The US Senate overwhelmingly voted to continue the war on terrorism, authorizing Congress to use military force for it.
An attempt by Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky to roll back measures taken in 2001 has been rejected, according to the AP.
Senators rejected the 86.9 amendment at the time and debated two options for military force in Iraq.
Congress authorized military strikes against Saddam Hussein’s regime in 1991 and 2002, but there is bipartisan support for their withdrawal.
These two actions are different in nature as they both relate to the same country i.e. Iraq.
Similarly, in 2001, the then President George Bush was given the authority to carry out military operations against Afghanistan, as well as the war on terrorism, and it was approved that the September 11, 2001 Actions will be taken against countries, organizations or individuals planning attacks.
Passed in 2001, the US military still has this authority and can now take action against any group that poses a threat to the US, including al-Qaeda, ISIS, al-Shabaab, and others.
The move, which was taken 20 years ago at the time of the 2002 invasion of Iraq, has been less talked about this week, but supporters of repealing it say there are risks of misuse, while President Joe Biden, on the other hand, says That they are also in favor of this cancellation.
Senators from both parties said they may eventually be willing to modify or limit the 2001 authorization to some extent, but also argued that it should not be repealed.
Bob Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that ‘there has not been a solid discussion on this yet.’
Paul added that the only point Congress has in rescinding Iraq powers is that Saddam Hussein’s regime no longer exists, and that Congress is maintaining the authorization by leaving the 2001 measure in place, which ‘which Anywhere, Anytime War’ is about war.
A vote is expected next week on the repeal of the two Iraq measures. This week, 19 Republicans voted with Democrats to advance the legislation.