"Prime Minister Allawi, there isn't a single soldier from the 22nd Infantry Battalion to be seen outside. There are no patrols on the streets, and no guards at the exits outside the Green Zone. It's as if they've all vanished overnight—"

Iyad-Alawi's face darkened: "Damn it, they got away! They robbed all the powerful and wealthy in the Green Zone last night, they must have made a lot of money, and they ran away in the middle of the night. That damned Hazim-Shalan, if I catch them—"

"Report, we've spotted Hazim-Shalan. He seems to have just come from the direction of the garrison command—"

"Then what are we waiting for? Take him into custody immediately! Oh, and his wife too. Once we've got them under control, I'm sure his nephew will show up! Also, send someone to contact Major General Duleimi and get him back in control of the Green Zone!"

"yes!"

The guards sprang into action. They hadn't dared to do anything last night, only able to watch helplessly as that hothead named Muhammad robbed the Prime Minister's house. Now, of course, they had to demonstrate their strength, otherwise, their high salaries would be for nothing.

Whoosh, whoosh!

A group of guards, menacing and menacing, rushed toward Hazim-Shalan's Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The one at the front even pulled out a military grenade, pulled the pin, and threw it directly at the car!

The driver turned pale with fright and swerved to turn the steering wheel.

boom!

The explosion occurred next to the Mercedes-Benz, which then crashed into a flower bed by the roadside!

Inside the vehicle, Hazim-Shalan was completely pale. Was it the Mahdi Army?

I was in a hurry to leave, so I only brought two bodyguards with me. Moreover, I originally thought that the city was under the control of my nephew, so it would be very safe. I never expected that such a change would happen!

What to do next?

Are we going to be wiped out by the Mahdi army?

of course not!

Hazim-Shalan gritted his teeth, picked up his pistol, watched as the bodyguard kicked open the car door, and got out of the car with the bodyguard.

Biubiubiu!

On the other side, a member of the Prime Minister's guard fell to the ground with a bullet to the head. The others were enraged and picked up their M16s, spraying bullets at Hazim-Sharan's car.

Dede dede!

Choo Choo Choo!

clap clap clap!

Bullets pierced the car, leaving holes in it. The bodyguard hiding behind the car couldn't even lift his head. Where was Hazim-Sharan?

When the bodyguards turned around to look, they saw that the obese Minister of Defense had already crawled into the drainage ditch and was slipping away along it!

That was incredibly fast!

The two bodyguards quickly retreated; staying put at a time like this would be foolish!

By this time, the Prime Minister's Guard had emptied a magazine and replaced it with a new one. Hearing no movement behind the Mercedes, they gritted their teeth and slowly, step by step, surrounded it.

Finally, they reached the side of the Mercedes and saw it was completely empty. Everyone looked grim. Had they run away?

So many people stopped one car, and they still managed to get away? How are they going to explain this when they get back?

Just as they were stunned, a voice rang out.

"Eliminate all these damned Mahdi troops who have infiltrated!"

Da da da!

The sound of domestically produced Tabuk rifles rang out, and 7.62mm bullets swept towards the Prime Minister's Guard, instantly killing several of them!

Hazim-Shalan had already called his own guards, and although there were only a few dozen men, he wasn't going to hold back, considering he had almost been killed!

Upon realizing they were surrounded, the Prime Minister's guards immediately launched a counterattack, relying on the Mercedes-Benz and flower beds. The two sides played a lively game of ping-pong!

The Prime Minister's home.

Hearing the gunfire outside, Iyad-Alawi's face grew even darker: "Good! That damned Hazim-Shalan, he actually dares to resist! Immediately contact the guards of the other families, gather all those who were robbed last night, and launch a coordinated attack!"

It will take some time before the Sixth Division can be mobilized from outside. Currently, the only armed force in the Green Zone is the guards surrounding the various officials.

The number of people is small, ranging from three or five to twenty or thirty, but if these people are brought together, they will become a powerful force!

Thump!

Just then, an even more terrifying sound rang out—was that a machine gun?

*Thump thump thump*—A subordinate rushed in: "Report! A Humvee has pulled up from Hazim-Shalan's house, equipped with a 23mm anti-aircraft gun. Your guards—"

Boom boom boom!

The 23mm high-explosive shell pierced the vehicle and struck the Prime Minister's guards behind it, leaving them covered in blood and lying on the ground.

Of course, the Minister of Defense's home is different from others. While others may have a guard, the Minister of Defense has a Humvee. Moreover, he even loaded the Soviet ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft guns that the Iraqi government army had purchased years ago onto the back of the Humvee!

Inside the Hummer, Salai's face was contorted with rage: "Anyone who dared to ambush my husband, die!"

Upon hearing that her husband had been ambushed and watching the guards leave, Salai immediately summoned her servants, loaded the twin 23mm anti-aircraft gun onto a Humvee, and drove it out to avenge her husband.

Although it wasn't fixed in place, causing some shaking when firing, but—none of that mattered. Within the green zone, these 23...

Millimeter cannons are absolutely devastating weapons!

The entire Prime Minister's Guard has been scrapped!

Salai's gaze was fierce: "Hmph, these damned Mahdi soldiers, how dare they come to the Green Zone to cause trouble, and even dare to besiege my husband—"

"Madam, Madam—" Just then, the servants who were cleaning up the bodies rushed over: "We seem to have dialed the wrong number. How could we have dialed the wrong number?"

"I recognize one of the bodies; he's from the Prime Minister's guards—"

What?

Hazim-Shalan, who had been slowly approaching, instantly changed his expression: "The Prime Minister's guards? Impossible! How could they possibly open fire on us? The Mahdi Army, it's definitely the Mahdi Army!"

Even if it really is the Prime Minister's Guard, they have to insist that it is the Mahdi Army, otherwise—the aftermath will be unmanageable!

