The first lesson which is explained in the aforegoing pages, is the fighting ability of Muslims. Inspite of the Imaani and Akhlaaqi deficiencies of Muslims, they are still able to hold their ground and inflict heavy losses on a powerful enemy—on the superpower of the world. The second lesson which Muslims can learn from the Iraqi war is the impotency of today’s superpowers notwithstanding their military and nuclear arsenals.

FALLUJAH
Bush has boasted that the U.S. military is the finest and the best in the world. But, the world is witnessing the humiliation of this ‘finest’ military of the world. If just the Fallujah operation is taken into consideration, one can but only observe with surprise and wonder at the weakness of the superpower and the resilience of Mujahideen who have defeated the U.S. military in this city.

It was a total and a massive assault involving multiple and destructive air strikes which reduced much of the city to ruins. 12,000 U.S. soldiers and marines with the best military equipment which the technology of America can provide, protected by a powerful air force dropping the most lethal bombs which cause terrible destruction, capable of eliminating entire areas in seconds, were confronted by a handful of Mujahideen. Contrary to the American claim of 1500 Mujahideen defenders in Fallujah, there had remained only a couple of dozen Mujahideen in the whole city. The very nature of the groundfight in Fallujah belies the American claim of 1500.

The encounters reported by the western media itself, mention groups of four, six and ten Mujahideen. The claim of 1500 is wild guesswork. This is clear from the fact that some military officials said that the number is between 1500 and 3000. This is plain conjecture.

Even if it is accepted that there were 1500 defenders, it represents a ratio of almost 10 Americans to one Mujahid. The comparison too is ridiculous from the military point of view when the weapons of the Mujahideen adversaries are considered. Inspite of the ridiculously heavy odds against them, the Mujahideen had humbled the U.S. military.

There has been no clear victory in Fallujah for the U.S. military. It only succeeded in reducing the place to ruins and causing immense hardship to the civilian population. Fallujah still has not been ‘pacified’. Pacification of Fallujah was the declared motive of the American assault.

1500
Let us accept the American claim of 1500 Mujahid defenders in Fallujah. The U.S. military, despite its great advantages—its numerical and military superiority— over the Mujahideen and inspite of being the superpower of the world had to call in the forces of its British coalition partner to assist in the operation.

MOSUL
While the Fallujah assault was in progress, the Mujahideen made an assault on the city of Mosul and other areas. Dozens of police stations were destroyed by the Mujahideen, and 80% of the Iraqi police force deserted their posts. So severe were the Mujahid attacks in different areas that the U.S. military was compelled to with draw a substantial number of its troops from Fallujah to confront the Mujahideen in Mosul and elsewhere. It could not even draw from the other 150,000 troops already in Iraq. The U.S. military was compelled to siphon off some troops from the 12000 it had allocated for the Fallujah operation to relieve its Iraqi police compatriots in Mosul. This is an indication of the precarious position of the U.S. and British militaries in Iraq.

But, the U.S. military was incapable of staging a repeat performance — a Fallujah-style assault in Mosul city.

EQUIPMENT
To this day the fighting flares and is escalating all over Iraq. The superpower is running short of humvees and other equipment. The U.S. military is scrounging around scrap yards and other places for metal to reinforce the humvees which are being attacked and destroyed with their occupants all too often by the Mujahideen. The American factory which used to produce about 50 humvees a month has been put under pressure to produce 500 a month.

CONFINED
The U.S. and British forces number almost 200,000 in Iraq. The vast majority is confined to barracks and have to live behind wire and concrete. They dare not venture out at will. There is no free movement in Iraq for the forces of these superpowers. To crown their incapacity and impotency, they are not even fighting the whole of Iraq. In the beginning Bush and Rumsfeld maintained that only a few hundred foreign ‘bandits’ were fighting and causing the mayhem. Now they have another tune. They have upped the figure to 20,000 ‘insurgents’.

The emergence of the U.S. military for an operation is dictated by desperation and force of circumstances brought by intense Mujahideen and other anti-U.S. fighters. With the aid of the air force, the U.S. military stages quick strikes and hastily retreat behind their barricade of concrete walls. They have imprisoned themselves. The whole Iraq is a no-go zone for the U.S. and British militaries.

ONLY SUNNIS
The superpowers are not even fighting the whole of Iraq. They are being confronted by a small percentage of the Sunni Muslims. Shiahs who constitute the majority, have throughout their history collaborated with the enemies of Islam. Today, they have simply repeated their history. The vast majority consisting of Shiahs, Kurds and modernist Sunnis are not participants in the struggle against the occupation. In fact, 90% of Iraq’s population is complicit with the U.S. occupation for a variety of reasons. The fight of the superpowers is only with a small band of Sunnis, not with all the Sunnis too. Yet, the humiliation of their militaries is being witnessed on an incremental basis.

IMPOTENCY
In Iraq the superpowers have conspicuously displayed their impotency. It has become manifest that the U.S. is a superpower in theory—a paper superpower. It cannot fight a war even against a small band of fighters notwithstanding its massive firepower. Can this ‘superpower’ ever fight a world war? Barring firing missiles and making air-strikes, the U.S.A. is incapable of fighting a land war against even small impoverished nations who resolve to stand and fight. Iraq is loud and adequate testimony for this truth.

Everyone can imagine the scenario and America’s plight if right at this moment several Muslim countries resolve to go to Iraq’s aid and apply all their forces against the superpowers. When the U.S. has hopelessly failed to manage even the small band of Mujahideen in Iraq where the majority of the population is not even participating in the fight, it simply stands no chance of survival if it has any plans for invading any neighbouring countries at this juncture.

AFGHANISTAN
A similar scenario exists in Afghanistan. The American superpower despite the presence of its forces there, is not in control of the country. Its Kerzai government is a true puppet and a government on paper only. In Afghanistan too, the American army is largely confined to barracks from which it occasionally issues orders, under cover, to bomb, ruin villages and mountain caves.

Dozens of mini governments exist in Afghanistan, and the warlords rule their territories with impunity. More than 90% of Afghanistan is a nogo region for the U.S. military. And, when it is compelled by circumstances to emerge from barracks, the foot soldiers of the Northern Alliance constitute the imperative advance party to shield the American stragglers who rarely, if ever, engage the Afghan Mujahideen in combat.

TORTURE
The prime function of the U.S. military in Afghanistan is to act as Kerzai’s bodyguard and to arrest defenceless men who are subjected to horrendous torture in enclosed prisons. The U.S. military is not a fighting force, neither in Iraq nor in Afghanistan. If the U.S. army had fighting ability, the galaxy of warlords would not today have been ruling Afghanistan.

Thinking people will not fail to understand this reality —the reality of America being a paper superpower. The other imaginary superpower is Russia who has not been able to quell the small band of ‘foreign bandits’ in Chechnya in over a decade. This imaginary superpower endeavours to hide its humiliation with a complete news blackout. It is essential for Muslims to understand that Power is only with Allah Azza Wa Jal. The Qur’aan states: “Verily, Izzat (power/honour) belongs to only Allah.” Only by obediently serving Him will Muslims ever gain power on earth.