US Senate passes bill to repeal decades-old Iraq war authorisations

The US Senate, on Monday, voted overwhelmingly to push ahead with the legislation to repeal two-decade-old authorisations for past wars in Iraq. Congress is trying to get back the right to take a call over deciding whether to send troops into combat and how the US announces war.

The vote was 65 to 28 to limit debate on the measure. The number was 60 votes more than what is required in the 100-member Senate, paving the way for a vote on passage later this week. All 28 "no" votes were from Republicans.

Congress has argued for years that too much authority has been ceded to both Republican and Democratic presidents over whether troops should be sent into combat. Congress has failed to repeal broad, open-ended war authorisations that presidents have used for years to justify military action around the globe.

Notably, the US Constitution gives Congress the right to declare war. But since the Iraq war, presidents have had to the power to declare war.

Proponents of the current bill say the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force, or AUMFs, against Iraq are "zombie" authorisations. Congress members backing the bill say the authorisations are outdated and inappropriate, given that the wars are long over and Iraq is now a US partner.

This month marked the 20th anniversary of the start of the 2003 Iraq war.

"Repealing these authorizations will demonstrate to the region, and to the world, that the United States is not an occupying force, that the war in Iraq has come to an end, that we are moving forward, working with Iraq as a strategic partner," said Senator Bob Menendez, Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said before the vote, urging support for the legislation.

(With inputs from agencies)

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