Student challenges Jeb Bush on Iraq claims by declaring: 'Your brother created Isis'

Mr Bush said he 'respectfully disagrees' with the statement

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush takes questions at a town hall meeting in Reno, Nevada (Reuters )

Jeb Bush was left grasping for a response when a student challenged him during a meeting by declaring: “Your brother created Isis”.

Mr Bush, the former governor of Florida and sibling of George W. Bush, was wrapping up a town-hall style discussion when Ivy Ziedrich, a 19-year-old student at the University of Nevada, commanded his attention by asking him to take a student question.

Her question revolved around a claim he made earlier in the meeting that America’s retreat from the Middle East under the Obama administration was in part responsible for the rapid rise of the Isis terror group.

Ms Ziedrich lay the blame at George W. Bush’s feet following on from his decision to disband the Iraqi Army, according to the The New York Times.

“It was when 30,000 individuals who were part of the Iraqi military were forced out — they had no employment, they had no income, and they were left with access to all of the same arms and weapons," Ms Ziedrich told him.

“Your brother created Isis."

Jeb Bush backtracks from claim he would have invaded Iraq

Mr Bush interjected to ask her if this was a question, to which she replied: “My question is why are you saying that Isis was created by us not having a presence in the Middle East when it’s pointless wars, when we sent young men to die for the idea of American exceptionalism?

"It’s this idea – like, why are you spouting nationalistic rhetoric to get us involved in more wars?"

Mr Bush “respectfully disagreed” with her statement, arguing that security had been arranged and al-Qaeda had been worn-down when the US left Iraq.

“There was a fragile system that could have been brought up to eliminate the sectarian violence," he said.

"And we had an agreement that the president could have signed that would have kept 10,000 troops, less than we have in Korea, could have created the stability that would have allowed for Iraq to progress. The result was the opposite occurred. Immediately, that void was filled.”