The Triple Agent

Joby Warrick

Scribe Publications (2011)

Following the September 11 attacks on the Twin Towers in New York the U.S. security organisations went into a frenzy of intelligence gathering using whatever means were available including torture. One of those weapons was to infiltrate agents into al-Quaeda and related organisations. This book is the story of one of those agents and the tragic outcome of his being forced into a role he was poorly equipped for.

Humam Khalil el-Balawi was a pediatrician working in Jordan. He came to the notice of their security services through his activities writing a blog on the internet in which he expressed his views and opinions of world events. He became well known for his pro-Islam, anti-U.S. writings on the Internet and was tracked down and arrested by Jordanian security in 2008. He suffered a basic level of torture but once the security forces were convinced he could not lead them to terrorists he was let go after a few weeks. Even so, he knew he would always be under some sort of observation for the rest of his life.

Jordan had its own problems with fundamental Moslems who wanted to depose the King and make the country an Islamic republic. tt was decided to try to turn el-Balawi into an agent for Jordan and get him into the terrorist network as a believer. His writings would help in this, establishing his credibility. The CIA, who worked closely with Jordanian Security, agreed.

It was arranged that he would go to Turkey for a conference but would then just keep going to Pakistan to the western Tribal Areas. Here he would volunteer his services.

The ruse worked. He was accepted, albeit with some reservations, by the terrorists as a much-needed and loyal doctor. His information started to flow back. The terrorists at this time were divided. Power plays within a group were common both inside each group and with each other – al-Quaeda, the various Taliban groups and by the sound of it a few local warlords jockeying for power as well. El-Balawi passed back information on leaders and the command chains of the groups he worked in, and made the point that Osama bin-Ladin was keeping a low profile. Al-Quaeda was mostly being run by his second in command Ayman al-Zawahiri and el-Balawi was able to provide details of his chain of command. The U.S launched their Predator “drones”, remotely-controlled planes, from airstrips in Afghanistan and the Predators cruised around until needed. They were used to attack each headquarters as they were identified and the attacks became intense and effective. The faint buzzing noise of a Predator overhead became part of the landscape, but many people kept an eye on the sky for the trails of the Hellfire rockets that meant an attack was under way.

Warrick’s story widens to include the U.S. security staff at the Khost base, a CIA facility in Afghanistan near the Pakistan border. From Khost ground attacks could be authorised, informants supervised and signals monitored.

The quality of el-Balawi’s information improved rapidly – too rapidly, and the first suspicions were voiced that he may have been “turned”. The CIA, unwilling to let go such a useful source of information, hid its reservations. To those in close contact with the situation it was a case of "the eagerness of war-weary spies who saw a mirage and desperately wanted it to be real.". El-Balawi finally asked for a meeting with his Jordanian “handler” in Peshawar to pass on valuable information about bin Laden’s health. This was too good to miss. Although el-Balawi insisted, the CIA and Ali bin Said, his Jordanian handler, insisted on the meeting taking place in Khost.

When the car finally arrived in the CIA compound and pulled up in front of the assembled dignitaries el-Balawi stepped from the car and detonated an explosive vest he was wearing. The blast killed or injured many of those assembled.

Warrick covers the aftermath of the attack, the blame-shifting and ducking for cover. Although the CIA quickly reorganised this was a huge blow to its prestige.

The book of necessity doesn’t have many written references to support it. Warrick relies on his many contacts as a reporter for the Washington Post to provide snippets of information, from which he has produced a highly detailed picture. There may be errors but at present this is the best we have. The book covers the period when al Quaeda was still a minor and relatively unknown organisation with good information and plenty of money, through the killing of its senior staff, and culminating in the death of bin Ladin.

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The story, because of the simple linear way it is laid out, is very easy to follow. The amount of detail included is impressive, giving the reader an insight into the shadowy side of the Middle East war. Warrick is non-judgmental. He simply presents events as they happened. This is a nice change from some of the jingoistic flagwaver writings (from both sides) but it may not please those who want a straight black-or-white anti-Islam finish. Warrick has given us the information. Now it’s up to each of us to decide our own position instead of accepting a pre-digested opinion.

The book is a thorough post-mortem of a major failure brought about by a greed for information. It is a treatise on modern terrorist and antiterrorist techniques and should be required reading for all politicians.

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