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Asks Congress to send troops to Iraq and Syria
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Barack Obama has asked Congress to authorize a broader war against the Islamic State of Iraq & Al-Sham by deploying “limited” U.S. ground troops in Iraq and Syria.
In a letter to Congress sent Wednesday morning, he said his request to expand the U.S. fight against the jihadists by using ground forces “would not authorize long-term, large-scale ground combat operations like those our nation conducted in Iraq and Afghanistan.” “The authorization I propose would provide the flexibility to conduct ground combat operations in other, more limited circumstances, such as rescue operations involving U.S. or coalition personnel or the use of special operations forces to take military action against [ISIS] leadership,” the letter adds.
The U.S. president said he also wants authorization to use U.S. ground troops for collecting and sharing intelligence, and on missions that would involve advising, planning and helping local “partner forces.”
Some legal experts have labelled this new authorization to use military force (AUMF) a “blank cheque for another endless war.”
“Although the proposed AUMF contains some purported limitations, President Obama is essentially asking Congress to bless endless war against anyone he wants, wherever he wants,” said Marjorie Cohn, a professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego.
The 2001 AUMF for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars was “stretched well beyond what Congress intended and there is no reason to believe the 2015 AUMF will not as well.”If passed by Congress, the latest authorization would not restrict military action to Iraq and Syria. While Mr. Obama’s request targets ISIS in these countries, it also raises the possibility of force being used in the “broader Middle East.”
U.S. and Canadian special operations forces have already engaged ISIS troops in firefights in a limited capacity as front-line advisors to the Iraqi and Kurdish armies and in air strikes.
Canada sent six F-18s plus air surveillance and a refueling aircraft to Iraq last October with about 320 aircrew and other personnel. They are part of an international coalition led by the U.S., which already has about 3,000 soldiers in Iraq.
Mr. Obama said the expanded military involvement is necessary because ISIS “poses a threat to the people and stability of Iraq, Syria and the broader Middle East and to U.S. national security.”
He cited the deaths of Americans James Foley, Steven Sotloff, Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller as reasons to broaden the war.
“If left unchecked, [ISIS] will pose a threat beyond the Middle East, including to the United States homeland,” he says.
In a news conference, Mr. Obama said the authorization is limited to three years and Congress should revisit it at the beginning of the next president’s term.
He added he believes ISIS is already on the run and is going to lose.
Obama looks to expand ISIS fight, asks Congress to send troops to Iraq and Syria | National Post
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Barack Obama has asked Congress to authorize a broader war against the Islamic State of Iraq & Al-Sham by deploying “limited” U.S. ground troops in Iraq and Syria.
In a letter to Congress sent Wednesday morning, he said his request to expand the U.S. fight against the jihadists by using ground forces “would not authorize long-term, large-scale ground combat operations like those our nation conducted in Iraq and Afghanistan.” “The authorization I propose would provide the flexibility to conduct ground combat operations in other, more limited circumstances, such as rescue operations involving U.S. or coalition personnel or the use of special operations forces to take military action against [ISIS] leadership,” the letter adds.
The U.S. president said he also wants authorization to use U.S. ground troops for collecting and sharing intelligence, and on missions that would involve advising, planning and helping local “partner forces.”
Some legal experts have labelled this new authorization to use military force (AUMF) a “blank cheque for another endless war.”
“Although the proposed AUMF contains some purported limitations, President Obama is essentially asking Congress to bless endless war against anyone he wants, wherever he wants,” said Marjorie Cohn, a professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego.
The 2001 AUMF for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars was “stretched well beyond what Congress intended and there is no reason to believe the 2015 AUMF will not as well.”If passed by Congress, the latest authorization would not restrict military action to Iraq and Syria. While Mr. Obama’s request targets ISIS in these countries, it also raises the possibility of force being used in the “broader Middle East.”
U.S. and Canadian special operations forces have already engaged ISIS troops in firefights in a limited capacity as front-line advisors to the Iraqi and Kurdish armies and in air strikes.
Canada sent six F-18s plus air surveillance and a refueling aircraft to Iraq last October with about 320 aircrew and other personnel. They are part of an international coalition led by the U.S., which already has about 3,000 soldiers in Iraq.
Mr. Obama said the expanded military involvement is necessary because ISIS “poses a threat to the people and stability of Iraq, Syria and the broader Middle East and to U.S. national security.”
He cited the deaths of Americans James Foley, Steven Sotloff, Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller as reasons to broaden the war.
“If left unchecked, [ISIS] will pose a threat beyond the Middle East, including to the United States homeland,” he says.
In a news conference, Mr. Obama said the authorization is limited to three years and Congress should revisit it at the beginning of the next president’s term.
He added he believes ISIS is already on the run and is going to lose.
Obama looks to expand ISIS fight, asks Congress to send troops to Iraq and Syria | National Post
