Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should not consider releasing Taliban prisoners, Abdul Haq Wasiq, Mullah Norullah Noori, Mullah Mohammed Fazl, and Mullah Khairullah Khairkhwa, from prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, until Mullah Muhammed Omar has been turned over to United States custody.

Whereas Mullah Muhammed Omar has led the Taliban, enabled by safe havens provided by the Government of Pakistan, in war against the United States since 2001;

Whereas the Taliban in 1994, led by Mullah Omar, captured Kandahar;

Whereas the Taliban in 1996, led by Mullah Omar, captured Kabul;

Whereas Mullah Omar led the Taliban’s rule of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001;

Whereas Mullah Omar imposed a barbaric, Islamist, anti-Western, and misogynistic rule on Afghanistan;

Whereas Mullah Omar supported Osama Bin Laden and al Qaeda in their efforts to launch expeditionary terror attacks, including the 9/11 attacks on the United States;

Whereas Mullah Omar led the regrouping of the Taliban after 2001;

Whereas Richard Holbrooke, the former Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, was quoted in February 2011 saying, I think Mullah Omar is incredibly important, the more I look at this thing, the more I think he is a driving, inspirational force whose capture or elimination would have a material effect … I don’t think we can negotiate with Mullah Omar … That’s why I think eliminating Mullah Omar is so critical … With Mullah Omar, the Pakistanis are in a better position to control the Taliban … He’s such a pivot person. If you have him, if you hold him, you control the whole organization.;

Whereas Mullah Omar has used sanctuaries provided by the Government of Pakistan to launch attacks which have wounded and killed thousands of United States, Coalition, and Afghan soldiers as well as a large number of Afghan noncombatants;

Whereas Mullah Omar has led the Taliban in a brutal insurgency which has targeted civilians and disregarded all limits of decency or morality;

Whereas Mullah Omar has murdered those like Burhanuddin Rabbani who in seeking peace reached out to Mullah Omar and who were brutally murdered;

Whereas the Taliban, under the heading the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, recently threatened Members of Congress who had met with Afghan leaders in Berlin about establishing a federal system to bring democratic government closer to the people, declaring any person paving the way for the disintegration of Afghanistan under the title of a federal system will be treated as enemies;

Whereas the Taliban, under the heading the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, continue to speak as the rulers of the entire country who will not compromise that dominance, in a recent statement declared they have inflicted ignominious defeat on the United States;

Whereas the strategic interests of Pakistan and its Chinese ally have diverged from the objectives of the United States in Afghanistan, the United States needs to shift its alignment towards India and other regional actors whose aims are compatible with United States security concerns; and

Whereas the conflict in Afghanistan pits the Taliban and their Pakistani handlers against Afghans of every ethnic group, in order to bring peace the Taliban must negotiate with the National Front and other tribal and ethnic groups within Afghanistan, not the United States Department of State: Now, therefore, be it