<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=windows-1252"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">The government traditionally waits for late Friday evening to release news that that they want to be as unnoticed as possible - thinking that the weekend news reports will be minimal.<div><br>President Obama's refrain about the war's 'winding down' has always been mendacious.</div><div><br></div><div><div id="NYTEmail" style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; text-align: -webkit-center; margin: 0px 45px; width: 500px;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="customHeader" width="500"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" valign="bottom" width="500"><tbody><tr><td id="MainHeader" width="350" style="font-size: 14px; padding: 26px 0px 4px;"><table border="0" style="font-size: 14px;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=4z5Q7LhI+KVBjmEgFdYACKqxdqYf5TwZRlcqaJDmNgZR6U1YR0oha/v1krq+veiP&campaign_id=132&instance_id=49607&segment_id=65686&user_id=198124ce8b2571ff930f1d2d1d2fc881®i_id=617704" style="color: rgb(0, 66, 118); 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font-family: georgia, serif;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="padding-bottom: 11px; width: 490px !important;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=4z5Q7LhI+KVBjmEgFdYACPLKh239P3pgpzm657r4qCTGU/3bNb5Zd66dUb30U+AXhzgp/TaUe7P49+2Czo5n/RVosAbwvZLVSrttdt7zS8YzWak05lXo2S7B/eR++NgmPk/A7iZpdZoYiTnqN2eHGINYFzlEGGHN&campaign_id=132&instance_id=49607&segment_id=65686&user_id=198124ce8b2571ff930f1d2d1d2fc881®i_id=617704" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 1); text-decoration: none; font-size: 24px; line-height: 30px;">In Secret, Obama Extended U.S. Military Role in Afghanistan Combat</a><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="summary" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 22px; font-size: 15px; margin-top: 11px;"><tbody><tr><td style="padding: 4px 0px 12px;">President Obama signed a secret order in recent weeks authorizing a more expansive mission for the military in Afghanistan in 2015 than originally planned, a move that ensures American troops will have a direct role in fighting in the war-ravaged country for at least another year.</td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 4px 0px 12px;">In an announcement in the White House Rose Garden in May, Mr. Obama said that the American military would have no combat role in Afghanistan next year, and that the missions for the 9,800 troops remaining in the country would be limited to training Afghan forces and to hunting the “remnants of Al Qaeda.”</td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 4px 0px 12px;">But Mr. Obama’s secret order allows American forces to carry out missions against the Taliban and other militant groups threatening American troops or the Afghan government, a broader mission than the president described to the public earlier this year, according to several administration, military and congressional officials with knowledge of the decision. The new authorization also allows American jets, bombers and drones to support Afghan troops on combat missions.</td></tr><tr><td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 1); font-family: arial, helvetica, 'sans serif'; font-size: 11px; padding: 3px 0px 11px;"><h4 style="margin: 5px 0px 2px;">READ MORE »</h4><a href="http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=4z5Q7LhI+KVBjmEgFdYACPLKh239P3pgpzm657r4qCTGU/3bNb5Zd66dUb30U+AXhzgp/TaUe7P49+2Czo5n/RVosAbwvZLVSrttdt7zS8YzWak05lXo2S7B/eR++NgmPk/A7iZpdZoYiTnqN2eHGINYFzlEGGHN&campaign_id=132&instance_id=49607&segment_id=65686&user_id=198124ce8b2571ff930f1d2d1d2fc881®i_id=617704" style="color: rgb(0, 66, 118); text-decoration: none;">http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/22/us/politics/in-secret-obama-extends-us-role-in-afghan-combat.html?emc=edit_na_20141121</a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br></div></div><div><br></div><div><br></div></body></html>