Obama seeks authorisation for military force against IS

US president Barack Obama has sent Congress his text for an authorisation to use military force in the campaign against Islamic State, limiting operations against the militants to three years and barring use of US troops in "enduring offensive ground combat."

According to the text, obtained by Reuters, Mr Obama also wants to repeal the 2002 measure that authorised the Iraq war. But his proposal leaves in place a 2001 authorisation, passed shortly after the September 11th attacks, for a campaign against al-Qaeda and its affiliates.

“I have directed a comprehensive and sustained strategy to degrade and defeat ISIL,” Mr Obama wrote in a letter accompanying the draft, using an acronym for the Islamist militant group.

“Local forces, rather than US military forces, should be deployed to conduct such operations,” he said.

Mr Obama’s proposal must be approved by both the US Senate and House of Representatives, where it is expected to provoke strong debate between Democrats, who are generally wary of another Middle East war, and Republicans, many of whom have been pushing for even stronger measures against the militant fighters.

Lawmakers said they would begin hearings quickly, with some predicting a vote in March.

Republican criticism

Republicans criticised aspects of Obama’s proposal, particularly the limits it sets on using ground troops.

“I’m not sure the strategy that has been outlined will accomplish the mission the president says he wants to accomplish,” he told reporters after a meeting of Republican house members.

Obama had said that “long-term, large-scale ground combat operations” like those employed in Iraq and Afghanistan would be left to local forces.

However, the plan allows for the use of US forces for intelligence collection, targeting operations for drone strikes and planning and other assistance to local forces.

If passed, the measure would be the first war authorisation approved by Congress since lawmakers in 2002 gave then-president George W Bush authority to sanction the Iraq War.

Rights groups had previously urged lawmakers to repeal the 2001 authorisation, which did not include an end date and has been invoked by the White House to carry out drone and missile strikes against suspected al-Qaeda militants in Yemen and Somalia.

Reuters