Operation Jihadi Bride: The Covert Mission to Rescue Young Women from ISIS

You will learn more about the Middle East, the Rise of ISIS and the Fall of the Caliphate reading Operation Jihadi Bride than any news series or TV documentary on whatever platform you choose. This is heroic stuff, written like a great novel, but better: this is the true story of one man moved by moral imperatives to rescue young women who wanted to flee from the horror show that is ISIS. The collaboration between ex-soldier Carney and his co-writer thurlow waves together a great story that kept me gripped to the very end. I cannot reccommend this book more highly.

I was in the middle of a reading slump when I came across an excerpt on the local news site. After buying it on amazon, I read it in a day. John Carneys voice comes across as so genuine, so personal and warm, that sometimes it feels more like reading a novel than a memoir. For me, thats a good thing. The stories he tells are harrowing, and there are a lot of tragic ends, but there is good too. Highly recommended for people who want a more emotional look at whats happening in Syria.

What if it were my daughter?

This is the question that that troubles and ultimately motivates John Carney, a former soldier and personal-security specialist, when he receives a plea for assistance from a British Pakistani family whose daughter had become a jihadi bride to avoid an arranged marriage but now wants to escape.

Like Dante descending through the seven circles of Hell, Carney plunges into an odyssey of self-discovery and enlightenment, as he learns of the deception, abuses, and cruelty at the hands of the jihadists from the young women he rescues and witnesses first-hand the horror of war and the misery it causes. He comes to view the jihadi brides as victims, deceived by promises of an earthly paradise, equality and the opportunity to make something of their lives, but turned into sex slaves and baby factories, passed from one jihadist to another, compelled to live by strict fundamentalist codes of conduct, subjected to barbaric punishments for the slightest infringement, stripped of their dreams, self-respect and dignity.

But the governments of the countries they abandoned dont want them back. They were brainwashed into betraying their nations more often the adoptive nations of their parents, and forfeited any claim to citizenship when they decided to support enemy combatants. At bare minimum, they present a security risk. They could be sleepers, susceptible to later recruitment by other jihadists.

The question poses perplexing ethical issues. Western governments have meddled in the Middle East for the past century, deliberately or inadvertently fomenting conflict, instability and turmoil. What responsibility does the West now have to the refugees who have fled their countries, some of whom are innocent victims, but others of whom are fundamentalist zealots determined to commit acts of terrorism and provoke instability in the West to further dreams of an Islamic world order.

One is also tempted to draw parallels between the jihadists and ultra-liberals in the West who also entice impressionable young women and men to join their cause with possibly unrealistic promises of equality, free education, free medical care, affordable housing and opportunities to make meaningful contributions to society, but brook no dissent or deviation from political correctitude and are quick to condemn and shun those who do not share their values or violate their codes of conduct.

Operation Jihadi Bride is a compelling read that not only informs and entertains, but puts the multifaceted and multilayered Mid-East conflicts, animosities, turmoil and situation into a perspective that Westerners can grasp, if not fully understand or appreciate.

Compelling, thrilling, illuminating, terrifying, and surprisingly as heartwarming as it is heartrending are just a few of the words, which come to mind when I attempt to describe the spectrum of emotions I experienced while immersing myself in the all-too real world of Operation Jihadi bride. This true story starts out as an account of the rescue of a foolish young mother and her innocent child as lived by their rescuer, John Carney, a former British soldier, whom at face value, might easily be defined as a mercenary. Yet as Johns story unfolds as told to Clifford Thurlow, Mr. Carney reveals himself as the kind of humble hero every man would either hope to be or if not, to have as your best friend. At times, I found myself being swept away by the story as though I was watching a blockbuster Hollywood movie. But that Johns story is a true account of one man risking everything he holds dear to save others made it so much more powerful and vivid than any fictional thriller. If you thought you know the inner workings of the Arabic world just because youve watched the evening news and kept up with events as told through the media, youll find Operation Jihadi Bride is so much more than a thrilling story of intrigue and danger. Youll discover Operation Jihadi Bride is a vivid insight into the people, places and events, which have done so much to shape the times in which we live.

This isnt the kind of book I would normally read but Im sure glad I picked up this one. The author had me engaged from the beginning and all the way to the end. I appreciate not only the writing style but the story itself. There are amazing people in the world who do amazing things and this book spotlights that well.

Galaxyaudiobook Member Benefit

- Able to comment

- List watched audiobooks

- List favorite audiobooks

- Bookmark will only available for Galaxyaudiobook member