Republican Palace.
Saddam Hussein was in high spirits because the Southern Military Region reported that, after air force strikes, the sneak attack by the Iranian armored division was completely crushed. They were annihilated as an organized unit in the Susangerd Swamp. This was the first time since the war began that an Iranian armored division had been annihilated as an organized unit!
Since the war entered a stalemate, the Iraq forces had not fought a decent battle. Yet, his youngest son, Qusay, had just arrived in the Southern Military Region and fought such a brilliant battle. Saddam Hussein couldn't be happier.
This was a great victory. The Thirty-Fifth Brigade, unafraid of sacrifice, finally made ample preparations for the intervention of the air force. In this battle, the 35th Armored Brigade was the most meritorious! In his joy, Saddam Hussein decided to expand the Thirty-Fifth Brigade into the Thirty-Fifth Armored Division to commend their achievements.
As for the air force, Saddam Hussein didn't even mention it. The air force just got lucky. This attack still had many oversights, and they needed to seriously review their mistakes!
The only thing Saddam Hussein was worried about was Qusay's whereabouts.
Where exactly was Qusay? What had happened to him? No one could answer this question.
"Your Excellency, Mr. President, the Southern Military Region has sent intelligence. Our Qusay has been found," Secretary of Defense Adnan suddenly entered and said.
"What? Qusay has been found? Where is he?" Saddam Hussein asked, visibly moved.
Adnan was the brother of Qusay's birth mother, Sajida Khairallah, making him Qusay's maternal uncle. They were very close, and he happily said, "We all underestimated Qusay. This time, he has made another great contribution!"
Saddam Hussein took the intelligence Adnan handed him, and as he read it, he happily said, "Excellent, truly my son Saddam Hussein, truly the son of the great people of Iraq!"
"Father, what has my dear brother done?" Uday asked from the side.
Saddam Hussein handed over the intelligence, "See for yourself!"
Uday took it and read: Qusay Abdullah, during the Battle of Susangerd Swamp, preemptively discovered the Iranian sneak attack. Leading a small team of over thirty men, he harassed the enemy's logistics supply line behind the Iranian armored division and successfully blew up all of the Iranian armored division's fuel and ammunition supplies. This caused the Iranians to lose their logistical support during the attack on the evening of July 10th, thereby losing their offensive capability, and they were utterly defeated by our air force the next day. Afterwards, Qusay Abdullah also captured an Iranian Air Force CH-47 Chinook helicopter and personally piloted it back to Basra, saving the lives of several severely wounded soldiers.
The more Uday read, the more he was astonished. If the last time he shot down an Israel plane was a coincidence, then this time, his own younger brother, disregarding danger, personally went deep into the swamp, blew up the enemy's logistics base, and even captured an enemy helicopter. This could only be described as miraculous. When did he gain such great ability? He's getting so much attention. Oh, and when did he learn to fly a helicopter?
"Father, this intelligence from the Southern Military Region might be mistaken. When did Qusay learn to fly a helicopter?" Uday asked cautiously.
If Qusay couldn't fly a helicopter, then this intelligence was problematic. It was very likely a trick played by those guys in the military region, trying to deceive him. No way!
Uday was smug.
"The Southern Military Region did indeed capture a Chinook, and in previous intelligence, the Southern Military Region only mentioned capturing Iranian tanks and armored vehicles, without mentioning this helicopter. It's very likely that Qusay did it," Saddam Hussein said affirmatively. "Since the intelligence says he piloted it himself, perhaps he really did fly it back."
Uday immediately smiled and said, "Indeed, younger brother Qusay has made a great contribution this time." But in his heart, a surge of jealousy arose.
Qusay, how come you're hogging all the limelight?
"Send a telegram to the Southern Military Region, tell Qusay to return to Baghdad. I want to hold a celebration ceremony for him. He is the most meritorious for this victory in the Susangerd Swamp!" Saddam Hussein said.
"Yes," Adnan went to make the call personally.
In Langley, at the border of Washington D.C. and Virginia, by the Potomac River, there is a massive organization: the Central Intelligence Agency.
It is an important agency within the vast U.S. intelligence system, primarily responsible for collecting and providing military, political, and economic intelligence on various countries to the U.S. federal government, abbreviated as CIA.
