US President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing a broader military mission in Afghanistan next year than originally planned, the New York Times reported yesterday.
The decision ensures a direct role for US troops in fighting in Afghanistan for at least another year, the newspaper reported, adding that Obama’s decision was made during a White House meeting with national security advisers in recent weeks.
In May, Obama said the US military would have no combat role in Afghanistan next year. Missions for the remaining 9,800 troops would be limited to training Afghan forces and to hunting the “remnants of al-Qaeda,” he said.
Photo: AFP
Obama’s new order allows US forces to execute missions against the Taliban and other militant groups threatening US troops or the Afghan government.
The new authorization also allows US airstrikes to support Afghan forces on combat missions and US troops occasionally to accompany Afghan troops on operations against the Taliban.
The repotr did not mention whether the change would affect the number of US troops deployed to Afghanistan.
The change emerged from debate over two imperatives: Obama’s promise to end the war in Afghanistan, and the US Pentagon’s demand to let US troops fulfill their remaining missions there, the newspaper reported.
Some civilian aides have argued against risking US lives next year in operations against the Taliban, saying there should only be a narrow mission against al-Qaeda, it said.
However, generals urged Obama to define the mission more broadly if intelligence showed extremists threatening US forces.
Two issues shifted the debate, the report said.
Obama’s Afghanistan strategy faces stiffer criticism after the advance of Islamic State forces in Iraq and Syria, it said, while Afghanistan’s new president has been more accepting of a broader US military mission than his predecessor.
Asked about the report, a senior administration official said the US combat mission in Afghanistan would be over by year-end, as Obama had announced in May.
“Safety of our personnel is the president’s first priority and our armed forces will continue to engage in operations in self-defense and in support of Afghan security forces,” the official said.
“While we will no longer target belligerents solely because they are members of the Taliban, to the extent that Taliban members directly threaten the US and coalition forces in Afghanistan or provide direct support to al-Qaeda, we will take appropriate measures to keep Americans safe,” the official added.
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