Wait, there seem to be more armed men all around?

"Attention everyone, the Mahdi army is closing in! We—"

Splash—

The next moment, the guards of the other high-ranking officials who rushed over upon hearing the commotion scattered like birds and beasts.

Just kidding, we only have an M16 at most, how can we fight against anti-aircraft guns? If we get hit by a 23mm gun, it can blow half of our body off.

Being a guard or bodyguard is just a way to make a living; there's no need to risk your life.

"Hmph, trying to run away!" Salai ordered his servants to turn the cannons, trying to aim at the backs of those who were leaving, but then—they were stopped by Hazim-Shalan.

"No need to chase them, let's go home now!"

Tiger Lady Salai glanced at the guards who had scattered like birds and beasts, put her hands on her hips, and humphed, "The Mahdi army is nothing special. Our anti-aircraft gun scared them away. Go back and park the car at the gate to deter these damned enemies!"

Buzz, buzz!

Back in his yard, Hazim-Shalan slammed the door shut and exclaimed nervously, "Something's not right!"

"What's wrong?"

"Last night, my nephew visited a lot of people's homes, didn't he?"

"Um."

"They must have made quite a bit of money, right?"

"Um."

"Now that our nephew has disappeared, and others are coming to our door, we—"

"My nephew must have spotted the Mahdi army's movements and gone out to pursue them," Salai said. "My nephew's mind is getting sharper and sharper—"

"Could it be that he ran off with the money, leaving us to bear the brunt of other people's anger?"

"It shouldn't be possible, right?" Salai muttered to himself. If his nephew really had run off with the money, then we—

Buzz, buzz!

Just then, a roaring sound came from outside, and his subordinate rushed in, shouting, "It's bad! It's bad! American armored vehicles are coming!"

M2 armored vehicles, the 6th Division, have returned to the Green Zone, and they've parked right outside the Minister of Defense's house!

At this moment, behind this unit, Major General Mudar-Khatim-Duleimi entered the Prime Minister's courtyard.

"Lord Alavi, what is the reason you summoned us back?"

"Hazm-Shalan's nephew, Muhammad, the battalion commander of the 22nd Infantry Battalion who drove you away yesterday, carried out a large-scale looting operation in the Green Zone last night. Almost all the families of high-ranking officials were robbed, and they left the Green Zone just before dawn."

Major General Duremi was stunned.

Last night they heard some commotion in the Green Zone, but—they really thought it was the Mahdi Army that had infiltrated the Green Zone. Mohammed drove out their 6th Division, which meant that the 22nd Infantry Battalion would have to face the Mahdi Army head-on!

They just listened outside, with no intention of providing support whatsoever. As for the army that came out at dawn—they had no interest in asking about it. What if they lost and had to go out to pursue them? Asking would only make them vent their anger on the enemy.

If we can't afford to mess with them, can't we at least avoid them?

Who would have thought that the robbery would take place inside the city!

This is outrageous! The Iraqi security forces are robbing their own Green Zone—God, this is absolutely unforgivable!

"The Hazim-Shalan family was just trying to escape, and my guards went to stop them, but—they were all killed. Fortunately, they were driven back. Now, you need to take men and arrest the Hazim-Shalan family—"

Major General Duleimi's mind raced.

All we have right now is the Prime Minister's side of the story; we don't know the specifics yet. The other side is, after all, the Minister of Defense. We can lead our men to surround them, but if a firefight breaks out—

"Sir Allavi, such a major incident has occurred in the Green Zone. Shouldn't we ask the Americans to take charge?"

Legally speaking, he should be following the orders of the Minister of Defense. However, after yesterday's events, he was disheartened. Today, when the Prime Minister asked for help, he acted rashly and surrounded the Minister of Defense's house. But—he absolutely dares not continue firing.

They are all puppets; the Americans are their masters. Therefore, the current situation requires the US military to come to the rescue!

"The Americans are gone. They must have gone to wipe out the remnants of the Ba'ath Party. Now they're completely gone—"

Before Iyad-Allawi could finish speaking, Major General Duleimi's cell phone vibrated in his pocket.

"Hello, are you—the Minister of Defense? You're asking why I drove an armored vehicle to your doorstep? Of course, it's to protect you. The Green Zone has been in turmoil since last night. What, you're ordering me to move it now? Hello, hello, hello, why is the signal so bad? What are you saying? Can you speak louder?"

As he finished speaking, Major General Duleimi had already moved the phone half a meter away from his mouth and slammed it down.

Logically, the Minister of Defense should listen to the Prime Minister, but it's inappropriate for him to bypass the Minister of Defense and listen directly to the Prime Minister. However, he can't afford to offend Hazim-Sharan, so he simply says the signal is bad.

This newly established mobile communication network is only for military use, mostly by the US military, and less so by Iraqi troops. As for the cell phone signal—it's actually quite good.

On the other side, Hazim-Shalan put down the phone, his face grim. This Major General Duleimi actually disobeyed his orders!

What should I do?

He gritted his teeth, picked up a large megaphone, and walked outside.

"Listen up, I am Defense Minister Hazm-Sharan. I order you to leave immediately. We do not need your protection here!"

Before things completely fall apart, he needs to leave this place as soon as possible and go into hiding. If the score from last night is all pinned on him, these powerful figures in the Green Zone will tear him apart alive!

but----

The people outside acted as if they hadn't heard anything and remained unmoved.

Although the Yituo Security Force appears to be a modern army, in reality, it still retains the influence of the tribes. These people are all from Major General Duleimi's tribe, and they only listen to Major General Duleimi!

Adding to that, I was kicked out yesterday and I'm still seething with anger. Now—who do you think you are, Minister of National Defense? We were sent here by the Premier!

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