US President Joe Biden provided an official explanation for the air strike on Iran-backed fighters in eastern Syria, saying he was using his authority to deter attacks on US and allied personnel in Iraq.
Mr Biden’s letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Patrick Leahy, deputy leader of the Senate, came after some Democrats criticised the president's first use of military force without informing Congress.
Like a long line of his predecessors, he said he was informing Congress "consistent with" the War Powers Act, without acknowledging that he was required to do so.
Mr Biden said he ordered the strike “to protect and defend our personnel and our partners against these attacks and future such attacks” under his constitutional authority to conduct US foreign policy and as commander-in-chief.
The letter was released by the White House on Saturday.
“Those non-state militia groups were involved in recent attacks against United States and coalition personnel in Iraq.”
The attacks included a February 15 strike in Erbil that wounded a US service member and four American contractors, and killed a Filipino contractor, Mr Biden said.
Tim Kaine, a Democratic senator from Virginia, has long said that presidents need approval from Congress for most military operations.
Mr Kaine said on Friday that Americans should hear the administration’s reasoning for the strikes “and its legal justification for acting without coming to Congress".
Ro Khanna, a representative for California, said there was no justification for a president to order a strike that was not an act of self-defence without congressional authorisation.
In his letter, Mr Biden said he was acting under the country's inherent right to self-defence as reflected in the UN charter.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the Defence Department briefed congressional leaders before the strikes.
James Inhofe, a senator for Oklahoma and the top Republican on the Senate armed services committee, said on Friday that the “strikes were the correct, proportionate response to protect American lives".
"I look forward to more information on the administration’s response to Iran’s aggression," Mr Inhofe said.
Other Republicans echoed his approval.
The US destroyed nine bases and damaged two in the attack, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on Friday.
Accounts of how many fighters were killed varied widely, with Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah claiming it suffered one casualty.
At least 22 Iraqi militants allied with Iran were killed and three ammunition lorries were destroyed in the attack, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Neither report has yet been independently verified, although the Pentagon said the attack was proportionate, suggesting casualties would be closer to the lower figure.
After a decade of civil war, Syria’s military is not in a strong position to respond directly to a US attack.
Syria was twice attacked by the US military during former president Donald Trump’s term, both over Syrian President Bashar Al Assad’s use of chemical weapons in the conflict.
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Gallery: Iran-backed militia groups in Iraq
If you go
- The nearest international airport to the start of the Chuysky Trakt is in Novosibirsk. Emirates (www.emirates.com) offer codeshare flights with S7 Airlines (www.s7.ru) via Moscow for US$5,300 (Dh19,467) return including taxes. Cheaper flights are available on Flydubai and Air Astana or Aeroflot combination, flying via Astana in Kazakhstan or Moscow. Economy class tickets are available for US$650 (Dh2,400).
- The Double Tree by Hilton in Novosibirsk ( 7 383 2230100,) has double rooms from US$60 (Dh220). You can rent cabins at camp grounds or rooms in guesthouses in the towns for around US$25 (Dh90).
- The transport Minibuses run along the Chuysky Trakt but if you want to stop for sightseeing, hire a taxi from Gorno-Altaisk for about US$100 (Dh360) a day. Take a Russian phrasebook or download a translation app. Tour companies such as Altair-Tour ( 7 383 2125115 ) offer hiking and adventure packages.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
NINE WINLESS GAMES
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Multitasking pays off for money goals
Tackling money goals one at a time cost financial literacy expert Barbara O'Neill at least $1 million.
That's how much Ms O'Neill, a distinguished professor at Rutgers University in the US, figures she lost by starting saving for retirement only after she had created an emergency fund, bought a car with cash and purchased a home.
"I tell students that eventually, 30 years later, I hit the million-dollar mark, but I could've had $2 million," Ms O'Neill says.
Too often, financial experts say, people want to attack their money goals one at a time: "As soon as I pay off my credit card debt, then I'll start saving for a home," or, "As soon as I pay off my student loan debt, then I'll start saving for retirement"."
People do not realise how costly the words "as soon as" can be. Paying off debt is a worthy goal, but it should not come at the expense of other goals, particularly saving for retirement. The sooner money is contributed, the longer it can benefit from compounded returns. Compounded returns are when your investment gains earn their own gains, which can dramatically increase your balances over time.
"By putting off saving for the future, you are really inhibiting yourself from benefiting from that wonderful magic," says Kimberly Zimmerman Rand , an accredited financial counsellor and principal at Dragonfly Financial Solutions in Boston. "If you can start saving today ... you are going to have a lot more five years from now than if you decide to pay off debt for three years and start saving in year four."
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