In recent months, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has emerged as the driving
force behind the world's most feared terrorist organization,
Al Qaeda. As Bin Laden's apparent successor, al-Zarqawi has
been labelled 'public enemy number one' by the US
government and the price on his head has risen to almost 25 million
dollars.

Until now, little has been known about al-Zarqawi. Born in
Jordan in 1968, he spent the 1980s in war-torn Afghanistan,
followed by five years in prison before joining Al Qaeda in 1999.
Having quickly gained the confidence of his superiors, al-Zarqawi
ran Al Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan, where he taught
recruits to use chemical and biological weapons. From 2001 onwards,
he controlled several regional terrorist groups across Europe,
which have been linked to attacks in the UK, France, Russia and the
notorious train bombing in Madrid. His armed group, Tawhid and
Jihad, is currently terrorizing Iraq, beheading hostages and
carrying out deadly attacks across the country.

In this, the first major study of al-Zarqawi, Jean-Charles
Brisard takes an in-depth look at the man now widely regarded as
the new face of Al Qaeda. Based on witness statements, official
documents and previously unpublished material, Brisard offers a
vivid and compelling account of Zarqawi's rise to power as
the incarnation of international terrorism and Islamic
extremism.