The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against al-Qaeda - Hardcover

Soufan, Ali

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0393079422 ISBN 13: 9780393079425

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 2011

Synopsis

A book that will change the way we think about al-Qaeda, intelligence, and the events that forever changed America.

On September 11, 2001, FBI Special Agent Ali H. Soufan was handed a secret file. Had he received it months earlier―when it was requested―the attacks on New York and Washington could have been prevented. During his time on the front lines, Soufan helped thwart plots around the world and elicited some of the most important confessions from terrorists in the war against al-Qaeda―without laying so much as a hand on them. Most of these stories have never been reported before, and never by anyone with such intimate firsthand knowledge.

This narrative account of America's successes and failures against al-Qaeda is essential to an understanding of the terrorist group. We are taken into hideouts and interrogation rooms. We have a ringside seat at bin Laden's personal celebration of the 9/11 bombings. Such riveting details show us not only how terrorists think and operate but also how they can be beaten and brought to justice.

16 pages of black-and-white illustrations

About this title

From the Back Cover:

"Superb. An education. And the best book on al Qaeda out there, bar none." - Robert Baer, former CIA official and author of See No Evil, Sleeping with the Devil, and The Devil We Know.

"Unfortunately, we only have one Ali Soufan. Had American intelligence listened to him, 9/11 might never have happened. No one did more to unravel the story of al-Qaeda than Ali Soufan. Thankfully, he's left another legacy in this book. Anyone who wants to know what really happened should read it. It's an inspiring but wrenching story told from the heart of a great American." - Lawrence Wright, author of The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11

About the Author:

Ali H. Soufan, a former FBI special agent, served on the front lines against al-Qaeda and gained an international reputation as a top counterterrorism operative and interrogator. He has been profiled in The New Yorker and featured in books, newspaper articles, and documentaries around the globe.
He has received numerous awards and commendations for his counter-terrorism work. These include the Director of the FBI's Award for Excellence in Investigation, the Respect for Law Enforcement Award for "relentless pursuit of truth and bringing terrorist subjects before the bar of justice," and a commendation from the U.S. Department of Defense that labeled him "an important weapon in the ongoing war on terrorism."

About this edition

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0393079422
• ISBN 13: 9780393079425
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 608