At this moment, in an ordinary office, William Casey, the current Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, was listening to a report from his subordinate, the head of Middle East intelligence.
"Currently, the Iran-Iraq War is in a stalemate. Neither side seems capable of defeating the other, but they are still fighting."
"Hmm, only by letting two giants fight each other can it serve our interests. The President's requirement is that we support whoever is weaker, and we must keep them fighting continuously," Casey said.
Since World War II, the United States has formulated four basic Middle East policies: one, limit Soviet influence in the region, or at least contain it within a limited scope; two, support Israel; three, strive to maintain U.S. political and economic influence over Gulf oil amidst growing global demand for oil; and four, focus on resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict. The first and third objectives were more important.
The most concerning aspect of the Middle East is the oil buried underground. In today's world, where oil is the primary energy source, the stability of oil relates to America's vital interests. Therefore, it is essential to prevent Soviet expansion here. The United States has been tirelessly supporting armed groups in Afghanistan to prevent the Soviet Union from advancing into the Middle East.
Since 1971, the United States has pursued a "two-pillar" policy in the Gulf region, which involves arming and supporting Iran and Saudi Arabia, making these two countries "guardians" of Gulf defense to protect U.S. interests in the region. The primary considerations for formulating this policy were: the United States has had a special relationship with these two countries since World War II. Both Iran and Saudi Arabia are "conservative monarchies," and like the United States, they are concerned about Soviet expansion in the Gulf. Iran's strong military power combined with Saudi Arabia's immense oil wealth could serve as powerful tools for the United States in the Gulf.
The most advanced F-14 fighter jets, and all kinds of weapons from the U.S. military arsenal, could be preferentially exported to Iran, with an advanced level that even made Israel envious. Unexpectedly, a coup suddenly occurred in Iran, and everything benefited Khomeini, a staunch anti-American figure. The hostage crisis erupted, causing the United States to lose face in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, although the United States supported Saddam Hussein, this man possessed strong national pride and was difficult to control. A strong Iraq was not in America's interests.
Now, Iran and Iraq were locked in a deadly struggle, a situation the United States was very pleased to see.
It would be most beneficial for the United States if all powers in the Middle East were to vanish.
"Recently, Iran and Iraq fought a battle in Susangerd, and the Iranians were soundly defeated. Satellite photos show that an entire Iranian armored division was annihilated," the Director of Intelligence said.
"Oh?" Casey looked up. An armored division annihilated, while not a devastating blow, was still an unprecedented event.
Casey took the report: "Who commanded the Iraq forces this time?"
"It should be the commander of an armored brigade, named Mohammed."
"Investigate this armored brigade commander. This person may rise rapidly within the Iraq military in the future," Casey said. Such a major victory, if achieved by an armored brigade, would be a great achievement.
Because the spy satellite happened to be flying over its orbit when the Iraq planes attacked the Iranian armored division, the satellite did not detect the air force's actions.
"According to intelligence, Saddam Hussein's youngest son, Qusay, is also in the Southern Military Region. Could he be involved?" the Director asked. "The last time the Israel planes failed to attack the nuclear reactor, it was done under Qusay's command."
Qusay? It seems a tiger father has no dog sons, Casey said: "Have your agents closely monitor this Qusay and compile a detailed report on him."
"Yes," the Director replied.
Qusay was still a teenager, not yet eighteen. The CIA's main attention was on his elder brother, Uday. Now it seemed this Qusay was even more formidable.
After the Director left, Casey looked at the report on his desk, feeling a headache. The Middle East truly was a powder keg! Last time, when Israel raided the Iraq nuclear reactor, the CIA had not obtained any intelligence beforehand, which had already made the President somewhat displeased. What made him even more depressed was that afterward, the United States had to clean up Israel's mess. First, they declared strong condemnation of Israel's actions and suspended all weapon exports. Then, domestic Jewish forces began to lobby, and this resolution was canceled.
And if Israel had succeeded in its raid this time, although the United States would still condemn it, the President and Secretary of Defense would probably secretly applaud. Israel's action this time was defeated by Qusay.
This guy will be a key focus of the CIA's attention from now on.