From ISI to ISIL to IS

Despite world protests, the US led forces invaded Iraq in March 2003 on concocted charges that Iraq’s ruling regime was in possession of WMDs and was connected with al-Qaeda. The prime motivation to annex Iraq was oil, but the other compelling reason was Israeli security concern. Tel Aviv viewed a strong Iraq as the biggest strategic challenge to its security and a bottleneck in the path of its ambition to establish ‘Greater Israel’. Destruction and occupation of Iraq in May 2003 which led to sectarian war between Shias and Sunnis caused over one million deaths, displaced two million outside Iraq and 2.7 million inside Iraq and made 870,000 children orphans.

Notwithstanding the fact that Saddam Hussain was a ruthless dictator, none can deny that he had kept ethnically diverse Iraq (55% Shias, 25% Sunnis and 20% Kurds) united and economically and militarily strong. Today Iraq is rived in sectarian/ethnic war and is at the verge of splitting into three States of Kurds, Sunnis and Shias. Iraq urgently needs a strong leader to re-unite the country. Current leadership in USA admits that Iraqi venture was a mistake. Hillary Clinton has admitted in her book ‘Hard Choices’ that she was wrong in voting in favor of Iraq war.

War in Iraq was primarily against Iraqi Sunnis since long subjugated Iraqi Shias in the south and Kurds in the north had been befriended. While the Shias and Kurds were empowered, 5-6 million Sunnis were sidelined and the Sunni heavy well trained/equipped Baathist Army disbanded in 2003 and in its place a new force called Iraqi National Army (INA) was raised essentially for counter terrorism purposes. $ 20 billion was spent to train/equip 800,000 strong INA. Nuri-al-Maliki’s regime which came to power in 2006 elections allegedly adopted the policy of marginalization of the second largest ethnic sect after Shias despite the fact that they had ruled Iraq for centuries. Deprived of power, several militant Sunni groups sprouted in Iraq to wage a guerrilla war against the occupation forces and what they perceived as US installed regime. Al-Qaeda joined the fray and soon became the leading resistance group. Jihadist Salafism found fertile ground among the Sunnis of Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.

Iraqi Sunni groups Ansar al-Sunna and Iraqi Islamic Army fought the occupation forces from August 2003 onwards. Suicide car bombs were extensively used. Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), initially known as Jamaat al Tawhid wa al-Jihad under Abu Masab al Zarqawi swore allegiance to Osama bin Laden in 2004 and became an affiliate of al-Qaeda. The group’s name was changed to Tanzim-e-Qiadat al-Jihad fi Bilal al-Rafidayn. In January 2006, al-Qaeda in Iraq merged with several groups under Mujahideen Shura Council.

Zarqawi for unknown reasons organized bombing of both Sunni and Shia mosques/Imabargahs. Bombing of one of the holiest Shia shrine the tomb of Imam Hassan al-Askari in Samarra in February 2006 triggered sectarian war. Zarqawi was killed in June 2006, but CIA and Mosad kept pouring oil on sectarian conflict which peaked in 2006-07. In response, Moqtada al-Sadr established Iraqi Shia Army of 50,000 fighters. Inflammation of sectarian conflict became the root cause of rise of ISI, later called Islamic State of Iraq & Levant/Sham (ISIL/ISIS).

ISI was formally formed on October 13, 2006 under Abu Abdullah al-Rashid Baghdadi and Abu Ayyub al-Masri. It claimed authority over Baghdad, Anbar, Diyala, Kirkuk, Salahuddin, Ninawa and parts of Babel. After the two leaders were killed in an operation in early 2010, ISI was taken over by 43 years old battle-hardened Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in April 2010. He was declared a terrorist by the US in October 2011. Massive use of force coupled with assistance from Sunni tribes helped the NATO in regaining control over Fallujah and forcing ISI to go underground.

Reportedly the ISI fighters proceeded to Jordon where after receiving training and arms in camps, ironically run by the US Special Forces they proceeded to Syria in 2011 and took part in the raging civil war. On April 9, 2013, ISI’s name was changed to ISIL/ISIS. Levant (Sham) envisages territories of Jordon, Palestine, Lebanon, Kuwait and southern Turkey. In the same month, Al-Nusra Front leader Abu M. al-Jawlani didn’t agree to Baghdadi’s proposal of merging his group into ISIL. Al-Zawahiri who wanted Baghdadi to accept Jawlani as Emir of new Sunni Emirate in Syria also opposed the merger and in October he ordered disbanding ISIL and put Al-Nusra in-charge of Jihad in Syria. When Baghdadi paid no heed, in February 2014 al-Qaeda disavowed any relations with ISIL. Whereas Syrian Free Army of Syrian rebels and al-Nusra Front want overthrow of Asad regime, ISIL want to establish its own rule on conquered territory. In June 2014, branch of al-Nusra Front in Syrian town of al-Bukamai pledged allegiance to ISIL.

