Expressing the sense of Congress that the radical Islamic movement in Afghanistan known as the Taliban should be recognized officially as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States Government.

Whereas under section 219(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189(a)) an organization is defined as a foreign terrorist organization if the organization is a foreign organization, is engaged in terrorist activity, and its terrorist activity threatens the security of United States nationals or the national security of the United States;

Whereas the Taliban is recognized as a terrorist organization by the Department of the Treasury and the National Counterterrorism Center;

Whereas the Taliban does not appear on the Department of State’s list of foreign terrorist organizations;

Whereas the Taliban provided a safe haven for Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda to conduct planning, training, and operations for the September 11, 2001, attacks, resulting in the deaths of 2,977 innocent persons;

Whereas over 1,800 United States service personnel have been killed in action and over 19,000 wounded in action combating the Taliban during Operation Enduring Freedom;

Whereas the Taliban remains a proven national security threat to the United States;

Whereas the Taliban continues its domestic reign of terror in Afghanistan, being responsible for three-quarters of the civilian casualties in Afghanistan in 2014; and

Whereas the Taliban continue to kill United States citizens, murdering three Americans in Kabul on January 29, 2015: Now, therefore, be it