Page 54 - ATR 5 2019 digital

THE LAST WORD

Loyalty — Does it Matter?

By Sen. Jim Hendren 11,000 people fighting a vicious enemy. minorities and individual freedom. Because

Guest Writer While it is tempting to believe we of their differences, they have been
A phone call on Sunday, Oct. 6th should just ignore problems overseas and oppressed by their host countries and some
between President Trump and Turkey’s leave them to someone else, it might be Kurdish groups have continued to fight to
President Erdogan resulted in several hun- instructive to review why we went to war establish their own country.
dred civilians in North Syria being dis- against ISIS. This desire for independence we
placed, over 100 ISIS fighters escaping their • ISIS was raping and beheading American should understand as Americans, but it is
prisons and indiscriminate bombings and aid workers, Christians, journalists and viewed as terrorism by Turkey. Hoping for
executions of the Kurds. The recent suc- innocent civilians then using it as pro- help and willing to fight to earn loyalty,
cessful U.S. military operation that killed paganda to recruit other terrorists to do the Kurds turned to the Americans. They
the founder and leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr the same. proved to be tenacious and courageous
al-Baghdadi emphasizes the importance of • ISIS was enslaving Yazidi women, warriors. While Turkey has wanted to cross
having allies in any area we must do battle. Christians and children then selling the Syrian border for years to annihilate
U.S. officials tell us it was intelligence them in market squares. the Kurds, they knew that since there were
provided by the Kurds on the ground and • ISIS was recruiting foreign fighters, had U.S. troops fighting side by side with them
an unhappy captured Baghdadi wife that taken two-thirds of Syria and was near such an attack would result in a fierce
allowed us to locate him. This isn’t the to defeating Iraq which would have response. When we agreed to pull those
first time the Kurds have been critical to given them access to deadly weapons approximately 75 troops from the Kurdish
the fight against ISIS. After several failed including surface-to-air missiles. areas, the Turks wasted no time. They
attempts to train and organize other • ISIS had carried out attacks in the U.S. immediately began indiscriminate bomb-
groups to fight the growing ISIS threat, the and was plotting many more. We were ing of Kurdish areas and then crossed the
Kurds stepped up. headed for more 9/11 type attacks if border. The Turks use lawless militias to do
In 2014, it was the Kurds who, with they weren’t stopped—and stopped much of their dirty work and these militia
the support of U.S. air power, prevented there, not here. groups have already broadcast videos show-
the ISIS slaughter of 20,000 Christians and While I believe the U.S. should avoid ing beheadings of women, children and
Yazidis surrounded on Mt Sinjar. Later that unnecessary entanglement in the many our Kurdish allies.
year, it was the Kurds that stayed and fought problems around the world, the U.S. mili- Abandoning an ally who paid such
courageously in Kobane rather than flee the tary began to engage ISIS fighters in Iraq a heavy price will make it more difficult
incoming and overwhelming ISIS attack. and North Syria because they posed a to persuade others to fight with us in the
Again, the partnership between Kurds on growing threat to our national security and future. Despite the death of Baghdadi, ISIS,
the ground and U.S. air power proved too our citizens. an enemy that was defeated and impris-
much for ISIS, and Kobane was saved. So why is the decision to abandon the oned, has now been given new life. And
And finally, it was the Kurds who took Kurds so devastating if the battle is basi- finally, American values of loyalty and
on the daunting challenge of running ISIS cally won? The Kurds are a people who, decency have been badly damaged by this
out of Raqqa, their self-declared capitol city. although promised their own country after betrayal of such a faithful partner who
Facing tens of thousands of hardened ISIS World War 1, were instead divided and sacrificed so much.
militants and supported by overwhelming made a minority in three countries: Syria,
U.S. airpower, ISIS was defeated and the Iraq and Turkey. They are a people that are Jim Hendren is an Arkansas State Senator
and a colonel in Air National Guard with
remnants scattered and dispersed. While more culturally similar to the U.S. than four deployments to the Middle East since
this was a tremendous victory, it came at any of their host countries. They believe 2014. (Opinion does not represent the US
a heavy price to the Kurds. They lost over in women’s rights, toleration for religious Air Force or Air National Guard).

Opinions expressed on this page may not reflect official policies or opinions of the Arkansas Trucking Association or the American Trucking Associations.

54 Issue 5 2019 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT