{"id":36636,"date":"2019-10-10T19:38:26","date_gmt":"2019-10-10T19:38:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2019\/10\/10\/kurds-may-be-wiped-out-before-turkey-sanctions-happen-senators-worry\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:46:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:46:20","slug":"kurds-may-be-wiped-out-before-turkey-sanctions-happen-senators-worry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2019\/10\/10\/kurds-may-be-wiped-out-before-turkey-sanctions-happen-senators-worry\/","title":{"rendered":"Kurds may be wiped out before Turkey sanctions happen, senators worry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2015 Senators critical of President Donald Trump\u2019s sudden military withdrawal from Syria are prepping a legislative response to the Turkish offensive there, but some colleagues worry America\u2019s Kurdish partners may be dead by the time sanctions are imposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vanhollen.senate.gov\/news\/press-releases\/van-hollen-graham-announce-framework-for-sanctions-against-turkey\" target=_blank>proposed<\/a> Congress\u2019 most concrete legislative response to date to the unfolding crisis. Their bill includes sanctions on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and a tougher stance against Ankara\u2019s purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Graham, a Trump ally who has publicly broken with the administration over the president\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2019\/10\/07\/us-troops-start-pullout-from-along-turkeys-border-in-syria\/\" target=\"_blank\">decision to yank U.S. troops from northern Syria<\/a>, implored Trump on Thursday to sanction Turkey, reestablish safe zones to protect America\u2019s Kurdish allies and \u201cprevent the reemergence of ISIS before it\u2019s too late,\u201d using an acronym for the Islamic State group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMr. President, your decision regarding Syria is having grave consequences to our national security and that of our allies and partners,\u201d Graham said in a series of tweets. \u201cPlease change course while you still can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The sanctions, as proposed, would remain in place until the executive branch certifies to Congress that Turkey is not engaged in military activities in contested areas of Syria and that all Turkish and Turkish-partner fighters have been withdrawn from Syrian territories impacted by the Turkish military operation that began Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/10\/09\/withdrawing-troops-from-northern-syria-could-not-come-at-a-worse-time-votel-says\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"191\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18072523715638.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Withdrawing troops from northern Syria could \u2018not come at a worse time,\u2019 Votel says<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Withdrawing U.S. troops from northern Syria jeopardizes American credibility among allies and could unravel progress already made to quash the Islamic State, according to retired Gen. Joseph Votel.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump is facing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2019\/10\/07\/key-republicans-dems-blast-trumps-surprise-syria-withdrawal\/\" target=_blank>criticism from members of both parties<\/a> who say his decision to withdraw U.S. troops would bolster ISIS and harm America\u2019s credibility as an ally. The action took place during Congress\u2019 two-week recess, and it\u2019s unclear what response lawmakers will muster when they return next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some Democrats said Thursday that sanctions would not be enough to quell the Syrian conflict in time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBy the time sanctions are imposed on Turkey many of our key allies in the fight against ISIS will have been killed,\u201d Sen. Brian Schatz, a senior Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a tweet. \u201cRepublicans in the Senate have to do more than disagree. They must use all their power as Senators to push back. Everything else is for show and for cover.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who sits on the Foreign Relations Committee, said in a series of tweets Thursday that only the president, and not Congress, could repair the crisis, and he called on Republicans to pressure Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTrump, not sanctions, can save the Kurds. So shouldn\u2019t GOP be using the MASSIVE leverage they have over him right now to get him to change course, instead of passing sanctions he\u2019ll ignore anyway?\u201d he said. \u201cSplitting NATO is a huge win for Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/10\/09\/trump-us-doesnt-endorse-turkeys-assault-on-syria\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19281783861545.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Trump: US doesn\u2019t endorse Turkey\u2019s assault on Syria<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">President Donald Trump said Wednesday the U.S. does not endorse Turkey\u2019s military assault on Syria, calling the operation a \u201cbad idea.\u201d<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The backlash follows the White House\u2019s abrupt announcement Sunday that Turkey would move ahead with a \u201clong-planned\u201d offensive in northeastern Syria and that the small number of U.S. troops that had been in the area would be absent when it happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next day, Erdogan confirmed that Turkish action against Kurdish fighters was imminent, which prompted Trump to threaten via Twitter that he would \u201ctotally destroy and obliterate\u201d Turkey\u2019s economy if Ankara took any action he considered \u201coff-limits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-587120678.