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Name: Hunting the Jackal: A Special Forces and CIA Soldier's Fifty Years on the Frontlines of the War Against Terrorism: Waugh, Billy, Keown, Tim: 9780060564100: Amazon.com: Books
Price: 7.19 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.6 (1119 reviews)

Hunting the Jackal: A Special Forces and CIA Soldier's Fifty Years on the Frontlines of the War Against Terrorism Mass Market Paperback – Illustrated, May 24, 2005

by Billy Waugh (Author), Tim Keown (Author)

1,119 ratings

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Spanning more than five decades, here is a riveting true account of fighting America’s enemies around the world—told by the soldier/operative who was there

I am not a hero.

Billy Waugh has lurked in the shadows and on the periphery of many of the most significant events of the past half-century on active duty with U.S. Army Special Forces and the CIA fighting enemies of the United States. In Hunting the Jackal, this legendary warrior reveals the extraordinary events of his life and career, offering a point-by-point eyewitness account of the historical events in which he participated.

Serving in Korea and Vietnam, Waugh was among the first Green Berets in 1963. He has helped train Libyan commandos in the Sahara Desert, while spying on Russian missile sites in Benghazi, and has worked against Caribbean drug runners. He was the first CIA operative to watch Osama Bin Laden in Khartoum “from a spot close enough to kill him had I been allowed,” and tracked him over the course of two years. In 1994 he found the notorious Carlos the Jackal in Sudan, and tailed him until he was captured—a story that until now has never been told. And, just last year, at age 72, Waugh was on the ground in Afghanistan with a joint SpecForces/CIA unit.

This is his remarkable true story.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

For more than half a century, Special Forces and CIA legend Billy Waugh dedicated his life to tracking down and eliminating America's most virulent enemies. Operating from the darkest shadows and most desolate corners of the world, he made his mark in many of the most important operations in the annals of U.S. Spec Ops.

He spent seven and a half years behind enemy lines in Vietnam as a member of a covert group of elite commandos. He trailed Osama Bin Laden in Khartoum in the early '90s, and would have killed the terrorist kingpin if his superiors had allowed it. And at the age of seventy-two, he marched through the frozen high plains of Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Hunting the Jackal is the astonishing true account of the singular career of a courageous soldier in his nation's shadow wars -- including his pivotal role in the previously untold story of the capture of the most infamous and elusive assassin in history, Carlos the Jackal.

About the Author

Billy Waugh is still involved in Special Operations around the world. He lives in Florida.

New York Times bestselling author Tim Keown most recently cowrote Rick Harrison's License to Pawn, and was the cowriter of bestsellers Bad as I Wanna Be by Dennis Rodman and Beyond Belief by Josh Hamilton.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ William Morrow Paperbacks (May 24, 2005)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0060564105
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0060564100
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.19 x 0.01 x 6.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #58,295 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #41 in Terrorism (Books)
- #56 in Intelligence & Espionage History
- #86 in Political Intelligence

Customer Reviews:
1,119 ratings

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Customer reviews

1,119 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book a must-read that reads like a novel, with a fascinating account of an American warrior. Moreover, the writing style is well-crafted, and customers appreciate the military knowledge and special forces insights. Additionally, they praise the character development, describing the author as a true hero. However, the pacing receives mixed reactions, with some finding it not entertaining. The book's style also gets mixed reviews, with some noting it looks very used.

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Readability Story quality Writing style Military history Character development Pacing Entertainment value

85 customers mention "Readability"85 positive0 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, noting it reads like a novel and is a must-read for aspiring professionals.

"Great book telling the story of a old school Special Forces Warrior- a great writing style and truth stranger than any fiction- they don't make them..." Read more

"...Those 80 pages are the most interesting. If titled accurately, this book would be My Life at War...." Read more

"An outstanding book. The more I read and meet those who serve in top level Military units, the more I realize the mindset of these warriors...." Read more

"...Overall a very good read." Read more

75 customers mention "Story quality"75 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's stories engaging, describing it as a fascinating account of an American Warrior with interesting subject matter.

"...school Special Forces Warrior- a great writing style and truth stranger than any fiction- they don't make them like Billy Waugh any more.. much..." Read more

"...He obviously loves to fight, loves combat. He can't stay away from it...." Read more

"...But his is a fascinating account from a man who is like a wind up toy: Point him in a direction and he will KILL, KILL, KILL, then later tell you..." Read more

"Hunting the Jackel was an enlightening read about operations and cooperation between CIA and SF...." Read more

37 customers mention "Writing style"33 positive4 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, describing it as well written and vivid, with one customer noting its fast pace.

"...telling the story of a old school Special Forces Warrior- a great writing style and truth stranger than any fiction- they don't make them like Billy..." Read more

"This is a well written book. If you like war stories and spy stories, you'll be kept interested all the way through...." Read more

"...Joe Barrett was an outstanding choice for narrating this book. He either has, or is able to emulate, a perfect Texas accent and attitude...." Read more

"This book is great written by a man that is the toughest military soldier to ever live and talk about it...." Read more

23 customers mention "Military history"23 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's coverage of special forces operations and intelligence work, with one customer noting it's a must-read for those interested in military history, while another describes it as the best book on war and terrorism.

