Obama Asked Additional $11.6 Billion to Fight ISIS

US President Barack Obama has asked for an additional $11.6 billion to pay for the campaign against Islamic State (IS) militants and the war in Afghanistan, saying the funding will be used to fight ISIS, maintaining US forces in Afghanistan and equipping Afghan Air Forces with new helicopters.

The funding request “is vitally important for our national security and I strongly urge Congress to adopt it,” said U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter in a statement Thursday evening.

Some $5.6 billion would go toward military operations against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

The U.S. has been carrying out the majority of the coalition airstrikes, and is engaged in training and advising Iraqi security forces, the statement said.

Some of the funding would also help support the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. Secretary Carter said the money funded initiatives “that will hasten the defeat” of ISIS.

“Additional resources will help sustain that positive momentum by boosting our support to partner forces and our intelligence efforts,” he said.

“In addition to enhancing our effort to defeat ISIL, this plan would fund the President’s decision to adjust our troop levels to better support the Afghan government’s strategy to secure its nation, and would help enhance Afghanistan’s aviation capability.”

Another $5.8 billion would go to the State Department and USAID for “counter-ISIL and counter-terrorism objectives, including the efforts to implement the diplomatic engagement, governance, and stabilization components of [the] Administration’s counter-ISIL strategy, strengthen embassy security, and respond to relief and recovery needs, as well as provide additional humanitarian assistance for areas liberated from ISIL and other unforeseen needs.”

Meanwhile Officials in the Afghan Ministry of Defense urged if United States of America is willing to eradicate terrorism in Afghanistan then they need to prove it.

Ministry of Defense Spokesman Dawlat Waziri said, “If United States of America wishes to be safe and sound from terrorism risks, and then it needs to equip Afghan Security Forces and exert more pressures on intelligence networks.”

Meanwhile, scores of law makers insisted on weakening the terrorist groups, demanding USA to push more for weakening the terrorists in Afghanistan.

MP Nazeer Ahmad said, “In order to take the war forward we do need to financial support, I ask that the US President take a great step towards removing terrorism from the country; [and I request that] the USA to allocate separate budget for [the] peace process so that we can reach our goals.”

President Obama has requested has demanded $ 530 billion for USA troops for the year of 2016, by the approval of the additional $ 11. 6 billion it will increase to $540 billion.

Reported by: Fawad Nasiri