Mr. Speaker, this weekend the world again saw darkness as three separate terrorist attacks rocked the Middle East and Turkey, leaving at least 117 dead and 226 wounded. In Cairo, parents and children were indiscriminately murdered while they worshipped, in a brutal violation of the peace and safety that the church represents. In Istanbul, 38 people were killed outside a sports stadium by an extremist faction. In Aden, soldiers who sacrifice to defend their families and their country were killed in a suicide bombing. Among those who were fortunate and survived these attacks, hundreds will face a lifetime of pain and hardship from their injuries.
We condemn these attacks as cowardly and despicable crimes. We stand with all nations that oppose the senseless taking of life. We expect that the anti-terror efforts of our NATO ally Turkey will not serve as an excuse for the continued persecution of minorities and abuse of human rights but that the Turkish government will respect the rule of law as it seeks to bring those responsible to justice.