MD-6 GOP Candidate Burnett Calls for Strong U.S. Response After ISIS Attacks in Syria

January 12, 2026January 12, 2026 - by Michael Phillips - 1 Comment

By Michael Phillips | Thunder Report

In a press release issued Saturday, Republican congressional candidate Chris Burnett endorsed recent U.S. military strikes against ISIS targets in Syria, urging a forceful response following deadly attacks on U.S. personnel late last year.

Burnett, a retired Marine Corps officer and national security lawyer running in Maryland’s 6th Congressional District, pointed to his prior service with Combined Joint Task Force–Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), the U.S.-led coalition formed to defeat ISIS.

“Having served in the counter-ISIS mission with CJTF-OIR, I understand firsthand how dangerous this region continues to be and how critical it is to protect U.S. forces deployed there,” Burnett said in the statement released by his campaign.

The comments follow announcements by U.S. Central Command that U.S. and allied forces have conducted large-scale strikes against ISIS positions across Syria as part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, an ongoing campaign launched in response to a December 2025 ISIS attack near Palmyra that killed two American service members and a U.S. civilian interpreter.

According to CENTCOM, the initial phase of the operation began on December 19, 2025, targeting more than 70 ISIS sites across central and eastern Syria. Additional strikes were conducted on January 10, 2026, aimed at degrading ISIS leadership, logistics, and operational capacity. U.S. officials have said the operation is intended to prevent the group from regrouping and threatening American or partner forces.

ISIS, while territorially defeated in 2019, continues to operate as an insurgent network in Syria and Iraq, exploiting regional instability and gaps in governance. The United States currently maintains roughly 900 troops in Syria, primarily tasked with counter-ISIS operations and force protection. That posture has remained largely consistent across multiple administrations, with periodic strikes authorized in response to attacks on U.S. personnel.

Burnett’s statement adopts a more assertive tone than that typically used in official military briefings, framing the strikes as part of a broader deterrence strategy rather than a narrowly defined defensive response. His position aligns with a faction of Republican candidates and lawmakers who argue that sustained military pressure is necessary to prevent an ISIS resurgence, even as questions persist in Congress about authorization for the use of military force and long-term U.S. commitments overseas.

Maryland’s 6th District, which includes parts of Frederick, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett counties, has a significant population of veterans and military-adjacent communities, including areas near Fort Detrick. While foreign policy rarely ranks as a top voter concern compared to economic or infrastructure issues, national-security credentials have historically played a role in contested primaries.

Burnett’s campaign has not yet released a comprehensive foreign-policy platform outlining his views on troop levels, congressional oversight, or the scope of future U.S. military engagements.

Thunder Report is in contact with the Burnett campaign to schedule an interview for additional clarification and to further explore Burnett’s positions on counterterrorism strategy and the role of Congress in authorizing military action.