October 28, 2019

HOUSE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS NATIONAL SECURITY TASK FORCE REACTS TO DEATH OF ISIS LEADER

WASHINGTON – Following the announcement of the death of ISIS leader Abu Al-Baghdadi, House Democratic Caucus National Security Task Force Co-Chairs Reps. Jason Crow (D-CO), Andy Kim (D-NJ) and Xochitl Torres Small (D-NM), Founder and Chair Emeritus Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) and Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) applauded our military and intelligence agencies and continued the call for a strong partnership with our allies in the region.

“This is a very meaningful step in the right direction in terms of the war on terror. The military should be commended. The intelligence community should be commended. The men and women of the Delta Force who carried out this operation should be commended. I'm pleased that it's been completed in a very substantial way and that they have returned home safely and no American lives have been lost,” said House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries on NBC’s Meet the Press with Chuck Todd. “In terms of international relations, our credibility is the ultimate currency that we have. And so betraying our allies is wrong. It has consequences. And hopefully we'll see a continuing American presence as appropriate moving forward because we know that ISIS will still try to reconstitute itself notwithstanding the death of its top leader.”

“There’s no question that this is a good thing and it shows that every single day there are amazing professionals in our military and intelligence agencies who are working hard totally behind the scenes to keep us safe,” said National Security Task Force Founder and Chair Emeritus Rep. Seth Moulton on MSNBC’s Kasie DC. “But it’s one step. And if you look at the last week, the last two weeks, it’s been unquestionably a strategic victory for ISIS, not for the United States. The fact that the president has empowered ISIS by pulling us out of Syria, by abandoning our allies in the fight against ISIS, the Kurds, and literally releasing as a consequence of these results, of these decisions, several dozen ISIS prisoners. ISIS is coming out ahead here and that is not good for America’s safety.”

“Well this was undeniably a victory for America. The special operations forces, the pilots that were involved. I’ve been involved in many of these types of raids before. They are very dangerous. They are very complicated,” said National Security Task Force Co-Chair Rep. Jason Crow on CNN’s Newsroom. “The president over the last three weeks has been consistently downplaying the role of our Kurdish forces. What is very clear to me is that this mission would not have happened had it not been for Iraqi intelligence, for SDF forces on the ground, for our partners on the ground. […] That’s why partners are important. We cannot go into areas of the world like the Middle East in Syria and Afghanistan and other places and get that information on our own. […] That’s why the last three weeks I’ve been a critic of the president’s move because we have left those folks behind. We’ve turned our back on them and we’re less safe.”

“The death of Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi is a massive blow in the fight against ISIS and their hateful mark on the world. My first thoughts are of deep gratitude to our armed servicemen and women and our civilians throughout our intelligence and national security operations who oversaw and carried out this dangerous operation,” said National Security Task Force Co-Chair Rep. Andy Kim in a statement. “Even after his death, let us remain vigilant and unified against the threats we face, and let us recommit ourselves to embrace the diversity and freedom that Al-Baghdadi so badly despised.”

"The death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi advances our continued mission to uproot ISIS caliphate and terrorism around the world. Thank you to the service members, intelligence officers, administration officials, and President Trump for executing this mission. As the head of ISIS, al-Baghdadi’s death sends a message to terrorists who want to do us harm. His death, however, is not the end of our fight against ISIS and the evil they wish to inflict. The successful mission carried out this weekend reminds us what we can accomplish when we partner with our allies to eliminate a shared enemy," said National Security Task Force Co-Chair Rep. Xochitl Torres Small.