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-25349\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-587120678.jpg.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-587120678.jpg.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-587120678.jpg.jpg?resize=768,432 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-587120678.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,576 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at an Aug. 7, 2016, rally in Istanbul following a failed military coup. (Ozan Kose\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump has also since downplayed the alliance with the Kurds, 11,000 of whom died fighting to help the U.S. mission against ISIS. \u201cThey didn\u2019t help us in the Second World War, they didn\u2019t help us with Normandy for example,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How Congress acts next is a test for two gatekeepers, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Senate Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, R-Idaho, who have in the past blocked bills they believed the president would not sign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This week, McConnell resisted directly criticizing Trump, but he did make a public statement urging the president \u201cto exercise American leadership\u201d to prevent conflict between America\u2019s Syrian allies and its NATO ally, Turkey. Supermajorities in both chambers voted in January to support a U.S. presence in Syria, McConnell noted, in what may have been a thinly veiled warning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe conditions that produced that bipartisan vote still exist today,\u201d McConnell said. \u201cA precipitous withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria would only benefit Russia, Iran and the [regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad]. And it would increase the risk that ISIS and other terrorist groups regroup.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., has not directly criticized Trump, but did say Monday he had been in contact with Defense Secretary Mark Esper and would continue discussions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI agree that we cannot engage in unending conflict, but steps must be taken to prevent a security vacuum in northeastern Syria that would benefit terrorists, Putin and Iran, and harm our national security interests,&#8221; Inhofe said. \u201cWe also need to continue to work with our NATO ally, Turkey, as well as our partners, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/2019\/10\/09\/as-turkey-launches-operation-in-northern-syria-the-coalition-touts-recent-sdf-success-countering-isis\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1073946414.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">As Turkey launches operation in northern Syria, the coalition touts recent SDF success countering ISIS<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">According to a release from Operation Inherent Resolve, U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have nabbed several ISIS commanders and facilitators in counterterrorism operations spanning Oct. 2 to Oct. 5.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among Senate Foreign Relations Committee Republicans, Sens. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SenTedCruz\/status\/1181275476284846083\" target=\"_blank\">Ted Cruz<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2019\/10\/07\/cory-gardner-trump-kurds-turkey-syria\/\" target=\"_blank\">Cory Gardner<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/fox6now.com\/2019\/10\/08\/us-senator-ron-johnson-joins-republicans-questioning-syria-policy\/\" target=\"_blank\">Ron Johnson<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wabe.org\/isakson-questions-trump-administration-withdrawal-of-troops-from-syria\/\" target=\"_blank\">Johnny Isakson<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.romney.senate.gov\/romney-murphy-statement-presidents-syria-announcement\" target=\"_blank\">Mitt Romney<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/marcorubio\/status\/1182080140475604992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1182080140475604992&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fpolitics%2F2019%2F10%2F10%2Ftrumps-blood-your-hands-problem-with-turkey-syria%2F\" target=\"_blank\">Marco Rubio<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.journalgazette.net\/news\/local\/20191010\/young-calls-on-nato-to-help-with-kurds\" target=\"_blank\">Todd Young<\/a> have all questioned Trump\u2019s decision to varying degrees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a tweet, Rubio noted that \u201cat request of this administration, the Kurds served as the primary ground fighters against ISIS in Syria so U.S. troops wouldn\u2019t have to.\u201d According to Rubio, the administration \u201ccut deal with Erdogan allowing him to wipe them out. Damage to our reputation &amp; national interest will be extraordinary &amp; long lasting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19156390449891.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"a woman is frisked by a U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fighter at a screening area after being evacuated out of the last territory held by Islamic State group militants.\" class=\"wp-image-77951\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19156390449891.jpg.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19156390449891.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19156390449891.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19156390449891.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In this March 1, 2019, file photo, a woman is frisked by a U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fighter at a screening area after being evacuated out of the last territory held by Islamic State group militants, in the desert outside Baghouz, Syria. (Felipe Dana\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the other hand, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?time_continue=15&#038;v=Bgi6Sny9wYw\" target=_blank>Sen. Rand Paul<\/a>, R-Ky., has been active on television and social media to defend Trump against what he called the \u201cneocon war caucus.