Rolling Thunder (2007) by Jack - Seals 04 Terral

Afghanistan is Dari and that of Pakistan is Urdu, Khohollah explained. A common name is necessary when authorities of the two nations discuss them. The Pakistanis use English for their official administration as much as the Indian government.
    Makes sense then, Sikes said. Anyway, who the hell are these PPBs rebelling against?
    The present Afghan government, Khohollah said. Orakzai wants to establish an independent Pashtun nation in the western part of Afghanistan. He calls it Peshtonkhwa.
    D'you think he can do it?
    He is a seasoned soldier. He led a band of mujahideen against the Soviets in their invasion of Afghanistan.
    Blimey! Sikes exclaimed. He must be an old bloke, hey?
    Not at all, Khohollah said. He is in his early forties. He was only sixteen when the troubles over there started. Arrangements are already under way to have him launch a campaign as soon as feasible. His men have very sophisticated weapons looted from the Soviets, as well as what the American CIA gave them during the war.
    Having weapons and using 'em proper is two different things, Sikes said.
    Orakzai is an excellent commander and trainer, Khohollah said. He is also a proven expert in hit-and-run tactics. He can spring an attack, then immediately withdraw back into his own sanctuary where he and his people enjoy cover and concealment within the mountain caves.
    Sikes, pleased, grinned. Wind him up and turn him loose then.
    Like I said, Khohollah said, smiling back. Arrangements are already under way for just that.
    .
    USS COMBS
    SPECOPS CENTER
    1030 HOURS
    BRIGADIER General Greg Leroux, U.S. Army, was the disgruntled commanding officer of the SPECOPS staff aboard the USS Combs DDG. He did not opt for a West Point education; take a commission in the infantry branch; go to jump school; qualify for Special Forces; complete Ranger training; serve as a rifle company, infantry battalion, and Green Beret detachment commander in Vietnam; lead a brigade in Operation Desert Storm; then attend the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, to be eventually stuck aboard a ship. He was a knock-down, drag-out, ass-kicking ground-pounding, profane-spewing, beer-guzzling, fighting son of a bitch who was a professional soldier with the emphasis on soldier. Leroux was neither a sailor nor a seafarer nor a mariner, nor did he possess skills or interest in any other nautical profession. And he likened being confined within the steel plates of a ship to suffering live burial in a metal coffin.
    But somebody had to run the show in this brand-new scheme of having a floating SFOB that moved about with the trickery of a wily con man. So he performed his duties impolitely and rudely, having little patience when problems arose, unless they affected troops in the field. This was when he could use the one big advantage he had in this job that he wouldn't have anywhere else: He had direct access to the powers-that-be and could get things done with the proverbial snap of his fingers.
    Now Commander Tom Carey and Lieutenant Commander Ernest Berringer sat in front of him in his little enclosed office, having just delivered an oral report on the unexpected battle that had occurred in the OA of Operation Rolling Thunder. Leroux always had a toothpick stuck in one side of his mouth, rolling it from side to side. It was a habit developed over years of breaking an intense addiction to smoking. He never took notes, but the two SEAL officers' report was etched neatly in his mind. After a couple of silent moments, he spoke.
    Okay. The first thing we do is get those guys an extra machine gun for their DPVs, Leroux announced. That means they'll have to change their configuration to three swinging dicks per vehicle rather than two. That may cut down the number of them little off-road fuckers, but they'll be better armed. But because of the KIA, somebody is gonna have to work with just one other guy.
    Actually, sir, Carey said, Brannigan has one man coming in from furlough. That