[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 33 (Tuesday, February 27, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H1934]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 U.S. MUST FOCUS EFFORTS 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 discuss 
more recent developments regarding the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan 
and Pakistan. The Taliban and al Qaeda seem to be growing in strength, 
and the evidence shows that they are in the planning stages for a 
spring offensive.
  Mr. Speaker, I have spoken on the floor many times about the 
forgotten war in Afghanistan. It was promising to see the Bush 
administration finally wake up and bring the issue to the forefront 
this weekend with Vice President Dick Cheney making a trip to 
Afghanistan and Pakistan. I was relieved to hear that Vice President 
Cheney was not hurt after a deadly suicide bombing took place near the 
U.S. military base he was visiting in Afghanistan.
  A few hours after the attack, a Taliban official took credit for the 
tragic bombing and claimed that it was an attack on the Vice President, 
and this incident only underscores the recent resurgence the Taliban 
and al Qaeda have seen in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
  The details of Vice President Cheney's trip to Afghanistan and 
Pakistan were kept extremely classified. This is in contrast with last 
year, when President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice both 
visited Pakistan with far less secrecy. The increased level of 
confidentiality for Vice President Cheney's trip illustrates the 
growing strength of al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan and shows that 
the administration is obviously aware of the increased dangers that al 
Qaeda poses in the region.
  During his trip to Pakistan, the Vice President apparently delivered 
a stiff message, as he said, to Pakistani President Musharraf. The 
administration will not provide details of the encounter between the 
two leaders, but reports claim that the Vice President warned President 
Musharraf that American aid to Pakistan could be in jeopardy.
  The Vice President is obviously referencing provisions in H.R. 1, a 
bill crafted by Democrats in Congress, that implements the 
recommendations of the bipartisan 9/11 Commission. These provisions 
will end U.S. military assistance and armed sales licensing to Pakistan 
unless the Pakistani President certifies that the Islamabad Government 
makes all possible efforts to end Taliban activities in Pakistan.
  Now, President Musharraf responded to these comments from Vice 
President Cheney by claiming that ``Pakistan does not accept dictation 
from any side or any source.''

                              {time}  1930

  It is unacceptable though, in my opinion, Mr. Speaker, for the 
Pakistani President to completely disregard the numerous accounts that 
show al Qaeda training camps flourishing in the western region of his 
country.
  The Pakistani President seems to forget that the U.S. has sent over 
$10 billion in aid to Pakistan over the last 5 years alone. It is my 
opinion that unless President Musharraf takes necessary steps to 
eradicate al Qaeda training camps in Pakistan, this aid should be put 
to an end.
  It is encouraging to see the Bush administration increase the focus 
on Afghanistan and Pakistan, but more needs to be done to ensure the 
Taliban doesn't reach the level of power it achieved prior to the U.S. 
invasion in 2001. Taliban commanders are already claiming that they 
have 10,000 fighters and thousands of suicide bombers at their 
disposal.
  The U.S. and NATO must also work to support local elders in towns 
such as Musa Qala, where a failed peace deal between town leaders and 
NATO troops has allowed the Taliban regime to regain control of the 
town. It is clear that the Taliban has regrouped and that peace deals, 
such as the one in Musa Qala, are dangerous and cannot be relied upon 
without proper support from U.S. and NATO troops.
  Furthermore, our country must focus the humanitarian assistance we 
are sending to Afghanistan on rural development efforts that give 
Afghan farmers an alternative to the illicit opium trade.
  Mr. Speaker, President Bush wrongly continues the war in Iraq at the 
expense of the largely forgotten war in Afghanistan. I urge my 
colleagues to keep the attention on where the real war on terror is 
happening, and that is in Afghanistan.

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