During his Senate confirmation hearing for U.S. Secretary of State, Senator Marco Rubio reaffirmed his strong support for Kurdish forces in Syria.

When questioned by Senator Chris Van Hollen about whether the U.S. should continue backing the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the fight against ISIS, Rubio responded, “Yes, absolutely.”

He further emphasized the significance of supporting the Kurds, stating, “It is in the national interest of the United States to have a Syria that protects the Kurds.”

Rubio stated that the ceasefire with the Kurds is weak but must be upheld. He noted that Syria has promising opportunities, although it faces numerous challenges, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Rubio has previously voiced concerns about the U.S.’s abandonment of Kurdish forces in Syria under the Trump administration. On October 7, 2019, Rubio criticized the U.S.

withdrawal, writing on X (formerly Twitter), “We degraded ISIS using Kurds as the ground force. Now we have abandoned them & they face annihilation at the hands of the Turkish military.”

Marco Rubio, a U.S. Senator from Florida since 2011, is a member of the Republican Party. He serves on key Senate committees, including Foreign Relations and Intelligence.
An advocate for U.S. foreign policy on Latin America, the Middle East, and national security, Rubio ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 but was not successful.