"...In those two pages he expressed an admirable sense of military knowledge when he laid out exactly how the US could have contained the threat of..." Read more

"...The information about how certain surveillance and how OP were conducted are excellent." Read more

"...This is a must read for anyone interested in Military history, SOG, Special Forces, and / or covert operations...." Read more

"...He lived for the fight, how he survived five wars and and fifty years is miraculous...." Read more

17 customers mention "Character development"17 positive0 negative

Customers praise Billy Waugh's character development in the book, describing him as a truly remarkable man and a hero, with one customer noting he is a warrior among the elite.

"Billy Waugh was a truly remarkable man. He lived for the fight, how he survived five wars and and fifty years is miraculous...." Read more

"An incredible story about an incredible man and his military/intelligence career...." Read more

"...Certainly Billy Waugh is a legendary and intriguing character and that side of the story is itself fascinating...." Read more

"...Mr. Waugh is a real character and one of the true BTDT warriors we should all be proud to have serving our country...." Read more

8 customers mention "Pacing"8 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the pacing of the book, describing it as a great American story with a fine Texas accent.

"...He either has, or is able to emulate, a perfect Texas accent and attitude...." Read more

"Billy Waugh is a great American...." Read more

"Book was listed as good, but I found it to be in very good shape. Fast shipping." Read more

"...the writer and know that he is one of America's true heroes, a fine resolute, tough individual who, when he sets out to accomplish a goal,..." Read more

5 customers mention "Entertainment value"0 positive5 negative

Customers find the book not entertaining and not as good as expected.

"...It is not pretty work, and what they do and how they do it is not particularly appropriate for some polite conversations. But that is the point...." Read more

"Not as good as I was expecting. Was hoping it would go at least briefly into his training and how he'd became an operator but still a very good read." Read more

"...Way too much minute detail about observation missions. Book became boring!" Read more

"...Some of the stories/chapters are rather tepid and not really entertaining, but some of the other chapters on Carlos the Jackal and Usama Bin Laden..." Read more

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Lohan
-Old School Special Forces Warrior-
Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2025
Verified Purchase

Great book telling the story of a old school Special Forces Warrior- a great writing style and truth stranger than any fiction- they don't make them like Billy Waugh any more.. much respect. The book was shipped well packed and arrived fast- recommend the book "Tracking The Jackal" and the book seller highly!

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W Richard. Trimble
Lifetime of War
Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2010
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This is a well written book. If you like war stories and spy stories, you'll be kept interested all the way through. But hunting for and taking down Carlos the Jackal consumes 80 pages out of 344. Those 80 pages are the most interesting. If titled accurately, this book would be My Life at War. Billy Waugh teases us at the beginning by telling us that on December 1, 2001, he celebrated his 71st birthday on the ground in Afghanistan where he was an Independent Contractor for the CIA, coordinating with American special forces. His story then switches to his beginnings in Texas. He is ten years old and it is December 7, 1941. He takes us forward from there. He joins the Army in 1948. Fights in Korea and Vietnam. He is a Special Operations soldier and spends several years in Vietnam and Loas. He obviously loves to fight, loves combat. He can't stay away from it.

He eventually retired from the Army and got his Masters degree. Then he went to work for the CIA as an "independent contractor." He worked in Africa, in the Balkans, and other places. He can't tell us everything because much of what he did is still classified Secret. But he writes well and clearly about his times in Khartoum. There, for a while, he saw Usama bin Ladin practically every day. His job at that time was to keep UBL under surveillance. But the American government had little on UBL at that time other than he preached hatred and death for Americans and the Saudi Royal House. There was no warrant for his arrest. Later, Billy and his team of independent contractors located the notorious terrorist Carlos the Jackal in Khartoum. They kept him under surveillance for a couple months while worrying that any day he would bolt. Higher-ups in the CIA eventually turned their information over to the French who had the best warrant for the Jackal's arrest. The French arrested him and imprisoned him. And got the credit.

When America went into Afghanistan to fight Al Qaeda and the Taliban, Billy begged and wheedled until he was sent there for a couple months of coordination work. He just had to have one more taste of combat.

Billy Waugh and his fellow independent contractors were hardworking spies and operators for the American taxpayers. What they did was risky in the extreme. They are the horror of those who somehow convince themselves that only direct employees of the CIA can be accountable and trustworthy. Such irrational worriers ignore the fact that direct employees not only draw a salary but also have nice benefits as well as lavish pensions. There is no law that says private contractors cannot be loyal, hardworking, and dedicated. Billy Waugh and his coworkers prove that they can and are. Independent contractor is a misnomer. "Private contractor" would be more accurate. They do not act independently; they are under the supervision of CIA station chiefs. And they have the proper security clearances. It is just that, unlike direct employees, they can be laid off at any time, they have to pay their taxes themselves, buy their own insurance and provide for their own retirement. Vacations and illnesses are on their own time. Such being the case, with their backgrounds in covert operations, in military special operations and SOG, they are real bargains for the tax payers.