After capturing Al- Barakah, Al-Kheir, Deir Ezzor, Ar-Raqqah, Al-Badiya, Halab, Idlib, Hama and the coast in Aleppo province in Syria, the ISIL, also called Da’ash, crossed into Iraq and captured Fallujah in Anbar province in January 2014. All efforts by INA to retake Fallujah failed. The ISIL Jihadists after consolidating its hold over Fallujah, launched a major offensive on June 9, 2014 and within weeks captured five provinces in northern and western Iraq that are Sunni inhabited. Tikrit, the home town of Saddam, and Mosul with a population of two million people and defended by 30,000 troops were also captured.

The entire defensive structure built by Maliki regime to save northern and western Sunni dominated regions from the onslaught of militants crumbled. Soldiers ran helter-skelter leaving behind huge dumps of arms, ammunition, explosives, equipment, heavy guns, vehicles, rations and clothing stores, UH 60 Blackhawks and other helicopters, cargo planes. The military equipment captured by the ISIL fighters included AN/PVS-7 night vision goggles, MI6 rifles, M4 carbines, M203 grenade launchers, M60 and 240 machine guns, RPGs, surface to air stinger missiles, MI98 Howitzer artillery guns, Ack Ack guns, SP guns, scud missiles, T-55 and T-72 tanks, AMZ Dziks, MT-LB, Humvies, MII3 APCs, recovery vehicles. Large amount of cash was also seized by the militants and today it claims to be in possession of over $2 billion. 3/4th of the cash was seized from Mosul. Two senior most Army officers Gen Ali Gardan and Lt Gen Abu Qambar and several other senior officers resigned from their posts.

On June 29, the ISIL chief Baghdadi was declared Caliph and leader of Muslims everywhere. They have asked the Muslims worldwide to pledge allegiance to their chief, called as ‘Caliph Ibrahim’. The current span of Islamic caliphate called Islamic State (IS) extends from Aleppo in northern Syria to Diyala in Iraq. This stretch of territory is under complete control of IS which includes second largest city of Mosul and largest Baiji oil refinery near Baghdad. Today, IS has become the strongest Jihadist group both militarily and financially in Syria and Iraq as well as the world over. Abu Bakr has become a serious challenge to al-Qaeda Chief Ayman al Zawahiri who till recent was the leading militant leader. IS has 3-6000 fighters in Syria including 3-4,000 Jihadists from Europe, USA, Caucasus and Turkey and up to 6000 fighters in Iraq. Among the foreigners, about 1000 Jihadists are from Chechnya and 500 from Britain. It is predicted that more would join in coming months. The IS/ISIL comprise of fighters belonging to Jaish al-Fateheen, Jund al-Sahaba, Katbiyan Ansarul Tauhid  wal Sunnah and Jaish al Taifa al-Mansoora.

ISIL/IS is known for its harsh interpretation of Islam and violence and follows al-Qaeda ideology, which emerged from Muslim Brotherhood ideology. It aims at establishing Salafist model Islamic State initially in Iraq and Syria and later expanding it. Strict Shariah laws have been enforced in captured territories. While captured Shias are summarily being killed, Christians are given the choice to either convert to Islam, or pay Jiziyah, or exit. Even 20 Sunni Ulema disagreeing with the ideology of IS or refusing to pledge allegiance to the caliph were murdered. In Samarra, 1000 Sunnis were killed. After destroying the holy shrine of Prophet Yunus (AS) on July 24, the Nabi Shees shrine in Mosul was also dynamited on July 26th. The IS leadership has vowed to head for Baghdad, Najaf and Karbala and destroy sacred shrines there. The IS is operating on the pattern of Changez Khan to strike terror into the hearts of the people and make them flee.

The Iraqi Kurds in the north aspiring to establish independent Kurdistan took control of oil producing Kirkuk and vowed to fight the IS fighters. Shia militias like Iran inspired Asaib Ahl Al Haq, and Peace Brigades of  Moqtada al-Sadr are uniting to fight the IS. Their primary aim is not the preservation of united Iraq but to protect holy Shia shrines and southern Iraq. Iran has supplied military equipment and drones to support embattled Iraqi army. Syrian air force has also joined the fray by striking IS militants inside Iraqi territory.    

Till the emergence of ISIL now morphed into IS, Israel was viewed as the foremost threat to the Arab States. The security spectrum has now changed and ISIL/IS is being viewed by myopic Muslim leaders as a greater threat. As long as ISIL was fighting the security forces in Syria, Israel was quite content since the iron was cutting the iron. Tel Aviv has off late changed course and expressed its willingness to jointly fight the common enemy. It even suggested establishing a joint HQ to confront the challenge.

The idea is impractical and ridiculous in the backdrop of unresolved Palestinian dispute. It is strange that Israeli ongoing brutal offensive against Gaza has failed to divert the Islamic lava towards Israel. None of the known Jihadist groups has fired a single bullet against US military or Israeli forces.  ISIL has not killed a single American since its creation in 2006. It is unfortunate that the visionless Muslim leaders are least bothered about the Israeli intrigues aimed at weakening Muslim Ummah by creating misgivings and inflaming sectarian war to divide the targeted Muslim countries into smaller States. For the achievement of this goal, the schemers support rebel groups within each target country and also stoke sectarianism. In all the restive Muslim countries, Muslims are fighting with Muslims.

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