The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War against al-Qaeda Audiobook

" Advocates of EIT, Enhanced Interrogation Techniques, need to read this book to see how Cheney and the CIA got it wrong. Intelligent interrogators like Soufan can get more useful information in one day than waterboarding will produce in months. "

" I thought this was a great book. Very informative and very interesting. The book is filled with very good information about the FBI's work in the war against terror. If all of our FBI, CIA, etc., agents are as sharp and dedicated as Soufan, our country is in good hands. "

" One of the best books about Al-Qaeda and the FBI's investigation of them post-9/11 and onward that I've ever read. Ali H. Soufan's story is an essential one for anyone who wants to understand how we could have prevented such a tragedy in 2001; it is also a startling portrait of multi-level incompetence in the U.S. intelligence agency. You'll also read about John O'Neill, Soufan's mentor and best friend, who saw Al-Qaeda's attack on U.S. coming but whose warnings were dutifully ignored by his superiors and who was unfortunately one of the many American victims of 9/11 in the Twin Towers. I can only hope that the redactions in the text will be overturned by the courts as Soufan fights the censorship of his book by the U.S. government; this information is so essential to the public. "

" Very informative and very aggravating at the same time. Everyone who is interested in the battle against terrorism should read this book and be aware of the many failings, particularly by the CIA. It will also have a major impact on how you view the use of torture to get intelligence information. "

" A FBI agent who investigated the USS Cole bombing and al-Qaeda pre and post 9/11 publishes his notes on interrogating terrorists. There are some interesting politics, but mostly just information on interrogation and how the US figured out who carried out attacks and how. A friend recommended this book to me because she thought it was very interesting, but I found it pretty dry. I'll have to follow-up with her about which parts she thought were interesting. Soufan uses his stories of interrogation to argue against torturing and water boarding prisoners. A lot of the info in the book was also in multiple news articles, like the use of cells, interogation and terrorist funding. If you found those articles interesting you would probably like this book. The author does mention that the CIA redacted parts of his book that were public info which was intriguing. Soufan also accuses the CIA of lying about info on terrorists which could have led arrests of two hijackers prior to 9/11. Basically politicians and government agencies lie to the public and either other. Big surprise. "

" In delivering this detailed operational history of Al-Qaeda, the author gives much insight into the workings of the terrorist network. Soufan has the unique perspective as a Lebanese-American FBI agent. Major investigations he describes are the east Africa embassy bombings, USS Cole bombing, and of course the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. He explains proper FBI interrogation and contrasts that to the CIA led psychological torture sessions that were implemented by former Attorney General Ashcroft post 9/11. We also get an insider's account of how the CIA failed to share intelligence with the FBI. This is a must read for anyone interested in 9/11 and Mid-East geopolitics. There are many sections of text that have been redacted because the CIA still has some information classified. "

" This book explained one aspect of what went wrong with intelligence and torture leading up to 9/11 and through the Iraq debacle. "

" Great book about an FBI agent of arab descent who used non-aggressive interview techniques. Using these methods he came up with more information on 9/11 and Al Queda than any other interrogator. "

" "The Looming Tower" remains the definitive source on events leading up to 9/11 and Soufan mostly repeats these facts. However, I greatly enjoyed the anecdotes about his unusual rise in the FBI. "

" Wow. This book completely changed my views on EITs and for that matter the Bush administration. "

" Great source for the age we live in. I listened to the audio, but it may have been the reader of this, but I liked the info part if it, but I found the personal side of it a bit jarring, I didn't care as much for the author interjecting so much of himself, but again it is just me. "

" Written by former FBI Agent Ali H. Soufan. One of the best books on the inside story of 9/11. Check out his 60 minutes interview, very powerful. What our government missed by the CIA not sharing info with the FBI. A real crime and tragedy. Getting through the Middle Eastern names is a challenge. "

" A thorough and well-researched exploration of Al Qaeda. "

" I have been fascinated by Ali Soufan since I first read about him in the report of the 9/11 Commission. In this book, extensively redacted by the CIA, he helps us understand some of the intelligence community's blunders. "

" Eye-opening. I never imagined that scenarios from 24 had any validity! "

" The redactions were unfortunate. "

" Great read, the story moves quickly and is very enlightening. Soufan is a quality citizen and we need more like him. "