,,iia ,calendar ,no4 #bei #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 ,j4 ,,res4 #ei ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,october #bb1 #bjai,mr4 ,mc,connell 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,burr1 ,mr4 ,graham1 ,mr4 ,inhofe1 ,mr4 ,risch1 ,ms4 ,collins1 ,mr4 ,barrasso1 ,mr4 ,rubio1 ,mr4 ,isakson1 ,mrs4 ,blackburn1 ,ms4 ,mc,sally1 ,mr4 ,blunt1 ,mrs4 ,capito1 ,mr4 ,cruz1 ,mr4 ,wicker1 ,mr4 ,lankford1 ,mr4 ,toomey1 ,mr4 ,sullivan1 ,ms4 ,ernst1 ,mrs4 ,fischer1 and ,mr4 ,roberts7 introduced the following joint resolution2 which was read the first time ,october #bc1 #bjai,read the second time and placed on the calendar ,,joint ,,resolution ,expressing the sense of ,congress on the precipitous withdrawal of ,united ,states ,armed ,forces from ,syria and ,afghanistan1 and ,turkey's unprovoked incursion into ,syria4 ,whereas the ,islamic ,state of ,iraq and al ,sham1 better known by its acronym ,,isis1 flourished in the chaos unleashed by the civil war in ,syria and at one point controlled extensive territory in ,iraq and ,syria2 ,whereas ,,isis murdered thousands of innocent civilians1 including ,americans1 and sought to ethnically cleanse the territory it controlled of religious minorities2 ,whereas the ,kurdish-led ,syrian ,democratic ,forces1 which is composed of ,kurdish and ,arab fighters1 remains an essential ,united ,states partner in the successful campaign to destroy ,,isis' so-called caliphate2 ,whereas1 backed by the ,united ,states and ,united ,states allies1 the ,syrian ,democratic ,forces liberated millions of ,syrians from ,,isis' terrorist regime1 and sustained approximately #aa1jjj casualties in the fight2 ,whereas ,,isis1 al ,qaeda1 and their affiliates have proven resilient and have regrouped when the ,united ,states and its partners have withdrawn from the fight against them2 ,whereas ,turkey's unprovoked incursion into northeastern ,syria1 which began on ,october #i1 #bjai1 has displaced more than #aff1jjj civilians1 according to the ,united ,nations ,high ,commissioner on ,refugees1 and dozens of civilians have been killed on both sides2 ,whereas1 as a result of ,turkey's incursion into northeastern ,syria and the withdrawal of ,united ,states ,armed ,forces1 the ,syrian ,democratic ,forces have turned to ,russia and the brutal ,assad regime for support1 while more than a hundred ,,isis-affiliated detainees have escaped from detention facilities2 and ,whereas the ,assad regime is responsible for murdering at least #ejj1jjj civilians and displacing at least #ab1jjj1jjj ,syrians1 or roughly half the country's population at the time that the civil war began in #bjaa1 and the regime's return to northeastern ,syria through its new partnership with the ,syrian ,democratic ,forces will allow the regime to extend its murderous campaign and again subjugate the ,kurdish1 ,sunni ,arab1 and religious minorities of northeastern ,syria3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that ,congress-- 7#a7 condemns in the strongest terms the ,government of ,turkey's escalating hostilities against ,kurdish partners of the ,united ,states in ,syria1 while recognizing the ,government of ,turkey's legitimate humanitarian1 economic1 and security concerns emanating from the conflict in ,syria2 7#b7 calls upon the ,united ,states ,government to pressure the ,government of ,turkey1 including through sanctions1 to act with restraint1 provide accountability for human rights abuses conducted by militias acting in support of ,turkish military operations1 and curtail its hostilities against ,united ,states partner forces in ,syria2 7#c7 reiterates ,united ,states opposition to the forced repatriation of refugees from third countries into ,syria1 and calls upon all refugee returns to be safe1 dignified1 and voluntary2 7#d7 urges the ,president to rescind his invitation to the ,white ,house to ,turkish ,president ,recep ,tayyip ,erdogan until a more enduring cease-fire has been established between ,turkish and ,kurdish forces in northeastern ,syria2 7#e7 calls upon the ,united ,states ,government to continue supporting liberated ,syrian ,kurdish and ,arab communities in northeast ,syria through humanitarian support1 including those displaced or otherwise affected by ongoing violence in ,syria1 and calls upon other nations to increase support to stabilization efforts in northeastern ,syria2 7#f7 strongly opposes any abandonment of our ,kurdish and ,arab partners in ,syria2 7#g7 calls for a halt to the withdrawal of ,united ,states ,armed ,forces from ,syria where practical1 and calls for the continued use of air power to target ,,isis and provide protection of ethnic and religious minorities in northeastern ,syria2 7#h7 expresses support for a continued ,united ,states military presence in ,iraq1 along with efforts to help ,iraqi forces control their border1 protect their sovereignty1 and counter ,,isis2 7#i7 recognizes the continuing threat to ,united ,states and ,united ,states allies posed by al ,qaeda and ,,isis1 which maintain an ability to operate in ,syria and ,afghanistan2 7#aj7 warns that a precipitous withdrawal of ,united ,states forces from the ongoing fight against these groups1 without effective1 countervailing efforts to secure gains in ,syria and ,afghanistan1 could allow terrorists to regroup1 destabilize critical regions1 and create vacuums that could be filled by ,iran or ,russia1 to the detriment of ,united ,states interests and those of our allies2 7#aa7 recognizes that an unbroken chain of ,iranian-controlled territory across ,syria poses a significant threat to ,israel2 7#ab7 reiterates support for international diplomatic efforts to facilitate peaceful1 negotiated resolutions to the ongoing conflicts in ,syria and ,afghanistan on terms that respect the rights of innocent civilians and deny safe havens to terrorists2 7#ac7 encourages close collaboration between the executive branch and the legislative branch to ensure continuing strong1 bipartisan support for ,united ,states military operations in ,syria and ,afghanistan2 and 7#ad7 calls upon the ,president to certify whether conditions have been met for the enduring defeat of al ,qaeda and ,,isis before initiating any further significant withdrawal of ,united ,states forces from the region4 ,october #bc1 #bjai,read the second time and placed on the calendar