III 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 591 

Calling for the strengthening of the efforts of the United States to defeat 

the Taliban and terrorist networks in Afghanistan and to help Afghanistan develop long-term political stability and economic prosperity. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 29, 2006 

Mr. FEINGOLD (for himself and Mr. KERRY) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Calling for the strengthening of the efforts of the United 

States to defeat the Taliban and terrorist networks in 

Afghanistan and to help Afghanistan develop long-term 

political stability and economic prosperity. 

Whereas global terrorist networks, including those that attacked the United States on September 11, 2001, continue to threaten the security of the United States and 

are recruiting new members and developing the capability 

and plans to attack the United States and its allies 

throughout the world; 

Whereas winning the fight against terrorist networks requires 

a comprehensive and global effort; 

Whereas, according to the Final Report of the National Commission on the Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, 


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•SRES 591 IS 

‘‘The U.S. government must identify and prioritize actual 

or potential terrorist sanctuaries. For each, it should 

have a realistic strategy to keep possible terrorists insecure and on the run, using all elements of national 

power.’’; 

Whereas a democratic, stable, and prosperous Afghanistan is 

a vital security interest of the United States; 

Whereas a strong and enduring strategic partnership between 

the United States and Afghanistan must continue to be 

a primary objective of both countries to advance a shared 

vision of peace, freedom, security, and broad-based economic development in Afghanistan and throughout the 

world; 

Whereas the long-term political stability of Afghanistan requires sustained economic development, and the United 

States has an interest in helping Afghanistan achieve this 

goal; 

Whereas section 101(1) of the Afghanistan Freedom Support 

Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 7511(1)) declares, ‘‘The United 

States and the international community should support 

efforts that advance the development of democratic civil 

authorities and institutions in Afghanistan and the establishment of a new broad-based, multi-ethnic, gender-sensitive, and fully representative government in Afghanistan.’’; 

Whereas the Government of Afghanistan continues to make 

progress in developing the capacity to deliver services to 

the people of Afghanistan, yet 40 percent of the population is unemployed and 90 percent of the population 

lacks regular electricity; 


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•SRES 591 IS 

Whereas stability in Afghanistan is being threatened by 

antigovernment and Taliban forces that seek to disrupt 

political and economic developments throughout the country; 

Whereas the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National 

Police have made some progress but still lack the ability 

to establish security throughout Afghanistan; 

Whereas, despite the efforts of the international community, 

the United Nations, and the Government of Afghanistan, 

on September 2, 2006, the United Nations Office on 

Drugs and Crime reported that in 2006 opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan increased 59 percent over 2005 

levels and reached a record high; 

Whereas the number of attacks waged by the Taliban on central, provincial, and local-level government officials and 

establishments, the Afghan National Army, the Afghan 

National Police, and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 

(NATO) and United States military personnel increased 

significantly during 2006 over the number of such attacks that occurred during 2005; 

Whereas the number of suicide bombings in Afghanistan doubled and the number of suicide attacks more than tripled 

from 2005 to 2006; 

Whereas the number of United States troops in Afghanistan 

is approximately 23,000, approximately 1⁄7 of the number 

of troops currently in Iraq; 

Whereas Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri are still 

at large and have been reported to be somewhere in the 

Afghanistan-Pakistan border region; 


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•SRES 591 IS 

Whereas Afghan President Hamid Karzai said, ‘‘The same 

enemies that blew up themselves in . . . the twin towers 

in America are still around.’’; 

Whereas, on September 12, 2006, the United States Secretary of State said, ‘‘[A]n Afghanistan that does not 

complete its democratic evolution and become a stable 

terrorist-fighting state is going to come back to haunt us. 

