In addition. the resolution calls upon President Reagan to reiterate the desire of the U.S. House of Representatives and the American people to achieve a negotiated political settlement agreeable to all interested parties in Afghanistan. Such a settlement should include the complete and total withdrawal of all Soviet troops. the restoration of its independent and nonaligned status. selfdetermination for the valiant Afghan people. and. the return of Afghan refugees with safety and honor. Mr. Speaker. this legislation notes that in December 1979 tens of thousands of Soviet Red Army troops invaded and began occupying that south Asian nation. It further notes that the Sovietstodayhave over 115.000 troops inside Afghanistan. And. according to National Security affairs adviser Robert McFarlane. these troops "are waging the most brutal war underway on the face of the earth." The resolution states that the Kremlindirected "scorchedearth" policy in Afghanistan includes the systematic destruction of crops. water and food supplies. the agricultural infrastructure. and villages. and includes the widespread killing of civilians. Furthermore. the resolution states that Soviet tactics in the war against Afghanistan have directly caused the following: a refugee population in Iran and Pakistan of more than 3 million. the largest refugee population in the world. hundreds of thousands of warrelated casualties. deprivation and suffering for most Afghan citizens. and the possibility of widespread famine. In their ruthlem drive to conquer that once peareful and "unrulable" land. the resolution notes. Soviet troops and their Afghan proxies have employed chemical weapons against innocent Afghan tribesmen and villagers.
Keywords matched
refugee refugees