GOP presidential candidates Ted Cruz and John Kasich both issued statements on the deadly terror attacks at the Brussels Zaventem Airport and on the city’s subway Tuesday, calling for an end to the horrific actions.
"Our hearts break for the men and women of Brussels this morning,
Cruz said in his statement. "Make no mistake — these terror attacks are no isolated incidents. They are just the latest in a string of coordinated attacks by radical Islamic terrorists perpetrated by those who are waging war against all who do not accept their extreme strain of Islam."
Further, the Texas senator said that when he is sworn in as president, "we will name our enemy — radical Islamic terrorism. And we will defeat it."
"Radical Islam is at war with us," he said. "For over seven years we have had a president who refuses to acknowledge this reality. And the truth is, we can never hope to defeat this evil so long as we refuse to even name it."
Kasich, meanwhile, said that he was "sickened by the pictures of the carnage, by the injuries, and the loss of life," and that he wishes to express his solidarity with the people of Belgium.
"The wave of terror that has been unleashed in Europe and elsewhere around the world are attacks against our very way of life and the very democratic values upon which our political systems have been built," said Kasich, urging the international community to coordinate resources and eliminate extremist groups.
"We and our allies must rededicate ourselves to these values of freedom and human rights," the Ohio governor said. "We must utterly reject the use of deadly acts of terror. We must redouble our efforts with our allies to identify, root out and destroy the perpetrators of such acts of evil. We must strengthen our alliances as our way of life and the international system that has been built on our common values since the end of the Second World War comes under challenge from these and other actors of evil."