Senior US Congress Member Warns Turkey Against Attacking Syrian Kurds

Lindsey Graham, a senior Republican member of the US Congress, welcomed US airstrikes against ISIS positions in Syria but deemed them insufficient, calling for greater protection to prevent the escape of 50,000 ISIS prisoners in northeastern Syria, which are held by Syrian forces led by Kurds. The US Central Command, CENTCOM, earlier on Sunday announced that its forces had struck 75 ISIS positions in Syria and warned organizations in Syria that they would be held accountable if they cooperated with ISIS. Senator Graham, in a related warning, stated that we should not allow Turkey and extremist Islamists to threaten the Kurdish forces that helped in the destruction of ISIS. He added that Turkey has legitimate concerns in northeastern Syria, but conflict with the Syrian Democratic Forces or attacks on the Kurds could lead to a massive escape of ISIS prisoners, which would be disastrous for the US. This senior US Congress member warned that the return of ISIS could lead to the deaths of thousands of Americans and Europeans, and regional instability that would result in rising oil prices. He stated that Turkey deserves a civilian buffer zone between itself and northeastern Syria to secure its interests, but emphasized that a Turkish military attack on the Kurds jeopardizes US interests. Senator Graham, noting that he had drafted sanctions against Ankara for its military operations against the Syrian Kurds, warned that he is prepared to do so again if necessary.