When U.S. troops left Iraq, that country was essentially handed over to Iran. This latest news that Iraq has released a Hezbollah leader guilty of executing five U.S. soldiers five years ago, seems to bolster that charge.

Via Fox News:

Republicans on Capitol Hill are furious over the Obama administration’s handling of a purported Hezbollah commander, who was connected to the killing of five U.S. soldiers in 2007 and now is set for release by an Iraqi court.

The most recent GOP lawmaker to express frustration and to demand answers from the administration is Florida Rep. Allen West, who on Wednesday sent a letter to President Obama questioning why Ali Musa Daqduq was turned over to Iraq in December 2011.

West dismissed the argument by Obama officials that they were forced under a Bush administration agreement to release Iraqi citizens upon exiting in December 2011, saying Daqduq was in fact a Lebanon citizen.

“You had options when dealing with this terrorist,” wrote West, a 22-year Army veteran. “When you were elected president, the American people expected you to provide leadership.”

West suggested Daqduq should have been transferred to the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he could have been tried before a military commission. He also called Daqduq’s release an “utter betrayal” to American soldiers who have died in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Interestingly, in the same year those five soldiers were murdered by Darduq, a U.S. District judge ruled that Iran was liable for the murder of U.S. Marines in Lebanon in 1983 but that earlier this year, the Obama administration was blocking legislation that would uphold that ruling.

Let us not also forget the red carpet welcome the White House gave to Hadi al-Ameri, Iraq’s transportation minister who is responsible for at least 150 terrorist operations. Here is a photo of Al-Ameri inside the Oval Office late last year.

Here is video of al-Ameri kissing the hand of the Ayatollah:

Given that Hezbollah is an arm of Iran and is supported by someone like al-Ameri, who is a powerful player in the Iraqi government, it’s no surprise that Daqduq was released but that doesn’t make his release any less of an outrage.

Here’s an interview with former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey today, regarding Daqduq’s release:

Ben Barrack is a talk show host and author of the upcoming book, Unsung Davids