US turns over Hezbollah prisoner to Iraqi government 
 
 By Jeremy Herb - 
 
 The U.S. handed over a Hezbollah prisoner suspected of being involved in the deaths of five U.S. soldiers to the Iraqi government Friday, as U.S. troops prepare to leave the country, the White House said. 
 
 The Obama administration had been pushing Iraq to allow the U.S. to keep Ali Musa Daqduq in U.S. custody, and President Obama discussed it with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki when he visited the White House Monday, National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said. 
 
 But the Iraqi government wouldn’t agree to let the U.S. taking Daqduq out of Iraq, and the U.S. legally had to transfer him to Iraqi custody under the security agreement negotiated by the Bush administration in 2008, Vietor said. 
 
 The decision to hand the last prisoner in U.S. custody over to the Iraqis was blasted by Republicans and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) Friday, who had wanted him transferred to Guantánamo Bay for a military tribunal. 
 
 A statement from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Lieberman and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) called the move “disgraceful.” 
 
 “Coming on the heels of the Administration's failure to maintain a small American military presence in Iraq to support the fragile peace there, this failure to keep a committed murderer of Americans in U.S. custody sends exactly the wrong message to our allies and enemies in the region,” the statement said. 
 
 Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said: “Given Iraq’s history of releasing detainees, I expect it is only a matter of time before this terrorist will be back on the battlefield.” 
 
 Vietor said that the administration did not want to send any more detainees to Guantanamo, and the U.S. had discussed transferring him to a U.S. military commission. 
 
 “The president has been clear that he believes it’s in our national security interest to close the detention facility of Guantanamo Bay, not add to the population,” Vietor said. 
 
 Vietor said the Iraqis have given assurances to the administration that Daqduq will be tried for his crimes. 
 
 Daqduq is accused of organizing a 2007 raid in Karbala, Iraq, where five U.S. soldiers were killed. 
 
 Under the security agreement with Iraq, the U.S. must return all prisoners to Iraqi custody as it leaves the country. The U.S. marked the end of the Iraq war Thursday and is in the process of withdrawing the final troops from the country by the end of the month. ||||| As the United States winds down its military role in Iraq , on Friday it turned over its last detainee in the country to Iraqi authorities, but not without serious concerns.The Obama administration had been trying to convince the Iraqi government for months to allow the extradition of Ali Mussa Daqduq, a suspected Hezbollah operative, to the U.S. for trial. Daqduq is accused of orchestrating a 2007 kidnapping that resulted in the killing of five U.S. military personnel.But ultimately, Baghdad would not cooperate.“Because of the president’s concerns about the crimes Daqduq is alleged to have committed, we worked a wide range of options consistent with U.S. and Iraqi law to effect his transfer to a U.S. military commission. We did so because we felt that was the fastest possible way to bring him to justice. We are continuing to discuss this case with the Iraqis, and as of this morning, he has been transferred to Iraqi custody,” said Tommy Vietor, spokesman for the National Security Council, said in a statement.“We take this case very seriously, and for that reason have sought and received assurances that he will be tried for his crimes,” Vietor said. “We have worked this at the highest levels of the U.S. and Iraqi governments, and we continue to discuss with the Iraqis the best way to ensure that he faces justice.”But that wasn’t enough to reassure lawmakers who said they remain concerned the Iraqi government will release Daqduq for political reasons.In a statement, Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the Senate minority leader, termed the administration’s actions “disgraceful.”“The real test regarding Daqduq was not whether the United States should violate our security agreement with Iraq in order to maintain custody of him outside of the country. The real test was whether the United States could exercise our influence effectively with the Iraqi government to ensure that a committed killer of Americans would be held accountable for his crimes in the U.S. system of justice. The administration has clearly failed that test,” the senators said. “As a result, we are deeply concerned that Daqduq will never have to answer for his involvement in killing U.S. citizens, that he could be released from Iraqi custody for political reasons, and that he would then return to the fight against the United States and our friends.” ||||| WASHINGTON (AP) — Signaling a possible escalation of U.S. military action in the Middle East, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Tuesday that the United States is retooling its strategy in Iraq and Syria and would conduct unilateral ground raids if needed to target Islamic State militants. 
 
 Defense Secretary Ash Carter testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015, before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Carter said Tuesday that the U.S. is willing to step up unilateral... (Associated Press) 
 
 Senate Armed Service Committee member, Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015, during the committee's hearing on the... (Associated Press) 
 
 Defense Secretary Ash Carter, accompanied by Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015, before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Carter... (Associated Press) 
 
 The U.S. has done special operations raids in Syria and participated in a ground operation to rescue hostages last week in northern Iraq that resulted in the first U.S. combat death in Iraq since 2011. Carter did not say under what circumstances the U.S. might conduct more ground action, but said, "Once we locate them, no target is beyond our reach." 
 
 "We won't hold back from supporting capable partners in opportunistic attacks against ISIL, or conducting such missions directly, whether by strikes from the air or direct action on the ground," Carter said, using an acronym for the militant group. 
 
