A congresswoman from Florida wants the U.S. to provide aid, including arms, to the Kurds as they continue to battle Islamic State (ISIS) terrorism.
From her perch as the chairwoman of the U.S. House Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., teamed up with U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., to bring out a resolution urging the State Department to “provide necessary equipment and training to the Kurdish Peshmerga and assist the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in meeting the needs of refugees and displaced persons.” The resolution also “encourages the Peshmerga to continue protecting minorities who are fleeing to the Kurdistan Region from persecution in Iraq and Syria.”
As she brought out the resolution this week Ros-Lehtinen insisted the Kurds were in the front lines when it came to taking on ISIS.
“The Kurdish Peshmerga have been an extremely effective fighting force against ISIS yet continue to be at a disadvantage because of their outdated weapons and low ammunition stocks,” Ros-Lehtinen said on Thursday. “As ISIS continues to wreak havoc across Iraq and Syria, the State Department should be doing everything it can to ensure the Peshmerga have what they need. I urge State to provide the necessary equipment and training to the Peshmerga in the most expeditious manner possible while helping the KRG meet the needs of the hundreds of thousands of minorities, displaced persons, and refugees who are fleeing the brutality of ISIS.”
Sherman also made the case for the resolution on Thursday.
“Both the Assad Regime and the Islamic State are creating regional instability and need to be confronted effectively,” Sherman said. “While the United States continues to focus on ISIS alone, the Kurdish Peshmerga have been front and center in confronting both these both evils, and we should support their efforts. That is why we urge that the Peshmerga continue and expand their efforts to protect ethnic and religious minorities that have had to flee these conflicts and urge the president to order significantly increased military support.”
The resolution was sent to the House Foreign Affairs Committee which Ros-Lehtinen used to chair.
