Terrorist Trail: Backtracking the Foreign Fighter Book

During the height of the Iraq War, "Terrorist Trail" was selling to U.S. troops on the ground at a rate of almost 200 per month. That may have been because it contained Russian maps showing every foot trail in the Euphrates Valley. For the Marines fighting there, it constituted a precious momento of their sacrifice. But this book contains much more than that. First, it has an in-depth account of how the best counter-guerrilla force to be produced by the West operated. It was not the British in Malaysia, but rather Rhodesia's Selous Scouts. Their ability to operate safely as tiny teams deep in enemy territory is the model to which all U.S. special operators should now aspire. Never very fond of aparteid, this force regularly converted former foes into loyal members. Then, this book shows--pictorially-- how to follow the footprints of an enemy combatant in the city--something that many U.S. military personnel think impossible.Additionally, "Terrorist Trail" provides a spellbinding history of "terrorism" in Africa--the most recent arena for Islamist activity. While delving into the backgrounds of all militants entering Iraq, it stumbles upon too many Chinese in Africa and too much cooperation between Sunni and Shiite extremists there. While al-Qaeda has been shipping fighters via Somalia to Afghanistan and Chechnya, Iran-sponsored Hezbollah has been bringing them into the Middle East via Sudan. This is a book not to be missed by those who have come to realize that the problems in Iraq and Afghanistan are all part of a spreading global insurgency. In such an environment, killing all foes is no longer the answer.Read More