Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham introduced bipartisan legislation on Friday to sanction Turkey over its military actions in northern Syria, particularly targeting Kurdish-led groups allied with the United States, Reuters reported.
Attacks by Turkish-backed forces on our Syrian Kurdish partners undermine regional security & efforts to prevent an ISIS resurgence.
Today Sen Graham & I introduced a bill to impose sanctions on Turkey—which we should enact if they do not accept a ceasefire & demilitarized zone.
— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) December 20, 2024
The “Countering Turkish Aggression Act of 2024” seeks to prevent further attacks on the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a coalition dominated by Kurdish fighters, and to mitigate the risk of resurgence of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/ISIS). The senators said the measure aims to promote a sustained ceasefire and the establishment of a demilitarized zone between Turkey and Syria.
“These sanctions seek to prevent further Turkish or Turkish-backed attacks on the Syrian Democratic Forces, which risk the re-emergence of ISIS, threatening the national security of the U.S. and the rest of the globe,” the senators said in a joint statement.
Hostilities in northern Syria have surged since Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was ousted less than two weeks ago. The US has brokered a fragile ceasefire involving Turkey, the Syrian factions it supports and Kurdish-led fighters aligned with Washington.
The fall of Assad has left Kurdish groups in a precarious position, with the SDF raising a new national flag under US encouragement while expressing concerns about losing autonomy gained during Syria’s civil war.