US President wants Congress to approve war on ISIL

World Today

U.S. President Barack Obama is asking Congress to approve a new plan to fight ISIL, as Al Qaeda in Iraq continues to morph into the massive terror group, making it stronger. Obama says this plan does not authorize the use of U.S. armed forces in ground combat operations. The request would trade in limits on his power for the hope of approval.

Since the initial coalition strikes against the Islamic State in September 2014, U.S. President Barack Obama has insisted he had the authority to order military action against the group. Obama used the same 2001 war powers authorization which was passed to fight Al Qaeda.

After more than a decade of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, a war-weary U.S. Congress said they want to stop future U.S. presidents from being able to use this war power authorization again. Members of the president’s own party called for even more limits of power to the top office.

Nearly five months into the fight against the Islamic State, many congressional Republicans reportedly admit they’ll likely give the U.S. president the go ahead to step up fighting against the growing Islamic State, but they staunchly urge a caveat that a clear strategy on how to defeat ISIL must be laid out.

CCTV’s Jessica Stone gathered information for this report