Dhaka, April 4 -- In 2001, just three days after 9/11, when the al-Qaeda attacks took place in New York and Washington, DC, the US Congress passed a law known as the Authorization of Use of Military Force (AUMF) - a declaration of war - giving the then President George W Bush sweeping authority to strike back with armed force on those who had attacked the United States-- the al-Qaeda and those who harboured the attackers, the Taliban. The US subsequently invaded Afghanistan on October 7, 2001. Since then US troops have been in Afghanistan for almost 20 years.

In 2002, the US Congress passed a second AUMF clearing the way for President Bush's planned 2003 invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq. This AUMF was later used to justify the ...