110 HRES 811 EH: Condemning the November 6, 2007, terrorist
U.S. House of Representatives
2007-11-14
text/xml
EN
Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
Whereas on November 6, 2007, a terrorist carried out a
suicide bombing in the Baghlan province of Afghanistan that deliberately
targeted a delegation of 18 members of the Wolesi Jirga, the directly elected
chamber of the National Assembly of Afghanistan;
Whereas this horrific bombing was the deadliest suicide
attack since the liberation of Afghanistan from the brutal Taliban regime in
2001, reportedly killing at least 50 Afghan citizens, including several
schoolchildren, and wounding dozens of others;
Whereas at least six members of the Wolesi Jirga were
killed in the attack, including Sayed Mustafa Kazemi, Chair of the Economic
Commission of the Wolesi Jirga and former Minister of Commerce; Engineer Abdul
Matin, a member from the province of Helmland; Sibgatullah Zaki, a member from
the province of Takhar; Haji Sahib Rahman Hemat, a member from the province of
Kunar; Nazik Mir Sarferaz, a member from the Kunduz province; and Mohammad Arif
Zarif, a member from Kabul;
Whereas the legislative delegation transcended political,
ethnic, and regional divisions and was targeted by this heinous act while
carrying out its official duties in service to the Afghan people;
Whereas nearly six years after the liberation of
Afghanistan from the Taliban, who provided al-Qaeda with a safe haven for
planning the attacks of September 11, 2001, Afghanistan remains under siege,
and the democratically elected Government of Afghanistan remains subject to
attacks from remnants of the Taliban who have regrouped along with other
insurgent groups, including al-Qaeda;
Whereas poppy cultivation and opium production, which
directly support, sustain, and finance insurgents, militias, and terrorist
organizations operating in Afghanistan, continue to dramatically
increase;
Whereas the security of Afghanistan is closely intertwined
with the security of its regional neighbors, and therefore cooperation and
support from its neighbors in defeating insurgents and establishing security is
urgently required;
Whereas the international community, including the
Government of the United States, has expressed its ongoing commitment to
supporting the efforts of the Government and people of Afghanistan to build a
stable, secure, and democratic nation with the achievement of the Afghanistan
Compact in 2006;
Whereas Afghanistan remains a critical front in the global
struggle against terrorism, and supporting the development of democratic
institutions in Afghanistan is critical to defeating this threat; and
Whereas the House Democracy Assistance Commission of the
United States House of Representatives has worked in partnership with the
Wolesi Jirga to strengthen its institutional capacity, and remains committed to
a strong and mutually-beneficial partnership: Now, therefore, be it
That the House of Representatives—
(1)condemns in the strongest terms the
November 6, 2007, attack in the Baghlan province of Afghanistan and all other
attacks against the democratic freedom and sovereignty of the Afghan
people;
(2)expresses its
condolences to the people of Afghanistan and the members of the Wolesi
Jirga;
(3)supports the
efforts of the Government of Afghanistan to investigate the attack and bring
the perpetrators to justice;
(4)reaffirms the
long-term commitment of the United States to the establishment of security, the
strengthening of democratic and civil institutions, and the promotion of
economic opportunity as the basis for a stable, secure, and democratic
Afghanistan; and
(5)calls upon the
United States and other responsible nations to strengthen their efforts to
further the goals and standards set forth in the Afghanistan Compact for
improvements in security, governance, and economic development.
Lorraine C. Miller,
Clerk.