Obama may bypass Congress on Syria airstrikes
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Worthy News)– The White House said Monday that President Obama won’t necessarily seek congressional approval for airstrikes in Syria against militants of the Islamic State, while Syria warned the U.S. it would consider any unilateral attack an act of “aggression,” the Washington Times reported.
As Mr. Obama’s advisers debated how to contain the terrorist group whose advances have caught the administration off guard, Obama officials also acknowledged they were caught flat-footed by a joint Egyptian-United Arab Emirates air attack against Islamist forces in Libya. The allies and military partners of the U.S. carried out two attacks in the past week in Libya without notifying Washington or seeking permission.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said Monday that Damascus would not tolerate unilateral action by the U.S. against the extremists, even in the parts of the country that the government no longer controls. He said Syria is “ready to cooperate and coordinate on the regional and international level in the war on terror,” but said any airstrikes should be conducted with the approval of the Syrian government.
That scenario would put Mr. Obama in the awkward position of working with a brutal regime whose downfall he has called for repeatedly. White House aides said Monday that the administration is not interested in helping the Assad regime. — Source