![\"duncan-hunter-300\"](\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/05\/duncan-hunter-300.jpg\" "\\"duncan-hunter-300\\"")
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Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), a Marine veteran who served in Iraq, is urging the Pentagon to directly provide weapons to vetted Sunni tribal fighters who were recently routed by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), The Hill reported.<\/p>\n
In a May 27 letter to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, Hunter said that it is his “firm belief” that the U.S. must arm Sunni fighters and embed U.S. special operators and coalition forces to call in airstrikes alongside Iraqi forces.<\/p>\n
“I believe any such military support can be provided directly,” Hunter said. “Doing so will counter both the Iranian threat and the presence of [ISIS] by enabling Sunni tribes to hold their territory.”<\/p>\n
Hunter’s comments come after Sunni troops were pushed out of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, by ISIS fighters.<\/p>\n
The same view was expressed by Sen. John McCain on Sunday as he said the surprise victory of ISIS in the Iraqi city of Ramadi highlights the need for the U.S. to send combat troops into the war-torn country.<\/p>\n
McCain, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Iran is a beneficiary of the current Middle East chaos, fueled in part by the ISIS.<\/p>\n
For the Obama administration, \u201cthere is no strategy. And anybody who says there is, I\u2019d like to hear what it is,\u201d McCain said.<\/p>\n
Also on CBS, Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, acknowledged that the fall of Ramadi \u201cwas a very serious setback.\u201d But he blamed the loss on political infighting between Iraqi Shiites and Sunnis.<\/p>\n
\u201cUntil Iraq makes the decision to fully incorporate the Sunnis, we can add more forces, we can win these battles, but they are not going to stay won,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
#Iraq #Iran\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), a Marine veteran who served in Iraq, is urging the Pentagon to directly provide weapons to vetted Sunni tribal fighters who were recently routed by the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[175],"class_list":{"0":"post-18382","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-iran-a-world","7":"tag-updated"},"yoast_head":"\n