Obama requests new powers against IS
February 11, 2015
US President Barack Obama on Wednesday formally requested congressional approval for a military campaign against the self-proclaimed "Islamic State," also known as "IS." The proposed resolution has a time limit of three years, and would be reviewed at the start of the next president's term, in 2017.
The three-page draft document allows military force to be used on any "closely related successor entity" to IS, and is not limited by national borders.
It's the first time in 13 years a president has had to request the power to conduct a military operation, since George W. Bush was given the authority to invade Iraq in 2002.
Obama stressed that US troops would not be deployed on the ground, calling it unnecessary and warning against the United States being "dragged back into another prolonged ground war in the Middle East."
Local forces would be better suited to this, he said.
There is scope allowed for certain ground operations, such as rescue missions. US forces will also be authorized to collect intelligence and provide support to local troops.
The president warned that although the campaign against IS will be difficult, the US and its allies were "on the offensive," and the terrorist group will lose.
"Our coalition is strong, our cause is just, and our mission will succeed," he told reporters at a White House press conference on Wednesday.
Uncertain future
The proposal repeals the congressional approval of Bush's 2002 request, angering some Republicans. But many Democrats were just as upset to see an authorization given after the September 11 attacks left in place, which the US has already used to attack suspected al Qaeda militants in Yemen and Somalia.
US fighter jets have been launching air strikes against IS in Iraq and Syria since August 2014. The Iraqi government is expected to launch its own ground offensive in the next few months.
The bill's future is unclear, with Obama's fellow Democrats not wanting to get involved in another war. The Republican party, who control Congress, quickly objected to the proposal, saying it was too lenient.
Obama's request comes a day after it was confirmed that IS militants had executed 26-year-old American aid worker Kayla Mueller. Last week, the group released a video showing a captive Jordanian pilot being burned alive.
an/msh (AFP, AP, Reuters)