These actions primarily involve the central intelligence agency and the us militarys joint special operations command jsoc and are part of a widening effort by obama to decapitate al qaeda. Casting a shadow of terror, the observers chief reporter, jason burke, looks at the true nature of bin ladens organisation and why the wests. The essential texts of osama bin ladens terrorist organization. Alqaeda was behind the attack, and we were now at war. Al qaeda reforms shadow army 10 feb 2009 were running an excerpted version of the story on this afternoon, but i am posting more valueadded content here.
Casting a shadow of terror, says we shouldnt blame ourselves for not spotting alqaeda sooner and reminds us that, despite fighting two wars in the middle east, we really dont know what alqaeda is. Insurgencies in iraq, afghanistan, syria, yemen and elsewhere the majority linked to al qaeda are in the news on an almost daily basis. Shrouded as he was for a decade in an apparent cloak of anonymity and obscurity, osama bin laden was by no means an invisible man. Yemeni tribes have an inherent affinity for al qaeda or terrorism. The true story of radical islam shows islamic militancy to be a far broader phenomenon than previously thought, demolishing the myths that underpin the war on terror prizewinning journalist jason burkes alqaeda now updated with new material on iraq, afghanistan and the july 2005 london bombings is acknowledged to be the most accurate. I joined the army and served in american special operations units in iraq and. In 2002, abu ali alharithi, then al qaedas leader in yemen, was killed by an american drone in a strike that was. He works for the near east section of the african and middle eastern division of the library of congress, where he discovered many of the neverbeforetranslated arabic texts that make up the bulk of the alqaeda reader. Years of conflict followed, including war with the soviet union, rise and fall of the taliban, alqaeda and todays insurgency. Said allibi was killed in a drone strike on 17 december 2009 in north waziristan. The lashkar alzil or shadow army is a paramilitary organization linked to al qaeda and descended from the 055 brigade. This approach makes for a harder read but allows the different views of bin laden and al qaedas history to shine forth, helping the reader understand the organizations complexity. Abdullah said, the commander of the lashkar al zil, or the shadow army, released a statement concerning the status of the fight in afghanistan.
The cias syria program and the perils of proxies shadow war after fighting al qaeda and its affiliates for a decade and a half, the cia is now helping them gain ground in syria. The al qaeda reader and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. The book is an unintended indictment of us military and diplomatic officials who insisted on the surge and extensive operations in the flatlands of helmand province while most of al qaeda and the taliban leadership stayed in the mountains through which the durand line passes. Al qaeda terrorists lurk in shadows in afghanistan, waiting for u. Since 911, theres been an outpouring of books about osama bin laden, al qaeda, the september 11th attacks and the war in afghanistan. The challenge now is to defeat this growing network of affiliates and cells what amounts to alqaedas armies. Al qaeda is operating a shadow army inside afghanistan to conceal its numbers and the scope of its operations, while the taliban is on the. Insurgencies in iraq, afghanistan, syria, yemen and elsewherethe majority linked to al qaedaare in the news on an almost daily basis. Jason burke, who has written a new book which is only available in the u. From the death of bin laden to the rise of the islamic state.
Burke is knowledgeable, fair, broad, deep, and occasionally eloquent. Al qaeda is operating a shadow army inside afghanistan to conceal its numbers and the scope of its operations, while the taliban is on the verge of major resurgence as u. Plus, free twoday shipping for six months when you sign up for amazon prime for students. A reading list of modern war stories the new york times. The alqaedaization of the taliban can be seen most distinctly in the increasing prominence of lashkaralzil, the elite shadow army comprising a mix of.
This book introduces and examines the new generation of alqaeda leaders who. He was the first to interview leading commanders of al qaedas socalled shadow army, including siraj haqqani leader of the haqqani network, ilyas kashmiri leader of brigade 3, mullah nazir south waziristan, and qari ziaur rahman. Abdullah said allibi is described as being an al qaeda operational leader in pakistan. Inside pakistan, the shadow army has been active in successful taliban campaigns in north and south waziristan, bajaur, peshawar, khyber, and swat. He was the first to interview leading commanders of al qaeda s socalled shadow army, including siraj haqqani leader of the haqqani network, ilyas kashmiri leader of brigade 3, mullah nazir south waziristan, and qari ziaur rahman kunarnuristanbajaur, and countless others. But very little surfaces about a festering insurgency that has been on the go for six years in west afr. Formerly known as brigade 055, the military unit has been rebuilt into a. If the good news is that alqaida as we knew it does not exist, writes burke, the bad news is that the threat now facing the world is far more dangerous than any single terrorist leader with an. In afghanistan, the shadow army has conducted operations against coalition and afghan forces in kunar, nuristan, nangahar, kabul, logar, wardak, khost, paktika. Why al qaeda thinks isis has no future out of the spotlight, affiliates of al qaeda appear to be gaining influence by a strategy of gradual persuasion in areas where they operate. Al qaeda is responsible for many attacks throughout the world with its extensive and effective networks.
