[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 17 (Monday, January 29, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H963-H964]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TALIBAN RESURGENCE IN AFGHANISTAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor this evening to once 
again discuss the mounting problems and increasing violence by Taliban 
fighters in Afghanistan and Pakistan. My concern is that the President 
continues to escalate the wrong war in Iraq while the war in 
Afghanistan is forgotten. I fear, as do many others, if the United 
States and NATO do not prioritize Afghanistan, the Taliban will reach a 
level of strength it has not had since prior to the inception of the 
United States mission in Afghanistan. This could lead to an impending 
offensive by the Taliban in Afghanistan which would drastically 
undermine the United States mission in this war-torn nation.
  Over the weekend, the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, and other 
Members of the House leadership visited Afghanistan and Pakistan on a 
fact-finding mission in order to witness first hand the escalating 
problems facing those countries.
  I was glad to see that the Speaker coupled her trip to Iraq with a 
visit to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Speaker Pelosi's trip to Afghanistan 
and Pakistan comes as President Bush announces his plan to ask Congress 
for $10.6 billion in aid for Afghanistan.

                              {time}  1930

  $8.6 billion of this aid money will go towards training and equipping 
Afghan security forces, as well as increasing the size of Afghanistan's 
national army. The remaining $2 billion will be provided for investment 
in Afghani infrastructure.
  Mr. Speaker, the President has stated that he will make a formal 
request for these funds next month, and I am pleased to see that he is 
finally realizing that the threat of the Taliban and al Qaeda remains 
in Afghanistan and that we need to do more.
  The ongoing war on terror should focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan, 
not on Iraq. The United States must be committed to fighting terrorism 
in those areas in order to protect our country because that is where 
the war on terrorism and the attacks on our country began.
  Earlier this month, Democrats took a significant step toward this 
goal by passing H.R. 1 which implemented the recommendations of the 
bipartisan 9/11 Commission. Included in this bill was language that 
would end U.S. military assistance and arms sales licensing to Pakistan 
in the 2008 fiscal year unless Pakistani President Musharraf certifies 
that the Islamabad government is making all possible efforts to end 
Taliban activities on Pakistani soil.
  It seems that President Musharraf is paying the United States lip 
service by claiming to be supportive of the global war on terror, yet 
failing to take action against Taliban fighters that have set up 
training camps in the western region of his country. It is my hope 
that, coupled with international pressure, the language in H.R. 1 will 
convince President Musharraf to take immediate action against the 
Taliban militants in his country.
  Mr. Speaker, while the Taliban continues to gain strength in 
Afghanistan and western Pakistan, it has also been leading an effort to 
win support of the people of Afghanistan by opening its own schools or 
madrasas in southern Afghanistan. The intentions of the Taliban are 
obviously to distract from their regime of terror, not to provide 
educational opportunities for the children of Afghanistan. Last year 
alone, the Taliban destroyed 200 schools and killed 20 teachers. It is 
more likely that the Taliban will use these madrasas not only to trick 
the people of Afghanistan into believing that they are advocating the 
expansion of education but also to recruit new Taliban fighters.
  This is all part of the al Qaeda's growing propaganda operation. As 
Sahab, the TV production arm of al Qaeda, last year produced 58 videos, 
more than tripling its number from 2005, it is clear that the Taliban 
and al Qaeda are regrouping and working hard to win over the people of 
Afghanistan.

[[Page H964]]

  Mr. Speaker, it is very important for the United States to continue 
to funnel resources into Afghanistan. We must also ensure that none of 
our troops in Afghanistan are redeployed to bolster the President's 
plan to escalate the war in Iraq. We cannot let ourselves forget where 
the real war on terror started and continues to this day.

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