US hands over last detainee to Iraq

The United States Friday handed over its last detainee in Iraq to Iraqi authorities, a White House official told Reuters, after months of failed efforts by Washington to convince Baghdad to allow his extradition for trial. White House National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said Washington had received assurances that Ali Mussa Daqduq, a suspected Hezbollah operative, would be tried for his crimes. Daqduq is accused of orchestrating a 2007 kidnapping that resulted in the killing of five US military personnel. “As of this morning, he’s been transferred to Iraqi custody,” Vietor said. US lawmakers fear that Iraq will be unable to hold Daqduq, who was born in Lebanon, for long. They urged the Obama administration in July to do everything possible to secure his transfer to US custody. Vietor said the Obama administration worked hard with Baghdad to find a way to bring him to trial by a US military commission “because we felt that was fastest possible way to bring him to justice.” “We’ve worked this at the highest levels of the US and Iraqi governments and we continue to discuss with the Iraqis the best way to ensure that he faces justice,” Vietor said. The transfer of Daqduq to Iraqi custody represents one of the risks the United States faces in ending the nearly nine-year-old war, with all American troops due out of the country this month. Lawmakers including Senator John McCain have warned they fear Daqduq will return to the battlefield. A senior Iraqi officer last month told Reuters about efforts by individuals in Lebanon and Iran to win custody of Daqduq.