At 6:30 in the morning, the sand of the temporary airport outskirts of Hulmatu was bathed in the dawn light.
A gray-green helicopter stood there, its rotors slowly rotating, stirring up clouds of sand and dust.
The emblem of the "Musician" Defense Company—an abstract musical note crossed with a rifle—was spray-painted on the side of the cabin, gleaming with a matte finish in the morning light.
Samir stood beside the helicopter, squinting toward the east.
At sunrise, the desert of Anbar Province showed a brief golden-red hue before fading into a relentless earth yellow.
He tugged at his collar; the new three-color desert camouflage uniform was stiff as cardboard, and the "Liberation Forces" insignia was carefully sewn onto his right arm—a crossed AK-47 with olive branches, with the Arabic words "For the Freedom of Iligo" embroidered below.
"Check if there's anything you forgot to bring?"
Song Heping's voice came from behind.
