Based on the rare and informed perspective of a former DGSE executive, And kill them wherever you find them. traces more than forty years of the evolution of jihadism and the responses to it. The author deconstructs several preconceived ideas — particularly regarding the Afghan origins of the phenomenon — and provides an in-depth analysis of the structure of Islamist terrorist networks. Through this analytical and well-documented account, he exposes the dilemmas, strategic choices and limitations of the counter-terrorism policies pursued by Western countries. The book also traces the gradual adaptation of the French security services in the face of a shifting and multifaceted threat. At the crossroads of testimony, history and geopolitics, it offers a unique insight into the operational reality of contemporary counter-terrorism.
Abou Djaffar is the pseudonym of a former executive of the DGSE's counter-terrorism unit, who also worked at the Quai d'Orsay. A historian by training and an auditor at the National Institute for Higher Studies in Security and Justice (INHESJ), he has taught at ENSOSP and Sciences Po Paris. A consultant, screenwriter and columnist for Le Monde between 2016 and 2017, he has long contributed to discussions on intelligence, terrorism and their representation in the media. Recalled in 2019 to participate in the creation of a specialised structure within the administration, he now lectures at Sciences Po Saint-Germain-en-Laye as part of the Diploma in Intelligence and Global Threats (DiReM). A prolific author, he has contributed to numerous collective works on security and defence issues.
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