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 The decision ensures a direct role for American troops in fighting
in Afghanistan for at least another year, it said, adding Obama’s
decision was made during a White House meeting with national
security advisers in recent weeks.
In May, Obama said the American 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.
Obama’s new order lets American forces execute missions against the
Taliban and other militant groups threatening U.S. troops or the
Afghan government.
The new authorization also allows U.S. air strikes to support Afghan
forces on combat missions and U.S. troops occasionally to accompany
Afghan troops on operations against the Taliban.
The Times did not mention if the change would affect the number of
American troops deployed to Afghanistan.
 The change emerged from debate over two imperatives: Obama's promise
to end the war in Afghanistan, and the Pentagon demand to let
American troops fulfill their remaining missions there, the Times
reported.
Some civilian aides have argued against risking American lives next
year in operations against the Taliban, saying there should only be
a narrow mission against al Qaeda, it said.
But generals urged Obama to define the mission more broadly if
intelligence showed extremists threatening American forces.
Two issues shifted the debate, the Times 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
American military mission than his predecessor.
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Asked about the report, a senior administration official said the
U.S. 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 United States and coalition forces in Afghanistan or
provide direct support to al Qaeda, we will take appropriate
measures to keep Americans safe."
(Reporting by Ian Simpson and Steve Holland; Editing by Clarence
Fernandez and Jeremy Laurence)
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