Black Flags

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In a gripping narrative, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Joby Warrick explores the origins of the militant Islam that fueled ISIS, tracing its roots to a remote Jordanian prison and the unintended consequences of two American presidents. In 1999, Jordan granted amnesty to political prisoners, unknowingly releasing Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a terrorist mastermind who would become central to an Islamist movement aiming to dominate the Middle East. Warrick illustrates how Zarqawi's fervor and the strategic blunders of Presidents Bush and Obama allowed ISIS to gain control over vast regions of Syria and Iraq. Initially, Zarqawi orchestrated terror attacks from northern Iraq, but the 2003 American invasion propelled him to lead a massive insurgency. Misidentifying him as a link between Saddam and bin Laden, U.S. officials inadvertently rallied radicals to his cause, resulting in brutal beheadings and bombings. Although Zarqawi was killed in a 2006 airstrike, his movement persisted, evolving from al-Qaeda in Iraq to ISIS, exploiting the chaos of the Syrian civil war beginning in 2011. Drawing on exclusive access to CIA and Jordanian sources, Warrick combines operational details with insights from diplomats, spies, and military leaders who recognized the escalating threat. This account reveals the complex history behind one of today’s most dangerous extremist movements.