Iraqi Counter-terrorism Service Commander Gen. Talib Shaghati Alkenani describes the war against Daesh
UNIPATH STAFF
The battle of Ramadi is considered one of the most important battles in the war to defeat Daesh. The terrorists bragged they would transform Ramadi into a massive grave filled with the bodies of those attempting to take back the city. They placed explosives on the roads leading into the city, in the sewage system and in homes. They built defensive measures and trenches to prolong their hold on Ramadi. However, the military plan to liberate Ramadi and the swift and effective work of Iraqi special operation forces paralyzed Daesh, and it lost this key city. Unipath met with staff Gen. Talib Shaghati Alkenani, the head of Iraqi Counter-terrorism Service and the commander of joint forces, who led this historic battle.
Unipath: How important is information warfare in defeating Daesh?
Gen. Alkenani: Daesh is an unconventional enemy that uses social media and discussion forums to spread its toxic ideology and deceive young Muslims about the so-called Islamic caliphate and use them as fodder for its sectarian wars. Security agencies ignored the terrorists’ activities online for many years, and the consequences have been horrific as we witness fighters come from all over the world to join Daesh in Syria. Therefore, the security agencies must counter the lies of terrorists and track them online, in social media and on smartphone apps to prevent more recruitment among young Muslims. As we liberate areas once held by the terrorists, we discover computer networks used by Daesh to broadcast news about fake victories and spread hateful ideology to specific sites online. We found a complete program about attracting youth on Twitter and Facebook. They have experts in fabricated pictures and videos and teams of hackers and online promoters and recruiters. They use social media and discussion forums not just for recruitment but also financing, communication and coordinating attacks. Social media is considered oxygen for Daesh, and we must cut its access to the Internet and expose its lies in cyberspace.
Unipath: You have previously mentioned the danger of Daesh recruiting children. During the recapture of Ramadi, did you confront any minors fighting for the terrorists?
Gen. Alkenani: The recruitment of children is a very dangerous issue. We detained minors while they attempted to flee the battlefield, and we found the remains of unknown foreign fighters whose ages ranged between 15 and 17. Unfortunately, Daesh was able to deceive these minors.
Unipath: How can Daesh claim it is establishing a caliphate and at the same time commit crimes denounced by Islam like looting, killing innocents and enslaving women?
Gen. Alkenani: Daesh used religion as cover for its crimes to recruit young Muslims who have limited education. These terrorists have neither faith nor humanity. Their main goal is to spill the blood of innocents and ignite sectarian war everywhere in the world. Their acts reveal their true face. The majority are ex-convicts or fugitives who found safe haven to satisfy their savage instincts that they try to justify by using religion. The ugly result of what happened in Sinjar proved that these criminals are looking to fulfill their sexual desires, not faith or belief. Our Yazidi brothers have existed in the land between the rivers since the dawn of civilization; Muslims never harassed them during the Abbasid Caliphate. The false claims of the hypocrite Ibrahim Awwad Ibrahim al-Badri, the person known as Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, that his “caliphate” follows the Prophet’s legacy, is a flat-out falsehood. The majority of Muslims condemn them and describe them as the “seed of the devil,” “neo-Kharijites” and the “astray.” The motive of Daesh behind this disgraceful crime is to attract sexually unstable young men to justify the ugly crime of rape. Islamic history offers no reference points to commit such massive crimes against non-Muslims or to force their children into marriage. This false caliphate spilled the blood of Muslims and destroyed their cities and turned them into refugees.
Unipath: How was the Daesh gang able to control Ramadi for so long?
Gen. Alkenani: What we found in Ramadi proved the brutality of Daesh. These terrorists were careless about the lives of innocents. They forced the young to join or threatened them with death. They looted food from homes under the excuse that they were sharing it with mujahedeen. They prohibited the Internet and satellite TV. They launched a beheading and lashing campaign in public places to terrorize citizens. Mere suspicion was sufficient to kill innocents. They invaded the privacy of homes, claiming they were searching for former Anbar Awakening members. They confined women to their homes and limited the movement of men. Anyone caught by Daesh trying to leave town would be beheaded in the public square. They published leaflets to terrorize people and prevent them from fleeing. Daesh’s control of Ramadi was like a nightmare for the locals who were trapped and became hostages at the hand of terrorists. Daesh used populated areas as their defensive lines and placed command and control among residential areas to avoid airstrikes.
Unipath: Did Daesh cause significant damage in the city?
