WASHINGTON: US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said on Wednesday that the war against the Islamic State militants could outlive the Obama administration and the present Congress.

In a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Secretary Carter also hinted that the military campaign to defeat IS militants could go beyond Syria and Iraq.

Both President Barack Obama and Congress complete their tenures in two years.

Take a look: Obama spells out strategy for combating IS militants

“Send an unmistakable message to (IS) leaders … they cannot divide us ... and they have no hope of defeating us,” he said.

Besides the two secretaries, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Martin Dempsey also testified before the committee on Wednesday and joined them in urging the lawmakers to give President Obama a clear mandate to defeat IS extremists.

This was the first congressional hearing on President Obama’s request for an updated authorisation for the use of military fore. The president sent the request o Congress early last month.

“The proposed authorisation wisely does not include any geographical restriction, because IS already shows signs of metastasizing outside of Syria and Iraq,” Carter said.

He said the authorisation would be valid for only three years because the administration as well as the present Congress would complete their tenures in two years.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play