The United States should focus its military efforts on completely wiping out the Islamic State (ISIS), says Sen. Ted Cruz, but not on getting involved in the Syrian civil war.
That can be tricky, since ISIS is headquartered in Syria. The United States is launching limited airstrikes against the terrorist group in Iraq, but so far has avoided major initiatives in Syria.
ISIS is part of a complicated battle there between the government of President Bashar Assad, moderate rebels known as the Free Syrian Army, and ISIS, which also is fighting Assad, but which has a goal of setting up a caliphate in the areas it controls in Syria and Iraq.
The United States should have an "overwhelming air campaign to take them out," Cruz said in an interview broadcast Sunday on ABC's "This Week."
"The focus should be Iraq, but the real focus should be taking out ISIS," Cruz said.
Cruz has previously said ISIS should be bombed "back to the Stone Age," but he told ABC that even so, President Barack Obama should seek congressional approval before doing so.
Though Republicans have been critical of Obama on a range of domestic and international issues, they also have become increasingly hawkish against ISIS, which has claimed responsibility for the recent beheadings of two American journalists and has been practicing mass killings, including crucifixions of Christians in Iraq.
"I think it is an urgent concern to strike while ISIS is vulnerable," the Texas Republican said.
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