Here is an annotated list of some of the more useful books on those subjects. The best books on alqaeda five books expert recommendations. This book is very good, i found it extremely entertaining. The resurgence of the taliban and al qaeda from the battle of tora bora in the. Alqaeda is on the rise again in the shadow of daesh in syria, 16 years after the terrorists shocked the us in the sept. Panag argued that the army had ruled out the presence of alqaeda in indianadministered jammu and kashmir. Lashkarezil lez is the paramilitary special forces branch of alqaedas base. The primary target is bin ladens egyptian successor, ayman al zawahiri, seen by many as the real brains behind al qaeda, and his lieutenants.
Alqaedas most potent weapon is an idea that weve been unable to defeat, writes ali soufan, the author of anatomy of terror. What to read on bin laden and al qaeda foreign affairs. The document, which has since been described by the fbi as the. Lez is well trained and well equipped and has successfully defeated the pakistani army in multiple engagements. Al qaeda al qaeda training manual inside the terror. The resurgence of the taliban and al qaeda from the battle of tora bora in the winter of 2001 to today. The al qaeda reader should be required reading for any student of political science who wants to understand terrorism.
Religion, policy, and counternarratives attempts to interpret militant islam and help american policy makers consider their approaches to the threat zehr begins her book by critiquing both counterinsurgency and counterterrorism strategies, which the united states uses against alqaeda and related groups, from the lens of just war theory. The best books on alqaeda recommended by peter taylor. This organization is considered as a top threat for the world super power united states of america. Beyond bin laden and 911 1 by shahzad, syed saleem isbn. Al qaedas paramilitary shadow army pakistan defence. Al qaeda has reorganized its notorious paramilitary formations, setting the stage for a dramatic come back.
In their own words, al qaeda tells the western world why they are attacking western interests and what they want. But very little surfaces about a festering insurgency that has been on the go for six years in west africa under the acronym of aqim, or al qaeda in the islamic maghreb. The essential texts of osama bin ladens terrorist organization ibrahim, raymond on. It talks, obviously, mostly about isis, but it does so in a way that incorporates its entire history, including when it. Casting a shadow of terror by jason burke world news. He was ubiquitous and palpable, both in a physical and a cyberspectral form, to the extent that his death took on something of the feel of an exorcism. Which books should i read to understand the history of al. The lashkar alzil or shadow army is a paramilitary organization linked to alqaeda and descended from the 055 brigade. Raymond ibrahim is a historian of the middle east and islam. A string of us airstrikes in late january targeted shabaab fighters in somalias south in support of local national army forces, africom said. Al qaeda has reorganized its notorious paramilitary formations that were devastated during the us invasion of afghanistan in 2001 and 2002. A survey of books about osama bin laden and al qaeda the.
Alqaeda in the arabian peninsula and in yemen were much more directly involved with bin laden in pakistan. For more on lashkaralzil, see bill rogio, al qaedas paramilitary shadow army. Alqaeda and the taliban have tactics, strategies and systems that are well explained in this book. The only other writer who does similar work that i know of is steve coll and steve got a pulitzer for his work. After seven years of reading books and articles about alqaeda and violent political islamists, i might just now have read the best book of the bunch. This book examines alqaeda and its affiliate phenomenon, and attempts to provide an indepth look at several of the more active but. Al qaeda has reestablished the predominantly arab and asian paramilitary formation that was formerly known as brigade 055 into a larger, more effective fighting unit known as the lashkar al zil, or shadow army, a senior us intelligence official told the. Buy inside alqaeda and the taliban book online at low prices in. The longest war also draws on these interviews and looks at al qaeda after 911. A selection of books related to the wars in iraq and afghanistan. French military operations against islamic state and alqaeda groups in mali put 30 militants out of action as barkhane builds sahel coalition mechanisms. Alqaeda and the road to 911 by lawrence wright, the panther by nelson demille, the black banners.
Panag also stated that alqaeda had strong ties with kashmiri militant groups lashkaretaiba and jaishemohammed based in pakistan. The following excerpts are from a document found by the police in manchester, england, during a search of an al qaeda members home. Syed saleem shahzad asia times online published some of the best and most insightful articles on terrorism in the past decade. The awardwinning bbc documentary maker tells us what hes learned in 10 years investigating alqaeda, and suggests what we should read to understand where the group came from, and what its still trying to do. The alqaedaization of the taliban can be seen most distinctly in the increasing prominence of lashkaralzil, the elite shadow army comprising a mix of alqaeda foreigners and taliban natives that has carried out many recent successful attacks on nato forces and pakistani army units. But very little surfaces about a festering insurgency that has been on the go for six years in west africa under the. Their ideology and actions are fully explored in this book in a detailed manner. The new commander of al qaedas paramilitary forces that operate in pakistan and afghanistan laid out al qaeda and the talibans strategy to defeat the coalition and afghan government. This comprehensive, landmark history chronicles our ongoing battle against al qaida, the greatest threat the.