Smith, McKeon, Rogers and Ros-Lehtinen Statement on Release of Hezbollah Operative Ali Mussa Daqduq

Smith, McKeon, Rogers and Ros-Lehtinen Statement on Release of Hezbollah Operative Ali Mussa Daqduq

Washington, D.C. — House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas); House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon; House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers; and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, released the following statement today on the release of Hezbollah operative Ali Mussa Daqduq.

Chairmen: “We are deeply disappointed that Iraqi authorities have chosen to release Ali Mussa Daqduq, the Hezbollah agent who murdered five Americans. This move calls into question the Obama Administration’s decision to turn Daqduq over to Iraqi authorities in the first place, and is yet another national security threat that could have been avoided had the President been successful in his negotiations to secure a long-term Status of Forces Agreement with the Government of Iraq.

“Due to this failure, a senior Hezbollah operative with American blood on his hands is now free in one of the most unstable regions of the world.  As we conclude our military operations in Afghanistan, President Obama’s Administration will be faced with similar choices.  There are currently dangerous terrorists in U.S. custody in Afghanistan who pose a grave threat to our national security.  We must not release these individuals in a rush to retreat from Afghanistan.  We sincerely hope the President learns from history, so that the American people are not forced to repeat it.”