[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2202]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 ENHANCE MILITARY SUPPORT FOR THE KURDS

  (Mr. FORTENBERRY asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FORTENBERRY. Mr. Speaker, the international campaign to defeat 
ISIL depends in great part on the strength and effectiveness of trusted 
partners in the Middle East--trusted partners such as the Kurds.
  The Kurdish Peshmerga is a moderate and capable force. They are 
showing determined courage in fighting ISIL, and they are winning a 
number of strategic victories. The Kurds are also defending the values 
of tolerance and pluralism, sheltering hundreds of thousands of 
Christians, Yazidis, and innocent Muslim people who have fled ISIL's 
onslaught. They deserve robust support.
  Driven by a twisted form of Islam, ISIL's militants are eighth 
century barbarians using 21st century weaponry. The recent videotaped 
immolation of a caged Jordanian pilot is a horrific reminder of their 
brutality. They are now responsible for the deaths of four American 
hostages, including Kayla Mueller, a 26-year-old humanitarian worker 
who was captured while assisting refugees in Syria.
  Confronted by such acts, the United States, Sunni Arab nations, and 
key allies, including Germany, France, and Britain, should enhance 
military support for the Kurds.

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