The Spymaster of Baghdad: A True Story of Bravery, Household, and Patriotism within the Battle in opposition to ISIS

From the previous New York Instances bureau chief in Baghdad comes the gripping and heroic story of an elite, top-secret crew of unlikely spies who triumphed over ISIS. 

The Spymaster of Baghdad tells the dramatic but intimate account of how a covert Iraqi intelligence unit known as “the Falcons” got here collectively in opposition to all odds to defeat ISIS. The Falcons, comprised of atypical males with little standard espionage background, infiltrated the world’s strongest terrorist group, finally turning the tide of conflict in opposition to the terrorist group and bringing security to hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and the broader world. Centered across the relationship between two brothers, Harith al-Sudani, a rudderless school dropout who was recruited to the Falcons by his all-star youthful brother Munaf, and their eponymous unit commander Abu Ali, The Spymaster of Baghdad follows their emotional journey as Harith volunteers for essentially the most harmful mission possible. With piercing lyricism and thrilling prose, Coker’s deeply-reported account interweaves heartfelt portraits of those and different unforgettable characters as they navigate the streets of war-torn Baghdad and carry out heroic feats of crafty and braveness.

The Falcons’ path crosses with that of Abrar, a younger, radicalized college pupil who, after being snubbed by the pinnacle of the Islamic State’s chemical weapons program, plots her personal assault. On the near-final second, the Falcons intercept Abrar’s lethal plan to poison Baghdad’s consuming water and arrest her in the midst of the evening—simply certainly one of many covert counterterrorism operations revealed for the primary time within the e book.

 Finally, The Spymaster of Baghdad is a page-turning account of wartime espionage by which atypical individuals make extraordinary sacrifices for the higher good. Difficult our perceptions of terrorism and counterterrorism, conflict and peace, Iraq and the broader Center East, American occupation and overseas intervention, The Spymaster of Baghdad is a testomony to the ability of private selection and particular person motion to alter the course of historical past—in a time once we want such tales greater than ever.