Issue Position: Stand Against ISIS!

Issue Position

The chaos in Iraq and Syria over the last several years has allowed the terrorist group ISIS, also known as the Islamic State or ISIL, to become a threat of global proportions. ISIS has dealt untold suffering and cruelty to millions of innocents in Iraq and Syria, especially religious minorities, and it has already turned its sights toward executing and inspiring terror attacks elsewhere including in the U.S. and Europe. America cannot afford to let a transnational threat like ISIS survive, hold territory, and grow.

President Obama's proposals to fight ISIS, after his own weakness in the Middle East allowed the group to rise in the first place, have been woefully insufficient.

As President, Marco will set out to defeat ISIS, not hope it disappears or collapses of its own volition. He will:
Confront ISIS in Iraq and Syria

That means establishing a coordinated political-military strategy against ISIS in tandem with Sunni Arab and local partners in the region.

On the military front, Marco will:

* Expand airstrikes against ISIS in Syria and Iraq, deploying forward air controllers to call in air support;
* Embed U.S. Special Operations Forces at the battalion level to assist Iraqi and other local forces;
* Develop a plan to oust Bashar al-Assad from power, including ramping up training of Syrian rebels to fight both Assad and ISIS and the establishment of safe zones within Syria
* Provide arms directly to Sunni tribal and Kurdish forces.

On the political front:

* Work with Baghdad to increase Sunni inclusion and autonomy for the provinces;
* Push back against Iranian influence in Iraq, which only stokes further conflict;
* Coordinate with regional allies to plan for Assad's fall;
* Advocate on behalf of and and protect ethnic and religious minorities throughout the region.

Stop the Spread of ISIS Across the Middle East

* Enhance military and diplomatic efforts to prevent ISIS from further entrenching itself in Afghanistan and Libya, as well as take action to ensure ISIS does not spread to countries such as Jordan;
* Target ISIS's financial reserves with sanctions and asset freezes and continue to undermine ISIS's attempts to exploit oil resources;
* Engage in global ideological pushback by exposing ISIS's war crimes and sex trafficking and recruiting disaffected former members to tell their stories.

Protect the Homeland

* Work with regional partners to prevent foreign jihadists from traveling between their homes and the battlefields;
* Strengthen U.S. intelligence capabilities to ensure that the U.S. government has the capabilities to track terrorists plotting attacks inside the United States;
* Boost domestic efforts to detect potential "lone wolf" attackers.

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