President Barack Obama sent Congress a request Wednesday for authorization to use military force in the campaign against the Islamic State group, urging lawmakers to “show the world we are united in our resolve to counter the threat.”
In a letter to Congress, the president said he is committed to working with Congress on bipartisan authorization for the use of military force.
The proposed authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) would limit operations against the militants to three years and bar U.S. troops from what it terms “enduring offensive ground combat.”
Obama’s draft proposal said large-scale ground combat operations, similar to those in Iraq and Afghanistan, should be left to local forces instead of the U.S. military.
The proposal also would repeal the 2002 measure that authorized the Iraq war but keep a 2001 authorization, passed shortly after the September 11 attacks, for a campaign against al-Qaida and its affiliates.
“This is a difficult mission, and it will remain difficult for some time,” the president said in nationally televised remarks. “But our coalition is on the offensive. ISIL is on the defensive, and ISIL is going to lose.”
The president says the authorization would give him the flexibility he needs to go after the militants.
“For example, if we had actionable intelligence about a gathering of ISIL leaders, and our partners didn’t have the capacity to get them, I would be prepared to order our Special Forces to take action, because I will not allow these terrorists to have a safe haven,” he said.
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