- Republicans on the Hill are blasting President Obama for failing to stop the Iraqi government from releasing a Hezbollah commander suspected in the killing of five Americans.

The State Department confirmed Friday that Iraqi officials released Ali Mussa Daqduq, despite repeated pleas from the Obama administration to keep him in custody. Even Vice President Joe Biden made a personal entreaty as recently as Tuesday, a White House official reveals.

Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham said the release showsAmerica's influence is waning because of Obama's “failed foreign policy.”

“TheUnited Statesnow has so little influence that it could not prevail upon the Iraqi government to extradite Daqduq to theU.S.to stand trial for his crimes,” they said in a joint statement.

TheUnited Statesbelieves Daqduq masterminded a raid on aU.S.military base inKarbalain 2007 that killed five Americans, according to the Associated Press. He is also suspected of working with Iranians to train militias to attackU.S.forces. He had been inU.S.custody for nearly four years but was turned over toIraqwhen Americans pulled out of the country last year.

At the time, Biden called Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and asked him to keep Daqduq in custody anyway. On Tuesday, the vice president tried once more, expressing his “strong objection” to the release, according to the White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity.



By Soran Ali