Congressman Carbajal meets with troops in the Middle East over the holiday week

Rep. Salud Carbajal (D) 24th District has been meeting with troops and learning first-hand about military operations in the Middle East during the holiday week.

Carbajal enjoyed his Christmas dinner side by side with military members, mainly from California. The group included one from Oxnard and one from Ventura. That meal was in Baghdad, Iraq.

He is on a special trip with bipartisan representatives as part of a Congressional delegation from the House Armed Services Committee.

Carbajal has also visited Q-West outside of Baghdad. Troops there have liberated over 45,000 square miles ( 105,500 square kilometers) from ISIS control. That stabilized the area for about 7.5 million people.

Part of the visit to the region included a discussion about the challenges facing U.S. military forces and also a show and tell with some of the front line tools and weapons used in combat.

Carbajal also relaxed in some of the gathering areas with the troops to hear their stories from that region and also their goals during and after their service to the country.

Carbajal is a veteran, with service in the U.S. Marines.

The trip concludes with a similar up close visit with military squads in Afghanistan.

Carbajal will be back in the district to celebrate the New Year.