It is difficult to watch the violent breach of the U.S. Embassy in Iraq earlier today.
I am thinking first and foremost of our diplomats and service members there, after having served three times in Iraq myself. bit.ly/39vZnae
I am thinking first and foremost of our diplomats and service members there, after having served three times in Iraq myself. bit.ly/39vZnae
Two months ago, I traveled to Iraq on a bipartisan congressional delegation of the House Armed Services Committee and had the chance to spend time with the hardworking men and women at our Embassy.
I know how stressful this time must be for them and their families, and I was glad to hear that military reinforcements were ordered by the Secretary of Defense.
No matter the politics, the government of Iraq has a responsibility to provide for the security of all foreign embassies on their soil. The government of Iraq must live up to those responsibilities.
As a former Shia militia CIA analyst who has served multiple times in Iraq, I have seen Iran's destabilizing activity in Iraq up close and personal.
The Iranian government has long sought political influence over the Iraqis, with the goal of using Iraq's territory to move people, materiel, and weapons across the Middle East.
During the HASC congressional delegation to Iraq last month, we warned the government of Iraq about growing Iranian influence, and that the placement of Iranian ballistic missiles in Iraq, in particular, ran counter to ongoing U.S support to train and equip the Iraqi military.
The subsequent rocket attacks last week on a U.S. military location in Kirkuk, which killed a U.S. contractor and wounded several U.S. service members, demonstrate Iran's continued interest in using Iraqi proxies to attack the United States and further its regional objectives.
That said, this is a moment for careful diplomacy. Our diplomats and service members in Iraq deserve a thoughtful, reasoned strategy to help de-escalate the situation.
In the short term, American lives are at risk. In the long-term, we must not break our strategic relationship with the government of Iraq in a way that cedes Iraq to Iranian influence, or throws away the hard-fought gains we have made beating back ISIS.
In short, the Trump Administration must be judicious as it develops options, and not let fast-moving events draw us into a wider conflict that threatens lives.
