Obama expands role of US forces in Afghanistan.

Reuters - U.S. President Barack Obama has agreed to grant his country's military greater capacity to monitor and train Afghan forces fighting the resilient Taliban insurgency, a move to assist them more proactively on the battlefield, a U.S. official told Reuters.

The senior defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the decision would also allow for greater use of U.S. air power, particularly more consistent air support. But he cautioned: "This is not a sweeping order targeting the Taliban."

Obama's decision redefines the US's supporting role in the heated conflict in Afghanistan more than a year after international forces ended their combat mission and left that burden to Afghan troops.

The measure also comes ahead of the widely anticipated decision by the president regarding whether or not to continue the already planned reduction of US troops in the country – from the current approximately 9.800 to 5.500 by the beginning of 2017.

Last week, a group of retired generals and veteran diplomats urged Obama to discard these plans, warning that they could undermine the fight against the Afghan Taliban, whose leader was killed by a US drone strike in Pakistan last month.

According to the new policy, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson, will be able to decide when it is appropriate for U.S. soldiers to accompany conventional Afghan forces in battle – something that until now they had only done with Afghan special forces, the official said.

The expanded powers should only be employed "in those selected instances where their involvement can provide strategic effects on the battlefield," he stated.

This means that US forces should not be expected to accompany Afghan soldiers on everyday missions.

"This additional flexibility... has the full support of the Afghan government and will help Afghans at a crucial time for the country," the official said.