Rep. Seth Moulton expressed disappointment over the U.S. abandoning Iraqi politics.
By THOR JOURGENSEN
LYNN — American troops will rotate indefinitely through Iraq unless the U.S. can offer “democratic mentorship” to stabilize the Iraqi government, U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton said Tuesday.
Making his comments during a Daily Item interview following a week-long Mideast trip with other members of Congress, Moulton said the fight against Islamic state in Iraq “is going well.” But he said long-term success rests on U.S. assistance in providing Iraq with political stability.
Moulton said military victories must be underpinned by a working Iraqi government that can sustain peace.
“We’ve basically checked out of Iraqi politics,” he said. “I think that is a mistake.”
Moulton and five other congressmen recently traveled to Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Iraq and Spain to oversee U.S. efforts to destroy ISIS. They discussed regional security threats with top military leaders and met with U.S. service members overseas.
In Iraq, the delegation met with U.S. and Iraqi military commanders, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Stuart Jones and soldiers stationed in Baghdad and Anbar. Moulton visited several military sites across Iraq and reviewed U.S. training efforts of Iraqi security forces.
Moulton served with fellow Marines in Iraq from 2003 to 2008 and said he counts Iraqis among his friends. He expressed admiration for U.S. troops training Iraqi security forces but said Iraq can also benefit from American political advisers.
Without a stable, democratically-based government, Iraq will experience voids in its political landscape that will be filled by foreign influences, especially Iran.
“As long as Iran is meddling in Iraq’s interests, we are going to find ourselves sending troops back,” Moulton said.
In Israel, Moulton met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and visited several military sites to get an update on the country’s missile defense systems.
In the United Arab Emirates, the delegation reviewed U.S. efforts to strengthen cooperation among Arab Gulf states on missile defense. In Bahrain, Moulton met with U.S. Navy leadership and service members to discuss regional threats in the Middle East.
Calling ISIS’ threat to Americans “very real,” Moulton said he is drawing from conversations during the Mideast trip to write recommendations outlining his views on stabilizing Iraq politically.
Thor Jourgensen can be reached at [email protected].
