On the same day that President Obama promised to "hunt down terrorists who threaten our country," religious freedom and human rights advocates called for the administration to consider its long-term aid for minority faith communities in the Middle East.
The House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on global human rights met yesterday to discuss genocidal attacks against Christian and other religious minorities in Syria and Iraq at the hands of the Islamic State (IS).
Congressman Chris Smith, who chaired the hearing, gave the opening address in which he highlighted the "desperate plight" of these groups.
"As images of beheaded American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff are seared into our consciousness, we would do well to honour their memories by recalling what they saw as their mission to alert the world to the horrors committed by the fanatical terrorist group ISIS in Syria and Iraq," he said.
"Children forced to view crucifixions and beheadings, women bartered, sold and raped, prisoners lined up on their knees to be shot – this is the ISIS legacy."
Smith continued: "Today Christians and other religious minorities such as Yazidis, Shabaks and Turkmen Shiites are not just facing a long winter without homes. They are not just hungry and thirsty and wandering from village to village in northern Iraq and Kurdistan – they are facing annihilation, genocide, by fanatics who see anyone who does not subscribe to its draconian and violent interpretation of Islam as fair game for enslavement, forced conversion or death."
In response, the panel of human rights officials called for "long-term commitment" from the US government to help vulnerable communities.
"We know that if we want to protect religious minorities in Iraq, Syria and beyond, it's not going to be enough to just beat [the Islamic State]," said Tom Malinowski, assistant secretary for the State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour.
Thomas Staal, a spokesperson for the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance, added that the Middle Eastern crisis is "not going to be over soon" and therefore long-term objectives must be established.
"Humanitarian access remains a critical problem," he warned.
"Displaced persons will likely be unable or unwilling to return to their homes. They will likely have long-term needs that will need to be addressed."
Last night President Obama promised: "Our objective is clear: we will degrade, and ultimately destroy, ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained counter-terrorism strategy...I have made it clear that we will hunt down terrorists who threaten our country, wherever they are.
"That means I will not hesitate to take action against ISIL in Syria, as well as Iraq. This is a core principle of my presidency: if you threaten America, you will find no safe haven."
