num_pages: 272
description: A stunning narrative account of the mysterious Jordanian who penetrated both the inner circle of al-Qaeda and the highest reaches of the CIA with a devastating impact on the war on terror. In December 2009 a group of the CIAs top terrorist hunters gathered at a secret base in Khost Afghanistan to greet a rising Humam Khalil al-Balawi a Jordanian double-agent who infiltrated the upper ranks of al-Qaeda. For months he had sent shocking revelations from inside the terrorist network and now promised to help the CIA assassinate Osama bin Ladens top deputy. Instead as he stepped from his car he detonated a thirty-pound bomb strapped to his chest instantly killing seven CIA operatives the agencys worst loss of life in decades. In The Triple Agent  Pulitzer Prizewinning reporter Joby Warrick takes us deep inside the CIAs secret war against al-Qaeda a war that pits robotic planes and laser-guided missiles against a cunning enemy intent on unleashing carnage in American cities. Flitting precariously between the two sides was Balawi a young man with extraordinary gifts who managed to win the confidence of hardened terrorists as well as veteran spymasters. With his breathtaking accounts from inside al-Qaedas lair Balawi appeared poised to become Americas greatest double-agent in half a centurybut he was not at all what he seemed. Combining the powerful momentum of Black Hawk Down with the institutional insight of Jane Mayers The Dark Side  Warrick takes the readers on a harrowing journey from the slums of Amman to the inner chambers of the White House in an untold true story of miscalculation deception and revenge.
language: English
title: The Triple Agent: The al-Qaeda Mole who Infiltrated the CIA
publisher: Doubleday