So much has already been written on this phenomenon but a great deal still remains in the dark. The meteoric ascendency of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) may not be unique, considering the intrinsic weaknesses in the Iraqi defence forces, but their whirlwind strides in large swaths of Iraq’s mainland are certainly of some consequence. It is, however, questionable whether ISIL will be able to hold on to its gains for long. This is because the odds against them are heavy. As in Syria, their stay in Iraq is challenged with full national vehemence and integrity. Despite the ragtag nature of the Iraqi army, its belated but matching response to the ISIL onslaught is restoring its confidence.
This is a battle of epic proportions and will decide once and for all the future of the ummah (Muslim community) for unforeseeable times in the future. Unwittingly, or out of a grudge against Iran, the western media is portraying this as a Shia-Sunni fight. Nothing can be further from the truth. Newsweek has reported Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as saying that the Iraq conflict is a “showdown between humanity and barbarian savagery”. He has also criticised the western media for portraying it as a war between Shia and Sunni Muslims. At a meeting with the families of the victims of a 1981 bombing that destroyed the Tehran headquarters of the ruling Islamic Republic Party in 1981, Khamenei said, “The incident in Iraq is not a war between Shias and Sunnis. It is a battle between supporters and opponents of terrorism, it is a war between fans of the US and the west and those favouring independence for their nation.”
ISIL’s intentions are obvious. After the establishment of their so-called Islamic Caliphate, as it was announced at the end of last week, they want to obliterate Shia Muslims from all Muslim lands. They want to impose their brand of myopic, rigid and brash faith over all other Islamic denominations. Violence, not argument, against the pristine teachings of Islam is their mainstay. Human Rights Watch (HRW) has condemned ISIL terrorists’ killings of about 1,700 Iraqi soldiers in captivity. “Murder, when systematic or widespread and committed as part of a deliberate policy of an organised group, can be a crime against humanity,” HRW has stressed.
These terrorists’ unbounded cruelty and human rights violations are working against them as people have realised that the only course left to save themselves from these barbarians is to fight them off with all the force they can muster. They have copied Hulagu Khan of Mongolia (1257) and are not even remotely touched by Islamic compassion. While fighting, the Mongols did not keep prisoners for the sake of convenience but ISIL terrorists do. They also slaughter, shoot and hang people shouting chants of “Allah o Akbar”, which, according to their twisted interpretation, is quite in line with the Islamic principles of warfare.
With the US dillydallying and the lukewarm response to frantic requests from Maliki for aerial strikes on ISIL positions inside Iraq to forestall their swift advance towards Baghdad, Iran’s role and response to Iraqi needs becomes vital. About 5,000 Iranians have already volunteered to fight against takfiri (those who accuse Muslims of apostasy) groups inside Iraq but Maliki has not yet asked for such assistance. Iran has made it known that its vital interest in Iraq is the maintenance of safety and sanctity of religious sites inside Iraq. Daash terrorists have already announced that they will destroy all holy places in Karbala and Najaf as well as Imam Hassan Askari’s mausoleum in Samara as they had earlier done in 2006.
Although Iran is keeping a low profile, it has acknowledged the first casualty of its forces in Iraq. Iran’s official IRNA news agency on Saturday reported that Colonel Shoja’at Alamdari Mourjani was killed while defending Shia Muslim holy sites in the city of Samarra, north of Baghdad. According to Al Jazeera, there were no reports of a plane being shot down in Iraq and the pilot probably died while fighting on the ground.
However, Iraq may not be in need of supportive boots on the ground. They are desperate for aerial support and appropriate firepower. Five Sukhoi Su-25 warplanes via Iran have already been delivered and they are being made battle ready. Five more are following. Once they are airborne the combat status is likely to change quickly.
The silver lining in the gloom is the fatwa of the Grand Ayatollah al-Sayyid ‘Ali al-Husayni al-Sistani, who has tremendous following and support in Iraq and outside among all factions of Muslims. He has called upon all Iraqis across the board to take up arms against takfiri terrorists to defend every inch of Iraqi territory. Last week saw a tremendous surge of volunteers enlisting themselves to go to the battlefronts. The tide is sure to turn but it may leave behind a highly bruised nation at the lowest ebb of its national pride.
The writer is an academician and a columnist currently teaching at a university in North Africa