The Terrorists of Iraq: Inside the Strategy and Tactics of the Iraq Insurgency (Paperback)

~ Malcolm W. Nance (Author)
Key Phrases: former regime loyalists, explosive vests, suicide car bombs, Saddam Fedayeen, Saddam Hussein, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

When President George W. Bush declared “Mission Accomplished” after the invasion of Iraq, he did not know that 100,000 paramilitary commandoes, terrorists and criminals from Saddam Hussein’s intelligence agencies and the Saddam Fedayeen were waiting to prove him wrong. Spearheading a force allied with Iraqi’s Islamic extremists and Al Qaeda’s global network, Saddam’s loyalists continue to carry out a tribal, political and religious Jihad that has left over 60,000 innocent Iraqis, 3,000 American and 200 British soldiers dead in their wake. The Terrorists of Iraq is a rich historical analysis that includes: · How Saddam Hussein prepared the Iraqi intelligence and special loyalist forces to carryout a multi-year insurgency. · Examines the personalities, organization, weapons, strategy and tactics of the three wings of the insurgency including the former regime loyalist’s Saddam Fedayeen; the Iraqi religious nationalist extremist groups including Islamic Army of Iraq, Ansar al Sunnah, Ansar al Islam; as well as the foreign jihadists of Al Qaeda in Iraq and its umbrella organization the Islamic State of Iraq and the dozens of smaller Iraqi terrorist groups · Explains the dynamics of how the Iraqi Insurgents employ IEDs, assassins and suicide bombers to defy the odds and push the world’s greatest war machine toward the brink of failure. · It describes in vivid detail the history of the insurgency between 2002-2007 from the terrorists perspective · It offers a series of reality based counterinsurgency policy recommendation critical to avert the strategic loss of Iraq. Based on four years of field combat analysis, this authoritative study reveals how Saddam prepared for defeat to recreate the 1920 Revolution and how Osama bin Laden received his greatest gift, an American occupation in historic Arabia. Contains over 34 charts and images detailing insurgent organization and operations.

About the Author

Malcolm W. Nance is a 26-year veteran of the US intelligence community’s counter-terrorism effort. He is an internationally recognized expert, author and educator on the Iraq insurgency, Jihadist tactics and Al Qaeda’s global organization. A frequent guest analyst on FOX News, he lives and works in Iraq, Afghanistan, Australia and Washington DC. He is author of The Terrorist Recognition Handbook: A manual for predicting and identifying terrorist activity.

Product Details

• Paperback: 440 pages
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (April 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1419661108
• ISBN-13: 978-1419661105
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #791,262 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Impressively Thorough Material, July 3, 2007

By	Brandon Davis (Venice, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There's been quite a bit written about the enemy we currently face in Iraq and in many cases I think the material seems to be embellished with hyperbole or just a rough overview lacking any detail you couldn't gleen from the internet or the media. Nance's book is a dramatic departure from what's come before it. I was given this book on return from a recent deployment to Iraq and find that it jibes well with the model we faced downrange. Nance is a skilled arabist with an intelligence background that makes him an excellent scribe to collect the vast pool of information on the threat, filter it and format it into a useful product. But what makes this information so unique is that Nance didn't just call upon his background and assessment from afar, he's been on the ground for years in theater actively working the threat. His assessment of how the threat evolved, its adaptive techniques, motivations and goals is refreshingly honest and sans political slant.

Who is this book for? It's a fantastic read for troops heading to Iraq as well as intelligence analysts as it covers in depth the genesis and evolution of the threat as well as its amorphous form. Military historians and enthusiasts will get much from this book as it appears to be the most complete and accurate record of the Iraq insurgency currently published (2007). I give it my highest reccomendation.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Based on empirical findings, gets to the point, February 14, 2008

By	Zozobra (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews

The author does an excellent job of bringing grounded research to look at some questions of national security. Some of these questions are "simple", like "Why are the Iraqi's using IED's?" and other more difficult questions such as "What should be done to improve the situation for Iraq?". In particular I really enjoyed the author's analysis on Saddam's preparations for insurgency before the US occupation of Iraq. I recommend that the decision makers read this book to see some common sense patterns clearly laid out.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Overall, a Poor Effort in Providing an Overview of the Terrorists Operating in Iraq - , April 21, 2008

By	Joseph F. Birchmeier (Milford, KS) - See all my reviews

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The author provides an overview of the various terrorists groups operating in Iraq, along with their tactics and potential size. Although the research and discussion of tactics is infomative - I did not really find much value that could be derived for either Soldiers operating in Iraq, or military or civilian leaders attempting to use this book to assist with planning a future strategy due to its lack of specificity.

I especially had issues with the size of each terrorist group depicted by the author - I did not see any true evidence to support his claims

Finally, the numerous editing / mispellings throughout the book gives an extremely poor impression - the most poorly edited book that I have ever read.