 Carter and Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Republicans harshly criticized the Obama administration's strategy in Syria and Iraq, where IS militants have captured large swaths of territory and have largely fought the U.S.-led coalition to a stalemate. 
 
 With little recent progress in defeating the militant group, the defense secretary's testimony outlined a changing U.S. approach to the fight against IS. The changes point toward the prospect of deeper U.S. military involvement, although President Barack Obama has said he would not authorize a major commitment of ground combat forces. 
 
 Among other options being considered is providing close-air support for Iraqi ground forces with Apache helicopters or other aircraft, and embedding U.S. military advisers with smaller Iraqi units, thus placing the Americans closer to the front lines. That's according to defense officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. 
 
 The U.S. now has about 3,300 troops in Iraq to train and advise Iraqi forces and to protect U.S. facilities. There are no U.S. troops in Syria. 
 
 Among options being considered is using U.S. Army Apache helicopters and perhaps other aircraft to provide close-air support for Iraqi ground troops in certain circumstances, one U.S. defense official said after Carter testified. The official was not authorized to discuss internal deliberations publicly and thus spoke on condition of anonymity. 
 
 The administration also is considering other moves that would place U.S. troops closer to the front lines. 
 
 The changes Carter cited focus largely on targeting Raqqa, the militants' declared capital in Syria, and recapturing Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province in western Iraq, which IS fighters captured in May and have successfully defended so far. 
 
 In Syria, Carter said the U.S. will support moderate Syrian forces fighting IS militants, who have made territorial gains near Raqqa. He said the U.S. hopes to better equip anti-IS forces, further bolster Jordan and intensify the American air campaign with additional U.S. and coalition aircraft to target IS with heavier airstrikes. 
 
 "In the new train-and-equip effort that we described today, we will look to identify and then support capable and motivated forces on Syrian territory that are willing to take on IS," Carter said. "We have identified some of them already. And the new approach is to enable them, train them and equip them, rather than trying to create such forces anew, which was the previous approach." 
 
 A Defense Department program to train and equip moderate rebels to combat the Islamic State was a failure, and CIA-backed rebels fighting Assad are now under attack by Russian bombers. 
 
 In Iraq, Carter said the U.S. is willing to provide more firepower and other support if the Iraqi government can create a motivated Iraqi force that includes ethnic Sunnis. 
 
 "We've given the Iraqi government two battalions worth of equipment for mobilizing Sunni tribal forces. ... If local Sunni forces aren't sufficiently equipped, regularly paid and empowered as co-equal members of the Iraqi security forces, ISIL's defeats in Anbar will only be temporary," Carter said. 
 
 If done simultaneously, all the actions in the new U.S. strategy on the ground and in the air "should help shrink IS territory into a smaller and smaller area and create new opportunities for targeting IS — ultimately denying this evil movement any safe haven," Carter said. 
 
 Carter testified just weeks after Russia began conducting hundreds of airstrikes in Syria. Moscow says it is trying to help the Syrian government of President Bashar Assad defeat IS, but many of the Russia airstrikes have targeted Syrian rebels in areas where the extremist group is not present. 
 
 Carter reiterated his complaint that the Russian approach is "wrong-headed" and suggested a "doubling down on their long-standing relationship with Assad." 
 
 "It appears the vast majority of their (the Russians') strikes, by some estimates as high as 85 percent to 90 percent, use dumb bombs, which obviously increases the possibility of civilian casualties," he said. 
 
 Carter's testimony drew criticism from Republicans on the committee, primarily because it does not involve the ouster of Assad. 
 
 Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a presidential candidate, said Russia, Iran and the Hezbollah militant group all are supporting Assad. Carter and Dunford both acknowledged that the U.S. was supporting moderate forces in Syria in the fight against the Islamic State, but not those fighting against Assad. 
 
 Carter said the U.S. approach to removing Assad has been mostly a political effort. 
 
 Dunford said, "I think the balance of forces right now are in Assad's advantage." 
 
 Graham seized on their replies. 
 
 "If I'm Assad, this is a good day for me because the American government has just said, without saying it, that they are not going to fight to replace me," Graham said. 
 
 "You have turned Syria over to Russia and Iran. ... This is a sad day for America and the region will pay hell for this," Graham said, adding that he thought the U.S. strategy was half-baked. "The Arabs are not going to accept this. The people of Syria are not going to accept this."
– As the US wound down its operations in Iraq this week, it transferred its last remaining detainee over to Iraqi authorities, reports the Los Angeles Times. The move was a controversial one because Ali Musa Daqduq is accused of being a Hezbollah operative behind a 2007 Iraqi raid that resulted in the deaths of five US soldiers. Critics—especially Republicans—wanted him transferred to Gitmo, but Iraqi authorities refused to let him out of the country, explains the Hill. "This failure to keep a committed murderer of Americans in US custody sends exactly the wrong message to our allies and enemies in the region,” said a statement from John McCain, Mitch McConnell, Joe Lieberman, and Lindsey Graham. Their fears that he'll get soft treatment may come true: The AP reports today that he will be prosecuted in Iraq only for the relatively minor charge of using a forged passport to enter the country. However, the US promises to press the case, and it's possible further charges could come.