JASON BURKE

'Based on careful on-the-ground investigation and penetrating inquiry, this fine study, the most illuminating I know, gives remarkable insight into Islamic militacy, its root causes, its evolution and likely future. It is essential reading for anyone who hopes to understand the "network of networks" loosely termed al-Qaeda, and its complex interactions both with the West and with the societies it intends to reshape' Noam Chomsky

Jason Burke has produced an account of Islamic militancy - revolutionising our understanding of Al-Qaeda, retelling its history from scratch and critically exploding the myths that form the very foundations of the ''War on Terror''. Fully updated with new material on Iraq and Afghanistan.Jason Burke has produced the definitive account of Islamic militancy - revolutionising our understanding of Al-Qaeda, retelling its history from scratch and critically exploding the myths that form the very foundations of the ''War on Terror''.; Fully updated with new material on Iraq and Afghanistan.

Award-winning reporter Jason Burke shows how the threat from Islamic terrorism comes not from a single criminal mastermind, or even from one group. In this revealing account, he characterizes it is a broad movement with profound roots in the politics, societies and history of the Islamic world. Using hundreds of interviews and thousands of documents, Burke shows how "Al-Qaeda" is a convenient label applied misleadingly to a diverse, disorganized global movement dedicated to fighting a "cosmic battle" with the West. This is the definitive account of the mysterious organization, retelling its story from scratch and challenging many myths that threaten the very foundations of the "War on Terror."

LONGLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE 2025 A thrilling and unprecedented account of the radicalism and political extremism that gripped the 1970s a seismic decade that transformed the modern world Brilliant An astonishing window not just into the origins of modern terrorism but also into our own age RORY STEWART Extraordinary told with cool authority and a novelist s eye for detail RORY CARROLL author of Killing ThatcherIn the 1970s a network of extremists terrorised the West with intricately planned plane hijackings and hostage takings Among them were the glamorous Leila Khaled hard drinking Carlos the Jackal and radical leftists of the Baader Meinhof Gang United by their hatred of Israel capitalism and Western imperialism they unleashed a series of audacious attacks that brought governments to their knees and glued the world to their tv screens Drawing on decades of research recently declassified government files secret documents and first hand interviews with hijackers spies witnesses and victims Jason Burke takes us inside these often deadly operations Through the perpetrators eyes and of the unrelenting agents who hunted them down he uncovers a dark complex world of loyalty betrayal and commitment to change at any cost Pi

Un tórrido día del verano de 1996, el avión en el que viajaban Osama bin Laden y algunos amigos y familiares, aterrizó en una pista muy cerca de la ciudad afgana de Jalalabad, situada en la región oriental del pais. El activista de origen saudi contaba entonces con escaso equipo, pocos seguidores y minimo apoyo local. Pero conseguiria crear en cinco años una organizacion que llevaria a cabo el ataque terrorista mas espantoso y devastador de la historia