Sen. Cruz Leads Resolution Praising Successful Mission to Eliminate Qasem Soleimani

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today introduced a resolution honoring the members of the military and intelligence community who carried out the successful mission that killed Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF) and a designated terrorist. Sen. Cruz was joined by 43 original cosponsors: Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.), David Perdue (R-Ga.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

The resolution is modeled on a resolution unanimously supported by the U.S. Senate in 2011, after American forces killed Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.

"At a time when partisanship and political differences threaten to divide us, President Trump and his administration should be commended for bringing an end to Qasem Soleimani, a terrorist responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people across the Middle East, including at least 603 American service members," Sen. Cruz said. "Just as we did in 2011 following the killing of Bin Laden, it is my hope my colleagues in the Senate will come together once again to honor all those involved in this successful mission to defend America's national security interests and eliminate a terrorist mastermind."

The full text of the resolution may be viewed here and below:

Title: Honoring the members of the military and intelligence community who carried out the mission that killed Qasem Soleimani, and for other purposes.

Whereas, on January 2, 2020, United States personnel killed terrorist leader Qasem Soleimani during the course of a targeted strike against terrorists engaged in planning imminent attacks against United States persons and personnel;

Whereas Qasem Soleimani was the leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps‐Quds Force (IRGC‐ QF) terrorist organization, a global terrorism threat to the United States and the international community;

Whereas Qasem Soleimani was the architect of terrorist attacks in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere which killed hundreds of United States personnel, including with weapons and improvised explosives provided directly by the IRGC‐QF;

Whereas Qasem Soleimani planned or supported numerous other deadly terrorist attacks against the United States and its allies, including the 2011 plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States Adel Al‐Jubeir while he was in the United States and the December 31, 2019 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, as well as planned attacks in Germany, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Kenya, Bahrain, Turkey, and elsewhere;

Whereas under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama the United States Department of the Treasury designated Qasem Soleimani under Executive Order (E.O.) 13224 for plotting to assassinate the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States, under E.O 13382 based on his relationship to the IRGC, and under E.O. 13572 which targets human rights abuses in Syria;

Whereas the valiant members of the United States Armed Forces have courageously and vigorously pursued the IRGC‐QF and its affiliates in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world;

Whereas the anonymous, unsung heroes of the intelligence community have pursued the IRGC‐QF and affiliates in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world with tremendous dedication, sacrifice, and professionalism;

Whereas, while the death of Qasem Soleimani represents a significant blow to the IRGC‐QF and its affiliates and to terrorist organizations around the world, terrorism remains a critical threat to United States national security;

Whereas Qasem Soleimani and the IRGC‐QF have provided critical support to the regime of Bashar al‐ Assad in Syria and pursued the targeted killing and ethnic cleansing of hundreds of thousands of Sunni Muslims across the Middle East; and

Whereas the IRGC‐QF supports terrorist groups around the world including Kata'ib Hezbollah, the Taliban, Lebanese Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine‐General Command, and under Presidents George W. Bush and Donald J. Trump the United States Department of the Treasury designated the IRGC‐QF under E.O 13224 for terrorism and as a Foreign Terrorist Organization: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate-

(1) declares that the death of Qasem Soleimani represents a measure of justice and relief for the families and friends of the hundreds of American men and women who lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, the men and women around the world who have been killed by other IRGC‐QF‐sponsored attacks, the men and women of the United States Armed Forces and the intelligence community who have sacrificed their lives pursuing Qasem Soleimani and the IRGC‐QF;

(2) commends the men and women of the United States Armed Forces and the United States intelligence community for the tremendous commitment, perseverance, professionalism, and sacrifice they displayed in disrupting Qasem Soleimani's planned imminent terrorist attacks;

(3) commends the men and women of the United States Armed Forces and the United States intelligence community for committing themselves to defeating, disrupting, and dismantling the IRGC‐ QF;

(4) commends the President for ordering the successful operations to locate and eliminate Qasem Soleimani; and

(5) reaffirms its commitment to disrupting, dismantling, and defeating the IRGC‐QF and affiliated organizations around the world that threaten United States national security and bringing terrorists to justice.

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