[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 1732]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           KURDISH PESHMERGA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
important efforts made by the Kurds and the Peshmerga in the fight 
against ISIS.
  Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said last December: ``The Kurdish 
Peshmerga have been exactly what we have been looking for in this whole 
fight in Iraq and Syria, namely a capable and motivated force that we 
can enable.''
  As you know, Mr. Speaker, we need to do more to combat ISIS on the 
ground and also to help our allies who are willing to join us in this 
effort. ISIS is a brutal evil, and it is one of the greatest threats to 
both our national security and to the security of our allies in the 
region.
  We continue to read reports of ISIS raping women, beheading captives, 
and brutally torturing their prisoners; and ISIS' alleged use of 
chemical weapons against the Kurds in Iraq and Syria reaffirms the 
danger posed by this terrorist group. During the conflict against ISIS, 
the Kurds tell me that at least 1,600 Peshmerga forces have died and 
thousands more have been wounded, and we see some of these pictures 
here on this graphic.
  We are thankful to all of the members of the Peshmerga who are 
fighting to eradicate the evil of ISIS, including several all-women 
units who are proud to fight for their people's freedom. These are the 
hardships that they all endure.
  Unfortunately, the Peshmerga still don't have the proper weapons, the 
proper equipment--most of which is over 30 years old--and they are 
still running low on ammunition. In fact, the Peshmerga are using 
captured ISIS tanks to roll through minefields, while ISIS is using 
American equipment that they have picked up after overturning Mosul.
  I am proud to be an original cosponsor of the legislation introduced 
by the chairman and ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, 
which would authorize the direct provision of weapons to the Peshmerga, 
a bill which our committee passed unanimously in December.
  The Peshmerga have already proven to be one of the most capable 
forces on the battlefield, and making sure that they are strong, making 
sure that they are well-equipped is crucial to defeating the ISIS 
threat that confronts us all. The Peshmerga are continuing to fight 
despite not being paid for months, with uncertain logistical backup, 
and with inadequate weapons and equipment--three strikes against them.
  The Peshmerga need our help, and we must get them what they need in 
order to have them continue to be successful. The Peshmerga provides 
safe havens for Muslims, Christians, Yazidis, and people of any 
religious minority who have been oppressed. According to the Kurds, 
about 300,000 Syrian refugees and 1.5 million internally displaced 
persons are in the Kurdistan region, where there is a growing 
humanitarian crisis.
  I will turn to the other poster that I have, Mr. Speaker, their 
fighting forces.
  The burden of war and the responsibility of caring for 1.8 million 
additional people have pushed the Kurdistan region's economy to the 
brink of collapse. My friend, Igor Pasternak, recently briefed me on 
his visit to the Black Tiger Peshmerga base south of Mosul on the ISIS 
front line, and he introduced me to the Kurdistan Regional Government's 
representative to the U.S., Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman.
  Ms. Rahman's parents were sentenced to death by Saddam Hussein 
because they refused to bow down to his tyranny, and instead they 
fought for Kurdish liberation and for human rights. Her parents lived 
to see Saddam's downfall, and her father continued his leadership role 
in the Kurdish region's struggle before being tragically assassinated 
by Islamic extremists in 2004.
  In the Iraq city of Erbil, Sami Abdul Rahman Park honors Ms. Rahman's 
father and, more importantly, recognizes the immense oppression 
suffered by the Kurdish people.
  I am pleased that KRG Representative Rahman is in the gallery today.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to announce that I will soon be 
introducing a resolution to honor the brave men and women of the 
Peshmerga and their families who are fighting bravely against the 
brutal evil of ISIS and to stand with the Kurdish people as they 
continue to endure great hardships during this war.
  God bless each and every one of them.

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