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Cosponsor H. Con. Res. 32: Commemorating the 30th anniversary of Operation Provide Comfort

As a Kurdish-American constituent currently residing in your district, I am writing to you to urge you to cosponsor the H. Con. Res. 32, Commemorating the 30th anniversary of Operation Provide Comfort.

Commemorating the 30th anniversary of Operation Provide Comfort is a bipartisan concurrent resolution which recognizes the heroism of American soldiers, diplomats, political leaders, and coalition partners who implemented Operation Provide Comfort. In 1991, Operation Provide Comfort saved hundreds of thousands of defenseless citizens of Kurdistan from Saddam Hussein’s efforts to punish the Kurds for cooperating with the United States. It ultimately became the largest humanitarian operation of its kind ever, which is a credit to the United States and its allies. This bill honors the brave Americans who made it possible.

The bill also acknowledges the long terms partnership the United States has forged with the Kurds as a result of Operation Provide Comfort. When the U.S. decided to launch Operation Provide Comfort, it did so in recognition of the suffering of the Kurds who had previously experienced a genocide that killed over 200,000 men, women, and children on the orders of Saddam Hussein. Since then, Kurds have demonstrated time and again their gratitude for American leadership in Operation Comfort and have welcomed and protected Americans who visit the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. In fact, no American serviceman has been killed in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq since 1991.

The Kurds have also become an indispensable partner in the region, and the United States has enjoyed a friendly and strategically important relationship with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Our partnership is mutually beneficial, strategically enduring, and now crucial to the freedom and security of threatened religious minorities throughout the region who have taken refuge in the Kurdistan Region because of the KRG’s tolerance for all religions and ethnicities. This partnership was further demonstrated in recent years when the Kurds fight side-by-side with the Americans in defeating ISIS.

Since Operation Provide Comfort, Kurds have demonstrated a shared commitment with the United States to the principles of pluralism and resilience in the face of injustice. In a region where instability and discord are rampant, and a joint commitment to shared values has grown increasingly rare, it’s imperative that Members of Congress demonstrate their support for our reliable partners and our few friends in the Middle East. That’s why I’m asking you to ensure the heroism of both the Americans and Kurds who participated in Operation Provide Comfort is not forgotten by you affirming your support for their sacrifices by signing on to cosponsor H. Con Res. 32, a resolution Commemorating the 30th anniversary of Operation Provide Comfort.

Thank you for your consideration of my request, and I look forward to hearing back from you soon.