Shaheen Issues Statement in Response to End of the Bashar al-Assad Regime

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, released the following statement in response to the end of the Assad regime in Syria: 

“After almost 14 years of war, Bashar al-Assad, a brutal dictator who is responsible for the senseless deaths of thousands of Syrians, has fled the country. It is now critical that the future of Syria be determined through a political process that reflects the will of the Syrian people. The International Community, including the United States, must continue to provide aid that supports the people of Syria as they rebuild their country.  

“While the departure of Assad is a welcome development, the political and security situation remains fragile and it’s critical that efforts are taken to prevent the resurgence of ISIS in Syria. This will require continued efforts to secure the ISIS detention camps and continue our counter-ISIS mission to ensure the lasting defeat of ISIS.  

“The end of Assad’s regime also marks a strategic defeat for his enablers in Moscow and Tehran who have kept him in power. For years, Vladimir Putin has propped up Assad, resulting in countless deaths and a prolongation of a ruthless campaign of violence against the Syrian people.” 

Senator Shaheen has long led efforts to focus attention on the humanitarian and security situation in Syria and address the national security and humanitarian crises caused by the Syrian civil war and the rise and subsequent fall of ISIS. In 2018, Shaheen authored legislation to establish the Syria Study Group to complete a comprehensive assessment of the conflict in Syria and ways to address the consequence of the violence. One of the Study Group’s recommendations included the establishment of the ISIS Detainee Coordinator position, which Shaheen authored legislation to codify in the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. In 2018, she joined a delegation with Senator Graham to Syria and Iraq, where she visited the detainee and displaced persons camps and met with officials on ways to address security and humanitarian needs. 

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