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NJ Person
Excellent Read
Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2011
Verified Purchase
Billy Waugh is an old man who loves to kill. That makes him sound like a sociopathic serial killer, but technically he isn't. He kills people who are trying to kill him. It's not like he preys upon the helpless; everyone he kills is given a fair chance. Except for the husband and wife cooks whose throats he ordered slit as his Special Forces team snuck into a North Vietnamese military camp. Hey, they were NVA! If Billy's underlings hadn't killed them, they would have alerted the entire camp!

It's not an unfair assessment to say Billy Waugh is a bloodthirsty killer who is amazingly good at compartmentalizing, and who found a way to sate his bloodlust through working for the US government, but it wouldn't be a balanced assessment. He spends most of a page admitting he cried when some ailing Cambodian colonel led his people into the relative safety of South Vietnam, and he spends most of a page admitting he cried when people with whom he fought died valiantly, and he spent TWO pages expressing his disgust over how the Vietnam Conflict (War) ended and what a shame it was so many people died in what was ultimately folly. In those two pages he expressed an admirable sense of military knowledge when he laid out exactly how the US could have contained the threat of communism in Vietnam way back in 1965 without so many casualties. He is not without empathy, his laments of the massive loss of lives on both sides of the conflict reads as genuine, and he's an exceptional military strategist. But Billy Waugh spends most of his pages laying out his combat strategies and lustily reminiscing about the times he got to kill people and the times he SHOULD have killed people. He decided at an early age that he wanted to spend his life figuring out how to kill as many people as he could, militarily. Not as an upper level military decision maker, which he certainly could have been, but as an in the thick of it killer. Because he loves combat. He loves to kill the enemy with his own hands.

Part of me loftily thinks I should write Billy Waugh off as a cartoon and his book as so much jingoistic bull that no one should read lest it lulls them into thinking that killing other people can ever be good. But his is a fascinating account from a man who is like a wind up toy: Point him in a direction and he will KILL, KILL, KILL, then later tell you how his war buddy's leg was saved because maggots burrowed into his bullet wounds and ate the necrotizing flesh.

The unfortunate reality of any sanctimonious US militarily protected citizen is that none of us are in danger of Al Qaeda flying their flag over our Benghazi courthouse because there are thousands of people who, while maybe not as smart as Billy Waugh, are as willing to engage in combat as Billy Waugh. I'm not sure I want to discourage them. Sure, smugness feels good. You can't lose an argument if you take the high road. Killing People Is Bad, we all know that. It's very satisfying to sit on your couch in your non-bombed neighborhood and figure out all the world's problems. If only Washington DC would call you, then all war would cease! But Washington DC is never going to call you, sorry. They're all just jackasses, obviously. Billy Waugh had the good sense to never get overtly political in this book, and that decision made for a more enjoyable read.

Mainly I bought this book because the reviews promised gore and lots of it. The reviews did not disappoint. Carlos the Jackal only has a bit part in the book, which is a little disappointing, but I suppose if they had entitled it "Memories Of An Old Soldier Who Loves To Kill", it wouldn't have been as easy to market.

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10 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer
Great read about SF and CIA
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2025
Verified Purchase
Hunting the Jackel was an enlightening read about operations and cooperation between CIA and SF. The information about how certain surveillance and how OP were conducted are excellent.

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irishpropheticart
Interesting,wishing it had gone more deeper
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 17, 2019
Verified Purchase

Okay book.I read of his story from other Special Op books and so gave it a go.Elementary writing style.I wish the stories had gone deeper,understand a lot of the material is still classified.

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Myriam63660
Excellent livre
Reviewed in France on March 24, 2019
Verified Purchase
Certains hommes comme l'auteur sont des hommes d'exception, être passé des forces spéciales au Vietnam et de toujours aller sur les théâtres de guerre à 70 ans passés, une légende des forces spéciales US

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alkbt
Livre arrivé rapidement et conforme à la description !
Reviewed in France on June 10, 2021
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Livre arrivé rapidement et conforme à la description !

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Amazon Customer
Spy world
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 24, 2016
Verified Purchase
Interesting book. Easy to read, not too heavy. If your into SF and spy stuff, can recommend highly.

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de46
bon document
Reviewed in France on June 26, 2013
Verified Purchase
Livre facile a lire, partie sur la traque de Carlos très intéressante. Les modes opératoires de la CIA sont bien décrits.

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Hunting the Jackal: A Special Forces and CIA Soldier's Fifty Years on the Frontlines of the War Against Terrorism Mass Market Paperback – Illustrated, May 24, 2005

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Top reviews from the United States

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5.0 out of 5 stars -Old School Special Forces Warrior-

5.0 out of 5 stars Lifetime of War

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read about SF and CIA

Top reviews from other countries

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting,wishing it had gone more deeper

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent livre

5.0 out of 5 stars Livre arrivé rapidement et conforme à la description !

4.0 out of 5 stars Spy world

5.0 out of 5 stars bon document

-Old School Special Forces Warrior-

Lifetime of War

Excellent Read

Great read about SF and CIA

Interesting,wishing it had gone more deeper

Excellent livre

Livre arrivé rapidement et conforme à la description !

Spy world

bon document