[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11491]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      AL QAEDA'S PRESENCE IN IRAQ

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, the other side of the aisle is going to great 
lengths to make the case for retreat in Iraq. It seems they'll even 
ignore the facts if it helps their case.
  For some time now, the other side has been saying that the war in 
Iraq is not part of the war on terror but a distraction from it.
  Mr. Speaker, the latest video released by al Qaeda's number two 
operative clears that up. In this latest rant calling for our 
destruction, Ayman al Zawahiri calls the violence in Iraq a jihad. He 
optimistically states that the situation in Iraq ``is moving from the 
stage of defeat of the crusader invaders to the stage of consolidating 
a Mujahid Islamic Emirate.''
  He goes on to proclaim that this victory for the terrorists will 
``raise the banner of Jihad.''
  Mr. Speaker, the fact is that we are fighting al Qaeda terrorists in 
Iraq. And if we are unwilling to defeat them there, where exactly will 
we do so?
  Mr. Speaker, when we are honest about who we are fighting in Iraq, 
the implication becomes clear: We must win in Iraq.

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