S.Amdt. 2229

1. Adds SEC. 1535. COUNTERTERRORISM ASSISTANCE TO SECURITY FORCES IN THE KURDISTAN REGION at the end of title XV

   Adds a section

   Inserted: SEC. 1535. COUNTERTERRORISM ASSISTANCE TO SECURITY FORCES IN THE KURDISTAN REGION.

   Inserted: (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:

   Inserted: (1) Turkey, a key ally of the United States and an important fellow member of NATO, faces a terrorist threat from the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, an organization included on the Department of State's list of foreign terrorist organizations.

   Inserted: (2) Some PKK members now reside in, plan, or launch terrorist operations from northern Iraq.

   Inserted: (3) Iraq, a sovereign nation, is obliged under international law to protect neighboring countries from threats emanating from within its own borders.

   Inserted: (4) The Kurdistan Regional Government, which oversees a three-province, constitutionally-recognized region of Iraq that is largely stable and peaceful, requires additional capacity to eliminate terrorist-related activities, including those of the PKK, that exist within its boundaries.

   Inserted: (5) The Georgia Train and Equip Program, started in 2002--

   Inserted: (A) enhanced the counterterrorism, border security, and intelligence capabilities of the Government of Georgia;

   Inserted: (B) successfully mitigated the growing threat of international terrorism within the borders of Georgia; and

   Inserted: (C) contributed to greater regional stability and made a positive contribution to relations between the Governments of Georgia and Russia.

   Inserted: (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--

   Inserted: (1) peace and stability along the border between Turkey and Iraq is essential for the long-term security of Iraq; and

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   Inserted: (2) the Georgia Train and Equip Program provides a model for security assistance necessary to counter terrorist threats in northern Iraq.

   Inserted: (c) Assistance Program.--The Commander, Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq, shall develop and implement a program, modeled after the Georgia Train and Equip Program, to assist the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government in securing Iraq's border with Turkey and eliminating terrorist safe havens, including by providing assistance--

   Inserted: (1) to secure Iraq's border with Turkey;

   Inserted: (2) to eliminate PKK safe havens in the Kurdistan Region; and

   Inserted: (3) to enhance the intelligence gathering and border security capabilities of the Government of Iraq.

   Inserted: (d) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commander, Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq, shall report to Congress on the progress in developing and implementing the program required under subsection (c).

   Original wording

   At the end of title XV, add the following:

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As printed