President seeks new authority to fight Islamic State

PRESIDENT Barack Obama has said he is to ask Congress for new authority to combat the Islamic State, replacing the administration’s reliance on laws passed more than a decade ago to justify its current military operations against the militants in Syria and Iraq.

“The idea is to right-size and update whatever authorisation Congress provides to suit the current fight rather than previous fights,” the president said at a White House news conference this week.

“We now have a different type of enemy – the strategy is different. It makes sense for us to make sure that the authorisation… reflects what we perceive to be not just our strategy over the next two or three months, but our strategy going forward.”

Obama pledged nearly 18 months ago to work with lawmakers to “refine and ultimately repeal” what he said were the outdated 2001 Authorisation for the Use of Military Force against al-Qaeda and the 2002 authority against Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

The battle against terrorism took an unexpected turn earlier this year with the rapid expansion of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

As it scrambled for legal support for air strikes against the militants, the US administration turned to the 2001 and 2002 laws.

Obama said he had invited General Lloyd Austin to the White House to speak to congressional leaders about how the fight against Islamic State was proceeding, to answer questions, and to ensure Congress “is fully briefed on what we’re doing there”.

“It’ll be a process of listening to members of Congress as well as our presenting what we think needs to be the set of authorities” for the operation, Obama said.

“It may just be a process of our getting it started now. It may carry over into the next Congress.”

But members of Congress who have pushed for a new authorisation have urged the president to move sooner rather than later.

Senator Timothy Kaine, a Democrat, welcomed Obama’s comments.

“We have two months left in Congress to get important work done.”

In September, a week after Obama authorised air strikes against Islamic State in Syria, Kaine introduced legislation for an authorisation for the use of military force against the group.

The measure is limited to one year and prohibits the use of US ground forces against militants in Iraq and Syria. It also provides a narrow definition of the groups who may be targeted under its authority.

Even before the campaign against Islamic State, the adminis- tration used the al-Qaeda authorisation, passed in response to the September 11, 2001, attacks, to extend drone and other air attacks in Yemen, Somalia and elsewhere, adopting an elastic definition of “al-Qaeda-associated forces” covered under the law.

Although al-Qaeda has repudiated the Islamic State and the two groups have no connection, the administration has said the 2001 and 2002 authorisations are appropriate legal justification because Islamic State has its origins in an al-Qaeda affiliate formed in Iraq 10 years ago.

The senate foreign relations committee is discussing Kaine’s measure and other proposals.

“We will work at once with the president to draft a tailored (authorisation),” said committee chair man Robert Menendez, a Democrat.

“It is incumbent that Congress take the lead in authorising the use of force.”

Menendez said he had made it clear since September that he believed fresh authorisation was necessary.

“Any prolonged military campaign requires a new, congressionally approved authorisation to use military force.”

The committee would hold hearings from this week “on the US military engagement in Iraq and Syria”.

Adam Schiff, a Democrat, has proposed new legislation in the House and met White House counsel W Neil Eggleston earlier this month to discuss this.

He has called on Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, to schedule a debate and vote on new authorisation during what is this Congress’s last session.

Schiff ’s proposed bill provides for an 18-month authorisation for continued air strikes and limited special operations against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

“Whether it, or some other for m of authorisation, is ultimately taken up,” Schiff said in a letter to Boehner, “the most important thing is for us to do our duty to American people and the constitution.”

Asked whether the US was “winning” in the battle against Islamic State, Obama said: “It’s too early to say.

“As I said at the outset of the campaign, this is going to be a long-term plan.”

Obama reiterated that the US focus in Syria was “not to solve the entire Syria situation”, where fractious, US-backed rebel forces are fighting to bring down President Bashar Assad’s regime and defeat an array of militant groups.

“Our first focus… is to drive (Islamic State) out of Iraq.

“What we’re doing in Syria is first and foremost in service of reducing (its) capacity to resupply and send troops and then run back over the Syrian border… That is our number one mission.” – Bloomberg

We have a different enemy. The strategy is different.