Omar Nasiri

This was difficult to get through for a number of reasons. My biggest mental hurdle was that I knew the author was a self-admitted liar, so while I knew that this had been vetted and confirmed by a number of people who understand terrorist and jihadis, I could not stop questioning everything.

My other problem was that I want to have hope that one we will be able to find common ground as humans, and without divulging too much, I found it difficult to maintain this hope. It is not naivete on my part. I understand that humans can be extraordinarily cruel to one another. But I have also witnessed the opposite of that, and that is why I maintain optimism.

So it was hard to read, and finish, but I did. It's not for everyone, but it did teach me a lot. At the end of the day, that made it worthwhile for me.… (lisätietoja)

In the months since I read this book, I've realized how valuable it is for understanding American policy, imprisonment and prosecution of terrorists and their allies. From his description of Abu Zubayda (whom he knew in Afghanistan) to his candid revelations about the obligations a jihadi must meet after being taken captive before he can cooperate with his captors, to his descriptions of the terrorist training camp he lived in, and even descriptions of himself, and how he came to betray Al Qaeda and turn informant even though he still believed (and believes today) in their mission...all of these things shed light on the issues being reported every week in newspaper coverage of GTMO. It is a crucial book for understanding the enemy, and for understanding where America succeeds and fails at extracting intelligence from prisoners captured in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

I didn't realize what I had in my hands when I read it the first time, so I need to re-read it again and then I can write a more detailed review. Though readers may be reluctant to lay down cash for this book, knowing royalties from the purchase will go to a declared Al Qaeda supporter, you'll know your enemy better if you manage to read this somehow.… (lisätietoja)