Commemorating the 30th anniversary of Operation Provide Comfort.

IV 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 32 Commemorating the 30th anniversary of Operation Provide Comfort. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 30, 2021 Mr. WALTZ (for himself, Mr. COOPER, Mr. STEWART, Mr. CROW, Ms. TITUS, Mr. KIM of New Jersey, and Mr. BACON) submitted the following concur- rent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Commemorating the 30th anniversary of Operation Provide Comfort. Whereas after the uprising against Saddam Hussein in March 1991, Hussein turned tanks and helicopter gunships on the defenseless citizens of Kurdistan; Whereas overwhelmed by the Hussein regime’s superior fire- power, and having already experienced the genocidal death of some 200,000 Kurds, along with the wanton de- struction of 4,500 Kurdish villages and deadly chemical bombardment, hundreds of thousands of Kurdish men, women, and children fled to Iraq’s northern and eastern borders, fearing that the regime would use poison gas against them, as during the Anfal campaign and in Halabja only 3 years before; VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Apr 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC32.IH HC32 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HCON 32 IH Whereas in the early days of this refugee crisis, the daily death toll of fleeing Kurds at one point exceeded 1,000, with victims having no time to gather any possessions or winter protective gear and thus succumbing to exposure, malnutrition, and disease; Whereas the United States, in response to the unfolding human catastrophe, led what became the largest humani- tarian operation of its kind ever, ‘‘Operation Provide Comfort’’, delivering humanitarian relief and enforcing a no-fly zone; Whereas Operation Provide Comfort saved the lives of count- less thousands of Kurds from near certain death on Kurdistan’s freezing and rugged border mountains; Whereas Kurds, to this day, credit American-led Operation Provide Comfort, particularly the no-fly zone that pro- tected the Kurdish people until 2003, for the stable, peaceful, and welcoming environment Kurdistan is today; Whereas the Kurdistan Region of Iraq serves, as one of the world’s largest safe havens for those fleeing conflict and religious and political persecution; and Whereas the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Kurd- ish Peshmerga remain among the most dependable and steadfast partners of the United States in the fight against extremism and terrorism: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 1 concurring), That Congress hereby— 2 (1) commemorates the 30th anniversary of Op- 3 eration Provide Comfort; 4 (2) recognizes and honors the heroic American 5 soldiers, diplomats, political leaders, and coalition 6 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Apr 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HC32.IH HC32 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HCON 32 IH partners who implemented Operation Provide Com- 1 fort; 2 (3) recognizes and honors the bravery of the 3 nearly 2,000,000 Kurdish women, children, and men 4 who struggled to survive starvation and exposure, 5 and who welcomed the aid that came and embraced 6 the opportunity for a new life; and 7 (4) reaffirms the strong American-Kurdish 8 partnership and enduring respect and support for 9 our Kurdish friends, who courageously stand shoul- 10 der to shoulder with the United States in our shared 11 opposition to extremism and terrorism. 12 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Apr 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HC32.IH HC32 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS