III 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. CON. RES. 16 

Commemorating the 30th anniversary of Operation Provide Comfort. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

OCTOBER 25, 2021 

Mr. VAN HOLLEN (for himself and Mr. RUBIO) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

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 Iraqi Kurdistan; 

Whereas, overwhelmed by the superior firepower of the Hussein regime, and having already experienced the genocidal 

death of approximately 200,000 Iraqi Kurds, the wanton 

destruction of approximately 4,500 Iraqi Kurdish villages, and deadly chemical bombardment, hundreds of 

thousands of Iraqi Kurdish men, women, and children 

fled to the northern and eastern borders of Iraq, fearing 

that the regime would use poison gas against them, as 

during the Anfal campaign and in Halabja only 3 years 

before; 


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•SCON 16 IS 

Whereas, at one point in the early days of the 1991 refugee 

crisis, the daily death toll of fleeing Iraqi Kurds 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 humanitarian 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 countless thousands of Iraqi Kurds from near certain death on 

the freezing and rugged border mountains of Iraqi 

Kurdistan; 

Whereas, to this day, Iraqi Kurds credit United States-led 

Operation Provide Comfort, particularly the no-fly zone 

that protected the Iraqi Kurdish people until 2003, for 

helping support security and stability in Iraqi Kurdistan; 

Whereas Iraqi Kurdistan has long served as a safe haven for 

people fleeing conflict and religious and political persecution; and 

Whereas the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Kurdish Peshmerga remain steadfast partners of the United 

States in the fight against extremism and terrorism: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 

2 concurring), That Congress— 

3 (1) commemorates the 30th anniversary of Op4 eration Provide Comfort; 


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•SCON 16 IS 

1 (2) recognizes and honors the heroic soldiers, 

2 diplomats, political leaders, and coalition partners of 

3 the United States who implemented Operation Pro4 vide Comfort; 

5 (3) recognizes and honors the bravery of the 

6 nearly 2,000,000 Iraqi Kurdish women, children, 

7 and men who struggled to survive starvation and ex8 posure, welcomed the aid that came, and embraced 

9 the opportunity for a new life; 

10 (4) encourages Iraqi Kurdish leaders to con11 tinue to uphold the values of democracy, human 

12 rights, and freedom that have made Iraqi Kurdistan 

13 an oasis in a troubled region; and 

14 (5) reaffirms— 

15 (A) the strong partnership between the 

16 United States and the Iraqi Kurds, which exists 

17 in complementarity with the United States 

18 strong partnership with the Government of 

19 Iraq; and 

20 (B) the enduring respect and support of 

21 Congress for Iraqi Kurdish friends of the 

22 United States who courageously stand with the 

23 United States in shared opposition to extre24 mism and terrorism. 

Æ 


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