TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN GETS TO STAY THROUGH 2015 AFTER ALL–AFTER A HIGH OF 100,000 COMBAT SOLDIERS DOWN TO 27,000 TROOPS–AS THE NEW PRESIDENT ASHRAF GHANI IS MORE OPEN TO US TROOPS PROTECTING THE SORRY STATE OF AFGHANISTAN FROM THE TALIBAN–THE POTUS BHO DOES NOT WANT HIS LEGACY TO BE MISSION ACCOMPLISHED BY LOSING BOTH IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN IT WOULD SEEM IN JUST 7 YEARS OF TAKING CHARGE

President Obama decided to expand the U.S. military role in Afghanistan in a classified order, the New York Times reported late Friday.

Obama signed the order in recent weeks, according to the Times, giving troops a broader mandate in 2015 than previously planned.

The new authorization allows U.S. troops to carry out missions against the Taliban and other militant groups that threaten Afghanistan’s stability with the use of jets, bombers and drones.

The president announced the final drawdown plan in May, at the time saying the 9,800 troops remaining in Afghanistan wouldn't have a combat role, but would train Afghan forces and hunt the “remnants of Al Qaeda" to end the 13-year war. 

The Times reported that a "lengthy and heated debate" led to the decision to change the mission.

http://thehill.com/policy/defense/225098-report-obama-extends-combat-role-in-afghanistan

Earlier this month, US defense officials had said commanders were weighing a delay in withdrawing American troops from Afghanistan after the country's protracted election set back preparations for the transition.

The new head of the NATO-led force in Afghanistan, General John Campbell, and other senior officers were reviewing whether a larger force needs to stay in place longer than initially planned, officials said.

At its peak, the US force rose to more than 100,000 in Afghanistan, and there are now 27,000 troops deployed.

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20141122000088