. . . [I]t will come back to haunt our successors and their 

successors.’’, and ‘‘If we should have learned anything, it 

is that if you allow that kind of vacuum, if you allow a 

failed state in that strategic a location, you’re going to 

pay for it.’’; 

Whereas, on September 21, 2006, the Secretary General of 

NATO called for additional troops for Afghanistan, saying, ‘‘more can be done and should be done,’’ and on 

September 18, 2006, the top United Nations official in 

Afghanistan said that more troops and economic aid are 

still needed, saying, ‘‘These are difficult times for Afghanistan. . . . If we want to succeed in Afghanistan, the 

answer is clear: Afghanistan needs more sustained support from the international community.’’; 

Whereas United States assistance to Afghanistan was cut by 

approximately 30 percent in fiscal year 2006 and the 

President’s request for fiscal year 2007 cut that amount 

by an additional 67 percent; 

Whereas only 50 percent of the money pledged by the international community for Afghanistan between 2002 and 

2005 has actually been delivered; 

Whereas, on September 20, 2006, NATO’s Supreme Allied 

Commander for Europe said, ‘‘Narcotics [are] at the core 

of everything that can go wrong in Afghanistan if it’s not 


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•SRES 591 IS 

properly tackled.’’ and ‘‘We’re not making progress— 

we’re losing ground.’’; 

Whereas, if the United States does not strengthen efforts to 

defeat the Taliban and to create long-term stability in Afghanistan and the region, Afghanistan will become what 

it was before the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, 

a haven for those who seek to harm the United States, 

and a source of instability that threatens the security of 

the United States: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that— 

2 (1) the United States must strengthen its com3 mitment to establishing long-term stability and 

4 peace in Afghanistan; 

5 (2) the United States, in partnership with the 

6 International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and 

7 the Government of Afghanistan, must immediately 

8 increase its efforts to eradicate the Taliban, terrorist 

9 organizations, and criminal networks currently oper10 ating in Afghanistan, including by increasing United 

11 States military and other personnel and equipment 

12 in Afghanistan as necessary; 

13 (3) the United States, in consultation with 

14 ISAF and the Government of Afghanistan, should 

15 consider all options necessary to implement a com16 prehensive new program to eliminate opium produc17 tion in Afghanistan, including sending additional re18 sources to Afghanistan and an increased role for the 


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•SRES 591 IS 

1 United States military and North Atlantic Treaty 

2 Organisation (NATO) forces in counternarcotics ef3 forts; 

4 (4) the United States should work aggressively 

5 to hold members of the international community ac6 countable for delivering on the financial pledges they 

7 have made to support development and reconstruc8 tion efforts in Afghanistan; 

9 (5) the United States and the international 

10 community, in concert with the Government of Af11 ghanistan, should increase efforts to strengthen the 

12 legitimacy of the Government of Afghanistan and its 

13 ability to provide services to the people of Afghani14 stan; 

15 (6) the United States, in support of the Govern16 ment of Afghanistan, should significantly increase 

17 the amount of economic assistance available for re18 construction, social and economic development, coun19 ternarcotics efforts, and democracy promotion activi20 ties in Afghanistan; 

21 (7) the President, through the Secretary of 

22 State, should develop a comprehensive interagency 

23 stabilization and reconstruction strategy in coordina24 tion with the international community and the Gov25 ernment of Afghanistan that— 


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1 (A) aligns humanitarian, development, eco2 nomic, political, counterterrorism, and regional 

3 strategies to achieve the objectives of the 

4 United States and Afghanistan in Afghanistan; 

5 and 

6 (B) orients current and future programs to 

7 meet the objectives set forth in this strategy; 

8 (8) the President, through the Secretary of De9 fense, should evaluate the impact that United States 

10 military operations in Iraq are having on the capa11 bility of the United States Government to effectively 

12 carry out its mission to support reconstruction ef13 forts and to conduct an effective counterterrorism 

14 and counterinsurgency campaign in Afghanistan; 

15 and 

16 (9) the President, not later than 6 months after 

17 the date this resolution is agreed to, should present 

18 to Congress a status report on the items referred to 

19 in paragraphs (2) through (8), including a projection 

20 of future challenges and the resource requirements 

21 necessary to continue to support counterterrorism 

22 and counternarcotic efforts and Afghanistan’s tran23 sition to a peaceful, democratic country. 

Æ 


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