In response to recent clashes between the Iraqi military and al Qaeda-backed militants in Iraq’s Anbar Province, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) called on the Obama Administration on Wednesday to provide limited support from the Air Force in the region.
Kinzinger, a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, said air support would push al Qaeda from the region, which is approximately 45 miles from Baghdad.
“It is not too late to reverse the tragic foreign policy consequences what we’ve seen in the Middle East,” Kinzinger said. “This has to be done today; this has to be done now. The blood of Americans (has been) sacrificed for a free Iraq and a free Afghanistan – we cannot let that sacrifice be in vain.”
Last week, Kinzinger warned that decision to draw down U.S. combat operations in the region was a “short-sighted” policy decision by the Obama Administration.
“Five years ago, I could not have written a sadder story about where American foreign policy could be, because what I see now in the United States is that our allies no longer trust us and our enemies no longer fear us,” Kinzinger said.
A State Department spokesperson said the U.S. continues to partner with the Iraqi government; however, it wanted to help them build the capacity to address threats on their own.