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

The Rabi'a tribal confederation was powerful and played an important role in Arab history. During the Ottoman Empire, central and southern Izvestia were the most important spheres of influence for the Rabi'a tribal confederation. In the 19th century, they converted to Shiism.

In ancient times, tribes wielded considerable influence, as ordinary people's lives were inseparable from their tribes. However, in modern society, the influence of tribes has significantly declined.

In particular, after Saddam Hussein became president of Iraq, he implemented a series of welfare policies in the country, taking advantage of the country's abundant oil wealth, which further diminished the sense of presence of the tribes.

Free education, from kindergarten to university, is completely free. It's not just about tuition fees; it also includes school uniforms, school supplies, and even transportation subsidies in remote areas. As a result, illiteracy in Iraq has been greatly reduced, and the rate of higher education access is among the highest in the Middle East!

Free healthcare, from diagnosis to hospitalization, and in some public hospitals even caregivers for free!

Housing security: The government is building large-scale affordable housing projects and providing them to eligible families at extremely low prices!

Free elderly care, state-run nursing homes, reducing the burden on families.

After all, at that time, the average chicken cost per capita in Italy was close to four thousand US dollars, which was higher than in many Western countries!

With such generous national welfare and free education, the more knowledge a person has, the more reactionary they become, leading to a significant decrease in their loyalty to the tribe.

However, the tribal system had existed for many years, and with the fall of Saddam Hussein, many people in Iraq realized that their tribes were their true roots...

Now, Chief Ahmed Kassen Hamed of the Juaifel tribe sits in his courtyard, entertaining visiting guests.

"Brother Amr, don't worry, Azam and the others will definitely cooperate with you, after all, we have the same goal."

Amr-Erwan Ibrahim nodded: "We are very satisfied with the recent actions of Death Juba. Once they join our Mahdi Army, they will surely be able to demonstrate their abilities..."

Ahmed Kassen Hamed's hand, which was pouring tea, suddenly trembled. "What a joke! Join us? So you came here to devour our tribe's armed forces? Aren't you being a bit too greedy?"

In this chaotic world, the chiefs all know very well what it means for a tribe to have its own armed forces!

Most tribes don't dare to join the Mahdi Army because of the threat from the United States. Now that the Juaifel tribe has produced a hero, how could they possibly go and join the Mahdi Army?

Vroom, vroom! Just then, the sound of a motorcycle came from outside.

Sheikh got off his motorcycle and jogged along, saying, "Chief, I just greeted Brother Azam."

"Well, is he heading to Najaf now?" Amr-Erwan-Ibrahim asked.

"No, the Americans have been keeping a close eye on him lately, and he can't get away. If you want to communicate, you can go to the mosque in Mahmudiya town."

What?

Amr-Erwan Ibrahim immediately stood up: "Sending him to Najaf is a sign of how much he is valued! It's an honor for him to visit our leader in the holy city for the New Year; how could he possibly refuse?"

Sheikh gave a wry smile: "A snake in the desert knows when to bite and when to hide in the sand. It's really inconvenient for him to show himself right now, after all, the commander of the US 3rd Mechanized Infantry Division has been killed, and the US will definitely retaliate fiercely..."

What does this mean? Is this a boast about military achievements?

Amr-Alwan Ibrahim looked at the person beside him: "No, he must go to Najaf! Chief Hamed, please give him the order immediately!"

"Brother Amr, Azam really can't show his face right now. Why don't you go back first and tell Brother Sadr that he can come over after things have calmed down?"

Chief Ahmed Kassen Hamed is actually on Azam's side?

Amr-Erwan Ibrahim's face instantly darkened: "Chief Hamed, you should know what Najaf means to all of us—it's the holy city!"

"Yes, of course we know, but now... it's really not the right time."

Amr-Erwan-Ibrahim's expression changed several times.

His purpose in coming here was to quickly incorporate Juba, the Grim Reaper, which would greatly benefit the Sadr Movement, but...

Finally, he took a deep breath: "Alright, let's meet at the mosque in Mahmoudiya!"

Sheikh breathed a sigh of relief: "Alright, I'll go back and tell him to go over after he finishes his evening prayer. It's quite far from here, so you'd better go over after your noon prayer."

There are five prayers a day. The noon prayer is after noon, roughly between 12 and 1 p.m., and the asam prayer is in the afternoon, but... the interval between the asam prayers is quite long!

The period from when the sun begins to set until sunset is considered the time for asam prayer!

and so……

At three o'clock in the afternoon, Amr-Elwan Ibrahim stood waiting at the entrance of the Mahmoudiya Mosque. Four o'clock, five o'clock...

Just as the sun was about to set, finally... a beat-up motorcycle pulled up.

The rider, dressed in a traditional white robe, or distaish, with a white turban and a beard, glanced around warily before asking Amr-Elwan Ibrahim, "Are you a friend from Najaf?"

"It's me, Brother Azam, you're late!"

"Excuse me, I am the Caliph. Captain Azam sent me to fetch you."

What?

Amr-Erwan Ibrahim immediately became furious: "Azzam didn't come, and you expect me to wait here?"

"Here's the thing, Captain Azam was spotted as soon as he stepped out the door. He barely managed to shake off his pursuers, and he can't show his face right now. I'll take you there."

Amr-Elwan Ibrahim got on the motorcycle, seething with anger. It wasn't until the motorcycle was weaving through the alleys that he slowly began to understand what was going on.

This is ridiculous... It's not that Azam is being targeted, it's that he's afraid of being targeted and wants to shake off anyone who might be watching him!

Thinking about this, his anger flared even more.

"Stop beating around the bush, where exactly is Azam? If you're not being sincere, then forget it!"

"I'll be there soon!"

Five minutes later.

"Have we arrived yet?"

"Right away, right away!"

Night fell, and the motorcycle finally drove into a field of barley and stopped under a date palm tree.

At that moment, a middle-aged man set up a barbecue grill under the tree, and the aroma of lamb skewers filled the air.

"Brother, you're finally here! Come on, have a few skewers of mutton first, we'll chat while we eat!"

"Are you Azam?"

"Yes, it's me."

"Damn it, how could you play such a trick on me? We agreed to meet at the mosque, how could you go back on your word!"

"There's nothing we can do about it. The Americans are keeping a close eye on us. Come on, calm down, buddy."

Glug glug...

Hearing the rumbling of his stomach and seeing the mutton skewers that Azam handed him, Amr-Erwan-Ibrahim took the skewers, took a big bite, and chewed hard, as if he wanted to devour Azam.