Kaine, Warner And Wolf Urge Action Against ISIS
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Without any hesitation, U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf, R-10th, acknowledged that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) — now just Islamic State — poses the greatest threat to Americans since Sept. 11, 2001.
And next week, he’s introducing legislation that would authorize the use of military might against ISIS and other terrorist organizations.
Wolf’s not alone in pressing for action.
Virginia’s two U.S. senators, Democrats Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, have recently called on President Barack Obama’s administration to work with Congress on a military strategy to fight ISIS.
“I’ve done this to force the issue,” Wolf said Thursday.
A news release from his office says he is acting because of the “rapid advances” ISIS is making in Iraq and Syria, and because of the “territorial gains” made by groups linked with al-Qaida in Libya, Nigeria and Somalia.
“For far too long, the Obama administration and the Congress have been debating whether or not authority exists for action to address this threat,” Wolf says in the release. “This resolution would provide clear authority for the president and our military, working with coalition powers, to go after these terrorists, whether in Syria, Iraq or elsewhere.”
Wolf has been calling attention to ISIS’ barbaric treatment of Christians, Yazidis and others, likening their treatment to genocide.
“I think the Congress has to be involved, and this is a very dangerous group,” Wolf said Thursday.
It’s a danger that could be brought to American soil, he said.
“There are 144 Americans, who have American passports, who are fighting with ISIS, who have the ability to come back here any time,” Wolf said.
There are reportedly more than 500 Britons fighting with ISIS, more than 700 Frenchmen, and at least 300 each from Germany and Belgium, he said. They all can fly to the U.S. without a visa.
With this week’s beheading of a second American journalist, there’s an increased call in Congress for military action, Wolf said.
“There’s growing support for this ... in the last two or three days,” Wolf said. “Kaine has been talking about it for the last week and a half. I think as you’re seeing the beheadings and some of the other stories, this is not a group you can negotiate with, and the Congress has to be involved and the administration has been slow.”
A coalition similar to the one that fought against Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990 is needed, Wolf said.
“Everyone was involved,” he said. “You need all the regional players, all the regional governments because ... in some respects it’s a clash within the Middle East, within the moderates and the extremists.”
The United States needs to “provide the leadership” of any coalition, Wolf said.
“If it doesn’t happen, something really bad is going to happen,” he said.
The U.S. Embassy in Tripoli, Libya, was overrun, and there are 11 Libyan airplanes missing, Wolf said.
“What’s the world coming to?” he lamented.
The beheadings of U.S. journalists James Foley in mid-August and Steven Sotloff days ago were ominous communications.
“They were Americans and the message was to America,” Wolf said. “We have to do whatever we have to do.”
American soldiers are already on the ground in the region, Wolf said, noting 350 more soldiers were recently sent to Iraq, and others are already on the ground for close air support, Wolf said.
Kaine issued a statement Wednesday from Morocco, where he is leading a congressional delegation that will also go to Tunisia and Spain.
The statement says Kaine’s prayers go out to Sotloff’s loved ones.
“This tragedy reinforces what I have long said — that this administration should come to Congress with clear objectives and scope of mission to combat the ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) threat, and Congress should immediately debate an authorization to use military force,” Kaine said. “I just finished conversations in Tunisia and Morocco — two longtime partners in our fight against terrorism — about the ISIL threat and the possibility of foreign fighters returning home. Over the next few days I will be speaking with service members at U.S. Naval Station Rota, Spain, and our Spanish counterparts, about addressing the ISIL threat.”
Warner also released a statement on Wednesday expressing his revulsion over ISIS’ “barbaric tactics.”
“I urge the administration to come to Congress with a clear strategy and political and military options for eliminating the ISIL threat. The United States should not take any military options off the table, because stopping ISIL is in the national security and foreign policy interests of the U.S. and our European allies. We need to see the Iraqis, other partners across the region, and our European allies in NATO stand up and stand together against the ISIL threat.”
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