By Lucia Leal
Washington, Dec 10 (IANS/EFE): US Secretary of State John Kerry has asked Congress to reduce restrictions on fighting the Islamic State (IS) radical group, allowing American troops to engage in combat in the future and possibly expand the current campaign outside Syria and Iraq.

Speaking to the Senate Tuesday, Kerry said that the Obama adminstration needed flexibility in a campaign that could last for years and which is unpredictable.

The president has applied the Authorisation for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) of 2001 to carry out 1,100 attacks against the IS so far, and another such measure from 2002 for operations in Iraq which his predecessor used against terrorists abroad.

Both authorisations were put into place following the Sep 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the US.

The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Robert Menendez, said he was not comfortable with the government using these two measures as the current circumstances are completely different.

President Barak Obama asked Congress in November to adapt the 2001 AUMF to the on-going IS campaign which includes airstrikes, ground forces training and weapons supplies for local allies fighting the IS.

Kerry also urged the legislators to vote soon on a bipartisan authorisation that would strengthen the US offensive.

The secretary of state also supported Menendez's recent proposal of authorisation for the use of forces against the extremist group, which limits the campaign to three years, with provisions for its extension under certain conditions.

However, the secretary asked Congress not to restrict the campaign in two ways.

First, it should not forbid US ground forces from fighting in Iraq and Syria in the future, despite the fact that Obama has consistently reiterated that there would not be a deployment of American troops for the mission.

And second, that authorisation should not include geographical limits, even though the White House does not expect to carry out operations in other countries.

The majority of senators present at the session criticized the Administration for not having presented a draft which specifies what needs to be included in the new authorization.

The government agreed with most of Menendez's proposals except some technical aspects which could be resolved with no problems, Kerry said.

He also urged the senators to cooperate with the White House to set a clear legal mandate for the anti-IS campaign.