KERRY L. BENTIVOLIO: “The crisis unfolding in Iraq is deeply troubling to the American people. The rapid fall of several cities in Iraq to…”

“The crisis unfolding in Iraq is deeply troubling to the American people. The rapid fall of several cities in Iraq to terrorist Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS, has brought the militant group dangerously closer to establishing a caliphate that spans the northern sections of Syria and Iraq. ISIS has a reputation for brutality, including summary executions, beheadings, and, in some cases, crucifixions. The implications of the rise of ISIS for Iraq's ancient Christian community, along with its other religious minorities, is troubling. For years we have witnessed the decline of Iraq's Christian community. Thousands have fled in the face of targeted violence. Those who remained relocated to Mosul and the Nineveh plains. These areas were some of the last remaining havens for this beleaguered and brutalized Christian community in Iraq. In fact, Archbishop Warda, the Chaldean Diocese of Erbil, indicated this past Sunday that for the first time in 1,600 years there was no mass in Mosul. The thousands who fled Mosul face displacement, imminent danger, and a growing humanitarian nightmare, including access to clean water, food, fuel, and electricity. I urge the administration to engage with the Iraqi central government and the Kurdistan Regional Government to prioritize security and support for these vulnerable populations and provide emergency humanitarian assistance to those brutalized communities.…”