Jim Michaels, Tom Vanden Brook, and Susan Davis

USAToday

WASHINGTON — President Obama has approved a plan to allow U.S. troops to protect themselves and allies in Afghanistan, a senior military official and senior administration official told USA TODAY on Saturday.

The rules would allow U.S. forces to continue to fight al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and aid Afghan troops under attack, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record.

The authority allows airstrikes to aid U.S., allied and Afghan troops, according to the senior military official. The decision was not intended to allow offensive operations against the Taliban, the officials said.

The decision has been under negotiation for some time as the U.S. draws down its forces and transitions to an advice-and-support role. Afghanistan's armed forces have been seeking continued air support because of their limited capabilities, and the United States always intended to leave behind a counterterrorism force.

The U.S. plans to draw down to 9,800 troops by the end of this year and pull all of them out of the country by the end of 2016.

Although the announcement does not change the U.S. mission in Afghanistan, it does reflect a more cooperative role with the new government in Kabul. President Ashraf Ghani has a stronger relationship with the United States than did his predecessor, Hamid Karzai, who was often critical of the U.S. role in Afghanistan.