Honestly, their K/D/A ratio is pretty shockingly bad, also they've quite a few times been feeding (trained Osama, to sick him on another country they didn't like, Osama came back to bite them in the ass. Gave support to a military Junta by a fascist military, that gov came back to bite them in the ass. Etc etc)
They just have an incredibly good propaganda arm, that makes them look more mighty than they are