[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 16458-16459]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           INTRODUCING THE STOP ARMING TERRORISTS ACT OF 2016

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. TULSI GABBARD

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 8, 2016

  Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Speaker, under U.S. law it is illegal for any 
American to provide money or assistance to al Qaeda, ISIS or other 
terrorist groups. If you or I gave money, weapons or support to al-
Qaeda or ISIS, we would be thrown in jail.
  Yet the U.S. government has been violating this law for years, 
quietly supporting allies and partners of al Qaeda, ISIL, Jabhat Fateh 
al Sham and other terrorist groups with money, weapons, and 
intelligence support, in their fight to overthrow the Syrian 
government.
  The CIA has also been funneling weapons and money through Saudi 
Arabia, Turkey, Qatar and others who provide direct and indirect 
support to groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda. This support has allowed al-
Qaeda and their fellow terrorist organizations to establish strongholds 
throughout Syria, including in Aleppo.
  A recent New York Times article confirmed that ``rebel groups'' 
supported by the U.S. ``have entered into battlefield alliances with 
the affiliate of al-Qaeda in Syria, formerly known as Al Nusra.'' This 
alliance has rendered the phrase ``moderate rebels'' meaningless.
  Reports confirm that ``every armed anti-Assad organization unit in 
those provinces [of Idlib and Aleppo] is engaged in a military 
structure controlled by [al-Qaeda's] Nusra militants.''
  A recent Wall Street Journal article reported that many rebel groups 
are ``doubling down on their alliance'' with al Nusrah. Some rebel 
groups are renewing their alliance, while others, like Nour al-Din al-
Zinki, a former CIA-backed group and one of the largest factions in 
Aleppo, are joining for the first time.
  ``The Syria Conquest Front--formerly known as the al Qaeda-linked 
Nusra Front--is deeply intermingled with armed opposition groups of all 
stripes across Syria's battlefields.''
  The CIA has long been supporting a group called Fursan al Haqq, 
providing them with salaries, weapons and support, including surface to 
air missiles. This group is cooperating with and fighting alongside an 
al-Qaeda affiliated group trying to overthrow the Syrian government.
  The Levant Front is another so-called moderate umbrella group of 
Syrian opposition fighters. Over the past year, the United States has 
been working with Turkey to give this group intelligence support and 
other forms of military assistance. This group has joined forces with 
al-Qaeda's offshoot group in Syria.
  This madness must end. We must stop arming terrorists. The Government 
must end this hypocrisy and abide by the same laws that apply to its' 
citizens.
  That is why I've introduced the Stop Arming Terrorists bill--
legislation based on congressional action during the Iran-Contra affair 
to

[[Page 16459]]

stop the CIA's illegal arming of rebels in Nicaragua.
  It will prohibit any Federal agency from using taxpayer dollars to 
provide weapons, cash, intelligence, or any support to al Qaeda, ISIS 
and other terrorist groups, and it will prohibit the government from 
funneling money and weapons through other countries who are directly or 
indirectly supporting terrorists.

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