US Rep. Ryan visits front lines of ISIS in Iraq

Staff report

BAGHDAD

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan traveled to Iraq on the latest stop of a trip across the Middle East as part of his work on the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.

Ryan met with U.S. and Iraqi military commanders as well as Commander of the Combined Joint Task Force Gen. Sean MacFarland in Iraq and Ambassador to Iraq Stuart Jones, Sunni tribal leaders. He also visited several military sites on the front lines of the U.S.- led battle against the Islamic State terror group.

“ISIS is a global threat to all civilized nations. They want to kill Americans and Westerners. We’ve seen this global threat play out in Paris, Brussels and San Bernardino.

In a statement released Sunday, Ryan of Howland, D-13th, said: “Many of these killers come out of Iraq and Syria, which is I why I wanted to go to the front lines of this war and see exactly what we need to do to destroy them there before they come here. My first obligation is to keep Americans safe. And I want my constituents to know that I am deeply committed to dealing with this issue from my position on the Defense Appropriations Committee.