BARACK OBAMA BROADENS US AFGHANISTAN MISSION (STA BREAKING NEWS and ARCHIVES)

by STANews , Saturday, November 22, 2014, 11:57

US officials confirm that troops will be authorizedhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/22/barack-obama-broadens-us-afghanistan-mission to target Taliban and provide air support for Afghan operations

Barack Obama has quietly approved guidelines in recent weeks to allow the Pentagon to target Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, broadening previous plans that had limited the military to counterterrorism missions against al-Qaida after this year, US officials said.

The president’s decisions also allow the military to conduct air support for Afghan operations when needed, the officials said late on Friday. Obama issued the guidelines in recent weeks, as the American combat mission in Afghanistan draws to a close, thousands of troops return home, and the military prepares for narrower counterterrorism and training mission for the next two years.

Obama’s moves expand on what had been previously planned for next year. One US official said the military could only go after the Taliban if it posed a threat to American forces or provided direct support to al-Qaida, while the latter could be targeted more indiscriminately.

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http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/22/barack-obama-broadens-us-afghanistan-mission