Zarqawi

In recent months, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has emerged as the driving force behind the world’s most feared terrorist organization, Al Qaeda. As Bin Laden’s apparent successor, al-Zarqawi has been labelled ‘public enemy number one’ by the US government and the price on his head has risen to almost 25 million dollars. Until now, little has been known about al-Zarqawi. Born in Jordan in 1968, he spent the 1980s in war-torn Afghanistan, followed by five years in prison before joining Al Qaeda in 1999. Having quickly gained the confidence of his superiors, al-Zarqawi ran Al Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan, where he taught recruits to use chemical and biological weapons. From 2001 onwards, he controlled several regional terrorist groups across Europe, which have been linked to attacks in the UK, France, Russia and the notorious train bombing in Madrid. His armed group, Tawhid and Jihad, is currently terrorizing Iraq, beheading hostages and carrying out deadly attacks across the country. In this, the first major study of al-Zarqawi, Jean-Charles Brisard takes an in-depth look at the man now widely regarded as the new face of Al Qaeda. Based on witness statements, official documents and previously unpublished material, Brisard offers a vivid and compelling account of Zarqawi’s rise to power as the incarnation of international terrorism and Islamic extremism.

Preface Part I. Genesis of a Terrorist 1. Zarqa and the Zarqawi Tribe 2. The Green Man 3. The Great Departure 4. Return to Jordan 5. At Suwaqah, the Desert Prison Part II. Full-Time Terrorist 6. A New Departure 7. Entering Al-Qaeda 8. Origins of the Zarqawi Network 9. A Regional Terrorist 10. Escape Part III. Zarqawi's Iraq 11. Terrorist Iraq: From Myth to Reality 12. From the Taliban to Kurdistan 13. War Leader in Kurdistan 14. The Confusing Stakes in Iran 15. Tawhid wal Jihad 16. Terror 17. The Hostage Strategy 18. Al-Qaeda Yields Part IV. A Global Network 19. From Kurdistan to Germany 20. The Group of ?Italians? 21. Chemical Threats to Europe 22. A Shadow Over Madrid 23. Syria: Rear Base 24. France in the Islamist Trap Conclusion. A Successor to Bin Laden? Photographs and Maps