Inside Al-Qaeda and the Taliban: Beyond Bin Laden and 9/11 [Paperback]

Syed Saleem Shahzad (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 24, 2011 | ISBN-10: 0745331017 | ISBN-13: 978-0745331010 | Edition: 1

President Obama may have delivered on his campaign promise to kill Osama bin Laden, but as an Al-Qaeda strategist, bin Laden has been dead for years. This book introduces and examines the new generation of Al-Qaeda leaders who have been behind the most recent attacks.

 

Investigative journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad dedicated his life to revealing the strategies and inner workings of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. He had access to top-level commanders in both movements, as well as within the ISI, Pakistan’s intelligence service. Shahzad’s work was praised by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for "bringing to light the troubles extremism poses to Pakistan's stability." Inside Al-Qaeda and the Taliban explains the wider aims of both organizations and provides an essential analysis of major terrorist incidents, including the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

 

In May 2011, Shahzad was abducted and killed in Pakistan, days after writing an article suggesting that insiders in the Pakistani navy had colluded with Al-Qaeda in an attack on a naval air station. This book is a testament to his fearless reporting and analytical rigor. It will provide readers worldwide with invaluable insights into the new phase of the ongoing struggle against terrorism which threatens to tear apart the fragile fabric of so many countries.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"When Syed Saleem Shahzad talks, I listen. He is the most fearless and reliable journalist covering Pakistan and Afghanistan, and that's why his work is read even in the halls of the Pentagon. No journalist passing through Pakistan should miss an opportunity to talk to him and nobody interested in the region, in Al-Qaeda or in the Taliban can afford to ignore his work." --Nir Rosen, author of The Triumph of the Martyrs: A Reporter's Journey Into Occupied Iraq

 

"Syed Saleem Shahzad has long been able to penetrate the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban organisations in a way that no other journalist has. His unique knowledge and contacts make his writing a 'must read' for anyone who wants to understand those movements." --Gareth Porter, historian and author of Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam

 

"Whether it's insights into the plans and ideologues driving Al-Qaeda, the low-down on militants across the Hindu Kush, the Taliban-led Afghan insurgency or political wheeling and dealing, Syed Saleem Shahzad is always first on the trail. The hallmark of his work is his uncompromising impartiality and unblinking courage to follow a story to its conclusion, no matter the dangers or sacrifices involved." --Tony Allison, editor, Asia Times Online

 

"A path breaking book that enhances considerably our understanding of the complexities of Al-Qaeda. Not only is the author clearly familiar with the personalities that form the top tactical and strategy formulation tier today, but his ability to garner various strands of information due to an impressive field experience in Afghanistan makes it one of the most authentic and thought provoking memoirs that seek to throw light on new terrorist initiatives in the region." -- Hameed Haroon, CEO, The Dawn Media Group, Pakistan

About the Author

Syed Saleem Shahzad (1970-2011) was an investigative reporter who worked as Pakistan Bureau Chief at Asia Times Online. His persistence, courage, and reputation allowed him unparalleled access to leaders and fighters in Islamic movements, enabling him to secure interviews with figures such as Al-Qaeda commander, Ilyas Kashmiri. He had been both a hostage and a guest of the Taliban, which gave him a unique insight into the organization's internal structures. He was abducted and killed in Pakistan in May 2011. He left a wife and three children aged 7, 12, and 14.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Pluto Press; 1 edition (May 24, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0745331017
• ISBN-13: 978-0745331010
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.7 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #156,307 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars best book on terrorism in decade May 31, 2011

By aaa

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Syed Saleem Shahzad (Asia Times Online) published some of the best and most insightful articles on terrorism in the past decade.
He was the first to interview leading commanders of al Qaeda's so-called shadow army, including Siraj Haqqani (leader of the Haqqani network), Ilyas Kashmiri (leader of Brigade 313), Mullah Nazir (South Waziristan), and Qari Ziaur Rahman (Kunar/Nuristan/Bajaur), and countless others.
I have consumed most books published on terrorism in the past decade, but a lot of those books lack insight,
because hardly anybody can venture into the tribal areas of Pakistan.
Syed Saleem Shahzad could.
If anybody knew what is going on in the al Qaeda's capital, it was Syed Saleem Shahzad.
His murder shortly after the publication of this book (possibly by the infamous Pakistani intelligence agency ISI) only confirms that some people were very worried by his reporting.
Anybody interested in terrorism should consider buying this book.
If you have doubts, read some of his many articles at Asia Times Online: [...]

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended Highly June 1, 2011

By Yaar

Format:Paperback

Read this book to find out what is it like to be in Pakistan..to learn about Al Qaida's secret world. Great book to give as a gift. Proceeds from this book will support Shahzad Saleem's widow and three kids.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Mr. Shahzad Was Murdered for Writing This Book September 14, 2011

By David Dienstag

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

As a veteran of the first war Afghan war against the Soviets, this book confirms my deepest suspicions about Al Qaeda's intentions in South Asia and America's response to those strategies. It is a recent and profoundly important report that the author gave his life for. Sadly, it will probably be ignored by American diplomatic, intelligence and military leaders.

The critical underlying concepts that the book emphasizes are: 1. that the war in Afghanistan is about global Jihad to rid all Muslim countries of "infidels", especially Palestine, and 2. that Al Qaeda is using Afghanistan as a trap for America to squander its resources and become weaker and more isolated globally. The process of weakening America will enable another generation of Jihadis to fight America over Israel in an "end times" battle for the Levant. So far as this writer can tell, the strategy has been working.

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. In going for what was the easier fight, General Petraeus has had only limited success at securing real estate when he is, in fact, fighting a revolutionary idea.

The book wastes little time on American strategic intentions. Instead, it chronicles the victories, defeats, strategies and ideological development of Al Qaeda and the Taliban that the late author likens to a "1001 nights" tale. And what a tale it is! From the dreamy, heady days after the Soviet defeat to only a few months ago, the author traces many threads other than Bin Laden, who, as it turns out, was not that important to Al Qaeda thinking.

Significant elements of the tale are the present fight to develop a caliphate that stretches from Afghanistan through Central Asia, across Pakistan to all of India. Another element is how the ISI's concept of "strategic depth" backfired and dropped all of Pakistani ISI's military assets, including many of its own military officers and men in the lap of Al Qaeda leadership. The reinvigorated organization is now a truly dangerous international movement.

Only days ago, Ambassador Ryan Crocker promised that America will not "abandon" Afghanistan. As he spoke, Taliban militants infiltrated Kabul and attacked the US Embassy. It was a move that most observers noted could not have taken place without inside help from Karzai's security forces. The suicide attack bore the signature of Al Qaeda which the book reports as having assumed command of the Afghan Taliban. It also has a striking similarity to the '68 Tet attack on the US embassy in Saigon as it was not effective militarily but did highlight the absurdity of the US position in Afghanistan.

While the book is well informed by Al Qaeda and Taliban insiders, I was struck by the numbers of fighters that were claimed by these sources. They are enormous. I believe and hope that they are exaggerated as one might expect, given the sources. In my experience, lopping a zero or two off a given troop strength tends to get to a more real troop size. But the book is absolutely excellent at mapping the goals, methods and strategies of Al Qaeda and the Taliban which are slowly morphing into one organization, led by impressive revolutionaries.

Whatever inaccuracies the book may contain, I seriously doubt that it's far off the mark. Somebody murdered the author for writing it. I don't wonder who.