بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

The Ummah will remain the target of the disbeliever's spears as long as they do not return to their Rabb and arbitrate His Sharee'ah
By: Abdur Rahman Al-Wathiq - Iraq

The greatest affliction that can happen to free lands is to fall under the clutches of a tyrannical occupier who usurps its lands, contravenes its sanctities and then treats it with the treatment of a master to his slave. So this occupier enforces its viewpoint in life and then makes it the basis for the application of systems and laws that are contrary to the belief of these lands. Iraq is an example of such a land where disbelieving (Kaffir) America attacked it utilising every means of brutality and destruction. It broke up its institutions, disbanded its army and left it to be a source of plunder for anyone to do as they wish with. Then when ISIS came to the fore after gaining control over parts of Syria and Iraq including the complete takeover of Nineveh and the majority of the cities of the Anbar province for close to a year amongst other areas here and there in the East whilst declaring a State upon this land, the wars between it and the (New) Iraqi army resulted in its expansion and its repeated announcement that it is heading for the capital Baghdad.

Then in the middle of the current month of May the Tanzheem (ISIS) entered a new battle in which it gained control over the centre of Ramadi, the capital of the Anbar province and took over the main government buildings. A few days following that they launched a wide attack upon the remaining areas of Ramadi until the city became completely under its control. After grueling battles, the Iraqi army and the forces accompanying it which included the Federal and local police in addition to tribal clan volunteers, suffered huge losses in terms of lives and equipment where the number killed reached hundreds. The Tanzheem (ISIS) then said that it is on the verge of controlling the road toward Baghdad and from another direction it is attempting to head to the Habbaniya base which holds a great deal of strategic importance due to what it contains of substantial military equipment and supplies. So in addition to the close proximity to Baghdad it appears that the loss of Ramadi was even greater and more significant than the previous loss of Mosul.

The fall of Ramadi into the hands of the Tanzheem (ISIS) has split the opinions in respect to what happened. So on one side those in charge of the ‘National Alliance' (Shias) insist that the responsibility falls upon the shoulders of the Chief of Operations in Ramadi who is from the people of Anbar. They accuse him of issuing orders to the army forces to retreat due to a coming sand storm! In line with this the news agencies reported that Sheikh Abdul Mahdi Al-Karbali the representative of As-Sistani stated that: ‘Thousands of the local police who are sons of the province ran away leaving their weapons as booty for the fighters of the terrorist Tanzheem (ISIS)!'

This is whilst all world news sources affirmed that the army fought a fierce battle to prevent the onslaught of the Tanzheem forces and to block its suicide operations. However the weak capabilities of the Iraqi army led to its withdrawal (Source: Al-Jazeera).

The following are testimonies from those who were on the battlefield:

- The admission of the Chief of police of Anbar Colonel Qasim Al-Fahdawi that the local police forces withdrew due to a shortage of ammunition and the weakness of their weaponry (Al-Arab Newspaper).

- The media advisor to the head of the Anbar Council (Suleymaan Al-Kubaisi) said to Radio Al-Mirbad: That the lack of sending military reinforcements to the forces that were fighting the Tanzheem led to their withdrawal to a position 7 km west of Ramadi and the terrorist Tanzheem enforced its control over it in a comprehensive manner'. He affirmed that the security units were exposed to mass extermination at the hands of the Tanzheem by way of execution, bombs and booby traps which led those who remained from amongst them to withdraw outside of the city borders. (Radio Al-Mirbad)

- The Pentagon spokesman of the US Department of Defence Stephen Warren disclosed that the early withdrawal of the Iraqi forces from Ramadi was due to necessity (The Washington Post).

- Eye witnesses from amongst the lower level officers and ranks transmitted to us that: The senior military officers withdrew when they felt that the fighters of the Tanzheem were about to descend upon them after reinforcements had not arrived from the 3rd Brigade which the Prime Minister Al-‘Abadi had promised to send to Ramadi! Those military leaders then withdrew without informing those under their command leaving them to face their fate. This then led to every group or company to break up and leave their tanks and military vehicles abandoning the battle field and fleeing for their lives. Indeed those who remained even used civilian cars that they could find and without permission to escape from the battlefield!

