[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 760 Engrossed in House (EH)]
In the House of Representatives, U.S.,
September 13, 2004.
Whereas on August 24, 2004, 2 Russian passenger airliners, Sibir Airlines Flight
1047 and Volga-Avia Express Flight 1303, exploded nearly simultaneously
from bombs believed to have been carried aboard by passengers, killing
90 people;
Whereas on August 31, 2004, a suicide bomber attacked the Rizhskaya subway
station in Moscow, killing 10 people and injuring 51;
Whereas on September 1, 2004, a group of approximately 30 terrorists seized
Middle School No. 1 in Beslan, Russia, on the first day of school;
Whereas more than 1,180 parents, teachers, and children were held hostage for 52
hours with no food or water;
Whereas this act of terrorism resulted in more than 335 dead, including 156
children, hundreds wounded and 190 still unaccounted for;
Whereas terrorist actions during the standoff were grotesque and cruel;
Whereas this attack parallels tactics used by terrorist groups around the world,
including extensive preparations, the simultaneity of attacks requiring
coordination, and the use of suicide bombers;
Whereas the terrorists possessed sophisticated weapons and training, including
camouflage, gas masks, trained dogs, specialized sniper cartridges, and
grenade launchers;
Whereas the attacks were reportedly planned by Shamil Basayev, a Chechen rebel
commander, and financed by Abu Omar as-Seyf, a radical Islamic Wahabite,
believed to be associated with al-Qaeda;
Whereas these 3 attacks represent an unparalleled level of barbarity against the
Russian Federation;
Whereas the United States has provided medical supplies, medicine, and other
equipment to help doctors cope with the injured in these attacks;
Whereas terrorism in the 21st century flows across national borders; and
Whereas the school children and people of Beslan, Russia have now joined the
people of New York City, Moscow, Karachi, Jerusalem, Madrid, Bali, and
many other places around the globe as victims of international
terrorism: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) deplores the series of terrorist attacks against the Russian
Federation that occurred in late August and early September 2004;
(2) expresses its heartfelt condolences to the families of the
individuals murdered in the terrorist attacks, expresses its sympathies
to the individuals injured in the attacks, and conveys its hope for the
rapid and complete recovery of all such injured individuals; and
(3) stands in solidarity with the Russian people in efforts to
combat terrorism throughout the world.
Attest:
Clerk.