says Ellsworth after 8-day Mideast trip

By TRAVIS NEFF

Staff writer

WASHINGTON, D.C-After returning from an eight-day trip with a House Armed Services Committee congressional delegation, U.S. Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-Evansville) said the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan are more dire than he could have realized.

The delegation, led by U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Bay St. Louis, Miss.) who chairs the committee, visited three countries in the Persian Gulf - Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain - and also toured Afghanistan.

Speaking on the telephone Monday, Ellsworth said that although he was heartened by the determination and courage of U.S. military personnel, he was surprised at how difficult the conditions and the lack of infrastructure permeated through the two countries U.S. troops have occupied in response to the events of Sept. 11, 2001.

The Indiana congressman voted for a bill in March that allocated $124 billion for the wars, but included a timeline for the withdrawal of American forces. The House bill calls for troops to be out of Iraq by the end of 2008.

&#8220We got in there with a failed plan, but there was no way I could vote against funding the troops," he said.

There is a more hopeful situation in Afghanistan due to geographic conditions and the political leadership of leaders like President Hamid Karzai, who Ellsworth and five other delegates met with in the Afghan capital of Kabul. Despite some progress, the situation in both Afghanistan and Iraq is shockingly stressful on U.S. forces, Ellsworth said.

&#8220Every time one of these guys eats a meal and then goes out on patrol, it is just so stressful on them to think 'this may be my last meal'," he said.

Ellsworth ate with troops from the 8th Indiana Congressional District several times and said the overriding sentiment he got from them was an urge not to allow funding or support for troops to be reduced.

&#8220They just said 'don't leave us hanging here,'" said the congressman.

The most shocking aspect of the situation in Iraq is the total void in the country's legal system, said Ellsworth. He said he was told by U.S. generals that there is not one judge in the country who would hear a case, as they have all either been killed, gone into hiding or left the country.

Ellsworth said he would like to see Iraqi police take over the task of securing the city, but Iraqi citizens have no concept of system of justice similar to the American system.

&#8220The biggest eye-opener for me was lack of the rule of law," said Ellsworth. &#8220Their justice system is just totally broken."

The level of corruption within the two countries was also startling to Ellsworth.

He said kickbacks and bribes have been the norm for so many years in the war-torn countries that it has been difficult for U.S. officials to accomplish many projects.

Ellsworth was told a story of a local Afghani warlord who could not grasp the concept of a bridge-building project being completed in his area, without him getting a 20 percent under-the-table payment.

He said the poverty has everyone scrambling to make enough to feed their families, which has not allowed a cessation of the growth of poppy plants in Afghanistan. The plants are used to make heroin, making their cultivation the country's biggest cash crop.

During the eight-day trip, Ellsworth and the delegation flew to Kuwait and then to Iraq, where they met with Gen. David Petraues, the commanding general of the Multinational Force-Iraq. They then departed for Bahrain and on to Afghanistan, before leaving the region from Kuwait.

The congressman said two soldiers from Northern Indiana were killed in different sections of Iraq during his visit and he heard one early-morning explosion while staying at Camp Freedom, but never got confirmation as to the source of the blast.

Ellsworth said the amount of unemployment and lack of industry are just some of the elements fueling the insurgency in both countries.

&#8220How can you start from scratch and help these people help themselves, when your getting shelled and shot at?," he asked.