Zinke Challenges President Obama, Calls for Additional Action on ISIS

Press Release

After President Obama announced his plan to deploy 350 additional American troops to secure diplomatic facilities, Ryan Zinke, candidate for Montana's lone Congressional seat, challenged the president to provide greater leadership and a decisive strategy to address the threat of ISIS.

ISIS, the terrorist group responsible for the beheading of American journalists, Steven J. Sotloff and James Foley, as well as the mass slaughter of citizens in the region, has launched an offensive in Iraq with the intent of taking over Baghdad.

"These terrorists cannot be reformed or reasoned with," said Zinke, "And this administration continues to underestimate the threat that ISIS poses."

Zinke, a 23 year veteran of the Navy SEALs, was a former Commander at SEAL Team Six, and Deputy and acting Commander of the Combined Joint Special Operations in Iraq in 2004. During his time in Iraq Zinke led a force of over 3500 Special Operations personnel in conducting 360 combat patrols, 48 Direct Action missions, and hundreds of sensitive operations.

"I'd rather fight ISIS in the deserts of Iraq than in the streets of New York," said Zinke, "We need decisive action and leadership, and the President isn't providing it."

When asked what action he would propose in response to the ISIS threat, Zinke said that one of the first actions he would like to see is a no-fly zone placed between Iraq and Iran, and also between Iraq and Syria.

"We need to isolate them by establishing a US led no-fly zone along the the borders and enhance the military capability of the Kurds and those Iraqi forces committed to defeating the ISIS threat," concluded Zinke.

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