WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US Department of Defense is making the rules of engagement for US forces in Afghanistan as clear as possible, following the official end of combat operations in that country, Pentagon Spokesman Peter Cook said on Monday.
"We are asking a lot of US forces right now, but those rules of engagement… those authorities, are as clear as they can be right now for those forces," Cook stated.
On Monday, various US news outlets cited a declassified Pentagon report where service members involved in Operation Resolute Support expressed confusion over the rules of engagement with enemy forces in Afghanistan.
Cook noted that US forces in Afghanistan are playing a significantly different role today in Afghanistan, where they are focused on training, advising and assisting Afghan forces.
Under the non-combat authority, the US forces are only authorized to engage an enemy when they come under fire, and they do not have the authority to attack Taliban fighters.
Official combat operations in Afghanistan ended in December 2014, but the United States maintains a residual force of 9,800 troops in the country.
