Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA) released the following statement regarding the redeployment of American service members in Iraq.

WASHINGTON, DC -- “I fully support Congressman Murtha’s call for the redeployment of American troops from Iraq within the next 6 months. The war has been and continues to be costly, both in dollars and in lives.  America has invested over $220 billion dollars to bring down a regime and rebuild a country while our own domestic priorities go unmet.

“To the degree that a continued military presence is required, I reiterate my call to Secretary Rice for the creation of an Arab and Muslim security peacekeeping force operating under the authorization of the United Nations. The deployment of an Arab ally force would demonstrate a unified global commitment to the Iraqi people that their fledgling democracy will be given an opportunity to grow and prosper without threat from disruptive insurgents, while quelling regional fears of the permanency of the presence of U.S. troops.”