\u201d Risch\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foreign.senate.gov\/press\/chair\/release\/risch-statement-on-turkeys-actions-against-the-kurds\" target=_blank>public statement<\/a> Wednesday was focused on Turkey, not Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a joint statement, Murphy and Romney \u2014 who is the chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism \u2014 called on the Trump administration to come before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee \u201cto explain to the American people how betraying an ally and ceding influence to terrorists and adversaries is not disastrous for our national security interests.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While it\u2019s unclear what action the Democrat-led House will take, 57 House Democrats wrote to Trump on Thursday to warn that his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from northeastern Syria in advance of a known Turkish military operation puts U.S. allies in danger and harms ongoing counter-ISIS efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Days earlier, the lead Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Michael McCaul, said much the same. \u201cI strongly urge the President to reconsider this decision\u201d McCaul said in a statement, urging a solution \u201cthat does not entail unilateral Turkish military action.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the No. 3 House Republican, said in a statement Wednesday that \u201cPresident Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw U.S. forces from northern Syria is having sickening and predictable consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe U.S. is abandoning our ally the Kurds, who fought ISIS on the ground and helped protect the U.S. homeland. This decision aids America\u2019s adversaries, Russia, Iran, and Turkey, and paves the way for a resurgence of ISIS,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/2019\/10\/09\/turkey-begins-an-offensive-against-kurdish-fighters-in-syria\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19282577367829.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Turkey begins offensive aimed at Kurdish fighters in Syria<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the start of the campaign, which followed an announcement Sunday by U.S. President Donald Trump that American troops would step aside in a shift in U.S. policy that essentially abandoned the Syrian Kurds. They were longtime U.S. allies in the fight against the Islamic State group.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump\u2019s move has been hailed by some in the GOP\u2019s non-interventionist wing, like Paul, who have noted Congress never authorized military action in Syria in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Thursday, Paul said the withdrawal of America\u2019s token force removed U.S. troops from harm and encourages Kurdish forces to make peace with Turkey. \u201cWhat we need is a multilateral group to hammer out a peace &#8230; I think that maybe we have been impeding peace talks,\u201d Paul told CBS News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the Defense Priorities Foundation, which is focused on restraint and realist foreign policy, senior fellow Daniel Davis, a retired Army officer, opposed the idea of Turkey sanctions \u2015 which \u201cwould undermine American interests and add unnecessary complications to our already-tense relationship with our NATO ally\u201d \u2015 and opposed the presence of U.S. troops anywhere in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf many in Washington had their way and Turkey withdrew its forces because of U.S. pressure, the net result would be the worst outcome for U.S. interests: American military troops staying in Syria with neither a mandate nor militarily attainable objectives,\u201d Davis said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Had U.S. troops stayed, he said, \u201cThe best we could hope for is to be caught in the cross-fire between Turkey and the SDF or owing to miscalculation or accident, come under fire from Russian, Syrian, Iranian troops or fighters from other radical Islamic groups.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Congress\u2019 most concrete response to the unfolding Syrian crisis includes sanctions on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":53116,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"4":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"5":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"6":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"7":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"}}},"categories":[8,160,11,47,36],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3446],"class_list":["post-36636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-congress","category-daily-news-roundup","category-global","category-mideast-africa","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"F222PGAWQZCV7OEXBMTV7RIWMQ","arc_canonical_url":"\/congress\/2019\/10\/10\/kurds-may-be-wiped-out-before-turkey-sanctions-happen-senators-worry\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Kurds may be wiped out before Turkey sanctions happen, senators worry - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Congress\u2019 most concrete response to the unfolding Syrian crisis includes sanctions on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kurds may be wiped out before Turkey sanctions happen, senators worry\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Congress\u2019 most concrete response to the unfolding Syrian crisis includes sanctions on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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