The Montana Republican, who served as commander of U.S. special forces in Fallujah back in 2004, accused the Obama administration of fueling Iran’s expanding control, adding, “He has placated Iran at almost every juncture to where now Iran, with our resources, has much greater influence in Iraq and continues to expand.”
In March, an Iran-backed Shiite militia in Iraq, considered one of the deadliest, threatenedto “deal” with some U.S. Marines deployed to northern Iraq.
The threat came as the Shiite-led Iraqi government and some U.S. lawmakers, includingZinke, expressed concern over the growing influence of Iran-backed Shiite militias in Iraq.
“We made some mistakes in Iraq, which set the stage for all the problems in the country: We supported a pro-Shiite centralized Iraqi government that disenfranchised Sunnis and the Kurds up north, and we left early and created a vacuum,” declared Zinke, former commander of the storied Navy SEAL Team Six.
