Prominent Senator Graham warns abandoning Kurds would be "disgrace" for US

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham warned on Friday that turning away from the Kurds after the defeat of Islamic State (ISIS) would be “a disgrace" for the United States, stressing that Kurdish forces carried the main burden of the fight against the extremist group.

Graham responded to a question from Rudaw's Diyar Kurda on Friday about the bill he introduced to protect the Kurds of northeast Syria (Rojava). He said there is broad support in Washington to prevent further attacks on Kurdish forces.

“I think there’s a lot of bipartisan support to make sure the Kurds who helped us defeat ISIS are not slaughtered,” Graham said.

The senator underlined that Kurdish forces played a decisive role in the war against ISIS, adding that abandoning them now would damage America’s moral standing and credibility. “The Kurds were there doing most of the fighting to destroy ISIS. To turn our back on them would be a disgrace to the country. They don’t deserve that,” he said.

Graham also voiced concern about developments in Syria, warning that any future political settlement must protect minorities. “Whatever solution to the future of Syria, it is not killing the Druze and is not killing the Kurds,” he stated, adding that “One Syria cannot be created by the force of gun.”

Addressing Turkey directly, Graham issued a strong warning against the use of force.

“To Turkey: I know how you feel. You do this at your own peril. You have an agenda that I think is bad for the region when it comes to the Kurds,” he said, while acknowledging that both Ankara and Washington consider some Kurdish groups to be terrorist organizations. He added, “Be careful. Don’t embarrass President Trump. Do not push violence as a solution.”

Graham, along with Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, introduced the “Save the Kurds Act” on Thursday. The proposed legislation would impose sanctions on Syrian government officials, financial institutions, and any foreign individuals or entities that provide military or financial support to Damascus if attacks against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) continue.

The bill also recognizes the role of Kurdish forces in defeating ISIS and gives the US president authority to suspend sanctions if the attacks stop.

The initiative has attracted strong bipartisan backing in Congress. In parallel, a petition campaign on Change.org supporting the “Save the Kurds Act” has gained momentum, collecting more than 315,000 signatures by Saturday morning.

The remarks come before the SDF announced on Friday that they had reached a “comprehensive agreement” with Syria’s transitional government in Damascus, allowing the Interior Ministry–affiliated security forces to enter the northeastern cities of Hasaka and Qamishli. The deal also provides for a ceasefire and the phased integration of military and administrative structures between the two sides.

Under the agreement, government security forces will deploy in the city centers, military forces will withdraw from contact lines, and SDF units will be reorganized into new formations, including three brigades within a military division and an additional brigade from Kobane under an Aleppo-affiliated division. The SDF said the deal also includes the integration of the Autonomous Administration’s institutions into those of the Syrian state.

The agreement follows weeks of heavy fighting after a large-scale offensive by Damascus-affiliated factions against SDF-held areas in northern and northeastern Syria, which led to the SDF’s withdrawal from parts of Aleppo, Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, and areas near Hasaka. The United States later brokered a temporary ceasefire - since extended - to enable the transfer of ISIS detainees and to facilitate negotiations between Syria’s interim government and the Kurdish-led administration in Rojava.