Sens. Lindsey Graham (L) and John McCain <\/p>\n
Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Saturday blamed the Obama administration for reports that the Iraqi city of Fallujah had fallen to al-Qaeda forces.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n McCain and Graham had been vocal critics of President Obama\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s decision to withdraw US troops from Iraq by the end of 2011, and they called the reports of al-Qaeda gaining control in Fallujah and elsewhere \u00c5\u201cas tragic as they are predictable.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00c5\u201cWhile many Iraqis are responsible for this strategic disaster, the administration cannot escape its share of the blame,\u201d the Republicans said in a statement. \u00c5\u201cWhen President Obama withdrew all US forces from Iraq in 2011, over the objections of our military leaders and commanders on the ground, many of us predicted that the vacuum would be filled by America’s enemies and would emerge as a threat to US national security interests.”<\/p>\n \u00c5\u201cSadly, that reality is now clearer than ever,\u201d McCain and Graham said. \u00c5\u201cWhat’s sadder still, the thousands of brave Americans who fought, shed their blood, and lost their friends to bring peace to Fallujah and Iraq are now left to wonder whether these sacrifices were in vain.\u201d<\/p>\n Citing police leaders, the Associated Press on Saturday reported that Fallujah had \u00c5\u201cfallen completely into the hands of fighters\u201d from al-Qaeda\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s Iraq affiliate. The city was a key Sunni stronghold during the Iraq war and the site of important battles between the US and insurgents.<\/p>\n A State Department spokesman voiced concern over the developments, and, in a speech in Baghdad, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki vowed, \u00c5\u201cThere will be no retreat until we eliminate this gang and rid the people of Anbar of their evil acts.\u201d<\/p>\n The senators faulted the administration\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s policy in Syria \u201d where they have called for a US military intervention \u201d for fueling al-Qaeda\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s resurgence. And they said the administration must avoid a similar deterioration in Afghanistan by leaving a residual force of US troops.<\/p>\n \u00c5\u201cWe must apply the painful lessons of Iraq in Afghanistan,\u201d McCain and Graham said. \u00c5\u201cTalk of a \u00cb\u0153zero option\u00e2\u201e\u00a2 must be dismissed as the surest way to squander all of our hard-won gains, thereby allowing Afghanistan to re-emerge as a safe haven for al-Qaeda and its terrorist allies. President Obama finally needs to decide on the missions and troop levels necessary to secure US national security interests and support our Afghan partners beyond 2014.\u201d The Hill<\/em><\/p>\n AGB\/HJ<\/p>\n<\/div>\n