[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 164 (Thursday, October 17, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S5901]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 361--ACKNOWLEDGING THE KURDS' VITAL ROLE IN STOPPING 
THE SPREAD OF ISIS MILITANTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

  Ms. ERNST (for herself and Mr. Rubio) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.:

                              S. Res. 361

       Whereas, in 2014, the United States led an international 
     coalition against Islamic State (ISIS) militants, conducting 
     airstrikes and later building military bases on Syrian 
     territory to assist ground operations against ISIS;
       Whereas a coalition of Arab and Kurdish militias, known as 
     the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), with the help of United 
     States airstrikes and military advisors, drove ISIS away from 
     the Turkish border and out of northern Syria;
       Whereas, since ISIS militants swept across Syria and 
     military action against ISIS began, the SDF has done the 
     critical work of clearing, holding, and governing the 
     territory previously conquered by the ISIS militants;
       Whereas the SDF became one of the United States' strongest 
     partners in fighting ISIS as fearless and loyal fighters who 
     fought fiercely alongside United States special operations 
     forces and other coalition partners, losing over 10,000 SDF 
     troops throughout the course of military operations;
       Whereas the SDF with coalition support captured 
     approximately 11,000 ISIS fighters and detained them in 
     Kurdish-held territory;
       Whereas the Kurds have assisted humanitarian efforts in the 
     area, including caring for refugees and operating more than a 
     dozen camps for displaced families, helping tens of thousands 
     of people, many of them the wives and children of ISIS 
     fighters;
       Whereas the Government of Turkey is hostile toward Kurdish 
     groups living along its border with Syria, claiming that the 
     Kurdish fighters in Syria are linked to the Kurdistan Workers 
     Party (PKK), which has been in conflict with Turkey for the 
     past several decades;
       Whereas the SDF has not engaged in offensive operations 
     against Turkey and has served as a buffer preventing 
     extremist fighters from launching attacks into Turkey and 
     beyond;
       Whereas the United States Armed Forces were ordered to 
     withdraw from sites along the Turkish border in northern 
     Syria, followed by a Turkish incursion that began on October 
     9, 2019;
       Whereas the withdrawal of United States troops and the 
     ongoing conflict between Turkey and Kurdish-led fighters will 
     allow ISIS to profit from the instability in the region, as 
     SDF counter-ISIS missions have been suspended, and Kurdish-
     held ISIS prisoners are in danger of being released from 
     confinement, as the SDF no longer have the capacity to guard 
     detention facilities while they are engaged in defensive 
     operations against Turkish forces; and
       Whereas the withdrawal of United States forces from 
     northern Syria has severely damaged our relationship with our 
     Kurdish partners, effectively forcing them to ally with the 
     Assad regime, allowing the Governments of the Russian 
     Federation and Iran to expand their influence in the region, 
     while at the same time laying the groundwork for an ISIS 
     resurgence, damaging the United States's standing in the 
     international community and undermining both regional 
     security as well as our own national security: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That is the sense of the Senate--
       (1) to acknowledge the importance of the Kurds' vital role 
     in stopping the spread of ISIS militants in the region;
       (2) that ISIS still poses a danger in the Middle East and 
     beyond and must not be allowed the opportunity to mount an 
     effective resurgence campaign;
       (3) that the United States Government must continue its 
     leading role in promoting peace in the Middle East and 
     fighting against terrorist groups such as ISIS, wherever they 
     may be located; and
       (4) that the Department of Defense, in conjunction with the 
     Department of State, should provide a briefing to Congress 
     within 30 days outlining plans and a strategy to continue the 
     global fight against ISIS, specifically addressing the 
     ongoing threat of ISIS in Syria and Iraq and how this 
     strategy will--
       (A) prevent an ISIS resurgence in Syria;
       (B) prevent ISIS efforts to capitalize from recent 
     developments;
       (C) contain any ISIS expansion in Syria or in nations 
     bordering Syria;
       (D) mitigate the threat of ISIS attacks on the United 
     States homeland or our partners and allies; and
       (E) protect the gains made in the fight against ISIS since 
     2014.

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