The Interrogator's War: Breaking Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan

The methods of the US military's War on Terror have come under intense international scrutiny. But much remains unclear about realities on the ground, in those cramped cells in the midst of combat zones where terrorist suspects and interrogators come head-to-head. Now, for the first time, the inside story is uncovered by Chris Mackey, a senior US Army interrogator in Afghanistan, who interviewed thousands of Al Qaeda and Taliban suspects, many of whom went to Guantanamo Bay. In Afghanistan the interrogators faced an enemy who, with tactics like sleeper cells and suicide bombers, were unlike any other. Working round the clock, Mackey and his team had to evolve breakthrough psychological strategies and complex mind games. But the interrogators too were under immense pressure; relentlessly pitching their wits against suspected fanatics, ever fearful that their prisoners might know of another 9/11, but constrained from unleashing their tempers by the Geneva Convention, it was not always just the prisoners who cracked. The pressure-cooker atmosphere which built up under the relentless Afghan sun gives a troubling insight into the temptations in the path of sound military judgement. But it is also a testament to the strength of character of the many interrogators who remained rational and played by the rules.

About the Author :
Chris Mackey joined the army at seventeen and was assigned to the intelligence corps as an interrogator. After 9/11, he was assigned to Task Force 500, and subsequently sent to Kandahar, Afghanistan. He ultimately supervised all military interrogations conducted at the theatre-wide detention facility at Bagram airfield.

Review :
Extensive, colourful and important book, showing us at first hand the secret mind-war that lies at the heart of the fight against Al-Qaeda - The Sunday Times A fascinating and important book - Sunday Telegraph A vivid, gritty look at the pressures and compromises attendant on this unconventional war - starred Publishers Weekly Fascinating study of the interrogator's art...a nicely balanced, insightful work...all told with pace and precision....It is an excoriating verdict on the intelligence capabilities of the world's sole superpower - Evening Standard The most powerful thriller-like passages of an impressive book reconstruct specific mental duels with terrorist suspects. - Guardian Sincere and convincing. - Financial Times