Missouri rep praises progress made in Iraq

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Beyond the images of death and destruction in Iraq conveyed by the media is a vast amount of progress that bodes well for the U.S.-led effort to rebuild the country, a Missouri congressman said Sunday from Kuwait.

Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., who spent three days touring Iraq, said he was encouraged by the grass-roots accomplishments of ordinary citizens who are forming local governments and setting up small shops in the cities. He said more people have electricity now than before the U.S.-led invasion and that citizens' attitudes toward Americans seem to be warming up.

That, he said, is in sharp contrast with some of the scenes in the news.

"There is increasing concern about the way many of the things happening here are being reported," Akin said. "That can tend to encourage our opponents over here. They watch our television. When the media shows something on fire or someone just lost their life, it encourages the people we're against."

Akin, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, spoke by telephone just hours after a U.S. Chinook helicopter was shot down, killing 15 American troops and wounding 21 others. He was part of a six-member, bipartisan delegation that visited Iraq to study the role American small businesses are playing in Iraq's reconstruction.

The delegation flew by helicopter Saturday to Tikrit, a town north of Baghdad that lies in the Sunni Triangle, a hotbed of anti-U.S. sentiment. Sunday's strike on the Chinook took place within the Sunni Triangle.

Akin said he and his colleagues were putting themselves in harm's way by being in the Tikrit area, but added that it's important for troops to know they have support in Washington.

"Flying around over here in helicopters is risky business," Akin said. "We saw that today.

"On the other hand, our sense and the other five congressmen traveling with me feel it's very important for our troops and the people doing an absolutely bang-up job over here to know they've got good support from their political leadership, and we're taking risks, too."

Scheduled to fly from Kuwait to Germany on Monday, Akin said he's been impressed by the reconstruction accomplished by coalition forces.

"The basic infrastructure across the country is up and better than it was doing under Saddam's reign," Akin said. "Electricity is better than it's ever been. The most positive of all is the response to all of these things by the local population. It's like springtime following winter, like spring rains bringing foliage."

He said the steadily rising number of Iraqi police who are being trained and patrolling the streets was a positive sign of a transition taking place.

"The standing up of local police and the fact they're making arrests and doing checkpoints, fulfilling their duties, is very positive," Akin said.

After a stop in Germany on Monday to meet with military and business people there, Akin said he plans to be back in Washington late Tuesday afternoon.