U.S. Transfer of Hizbullah Fighter to Iraqi Authorities on Hold
Iraq's Justice Ministry said Friday that plans to transfer a top Hizbullah commander who's being held in Baghdad from U.S. to Iraqi custody have been put on hold.
The turnabout comes as 20 U.S. senators ask the Pentagon to take "whatever steps you can" to prevent the transfer out of fear that the militant, Ali Mussa Daqduq, will escape or be released by Iraq's government.
Just two days ago, Justice Ministry spokesman Haidar al-Saadi said the U.S. would transfer custody of Daqduq by the end of this week.
U.S. forces have held Daqduq since his 2007 capture for allegedly cooperating with Iranian agents to train Shiite militias to target American soldiers.
He is one of about 10 detainees whom the U.S. must either prosecute or hand over to Iraq by the end of the year.
In a letter dated Thursday, 20 U.S. senators asked Defense Secretary Leon Panetta "to take whatever steps you can to block Daqduq's transfer to the Iraqi government and out of U.S. custody."
"If he is released from United States custody, there is little doubt that Daqduq will return to the battlefield and resume his terrorist activities against the United States and our interests," the senators wrote in the letter signed by 19 Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Sen. John McCain of Arizona, top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Senate Homeland Security Committee chairman Joe Lieberman, an independent senator from Connecticut, also signed the letter.
22 July 2011, 17:01
22
This thug is not a fighter but a terrorist and should hang like the simple
criminal he is.
22 July 2011, 17:09
02
This is a reasonable request by the senators with respect to an enemy combatant whose goal was to kill US soldiers.
Clearly the Iranian influenced (if not controlled) Iraqi government will let the man go.
22 July 2011, 17:21
02
@bigdig:
What in the hell does this have to do with Israel?
This is a man who plots to kill our soldiers. Of course, by your theory, it's OK for Hizthrowup to kill an LAF soldier and not be held in jail? Can't wait to see your response on this one. They are invaders, occupiers, Americans? Bring it on.
22 July 2011, 21:31
01
Keep digging bigdig, that also again shows that the so called Hezb Allah is not a Lebanese resistance but an Iranian terrorist organization administered by the Iranian republican guards and operating under the slogan the Islamic resistance in Lebanon, and in Iraq, Egypt, Argentina, Columbia, Belarus, Turkey, Bahrain, Germany....
23 July 2011, 02:15
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@Bigdig You do not represent ANY Lebanese citizen or Lebanese culture, WE The True Lebanese People are NOT terrorists like you, day in and day out you defend the militia that turned our Country into a shameful place to live in, ever drove to and from the Airport (First entry point of any civilized person) and smelled the Perfume or illegal building on the left and right of the road? If you dream about the mossad at night then there is a place called Golan why do not go and live there so that you can face them?
23 July 2011, 02:26
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BIGDIG.....The senators are mostly jews, so they support Israel.. SO FRIGGIN WHAT?? If yo dont like it, then emmigrate to the USA , learn how to become a public servant, instead of thugs as in lebanon, and make laws that help the arabs... simple.. and we thought that your honest nasralla, the one who does not lie said before that HA is only in lebanon, not in iraq,yemen,egypt,lybia, iran, uzbekstan,syria, iran.. If the preacher is a lier, then what do we expect form your whole party and whole sect.. That sect who forgot the arab roots and turned to the persiann ones just like in syrai.. syria lost is role in the arab world when it renegged its arabism and followed iran..learn from others mistakes before you are shipped to iran just like the whole arab world wanted to ship the christians of lebanon to europe and the usa when they renegged their arabism... isnt it enough that a parliament speaker started speaking farsi in our arab lebanese parliament.... tfeh 3alayk w 3alay
23 July 2011, 15:11
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bigdig very cleaver I always enjoyed good sarcasm, yes I got it, the crazy numbers of yours you were of course echoing to the 300 years the so called Hezb Allah murders will evade arrest that Hassan Nasralla was talking about funny very funny.
