Topeka ? Always a strong supporter of the war in Iraq, U.S. Rep. Jim Ryun, a Republican from Lawrence, on Monday said he saw nothing to change his mind during his first visit this weekend to the war-torn region.

“It’s important that we stay,” Ryun said during a telephone news conference with House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, and several other congressmen.

The group of five Republicans and one Democrat was in Jordan on Saturday, Iraq on Sunday and back in Spain on Monday, according to Boehner.

Despite escalating violence in Iraq, members of the group said progress was being made and the United States must stay.

Boehner said that during meetings, some high-level Iraq officials expressed apprehension that the United States’ commitment to the war was decreasing.

“We did our best to ensure them we are committed to the success of this operation. This is no time to walk away from them,” Boehner said.

Ryun said the trip enabled him to look into the eyes of soldiers and Iraqi government officials. He said he saw dedication to the effort of rebuilding a government.

Jim Ryun, R-Kan., far right, attends a news conference with other U.S. representatives Monday at the fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, Iraq. From left are: Thaddeus McCotter of Michigan, Rick Larsen of Washington, deputy speaker of the Iraqi Parliament Khalid al-Attiyah, majority leader John Boehner, Devin Nunes of California, and Jim Saxton of New Jersey.

He said that Iraqis realize many people in the United States are impatient with the war, but that progress was being made.

Nancy Boyda, a Democrat who is challenging Ryun in the second congressional district, which includes west Lawrence, said U.S. citizens need clear answers to what is going on in Iraq and how long the commitment will be.

“The American people back our soldiers and back our troops, but unfortunately there has never been a plan to win this war,” Boyda said.

“After we took Baghdad, there was no plan to handle the insurgency. The American people have seen so much incompetence at this point they want more than just ‘stay the course,'” she said.

Rep. Jim Saxton, R-N.J., said he believed that by the end of the year some American troops, currently about 127,000 in Iraq, could start coming home after having adequately trained Iraqis to take their place to maintain security.

“There is a plan for disengagement,” Saxton said. “I would call it the training and replacement strategy.”

When asked about that, Ryun said any timeline for troop withdrawals must be made by “generals on the ground.”

In addition to Ryun, Boehner and Saxton, others on the trip were U.S. Reps. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., Thaddeus McCotter, R-Mich., and Rick Larsen, D-Wash.