The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War against al-Qaeda by Ali H. Soufan, with Daniel Freedman; Unabridged MP3 Audio Book; Narrator Neil Shah

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

On September 12, 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.

“Superb. An education. And the best book on al-Qaeda out there, bar none.”—Robert Baer, former CIA official and New York Times bestselling 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.