Brothers in Arms
The Story of al-Qa‘ida and the Arab Jihadists
Camille Tawil
Translated by Robin Bray
About the Book
Since 2001 America’s War on Terror has achieved what Osama bin Laden could not: the unification of the jihad under al-Qa‘ida’s banner. Although today al-Qa‘ida is seen as the epitome of jihad, when it first emerged other militant Islamists rejected its vision of a holy war against the West. What is the truth of its pre-eminent status and at what cost has it been achieved?
Investigative journalist Camille Tawil charts the history of conflict and complicity between al-Qa‘ida and its brothers in arms from the late 1980s to the present day. Drawing on a network of contacts in Egyptian Islamic Jihad, Algeria’s Armed Islamic Group and the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, he shows how the failure of their separate national struggles brought them increasingly under the influence of Osama bin Laden and his global agenda.
From prison cells in Morocco to the caves of Tora Bora, Tawil gives us unique access to the key players behind the jihadist movement and the evolution of its violent ideology.
About the Author
Born in 1965 in Lebanon, Camille Tawil has covered Islamic militant groups for al-Hayat Arabic daily in London for two decades. His blog is http://camilletawil.blogspot.com/.
Reviews
‘Camille Tawil delivers a carefully reported assessment of al-Qaeda and its affiliated Arab jihadist groups.’ Peter Bergen, author of Holy War, Inc. and The Osama bin Laden I Know
‘Tawil’s deep understanding, fine analysis, eye for detail and the reams of new material gathered in years of reporting makes this work invaluable to the scholar and general reader alike.’ Jason Burke, author of Al-Qaeda: The True Story of Radical Islam
‘A must-read for anyone interested in the evolution of militant Islam in the region and beyond.’ Alison Pargeter, author of The Muslim Brotherhood: The Burden of Tradition
‘Brothers in Arms sheds a clear and indispensable – if troubling – light on a religious war that is far from over.’ Michael F. Scheuer, former CIA Chief of the Bin Laden Issue Station
'Meticulously researched debut' Publishers Weekly
'An excellent source for anyone interested in the region.' New York Journal of Books
