US politicians look to formally end Gulf and Iraq wars

Bipartisan group looks to repeal authorisation for using military force in Gulf War in 1991 and Iraq invasion in 2002

The USS Eisenhower making its way through the Suez Canal to join other warships in August 1990. AFP

President George W. Bush meets military advisers at the Pentagon to discuss the Gulf crisis in August 1990. Reuters

US soldiers of the 3rd Artillery Battalion make preparations in the Saudi Arabian desert a few days after the Iraqi army had entered Kuwait. AFP

US Marines carry gear towards their barracks after landing at a Saudi airbase. AFP

American Marines try out new kit in a training operation in the Saudi Arabian desert. AFP

Egyptians who were living in Iraq and Kuwait wait to board a ship to return to Egypt and escape the war, in Aqaba, Jordan. AFP

A US airman logs his flight at King Khaled military airport, near Dhahran, in November 1990. AFP

Lance Corporal John Clark shouts to colleagues while preparing to fire a mortar shell in January 1991. Reuters

A US soldier inspects a Patriot missile launcher at a desert airbase in Kuwait, in February 1998. Reuters

Iraqis living in Amman listen the news of the latest situation in their homeland in December 1998. Reuters

The headquarters of the Iraqi Civil Defence, which was hit by coalition bombs. Reuters

A bipartisan group of US Congress members on Thursday introduced a bill that would "formally end the Gulf and Iraq wars", and enhance Washington's relationship with Baghdad.

The action would reintroduce legislation repealing the authorisation for using military force (AUMF) passed by Congress in 1991 and 2002.

“The 1991 and 2002 AUMFs are no longer necessary, serve no operational purpose, and run the risk of potential misuse," said Senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat.

"Congress owes it to our service members, veterans and families to pass our bill repealing these outdated AUMFs and formally ending the Gulf and Iraq wars."

The wars contributed to hundreds of thousands of deaths, mass displacement, civil war and upheaval in local government.

The US withdrew its forces from Iraq in 2011, and continues to have diplomatic and military relations with the country today. It also has similar relations throughout the Gulf.

"Congress must do its job and take seriously the decision to not just commit America to war, but to affirmatively say that we are no longer at war," said Senator Todd Young, a Republican.

The House of Representatives in 2021 passed a repeal of the 2002 AUMF, but a vote has not been held on the Senate floor. Twenty other senators in both parties are co-sponsors of the bill.

The White House in March last year said it supported the move.

"We are committed to working with Congress to ensure that the authorisations for the use of military force currently on the books are replaced with a narrow and specific framework that will ensure we can protect Americans from terrorist threats while ending the forever wars," press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

Beyond these two authorisations, there have also been ongoing conversations about reforming AUMF resolutions because of the lengthy extensions of wars and presidential powers under them.