Hyderabad: US lawmaker Ilhan Omar has raised concerns over the recent US airstrikes on Syria. Omar said that she was deeply concerned about the legal justification of the airstrikes in Syria.
“Military action—in a country where Congress has not authorized war is unconstitutional in almost all circumstances,” she said.
Weeks after assuming office, US President Joe Biden ordered airstrikes on Syria allegedly leaving 17 people dead. The Biden administration claimed that they bombed facilities in Syria which allegedly belong to Iran backed militia, in a response to “rocket” attacks on US targets in Iraq.
In a press statement, the US lawmaker questioned the administration and asked for a legal rationale as to “why these strikes met the high bar for military action without congressional approval.”
“These are the same questions we must ask regardless of the administration,” She said, emphasizing that congressional oversight duty does not change depending on who is in the white house.
Ilhan Omar further stated, “The strike is also a reminder that the 2001 and 2002 authorizations for the use of military force (AUMF) have been used to justify endless wars and violence around the world. They must be repealed.”
Apart from questions of legality, she said, “We must understand this in the greater context of a failed strategy in the region.” Omar also said, “Our presence in the war has done nothing to end the violence but has only exacerbated the pain and suffering of the Syrian people.”
She said she’s eager to hear from the Biden Administration as soon as possible about their strategy to finally end this horrific cycle of violence.