The Black Banners (Declassified)

How Torture Derailed the War on Terror After 9/11

By: Ali H. Soufan

Narrated by: Fajer Al-Kaisi

The definitive account of an FBI special agent’s al-Qaeda story, unredacted for the first time.

Widely heralded on publication as a “must-read” (Military Review) and “important window on America’s battle with al-Qaeda” (Washington Post), Ali Soufan’s revelatory account of the war on terror as seen from its front lines changed the way we understand al-Qaeda and how the United States prosecuted the war — and led to hard questions being asked of our leaders.

When The Black Banners was published in 2011, significant portions of the text were redacted. After subsequent review by the Central Intelligence Agency, those redactions have been lifted. Their removal corrects the record on how vital intelligence was obtained from al-Qaeda suspects and brings forth important new details on the controversial use of enhanced interrogation techniques (torture) to extract information from terror suspects. For many years, proponents of the use of these techniques have argued that they produced actionable intelligence in the war on terror.

This edition of The Black Banners explodes this myth; it shows Soufan at work using guile and intelligent questioning — not force or violence — to extract some of the most important confessions in the war, and it vividly recounts the failures of the government’s torture program. Drawing on Soufan’s experiences as a lead operative for the FBI and declassified government records, The Black Banners (Declassified) documents the intelligence failures that lead to the tragic attacks on New York and Washington, DC, and subsequently how torture derailed the fight against al-Qaeda. With this edition, 18 years on from the first sanctioned enhanced interrogation technique, the public can finally listen to the complete story of what happened in their name after the events of 9/11.

The Black Banners (Declassified) includes a new foreword from Ali Soufan that addresses the significance of the CIA’s decision to lift the redactions.

©2020 Ali H. Soufan (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing

Definitely need to read

Changed my view on the effectiveness of interrogation techniques I sided with the harsher ones. I believe the terrorists deserved what they got but it didn’t get the results that were needed. A good read for people on both sides of the issue.

One of the Best Books I've Ever Read

It is not often that I struggle to put a book down.

Exciting
Compelling
Masterpiece

Beyond the highly pro-FBI/anti-CIA perspective, it’s very informative…

on how tribal the institutions meant to protect us were towards each other.

However, I’d like to get an informed CIA perspective.

A very enjoyable listen. I’m glad they chose the reader they did.

A Key Book for Understanding the Terrorism

A "Must Read" for anyone interested in the conduct of the on-going Global War on Terror (GWoT), concerned about dysfunctionality between U.S. security and intelligence agencies, and wondering about the use of Enhanced Interrogation Techniques (EIT)—and whether such techniques work...or not.

Fantastic Read!

For those, like me, that grew up in the 90s and 00s but didn’t quite follow all the detail on terror, this is a good plug in. Perfect narration, story, and extremely interesting and engaging!

A must read!

Ali’s book is revetting, it pieces together different aspects of criminal investigations (e.g., interview and interrogations) that may have otherwise been lost from bureaucracy, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and red tape. A must read!

Still required reading (listening)!

Ali Soufan thank you! This is a great lesson in American values delivered by a man born in another country who comes to embody all that is great with America. But yes, he had to disagree with a few presidential administrations to do it. He even does it from what some might see as the conventional role of an FBI agent.
It s also a great true life crime story at the absolute highest stakes. 👍🏼

I can’t find the words but I definitely despise the CIA.

Excellent read from what sure seems to be an excellent man. Bush needs to be held accountable

The most informative book I’ve ever read/heard.

Ali Soufan is an American Hero. The work he did serving and protecting the United States of America is enough to make him as such.
Writing this book is also a great service to the nation and all who stand for justice.
By shedding light on truth Ali gives us the opportunity to be informed and make smarter decisions how we conduct ourselves as a nation moving forward. And by shedding light on serious mistakes of the past, hopefully those mistakes won’t be repeated.

Black Banners is smart. Excellent content, well written, and engaging. This audiobook performance is also outstanding.

Interrogation Properly Applied Wins Out in End

It is hard to understand why internicene wars between agencies can become do debilitating and counter productive, seemingly because of who and face-saving as a motive. I believe this version of events to be more credible than the CIAs defense of EITs.