Two U.S. senators held a meeting with a so-called co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), a fraction of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) , known as one of the Syrian affiliates of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terror group, as the deadline for the withdrawal of YPG/PKK terrorists from the planned safe zone in northern Syria approaches.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen on Monday received the terror group’s so-called representative Ilham Ahmed in Washington.
"After our meeting with Ilham Ahmed, we’re even more worried about the situation unfolding in northeastern Syria. Right now, Congress must come together to maintain an adequate U.S. troops in Syria, ensure air support, and impose sanctions against Turkey," Chris Van Hollen said in a tweet.
Lindsay Graham has been a vocal critic of Ankara's ongoing Operation Peace Spring and announced he was working on the sanctions legislation alongside Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen prior to the operation's formal launch.
Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring on Oct. 9 to eliminate terrorists from northern Syria in order to secure Turkey's borders, aid in the safe return of Syrian refugees and ensure Syria's territorial integrity.
Ankara and the U.S. have agreed on a 20-mile (32-kilometer) safe zone south of the Turkish border in Syria, where Turkey wants to accommodate more than 3 million refugees it is currently hosting.
