McCain, others visit Iraqi market

ISKANDARIYAH, Iraq, March 19 (UPI) -- A delegation of U.S. senators, including Republican presidential nominee John McCain of Arizona, toured Iraq with top U.S. military officials.

McCain, along with Sens. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., visited Iskandariyah with Army Maj. Rick Gen. Lynch, commander of Multi-National Corps-Iraq, to get a progress report on economic and general reconstruction developments, the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division said in a statement.

Lynch took the congressional delegation from Baghdad to Iskandariyah, located about 30 miles south of the Iraqi capital, to brief them on progress made toward community development.

The delegates reviewed the current focus of operations there, including boosting the capacity of Iraqi national security forces and the Iraqi economy.

Lynch noted the focus of the mission in Iraq was less geared toward security and more toward capacity building, referring to financial aid as the new "munition."

The group toured a local marketplace and visited with local citizens before meeting with city council members to discuss progress made on community services such as schools and other local services, the statement said.