2017/10/31 9:21
[Oan- follow - up]
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said US troops would remain in Iraq until the final defeat of Daesh.
In a hearing before the Senate on Monday about the president's mandate to use military force, Tillerson also attended Defense Secretary James Matisse that US forces remain in Iraq through the 2001 and 2002 mandates that allow US forces to fight hostile groups.
Tillerson added that the fighting against Daqash has not ended yetdespite the liberation of large parts of Iraqi territory, noting that Prime Minister Haider Abadi "gave no indication that he wants to leave our troops."
The US official said that US forces are working on preparing local police in Iraq to oversee security in towns and villages liberated from Dahesh.
With regard to the congressional mandate for the president to use military force, Tillerson stressed that the administration of President Donald Trump is in complete agreement on the need not to restrict any restriction of geographical boundaries, adding that the international coalition is fighting organizations that do not recognize the geographical boundaries.
In this context, the US Secretary of State confirmed that Dahesh is looking for expansion in new places after pressure in Iraq and Syria.
For his part, Matisse said that any new mandate should note the continued validity of the mandates of 2001 and 2002, noting that the abolition of these mandates shows the allies of the United States and its enemies, "We are moving away from the war and give the enemy to restore the initiative."
Matisse added that the previous administration considered the existing mandate sufficient to do what was necessary in the fight against terrorism.
The "mandate for the use of military force" refers to the expansion of the administration's authority not only to fight the Taliban but also to support and base, but it also defines the geographical area and the time period in which military force is used.
US lawmakers have said in a previous statement that the Trump administration may be open to Congress's approval for a new mandate to use military force to replace the current 16-year mandate for military operations in the Middle East.
alliraqnews.com
