Ribal Al-Assad backs Senate call for ISIS strike in Syria
Tuesday, 2 September 2014
Senate Democrat Wants Bill Allowing Anti-ISIS Strikes in Syria
TIME MAGAZINE
After the apparent beheading of a second American journalist by ISIS a Democratic senator said Tuesday that he’ll introduce legislation to give President Barack Obama “clear authority” to order U.S. airstrikes against Islamist militants in Syria.
Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) said he’ll file the legislation when Congress returns from recess next week. It wasn’t immediately clear if Nelson, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, would introduce the measure as stand-alone legislation or as part of a larger defense spending bill. He previewed the legislative move the same day that the militant group Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) released a video purportedly showing the beheading death of American journalist Steven Sotloff—footage that, if authenticated, would be the second such video showing the group executing an American journalist in as many weeks.
“This will ensure there’s no question that the President has the legal authority he needs to use airstrikes in Syria,” Nelson said in a statement. “Let there be no doubt, we must go after ISIS right away because the U.S. is the only one that can put together a coalition to stop this group that’s intent on barbaric cruelty.”
ISIS has for months been mounting attacks and capturing territory across Iraq and along the Iraq-Syria border. American airstrikes have slowed and in some cases reversed the group’s progress in Iraq, but ISIS has continued to wreak havoc in Syria.
Welcoming the news, ODFS Director, Ribal Al-Assad said:
"I very much welcome Sen. Nelson's call for targeted strikes against the ISIS militia in Syria, however these strikes should also be extended to all Islamist groups who are currently operating in the country. It is imperative that the whole international community works together on this.
The ODFS has repeatedly listed the horrific atrocities committed by Al-Nusra, The Islamic Front and many others who share the same perverted ideology - they need to be stopped and included in any military action.
In addition the international community must go further; they must come together to rid both Syria and the region of Islamist extremists; the international community must bring justice to all those individuals and groups who have supported the extremists by arming, training and recruiting them.
This includes people who have incited hatred and killing through the internet and satellite television.
Only when the root of the problem is tackled will we see an end to Islamic extremism as a global threat.
In the mean time I am reassured by Sen. Nelson's approach and will continue to follow developments closely."