Accountability in the War on Terror

ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE WAR ON TERROR

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HON. PATRICK J. MURPHY

of pennsylvania

in the house of representatives

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Mr. PATRICK J. MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I rise today to talk about the continued need for accountability in the war on terror. I support the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, but must register my concerns about the money we pledge to send to Pakistan. Clear rules and accountability are vital to winning the war on terror. Just as we attach benchmarks and set goals for the money the United States sends to Iraq and Afghanistan, we must do the same for Pakistan--especially if Pakistan is to continue as a true partner in this fight. While Iraq continues to smolder, Osama bin Laden--the murderer of more than 3,000 innocent Americans is still at large. President Bush said at a press conference 5 years ago, that he "didn't spend much time on him." Recently, when asked why bin Laden hadn't been brought to justice yet he said: "Why is he still at large? Because we haven't got him yet . . . That's why. And he's hiding, and we're looking, and we will continue to look until we bring him to justice." This is not good enough. Meanwhile, the Taliban is resurgent in Afghanistan and American commanders on the ground are asking for more troops to fight terror, hunt down al Qaeda and kill Osama bin Laden. Madam Speaker, we need to win the war on terror--and that means hunting down bin Laden and al Qaeda wherever they are. That means-- above all else--success in Afghanistan. Our troops over there are doing an amazing job and they deserve our continued support. It is getting harder for them, especially along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan--and in some of the areas where we believe bin Laden is still at large. I have always said that we needed to be tough and smart in fighting the war on terror. That means asking tough questions--even of our friends. One question that needs to be asked--especially as we prepare to send them $300 million dollars--is about Pakistan's President Musharraf. Right now we can count President Musharraf as an ally but is he doing all he can

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to hunt bin Laden? We cannot afford to let a mass murderer slip through our fingers again. The U.S. has sent $5.6 billion in military reimbursements to Pakistan for counterterrorism efforts--this is $80 million a month. We are about to vote to send them even more. In the early days of the war in Afghanistan, President Bush decided to out-source the hunt for bin Laden in Tora Bora. Now we need to examine--are we relying too much on Pakistan and their accord with tribal warlords near the Afghan border for the same reason? Why do we, the United States of America, continue to send roughly $1 billion per year to Pakistan if they are going to slash patrols through the area where al Qaeda and Taliban fighters are most active? Why, as Senator Reed has said, are we reimbursing Pakistan for their efforts instead of, "paying for specific objectives?" Is it true, as two American analysts and one American soldier reported--that Pakistani security forces fired in direct support of Taliban ground attacks on Afghan Army posts? Families in the 8th District of Pennsylvania voted me here to ask tough questions and demand accountability. I hope over the coming weeks and months this Congress gets answers to these vital questions so we can effectively prosecute the war on terror. We can win the war on terror but after more than 4 years in Iraq and nearly 6 years in Afghanistan, we need to demand more results. Madam Speaker, by asking the tough questions we can continue to support the troops who are fighting bravely to secure our Nation.

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