[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 724 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 724
Expressing the sense of the Senate on the horrific terrorist attacks
and siege in Mumbai, India, beginning on November 26, 2008, and
concluding on November 29, 2008.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
December 9, 2008
Mr. Casey (for himself, Mr. Voinovich, and Mr. Conrad) submitted the
following resolution; which was considered and agreed to
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Senate on the horrific terrorist attacks
and siege in Mumbai, India, beginning on November 26, 2008, and
concluding on November 29, 2008.
Whereas, on the evening of November 26, 2008, evidence strongly suggests that 10
terrorists came ashore into the city of Mumbai, India, from a hijacked
fishing trawler in the Arabian Sea, and conducted coordinated attacks on
major hotels, restaurants, hospitals, and transportation hubs, and a
religious center;
Whereas the attackers entered into a standoff with security forces of the
Government of India over the next 60 hours at a number of sites,
deliberately holding many hostages while trapping other innocent victims
with no means of escape;
Whereas authorities of the Government of India brought the horrific three-day
siege of Mumbai to a close on the morning of November 29, 2008;
Whereas the final death toll from the siege exceeded 170 victims, with hundreds
more injured;
Whereas those murdered include citizens of India as well as 22 foreigners from
11 different countries, including the following six United States
citizens: Aryeh Leibish Teitelbaum, Rabbi Gavriel Noah Holtzberg, Ben
Zion Chroman, Sandeep Jeswani, Alan Michael Scherr, and Naomi Leia
Scherr.
Whereas the terrorists who attacked Mumbai attacked a symbol of religious
pluralism and outreach, a Jewish outreach center at the Nariman House,
murdering six residents of the Nariman House, including Rabbi Holtzberg
and his five-month pregnant wife, Rivka, orphaning their two-year old
son, Moshe, who was heroically rescued by his Indian nanny, Sandra
Samuel;
Whereas nine of the attackers were found dead at various sites where they were
engaged in a standoff with authorities of the Government of India, with
only one surviving attacker taken into custody;
Whereas evidence collected to date suggests the involvement of an Islamic
militant group, Lashkar-e-Taiba, that has ties to al Qaeda and operates
out of Pakistan;
Whereas India has endured a series of devastating terrorist attacks in recent
years, suffering 3,674 deaths from terrorist attacks in a recent three-
year period; and
Whereas India, the world's largest democracy, is a strategic partner of the
United States, and this bilateral relationship is built on common values
and unity against extremism: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) affirms that the people of the United States stand in
unison with the people of India in the aftermath of these
horrific terrorist attacks;
(2) condemns strongly the atrocities perpetrated against
the people of Mumbai, conveys its deepest condolences to the
families and loved ones of those killed, and expresses its
wishes for the speedy recovery of the hundreds of people
injured in these senseless attacks;
(3) notes that these attacks did not only target citizens
of India, but represented a collective assault against the
international community, with 22 foreigners, including six
Americans, among those murdered;
(4) noting that President Bush has offered United States
Government assistance, encourages the Government of India to
conduct a comprehensive investigation into the attacks and
applauds the tone of moderation and restraint exhibited by the
Government of India to date in reaction to these horrific
attacks;
(5) urges the Government of Pakistan to investigate
aggressively the possible connection of groups based in
Pakistan, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba, to the Mumbai attacks
and take definitive action to apprehend and detain suspects,
and is thus encouraged by the raid on an apparent militant camp
on December 7, 2008, and the arrest of key suspects;
(6) calls upon the Government of Pakistan to take all
necessary steps to root out all extremist groups operating on
its territory, halt attacks aimed at Pakistan and any other
countries, and ensure that no elements of the Government
support such groups;
(7) strongly encourages President-elect Obama to consider
ways in which the United States Government can bolster counter-
terrorism cooperation with the Government of India to ensure
that authorities in that country possess all the requisite
equipment and training needed to prevent and respond to future
terrorist attacks; and
(8) urges bolstered United States efforts to develop and
implement policies and projects to combat all forms of
religious extremism, including anti-Semitism, in order to deter
the type of targeted attacks like that waged against the Chabad
Lubavitch center in Mumbai.
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