Washington: US President Barack Obama's plan to launch military strikes on Syria passed its first congressional hurdle yesterday with a key Senate Committee approving a resolution granting him authority to use limited force against the Assad regime.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 10-7 to approve the authorisation resolution in this regard, the request for which was made by Obama on August 31. The resolution now moves to the full Senate which is expected to debate and vote early next week.
A similar process kicked off in the House of Representatives today with the House Committee on International Affairs holding a hearing on Syria. The Syria war resolution drafted by members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee permits up to 60 days of military action against the Assad regime and does not permit any boots on the ground.
The resolution gives Obama the authority he needs to deploy force in response to the Assad regime's criminal use of chemical weapons against the Syrian people.
It also assures that the authorisation is narrow and focused, limited in time, and assures that the Armed Forces of the US will not be deployed for combat operations in Syria.
The US has alleged that the nerve agent sarin was used by the Assad regime on August 21 and that at least 1,429 people were killed, including over 400 children.
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