If we were to look back a little into the past it would tell us, in a way that is not subject to doubt, that America since the very first day of its occupation of Iraq has been plotting to destroy it and plunge it into a sea of chaos and serious problems. Otherwise what could be said about an army that it has supervised via its military consultants in its training and weaponisation for a period of ten years, having built bases and provided it with war and intelligence equipment, whilst spending billions of dollars (according to international statistics), all so that Iraq could have a well-developed army capable of protecting its people and its final gains, and yet nothing in this regard has been accomplished! Let us then look at what the head of evil Obama said commentating upon the set back of the fall of Ramadi: ‘It was as a result of shortcomings in the training and support of the Iraqi forces' (Al-Arab Newspaper)! Is this reply even acceptable? Which gaps or shortcomings is he talking about which has led to the displacement of the majority of the people of the Anbar province? Thousands of families are left open to the elements with no homes, sustenance, education, medical care and no end in sight to their suffering. Deaths and births have been happening amongst those who have made to leave their homes upon the border of Baghdad which has become a place of suffering for its honourable people. Then in the face of this Obama calls it a ‘shortcoming'!

((كَبُرَتْ كَلِمَةً تَخْرُجُ مِنْ أَفْوَاهِهِمْ إِن يَقُولُونَ إِلَّا كَذِبًا))

"Grave is the word that comes out of their mouths; they speak nothing except a lie" [Al-Kahf: 5].

In addition to that is the legislation of the law dividing Iraq into ethnic and sectarian regions (2013). This was followed by the decision to deal with the Kurdish guards (Peshmerga) and the tribal volunteers as two separate forces or states which occurred this year (2015) when they armed them without referring the matter to the Al-‘Abadi government. For a year or more America has been preparing to train and provide weapons to the tribes without that being followed up by any actions. As for the supposed international alliance, the number of state participants of which has (according to the hired media) reached fifty or sixty states and in respect to the hundreds of air strikes that have struck the Tanzheem's (ISIS) positions in Syria and Iraq, then all that has been seen is further victories and advancements for the Tanzheem.

We will summarize what has already been mentioned by stating that the fall of Ramadi at the hands of the Tanzheem (ISIS) differs from the fall of Mosul. That's because it was intended to fall but by way of cutting support and the necessary reinforcements that were required to win the battle and drive off the Tanzheem. This conspiracy was concocted by America and the ‘Alliance' (Shias) that has control over the reins of government in the presence of false witnesses from the conspiring politicians (Sunni) who crave and worship positions. As such the army and the fighters of the tribes were left to repel an enemy that surpassed them in weaponry and training whilst confronting them with light weapons! This disaster struck provincial town (Ramaadi) fell to soothe ill hateful hearts within America, Iran, the sectarian militias and the government of Al-‘Abadi.

((تَشَابَهَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ))

"Their hearts resemble each other" [Al-Baqara: 118]

And each of them has their objectives and motives:

- As for America then there exists between it and the people of Anbar an old vendetta which began when Fallujah twice wiped away their pride when the people of the Anbar province inflicted heavy losses upon it with a huge cost. This following is what was mentioned in the American newspaper The New Yorker: The nightmare of the America marines in Anbar still remains fresh and vivid in the minds in the case where this Sunni province wiped out around 1300 of those marines.

- In respect to Iran then the people of Anbar have represented a clear opponent to it, exposing its harmful practices against the people of Iraq whilst holding the finger of accusation directly against it and its militias without hesitation. Now what Iran desired has become accomplished as the militias are now accompanied by the Iranians (as consultants) using them as they wish whilst the borders of Syria, Jordan and Saudi have become but a stone throw's distance from its reach providing them with opportunity in line with their plans and interests.

