Obama makes formal request for war authorization against Islamic State

[A.Muqeet khan]

President Obama’s formal request Wednesday for authority to use military force against the Islamic State set the stage for the first broad congressional debate over the administration’s strategy in Syria and Iraq.

Looking toward what could be months of hearings and significant changes in White House language before a final vote, Republicans seeking a broader authority, and Democrats hoping to narrow the President’s war options, staked out widely divergent positions.

House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) said Obama is also “going to have to go out and make his case to the American people. The delivery of this authorization is the beginning of a legislative process.”

The requested Authorization for the Use of Military Force, or AUMF, would permit ongoing airstrikes and U.S. military training for local ground forces in Iraq and Syria for the next three years, while prohibiting “enduring offensive ground combat operations.” It includes no geographic limitations on a possible extension of the war beyond those two countries in pursuit of the Islamic State and “associated persons or forces.”

“It is not the authorization of another ground war, like Afghanistan or Iraq,” Obama said in a White House appearance. But he said it would give him “the flexibility we need for unforeseen circumstances,” including ground deployment of Special Operations forces for rescue missions and unspecified assistance to local forces.

Participating countries in the global coalition against the Islamic State
More than 60 partners of the United States have committed support to “degrade and defeat” the militant group. The coalition includes two intergovernmental bodies — the European Union and the Arab League.

Many Democrats called that restriction too vague. “It’s a very broad grant of authority . . . that leaves wide open the possibility of real engagement of U.S. combat forces on the ground in Iraq and Syria,” said Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).

Others said the authority did not go far enough. “The president must articulate and implement a comprehensive strategy that gives our military experts and commanders the agility and authority they need to successfully confront this increasingly dangerous and complex threat,” said Rep. Michael R. Turner (R-Ohio). “Today’s request by the president does not meet that criteria.”

Senior Republicans, including Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain (Ariz.), whose committee will consider the bill, have said that ground forces might be needed and that nothing should be ruled out in confronting the dire threat posed by the Islamic State. In a statement late Wednesday, McCain expressed “deep concerns” about what he called Obama’s “narrow definition of strategy” and called the proposal a “recipe for failure.”

McCain and Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) met with GOP senators Wednesday to discuss next steps.

Obama, flanked at a White House appearance by Vice President Biden and the secretaries of state and defense, said his strategy of using U.S. and coalition airstrikes against the militants, and bolstering local ground forces to push them back, was succeeding.

“This is a difficult mission, and it will remain difficult for some time,” he said. “But our coalition is on the offensive, ISIL is on the defensive, and ISIL is going to lose.” ISIL is an acronym for the Islamic State.

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[Al Bhatti]

February 14, 2015

US to expedite munitions delivery to Jordan

The United States is readying plans to resupply Jordan with munitions in the coming weeks, possibly including precision-guided arms, expediting support for the kingdom as it expands its role in air strikes against ISIL, officials say.

US efforts to expedite delivery of munitions and other weapons follow a vocal appeal from Jordan’s King Abdullah to American lawmakers last week for greater support.

A source close to the Jordanian government said the kingdom believed its supplies of bombs are being stretched too thin as it expands its role in strikes following ISIL burning Jordanian pilot Maaz Al Kassasbeh alive.

The pilot’s death, shown in a video released earlier this month, has triggered a public backlash in Jordan and sharpened the focus of Arab allies contributing to the war effort.

Jordan is a key member of the US-led anti-ISIL coalition, which includes the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Qatar.

The Pentagon estimated that Jordan dropped 72 bombs in the first wave of its revenge strikes in Syria last week.

Jordanian military experts say the kingdom could struggle to sustain the intensity of the air strikes, even as King Abdullah has ordered his commanders to prepare for a bigger military role in the fight against ISIL.

He met with US lawmakers in Washington last week, saying he sought precision munitions along with aircraft parts and additional night vision equipment, and noted delays in working through normal US channels.

That prompted a letter from the Senate Armed Services Committee, led by Republican Senator John McCain, urging the Obama administration to process Jordan’s requests “with a sense of urgency reflecting the pace of events.”

At his meeting with lawmakers, King Abdullah remarked that Jordan’s military had become adept at using unguided bombs but stressed the need for precision-guided munitions.

Sources in the US and Jordan say the kingdom has requested Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAMs, which can modify conventional bombs to convert into precision-guided systems, using global position system (GPS) technology.

Anthony Cordesman, at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, said precision weapons bolster Jordan’s ability to hit targets without causing civilian casualties.

“If you’re going to have Jordan supporting the United States, as it is, in striking at the Islamic State, you want to be able to hit those targets very precisely,” Mr Cordesman said.

The US provides more than $300 million in security assistance to Jordan annually, a figure that is expected to grow. On February, 3 the US and Jordan signed a new memorandum of understanding that committed the Washington to increase its assistance from $660 million to $1 billion per year for 2015-2017.

A Pentagon spokeswoman said the goals were to help Jordan’s armed forces modernise and bolster its ability to “counter terrorism.”

US to expedite munitions delivery to Jordan | The National