US Senator: ‘Kurds are reliable allies, tough fighters’

CLEVELAND, United States (Kurdistan24) – At the recent Republican National Convention, a US senator praised Peshmerga forces for their victories, urging them to continue to defeat the Islamic State (IS).

Ron Johnson, a Republican US Senator for Wisconsin, spoke to Kurdistan24 about Peshmerga, US support for Kurdistan, and IS’ global threat.

“Certainly, I think we need to give all kinds of help and support to the Kurds because they have been proven fighters and strong allies,” the Senator stated.

Johnson also added that the US needs the help of Kurds in the battle against “Islamic terror” to successfully defeat IS.

“We need [the Kurds] to be strong allies,” he said. “We have to band together as a civilized world, and we’ve got to defeat Islamic terror wherever it resides.”

The Republican Senator also encouraged the Kurdish forces to continue to persevere in their fight for freedom.

“Keep fighting for your freedom, keep fighting for your lives, keep fighting for peace, it’s crucial we do so,” Johnson stated.

“[Kurds] are reliable allies, tough fighters, and we need those types of allies helping us defeat [IS], that’s the number one goal,” he added.

Additionally, Johnson addressed the global threat that IS poses, especially to the US, as the group continues to expand.

“We actually have to defeat [IS], we can’t let this continue, every day that goes by they continue to train,” he warned.

“We used to talk about inspired lone wolfs, now we’re talking about directed wolf packs…they’re a real threat and we have to take care of them,” Johnson concluded.

(Kurdistan24 team in Washington, DC conducted the interview)