America
Defeating IS may take longer than three years: Pentagon
Washington, March 12
US Defence Secretary and
Pentagon chief Ashton Carter said on Wednesday that the fight against
the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group may take longer than the three
year timeline stipulated in President Barack Obama's force authorisation
request.
"I cannot tell you that our campaign to defeat ISIL
(IS) would be completed in three years," Carter told the US Senate
Foreign Relations Committee during a hearing on Obama's war
authorisation request to the Congress, according to a Xinhua report.
On
February 11, the Obama administration unveiled its war authorisation
bill against the IS that would prohibit the use of "enduring offensive
ground forces" and limit engagement to three years.
Carter said
that although he was uncertain if the task could be finished within
three years, the provision was "sensible and principled".
"The
president's proposed authorisation affords the American people the
chance to assess our progress in three years' time, and provides the
next president and the next Congress the opportunity to reauthorise it,
if they find it necessary," he said.
Under the authorisation for
the use of force passed in 2001, the Obama administration could use
force against the extremist group Al Qaeda and its affiliates -- the IS
in this case -- without permission from the Congress.
US
Secretary of State John Kerry said that the purpose of seeking a formal
force authorisation was to highlight a united America.
"A clear
and careful expression of this Congress' backing at this point and time
would expel doubt that might exist anywhere that Americans are united in
this effort," Kerry said.
However, the Obama administration's
war authorisation pitch is expected to undergo major changes in its
language, as hawkish Republicans said that Obama's bill would constrain
the military, while the Democrats demanded a clearer language in
prohibiting a large US ground combat presence. The worst scenario would
be inaction by the Congress.
During the hearing session, Kerry
was interrupted several times by anti-war protesters who yelled
repeatedly that the US campaign against the IS would lead to the death
of "innocent people".