The Bin Laden Papers

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How the Abbottabad Raid Revealed the Truth about al-Qaeda, Its Leader and His Family

Nelly Lahoud

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An inside look at al-Qaeda from 9/11 to the death of its founder—told through the words of Bin Laden and his closest circle
 
As seen on 60 Minutes
 
“A comprehensive, meticulously constructed and eye-opening look at bin Laden as husband, father and leader-in-hiding. . . . An engaging and persuasive read.”—Karen J. Greenberg, Washington Post

 
“Never less than gripping. . . . [Offers] an extraordinary insight into the inner workings of al-Qaeda, both before and after 9/11, and lays bare the terrorist organisation’s closely guarded plans, ambitions and frustrations.”—Saul David, Sunday Telegraph
 
Usama Bin Laden’s greatest fear was not capture or death but the exposure of al-Qaeda’s secrets. At great risk to themselves and the entire mission, the U.S. Special Operations Forces, who carried out the Abbottabad raid that killed Bin Laden, took an additional eighteen minutes to collect Bin Laden’s hard drives and thereby expose al-Qaeda’s secrets.
 
In this groundbreaking book, Nelly Lahoud dives into Bin Laden’s files and meticulously distills the nearly 6,000 pages of Arabic private communications. For the first time, al-Qaeda’s closely guarded secrets are laid bare, shattering misconceptions and revealing how and what Bin Laden communicated with his associates, his plans for future attacks, and al-Qaeda’s hostility toward countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Pakistan. Lahoud presents firsthand accounts of al-Qaeda from 9/11 until the elimination of Bin Laden, in his own words and those of his family and closest associates.

Nelly Lahoud is associate professor of security studies in the Department of National Security and Strategy at U.S. Army War College. She is also a senior fellow in New America’s International Security program. She is the author of three books, including The Jihadis’ Path to Self-Destruction.

“A comprehensive, meticulously constructed and eye-opening look at bin Laden as husband, father and leader-in-hiding. . . . An engaging and persuasive read.”—Karen J. Greenberg, Washington Post

“Never less than gripping. . . . [Offers] an extraordinary insight into the inner workings of al-Qaeda, both before and after 9/11, and lays bare the terrorist organisation’s closely guarded plans, ambitions and frustrations.”—Saul David, Sunday Telegraph

“[A] fascinating book—the first real inside look into an organisation that changed how we live. . . . It is astonishing to have such a picture of the inner workings of a terrorist group.”—Christina Lamb, Sunday Times

“A groundbreaking book [and] a remarkable insider account of al-Qaeda’s history, based on the writings of bin Laden and his inner circle.”—Peter Spiegel, Financial Times

“This eye-opening book—based on information recovered from Osama bin Laden’s hard drive after his death in the raid on his Abbottabad hideaway—is the first real inside look into his mind and an organisation that changed how we live.”—Sunday Times, “50 Best Books for the Sunlounger”

“A revelatory book.”—Steve Coll, New Yorker

“A rich trove exposing a terrorist organization that persists even after its founder’s demise.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Make no mistake, this is an important book that should be widely read. . . . A revelation on nearly every page. . . . In terms of understanding al-Qaeda between 2001 and 2011 it’s indispensable.”—Jim Motavalli, New York Journal of Books

The Bin Laden Papers is a work of immense, exciting scholarship, and it sparkles with new insights about bin Laden and his al-Qaeda network. Crisply written by Nelly Lahoud, it is one of the most important histories of the war on terror.”—Peter Bergen, author of The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden

“A masterful analysis and riveting story. As though finally cleaning a window obscured by years of grime, Nelly Lahoud’s The Bin Laden Papers clarifies a man and his movement that confused and confounded much of the world for decades.”—General (ret.) Stanley McChrystal, former Commander of United States Forces Afghanistan

“Terrorist expert Nelly Lahoud reveals the hidden history of Al Qaeda in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. The Bin Laden Papers paints a portrait of an ambitious and dedicated terrorist leader who is often out of touch with reality and unable to control the movement he helped spawn.”—Daniel Byman, author of Road Warriors: Foreign Fighters in the Armies of Jihad

“Nelly Lahoud’s consummate analysis of 6,000 al-Qaeda documents is a prodigious and indispensable achievement. Deploying clinical understanding of political, religious, and family contexts, she provides a riveting inside account, the fullest likely ever to emerge, of the thoughts and motivations of a man and movement that have so malignly impacted our era.”—James Piscatori, coauthor of Islam Beyond Borders: The Umma in World Politics

“A singular achievement that stands as the definitive and original account of the trajectory of al-Qaeda from 2001 to the death of Bin Laden. This clearly presented analysis draws on the author’s unique expertise to correct the record of Bin Laden and international terrorism post 9/11.”—Martha Crenshaw, coauthor of Countering Terrorism

The Bin Laden Papers is an outstanding piece of work. Meticulously researched and presented in a captivating narrative, the book shines new light on al-Qaeda after 2001 and delivers surprising conclusions that challenge the very foundation of the War on Terror.”—Anne Likuski, author of Al-Qaida in Afghanistan

“Jam-packed with invaluable new insights into the evolution of the world’s most enduring jihadi terror movement and the men and women at its heart, this is the most gripping book I’ve read on Al-Qaeda in a decade. Gold-dust!”—Elisabeth Kendall, senior research fellow in Arabic and Islamic studies, Pembroke College, Oxford University

“A monumental achievement. This is the most important book about al-Qaida since Lawrence Wright’s The Looming Tower.”—Thomas Hegghammer, author of The Caravan: Abdallah Azzam and the Rise of Global Jihad
ISBN: 9780300260632
Publication Date: April 12, 2022
384 pages, 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
2 b/w illus. + 2 maps