Joe Biden writes letter to US Congress justifying weather strikes on Iran-backed militias
28 February, 2021
US President Joe Biden provided the official explanation for the air strike on Iran-backed fighters in eastern Syria, saying he was working with his authority to deter attacks on US and allied personnel found in Iraq.
Mr Biden’s letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Patrick Leahy, president pro tempore of the Senate, came after lots of Democrats criticised the circumstances of Mr Biden's primary overt utilization of military force, about five weeks after acquiring office.
Like a long line of his predecessors, Mr Biden said he was informing Congress “in keeping with” the War Powers Act, without acknowledging that he was necessary to do so.
He said he ordered the strike “to safeguard and defend our personnel and our partners against these attacks and future such attacks” under his constitutional authority to carry out US foreign policy and due to commander-in-chief, in line with the letter, released by the White House on Saturday.
“Those non-state militia groups were involved in recent attacks against USA and coalition personnel in Iraq,” including a February 15 attack in Erbil that wounded a US service member and four US contractors and killed a Filipino contractor, Mr Biden said.
Some Democrats criticised Mr Biden, saying he did not inform Congress before ordering the air strike.
Tim Kaine, a Democratic senator from Virginia, who has prolonged argued that presidents need to seek approval from Congress for most military operations, said on Friday that Americans should hear the administration’s reasoning for the strikes “and its own legal justification for acting without arriving at Congress".
Ro Khanna, a good representative for California, said there is no justification for a good president to order a strike that had not been an work of self-defence without congressional authorisation.
In his letter, Mr Biden said he was acting under the country's inherent to self-defence reflected in the UN charter.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the Defence Department briefed congressional leaders prior to the strikes.
James Inhofe, a good senator for Oklahoma and the most notable Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on Friday that the “strikes were the correct, proportionate response to safeguard American lives".
"I look forward to more information along the administration’s response to Iran’s aggression," he said. Different Republicans echoed his approval.
The US destroyed nine facilities and damaged two other folks in the attack, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on Friday.
Accounts of just how many fighters were killed varied widely, with Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah claiming it suffered one casualty.
At least 22 Iraqi militants allied with Iran were killed and three ammunition lorries were destroyed in the attack, in line with the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which gathers information from activists in Syria.
Neither report has yet been independently verified, although the Pentagon said the strike was had proportionate, suggesting casualties would be closer to the low figure.
After a decade of civil war, Syria’s military isn't in a solid position to respond directly to a US attack.
The united states faced two attacks by the US military during former president Donald Trump’s term, both over Syrian President Bashar Al Assad’s usage of chemical weapons in the conflict.
Source: www.thenationalnews.com