Gen. Alkenani: After they took control of the city, terrorists entrenched inside homes and dug tunnels beneath the homes to avoid airstrikes. In the home where external walls were shared, they made holes to move between the houses and used these as their main supply lines. In addition, they detonated the homes of tribal sheikhs who in the past had refused to cooperate with this twisted ideology. They planted booby traps and set charges in the majority of the city and the sewage system as defensive measures against the Iraqi Armed Forces. During the offensive operation to liberate Ramadi, coalition airpower and the Iraqi Air Force focused attacks on Daesh positions on the outskirts of the city and cut all supply lines to limit civilian casualties. We surrounded and sealed the city and asked citizens to go to specific safe areas so that we could destroy all enemy checkpoints and obstacles that could stop citizens. Daesh destroyed a significant portion of the city and its infrastructures and detonated many residential areas during our advance. Their goal was to turn the city into ruins. The terrorists were wearing suicide vests and fighting inside homes rigged to explode to maximize casualties and slow our advance.
Unipath: You said Daesh cut through shared walls between homes to ease their movements. Isn’t violating the privacy of home a clear violation of Islam?
Gen. Alkenani: Yes, they had no regard for people’s privacy. Religion and norms prohibit the entering of residential homes without the permission of their owners. True Muslims must respect this sensitive issue and never invade the privacy of other Muslims. The terrorists were moving day and night between the homes, sometimes moving through bedrooms and kitchens. They showed no respect to the residents, and whoever complained faced death.
Unipath: How did your forces catch Daesh by surprise and liberate Ramadi swiftly?
Gen. Alkenani: We had precise intelligence about the terrorist formation areas, their ammunition and weapons caches and defensive lines. We even knew the location of their prisons and supply lines. We relied on the bravery of tribal men who faithfully worked to liberate their city from terror.
In addition, the role of Iraqi Air Force and our friends in coalition air forces was very important for reconnaissance and surveillance of enemy movements and positions, which made the planning stage smooth. Furthermore, the concentrated training that counterterrorism forces underwent for months in preparation for this battle helped achieve significant results. Daesh was paralyzed after the powerful and precise airstrikes a few days before the ground offensive, and they were caught by surprise at how fast the counterterrorist forces reached Ramadi’s downtown. It was a fierce fight in which the fighters of Iraqi special operations and counterterrorists reached a milestone and brought glory to Iraqis.
Unipath: How do you plan to capitalize on this victory in Ramadi? Can you stabilize the city and prevent terrorists from finding another foothold?
Gen. Alkenani: I would like to express my appreciation for the honorable stand of tribal forces who fight alongside their brothers in the Armed Forces. I also would like to extend my gratitude to Ramadi residents who supported the Armed Forces either by providing valuable information on Daesh hideouts or by just warmly welcoming their sons who liberated the city. The joyful chants of Ramadi women who welcomed their sons in the Armed Forces has a positive impact on their morale. One of the fighters told me how the Ramadi citizens welcomed them with tears and smiles. After liberating the city, a battalion of tribal fighters, along with police, took the lead. They controlled the ground and prevented sleeper cells from destabilizing the city. In addition, the local government resumed work to serve citizens. The security forces helped the displaced return to their homes. The city suffered massive destruction and needs massive efforts to rebuild. However, I am optimistic that the Iraqi government and local government will do their best to provide services and secure and stabilize it. The battle of Ramadi boosted the morale of our Armed Forces and makes Iraqis proud of their military. Daesh’s goal was to demoralize the Iraqi military through their propaganda; however, after Ramadi, the terrorists lost the momentum and morale. Their fighters started fleeing the area before our arrival.
Unipath: When it comes to battling extremism, what are Iraq’s strengths and weaknesses?
Gen. Alkenani: Our strength is the bravery and heroism of the Iraqi Armed Forces and the unity of Iraqis to fight terror. In addition, I recognize the commitment of our friends to provide security and military support for Iraq to defeat Daesh. We are facing a challenge to deprive Daesh of financing, recruits and arms, since these activities take place outside Iraq. The majority of this activity takes place in neighboring countries. We call on nations of the region to track and disrupt terrorist activities and punish those who carry them out. Daesh will not stop at the Iraqi border, but aims to disrupt the security and stability of the whole region and the globe. A good example is when they took control of Raqqa and launched a media campaign that threatened all nations in the region and described the heads of states as apostates and agents. Our ambition is to build security cooperation among neighboring nations to defeat terrorism that distorts the image of Islam and destroys the city of Muslims.
Unipath: How important is the larger coalition in defeating Daesh?
Gen. Alkenani: International cooperation is crucial to defeat Daesh, which is considered one of the most dangerous international terrorist organizations. It recruits fighters from the Caucasus, Europe, North America and Asia. This terrorist organization views the civilized world as its primary enemy. The recent terrorist attacks in Paris, North America and Turkey are good examples of the goals of these bloodthirsty terrorists. Therefore, all nations that want peace and freedom must stand up and battle this extremist ideology that slanders Muslims as apostates and non-Muslims as infidels with the aim of killing everyone.
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