- As for the ‘Abadi government then they were betting upon the fall of Anbar as a whole as witnessed in its procrastination and evasion in respect to him not sending the necessary reinforcements to the army out of spite, in addition preventing the arming of the tribes! At the same time 1000 volunteers from the Hashd forces were present in the Habaniyah Base in Ramadi just a short time prior to its fall so why were they not sent to come to the aid of their brothers there?! In this way the victory became the property of those with sectarian agendas! (Source: Al-Jazeera).

It could be asked: Why all of these defeats and setbacks from a special army that engaged in the most ferocious of wars in the days of Saddam and was then reformed from anew at the hands of the occupier, as we have mentioned above?

The answer to that is easy; it is because many of the previous leaders and particularly those of the Sunni were killed by way of Iranian gangs as they were on lists of names of those who participated in the war against them. Others fled the land whilst others still joined Al-Qaeda or the Tanzheem (ISIS) and some are still rotting in the jails. Those who remained rode the waves and joined political parties and some Shi'ah groupings whilst their main concern became the accumulation of wealth by any means! The majority of the middle and lower army ranks and not military people in origin but were rather from those who sought refuge in Iran and were then given ranks of honour as a reward for their struggle against the Baathist regime. As a result it is a number of varying religious, political and interest based reference points and directions which move and motivate them. As for the nation, concerns and aspirations for the Ummah, then all of these hold no meaning or value to them in their dictionaries. Rather every faction or brigade is subservient to a figure from amongst the figures of the rule and so this then is what inevitably happens as a result. So what victory is being waited for from those who are upon this form and shape? The result then is a foregone conclusion in favour of the enemies.

There is no doubt that the expanding control of the Tanzheem (ISIS) over the lands of the people of the Sunni or what is called the ‘Hawaadin' will bring upon these lands complete destruction in which life is impossible. Its people will remain refugees and displaced within their own land and all that accompanies that in respect to the consequences upon the social, economic and political situations etc...

All of this will bring about a great need and powerful justification for those who benefit and seek to trade upon the pains and sufferings of their people, along with those who accompany them, to practice deceitful, shameful and hypocritical roles of caretaking as they demand a region which is specific for the people of the Sunni. They will claim that this is to lift their suffering and the injustice that has befallen them and so that they can live their lives according to the style and pattern of life that is suitable for them. This then represents that which will through Iraq into the gloom and darkness of non-existence and irrelevance accompanied by all that this brings in terms of frictions and battles amongst the people. Similarly it has nearly been announced that areas of Anbar are the property of Karbala whilst in Mosul there are lands that the Arabs and Kurds differ in respect to their right of ownership and the list of such realities is a long one. In this way the lands of the Muslims will fade away whether this is in Iraq, Arabian Peninsula, Sudan or Egypt. The biggest winners and those who profit most from this are the enemies of our pure Deen and those who spitefully hate and oppose our pure Islamic Aqeedah.

So we ask Allah to make the plots and schemes of the oppressors come to nothing and for the cycle of evil to befall them. We ask Him Almighty to grant our Ummah a hasty and strong victory so that the waiting State of Islam is established, the second Khilafah "Caliphate" State upon the methodology of the Prophethood. Upon that day we will enjoy the blessings of security, honour and dignity:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ لاَ تَتَّخِذُواْ بِطَانَةً مِّن دُونِكُمْ لاَ يَأْلُونَكُمْ خَبَالاً وَدُّواْ مَا عَنِتُّمْ قَدْ بَدَتِ الْبَغْضَاء مِنْ أَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَمَا تُخْفِي صُدُورُهُمْ أَكْبَرُ قَدْ بَيَّنَّا لَكُمُ الآيَاتِ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ

"O you who have believed, do not take as intimates those other than yourselves, for they will not spare you [any] ruin. They wish you would have hardship. Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, and what their breasts conceal is greater. We have certainly made clear to you the signs, if you will but use reason." [Al-i-‘Imran: 118]

* Written for Ar-Rayah Newspaper - Issue 27