Al-Baghdadi Tribute :
- He stood for Iraqi Sunnis at a time when Shias were mass torturing Sunnis every where in post Saddam Iraq. At one time it seemed like Iraq is about to go through a Safavid like conversion in Iran 400 years back. That didn't happen, tide changed on his rise.
- He showed that it's possible for 300 fighters to stand against 30 thousands in this era and still win, like in ancient Sparta. Modern warfare hasn't changed much of the old power balance equation. He lost, but kept a precedence on what's possible for the future.
The bad parts :
- His group was Kharizi, pure and simple.
- All the lost lives, broken families and deceived Muslims.