,,iii  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session 
,s4 ,,res4 #cfa  ,,in ,,the ,,senate    
,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,october  
#ag1 #bjai,ms4 ,ernst 7for herself and  
,mr4 ,rubio7 submitted the following    
resolution2 which was referred to the   
,committee on ,foreign ,relations       
,,resolution  ,acknowledging the ,kurds'
 vital role in stopping the spread of   
,,isis militants in the ,middle ,east1  
and for other purposes4  ,whereas1 in   
#bjad1 the ,united ,states led an       
international coalition against ,islamic
 ,state 7,,isis7 militants1 conducting  
airstrikes and later building military  
bases on ,syrian territory to assist    
ground operations against ,,isis2       
,whereas a coalition of ,arab and       
,kurdish militias1 known as the ,syrian 
,democratic ,forces 7,,sdf71 with the   
help of ,united ,states airstrikes and  
military advisors1 drove ,,isis away    
from the ,turkish border and out of     
northern ,syria2 ,whereas1 since ,,isis 
militants swept across ,syria and       

military action against ,,isis began1   
the ,,sdf has done the critical work of 
clearing1 holding1 and governing the    
territory previously conquered by the   
,,isis militants2 ,whereas the ,,sdf    
became one of the ,united ,states       
strongest partners in fighting ,,isis as
 fearless and loyal fighters who fought 
fiercely alongside ,united ,states      
special operations forces and other     
coalition partners1 losing over #aj1jjj 
,,sdf troops throughout the course of   
military operations2 ,whereas the ,,sdf 
with coalition support captured         
approximately #aa1jjj ,,isis fighters   
and detained them in ,kurdish-held      
territory2 ,whereas the ,kurds have     
assisted humanitarian efforts in the    
area1 including caring for refugees and 
operating more than a dozen camps for   
displaced families1 helping tens of     
thousands of people1 many of them the   
wives and children of ,,isis fighters2  
,whereas the ,government of ,turkey is  
hostile toward ,kurdish groups living   

along its border with ,syria1 claiming  
that the ,kurdish fighters in ,syria are
 linked to the ,kurdistan ,workers      
,party 7,,pkk71 which has been in       
conflict with ,turkey for the past      
several decades2 ,whereas the ,,sdf has 
not engaged in offensive operations     
against ,turkey and has served as a     
buffer preventing extremist fighters    
from launching attacks into ,turkey and 
beyond2 ,whereas the ,united ,states    
,armed ,forces were ordered to withdraw 
from sites along the ,turkish border in 
northern ,syria1 followed by a ,turkish 
incursion that began on ,october #i1    
#bjai2 ,whereas the withdrawal of       
,united ,states troops and the ongoing  
conflict between ,turkey and            
,kurdish-led fighters will allow ,,isis 
to profit from the instability in the   
region1 as ,,sdf counter-,,isis missions
 have been suspended1 and ,kurdish-held 
,,isis prisoners are in danger of being 
released from confinement1 as the ,,sdf 
no longer have the capacity to guard    

detention facilities while they are     
engaged in defensive operations against 
,turkish forces2 and ,whereas the       
withdrawal of ,united ,states forces    
from northern ,syria has severely       
damaged our relationship with our       
,kurdish partners1 effectively forcing  
them to ally with the ,assad regime1    
allowing the ,governments of the        
,russian ,federation and ,iran to expand
 their influence in the region1 while at
 the same time laying the groundwork for
 an ,,isis resurgence1 damaging the     
,united ,states standing in the         
international community and undermining 
both regional security as well as our   
own national security3 ,now1 therefore1 
be it  ,that is the sense of the        
,senate-- 7#a7 to acknowledge the       
importance of the ,kurds' vital role in 
stopping the spread of ,,isis militants 
in the region2  7#b7 that ,,isis still  
poses a danger in the ,middle ,east and 
beyond and must not be allowed the      
opportunity to mount an effective       

resurgence campaign2  7#c7 that the     
,united ,states ,government must        
continue its leading role in promoting  
peace in the ,middle ,east and fighting 
against terrorist groups such as ,,isis1
 wherever they may be located2 and  7#d7
 that the ,department of ,defense1 in   
conjunction with the ,department of     
,state1 should provide a briefing to    
,congress within #cj days outlining     
plans and a strategy to continue the    
global fight against ,,isis1            
specifically addressing the ongoing     
threat of ,,isis in ,syria and ,iraq and
 how this strategy will--  7,a7 prevent 
an ,,isis resurgence in ,syria2  7,b7   
prevent ,,isis efforts to capitalize    
from recent developments2  7,c7 contain 
any ,,isis expansion in ,syria or in    
nations bordering ,syria2  7,d7 mitigate
 the threat of ,,isis attacks on the    
,united ,states homeland or our partners
 and allies2 and  7,e7 protect the gains
 made in the fight against ,,isis since 
#bjad4