Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS

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Joby Warrick

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When King Abdullah of Jordan ascended to the throne in 1999, he released political prisoners to ease his transition. Among those freed was Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a future terrorist mastermind who would forge an Islamist movement aimed at dominating the Middle East. Zarqawi initially orchestrated hotel bombings and assassinations in Jordan from northern Iraq, but the 2003 American invasion of Iraq propelled him to lead a vast insurgency. The CIA's portrayal of him as a connection between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden inadvertently turned him into a symbol for like-minded radicals, who rallied to his cause as a hero against the "infidel" occupiers. His campaign of brutal beheadings and suicide bombings persisted until Jordanian intelligence helped the U.S. eliminate him in a 2006 airstrike. However, his movement survived, evolving from al-Qaeda in Iraq to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), finding refuge in the chaotic regions along the Iraq-Syria border. The outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011 allowed ISIS to pursue Zarqawi's vision of a strict Islamic caliphate. Utilizing unique access to CIA and Jordanian sources, the narrative combines gripping operational details with broader historical insights to illuminate the ongoing threat posed by Islamic extremism today.