CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner has a long background when it comes to the continued unrest in the Middle East. Warner, an Army veteran, has many friends and acquaintances who were victims of Iranian Military Commander Qasem Soleimani. Soleimani is blamed for helping to orchestrate and manufacture road-side bombs and I-E-D’s for years which have killed and maimed scores of U.S. troops in Iraq. He is also blamed for planning and orchestrating countless terrorist raids on U.S. troops and civilians a like.
Soleimani was killed in a U.S. drone attack in neighboring Iraq, touching off a wave of anti-U.S. sentiment and protests both in Tehran and in Iraq. However, Warner believes the decision to take out Soleimani was correct.
“We’ve got our soldiers out there trying to stabilize the world and then we’re hit with these terrorist activities. I think the proper response is cutting the head off the snake and that’s what we’ve done with Soleimani,” Warner said
Warner’s background in the military took him to the Middle East on many occasions. He was very involved in the affairs of the region and said the mission of U.S. troops is always to keep the region stable to enable the flow of world commerce. He admitted, it isn’t easy.
“This didn’t start yesterday and it’s not going to end tomorrow. The big change in the Middle East was in 1979 with the taking of the U.S. hostages in Iran and it was a Shia uprising,” he said.
Critics of the decision to take out Soleimani believe U.S. troops in the area are likely in more danger. Warner agreed, at least for now.
“In the short term, yes, we’ve probably put more of our people at a higher risk of retaliation, but I can tell you whoever is stepping into Soleimani’s shoes, he’s going to walk a lot more carefully,” he said.