GOP presidential candidate John Kasich said Tuesday that Kurdish fighters have a pivotal role to play in the United States’ push to defeat the Islamic State and bring stability to the Middle East, as the Ohio governor looked to put his imprint on the renewed debate over how best to combat international terrorism following last week’s attacks in Paris.
The United States must lead an “international coalition of the willing” that is comprised of members of NATO and allies in the region to “defeat ISIS on the ground in its heartland,” Mr. Kasich said, referring to another name for the Islamic State.
He also singled out Kurds, arguing they’ve taken the fight to ISIS in Iraq, should receive more support from the United States and in turn could help protect Syrian refugees looking to flee the war-torn country.
“We must provide far more support to the Kurds — both in Syria and Iraq,” Mr. Kasich said at the National Press Club. “The Kurds, who are fighting to defend their homeland, fight like tigers, and they are one of the few groups friendly to the United States who really have shown that they know how to take the fight to ISIS.”
“We must arm them much more … generously than we have done so far,” he said.
National security and foreign policy are back at the forefront of the national discussion. The Paris attacks on Friday have intensified the debate over the the Obama administration’s response to the Islamic State, as well as its plans to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees in the United States.
Mr. Kasich said the president’s plan should be put on hold until the nation can be certain that it is weeding out people who post a threat to the United States.
He also said that the United States should invoke Article 5 of NATO’s founding treaty, which says an armed attack against one member is an attack against them all, to help France defend itself.
“With ISIS having directly threatened the American homeland, we can’t afford to wait,” Mr. Kasich said. “We must act now.”
He called for the creation of sanctuaries for refugees on the Turkish and Jordanian borders with Syria, and for those locations to be protected by no-fly zones.
“Our Jordanian and Kurdish allies should provide protecting for them on the ground, while the United States provides protection from the air,” he said.
Mr. Kasich also said that if elected president, he also would create a new government agency tasked with winning the war of ideas and promoting the “core Judeo-Christian western values that we and our allies share.”
He said the nation has neglected the importance of projecting those values and has looked weak as a result.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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