The Hunt For KSM: Inside The Pursuit And Takedown Of The Real 9/11 Mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
I've read only fragmentary accounts of the takedown of KSM (Bergen, Tenet,Suskind, Risen, Rashid) so I'm glad I finally managed to read this."The Hunt for KSM" gives us a chronological, detailed, and carefully researched account of the investigation into the characters that planned, financed, and executed the 9/11 attacks. McDermott and Meyer give us anecdotes, conversations, and small details that must have come from extensive interviews. The authors are quick to give credit to individual investigators and are not afraid to mention mistakes and lost opportunities when discussing earlier attempts to pinpoint the planners and actors in the terrorist attacks.For those of us who are not familiar with the main characters, geography or the politics of the region, the details can be confusing. Fortunately, the writers are careful to repeat the names and to make the story accessible and comprehensible to the lay person.The discussion differentiating the CIA and the FBI was particularly interesting as the authors explained why and how the CIA became the prime mover in the fight against terror. In the detailed description of the investigations, I learned that so many seemingly disparate events that were going on around me, whether in the Philippines or in the US, were significant. There are detailed accounts of KSM and his colleagues escapades in the Philippines - and the investigators' reconstruction of KSM's trail - that involve bar girls, an apartment in Greenhills, pretty dentists, and visits into the slums of Manila - that I personally found fascinating.Overall, The Hunt for KSM is a fascinating, engaging, and thrilling read. It teaches us about geopolitics and current events and gives us greater insight into the debate about torture, civil rights versus emergency measures and national security. Not all the US characters are heroes, but we certainly appreciate the dedication and sacrifices of the American and Pakistani investigators. I won this book in a Goodreads First-Reads giveaway. This is an incredibly detailed narrative, from the United States intelligence viewpoint, of the investigation and eventual capture of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. What I most valued about the book were the insights into the FBI, CIA, and other intelligence teams which were involved in the manhunt and in the investigation of extremist Islam jihad movements and terrorism. It was thrilling (if saddening) to be taken inside a world that not only didn't understand terrorism, but also completely underestimated the threat it posed, knowing what we know today. Suffice it to say my respect for the FBI has grown (at least in some important regards), and for the CIA has retracted (somewhat greatly), as a result of both the character profiles and the general depiction of how the agencies work illustrated in the book.The Hunt for KSM is obviously meticulously researched - I often felt the impulse to follow the footnotes and figure out how the hell they were able to come by certain pieces of information. An astounding amount of sources and detail went into making this book the authority on the American pursuit of the 9/11 mastermind. I really appreciated learning a lot about the fight against terrorism with this book. However, it left me hungry for something deeper. While this book certainly exposes egregious flaws in our intelligence apparatus, most significantly with regard to the first three years of interrogation of KSM (which was apparently outsourced to morally delinquent and utterly incompetent contractors), it falls short of outright denouncing the failures of the government. It's not explicit enough in its criticism. It's straight reporting (which is what the authors do); it's not an editorial. And this felt unsatisfactory at times. Secondly, it was really frustrating to read about terrorists lives in detail without any commentary on or insight into their psyches. It too is unsatisfying to read about so disturbing a phenomenon from an objective viewpoint. The above comments are not criticism, because they go beyond the scope of the book. But I think my next terrorism book will be a nice bold novel.
What do You think about The Hunt For KSM: Inside The Pursuit And Takedown Of The Real 9/11 Mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (2012)?
I won this book from First Reads Giveaway. Waiting to read it when I receive it. Thanks.
—Home
Another chilling look at U.S. intelligence failures before and after 9/11.
—snogry
Unbelievable journalism. best of all the terrorist take down books.
—Marybel
