US Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal introduce the “Saving the Kurds” in Syria bill
Two US senators have introduced a new bill called “Saving the Kurds,” a move they said comes in response to the Syrian army’s military operation against the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF).
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and his Democratic counterpart, Richard Blumenthal, announced in a statement issued Thursday the introduction of the bill, which includes a set of provisions, most notably the imposition of sanctions on Syrian government officials and financial institutions, as well as any foreign person involved in transactions with Damascus, including military or financial support.
The proposal also praises the SDF’s role in its cooperation with the United States in the fight against ISIS, calls for the reclassification of Hay’at Tahrir al Sham as a foreign terrorist organization, and makes any move to remove Syria from the list of state sponsors of terrorism subject to congressional review.
The bill gives US President Donald Trump the authority to suspend sanctions if he assures Congress that the Syrian government has stopped all its attacks on the SDF, while obliging him to reimpose sanctions immediately if military operations against it resume.
Commenting on the legislative initiative, Graham said there is bipartisan support for the idea of protecting Kurds in Syria and beyond, saying they have been a reliable ally of Washington, noting that the SDF, which includes a large proportion of Kurdish fighters, played a key role in the battles against ISIS during Trump’s first term.
He added that the Syrian scene is characterized by cultural, ethnic and political complexities, but the targeting of the Kurds, as he described it, reflects negatively on the image of the United States and undermines Syria’s chances of stability and growth, warning that anyone who thinks that attacking the Kurds will not have consequences miscalculates.
Blumenthal stressed the need to take practical steps to protect the Kurds in Syria and work to prevent them from being subjected to any reprisals by the Syrian government, according to the joint statement.
