The Exile: The Flight of Osama bin Laden

"A great analysis of the capabilities and resiliency of AQ" according to MAJ Clay Janssen. I read a review of this book and was a little skeptical. But after delving into it, this book is a great resource for understanding the capabilities, resiliency, and global reach of al qaeda. Although I'm not an expert on the middle east, most analysts talk about the divide between sunni and shia. This book expertly outlines the collaboration that took place between sunni and shia entities to protect the AQ leadership. Also, the fact that the authors rely heavily on sources inside the AQ network. I'm only about half way through the book, but it is one of those sources that I will refer back to often.. History that reads like a novel. Detail that puts the present Mideast situation in perspective. History that reads like a novel. Puts the present Mideast situation in perspective. Clarifies the origins and transmogrifications of Al Qaeda and ISIS - plus all the other participating factions. Shows how central Osama was till the end of his life. Surprising involvement of Iran. A must read for everyone who wants the inside story down to the last detail.. Poor binding job Poor binding job, the photo pages are a mess. Rookie job, poor quality control. Text is fine, perhaps publisher should consider another printer who knows how to do the job.

Staying with a small group of characters throughout, The Exile moves through a series of dramatic set-pieces, from the shocking failure of the Battle of Tora Bora, one of the most significant losses in US strategic history, when, outgunned and outflanked, Osama still managed to give the world's most accomplished trackers the slip, through his covert journey from safe-house to safe-house in Pakistan, to the years spent hiding in the military compound in Abottabad where he was eventually to be killed. It is a tale of evasion, collusion, b