Rudaw
January 27, 2026
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US Senator Lindsey Graham announced on Tuesday he will be introducing legislation this week aimed at imposing "crippling sanctions" on any government or group engaged in "hostilities against the Kurds," in a measure he referred to as "The Save the Kurds Act.”
In a statement on X, the prominent American lawmaker said, "I will be introducing legislation this week designed to impose crippling sanctions on any government or group engaged in hostilities against the Kurds."
Dubbing the bill “The Save the Kurds Act,” Graham added, "I believe [the bill] will receive strong bipartisan support and must have teeth to be effective."
Graham’s push comes amid a large-scale offensive launched in mid-January by the Syrian Arab Army and allied armed groups to seize territory held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The SDF serves as the de facto military force in northeast Syria (Rojava) and key ally of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat the Islamic State (ISIS), which played a crucial role in the extremist group’s territorial defeat in Syria in 2019.
In recent weeks, Syrian government forces and allied militants have retaken areas in eastern Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, and Raqqa provinces that the SDF had held following their liberation from ISIS.
Amid the offensive, the SDF announced that it had lost control over several facilities holding ISIS detainees, including the al-Shaddadi prison in southern Hasaka, with reports indicating that between 120 and 1,500 detainees may have escaped during the violence.
The Kurdish-led forces were also forced to withdraw from the notorious al-Hol camp in Hasaka, which houses individuals with alleged links to ISIS. Rojava officials last week confirmed to Rudaw that a total of 7,130 families - or 25,183 individuals - were held at al-Hol prior to the SDF’s withdrawal.
Graham expressed "great concern" over what he called "the deteriorating situation in Syria," warning that "the Kurds are under threat from the new Syrian [interim] government that is aligned with Turkey."
He further emphasized that "it would be a disaster for America’s reputation and national security interests to abandon the Kurds, who were the chief ally in destroying the ISIS caliphate."
This is far from the first time the outspoken senator has vowed action against Damascus and allied armed groups over their offensive against Kurdish-led forces.
On Friday, he said there is a "strong consensus" among senators that Washington must act to "protect the Kurds who were there for us in destroying the ISIS caliphate." He concluded with a note of caution, "The powers of the Senate are real. Stay tuned."
Last week, Graham warned that he would push to reimpose "Caesar Act sanctions on steroids" against Syria if its forces continue advancing toward Kurdish-held areas, cautioning that such actions could “permanently” damage ties with Washington.
In a statement on X, Graham added, "Apparently no one in Syria is listening to me or other U.S. government officials," warning that "if this continues, not only will there be bone-crushing sanctions, it will permanently damage relationships between the U.S. and the new Syrian government."
The influential American lawmaker further warned, "If you want a conflict with the U.S. Senate and to do permanent damage to the U.S.-Syria relationship, keep going. If you want to salvage the relationship, stop and turn around. "Of note, the US House of Representatives in December moved to repeal the Caesar Act sanctions - the most restrictive measures imposed on Syria during the rule of longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad.
Under Section 6211 of the bill, the Syrian government must meet six benchmarks, including a commitment to "eliminating the threat" of ISIS and "other terrorist groups" in partnership with the US-led Global Coalition, as well as demonstrating progress on minority inclusion in government and in "providing security for religious and ethnic minorities."
Congress further signaled that if the US president fails to make an "affirmative certification" of compliance, sanctions under the original Caesar Act would be reinstated until full compliance is achieved.
Amid reports of grave human rights violations against the Kurdish community in recent weeks, and against the Alawite and Druze communities in preceding months, experts argue that Damascus is becoming increasingly at risk of being resanctioned.
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