Retaliation Against Iran a Long Time in Coming

We were ready. The troops were ready. Iraqi security forces were ready. The operation has been planned for weeks if not months. In Baghdad we were ready for any response. The Coalition was prepared to capture of kill a radical Shiite cleric who was heading up a militia that was disrupting the Iraq reconstruction.

It never happened. That was 2004. Time and time again over more than a decade, the United States and the Coalition chose not to target militias we knew were supported by the Iranian regime. For more than fifteen years, the U.S. government knew that Iran was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American soldiers and thousands of Iraqis and did little to cut off the aid, the weapons and the technical military assistance from Tehran.

The U.S. orchestrated attack that killed the leader of Iran’s Quds Force, General Qassem Soleimani is a long time in coming. Our progress toward building a pluralistic, liberal democracy in Iraq has continuously been hampered by Iranian influence that this country allowed to happen.   

Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism. The regime is responsible for the deaths of countless innocent people across the greater Middle East and around the world.  The regime hasn’t just threatened to kill Americans. They have killed Americans. They have killed Jews. They have killed Muslims.

During the last two U.S. administrations, this country enabled Iran’s terror activities. We took an unworkable, tepid approach during the Bush years against the Iranian-backed militias. During the Obama Presidency, knowing the power vacuum left by the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq would permit Iran to increase its influence in Iraq, pulled our troops out anyway.  Obama then handed the country billions of dollars and made a sweetheart nuclear deal with the same country who kills our troops, wants to destroy Israel, and perpetrates attacks that kill women and children.

This country ignored the rise of Islamic radicalism in the 1990s and the result was 9/11. We pulled our forces from Iraq and paved the way for the ISIS califate. We’ve allowed Iran to be the ringleader of the Islamic terror movement for too long. It has to stop. President Trump made the right call.

When American forces killed Osama Bin Laden, the nation
cheered. We should cheer again that this terrorist was killed and we’ve finally
stood up to Iran. It’s been a long time in coming and far too late to save the
lives of hundreds of American troops.