Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/691086
ByLolitaC.Baldorand Robert Burns TheAssociatedPress WASHINGTON After months of debate, the U.S. is moving toward a decision to expand the military's au- thority to conduct airstrikes against the Taliban as the violence in Afghanistan es- calates, a senior U.S. de- fense official said Thursday. The official said a final decision has not been made. But there is a broad desire across the Obama admin- istration to give the mili- tary greater ability to help the Afghans fight and win the war. The U.S. is likely to expand the authority of U.S. commanders to strike the Taliban and do what- ever else is necessary with the forces they have to sup- port the Afghan operations. The 9,800 U.S. troops still in Afghanistan, how- ever, would still not be in- volved in direct combat. The official was not au- thorized to talk publicly about the discussions so spoke on condition of ano- nymity. The discussions, which are in their final stages, come as the Afghans strug- gle with a resurgent Tal- iban, particularly in the south. The U.S. has continued to conduct counterterror- ism strikes against al-Qa- ida and Islamic State mil- itants in Afghanistan. But strikes against the Tali- ban were largely halted at the end of 2014, when the U.S.-led coalition's combat role ended. Limited strikes have been allowed in cases of self-defense or when Af- ghan forces were in danger of being overrun. Gen. John Nicholson, the top U.S. commander in Af- ghanistan, has discussed with Defense Secretary Ash Carter his recommenda- tions for moves the U.S. can make to further assist the Afghans. And there have been ongoing conversations with the White House. Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook, asked Thurs- day whether the adminis- tration was looking at ex- panding the U.S. military's authorities to strike the Tal- iban more broadly, said: "In every step of our review of Afghanistan, the question of what's the best way to use our forces is something we're constantly looking at. It's also in the same sense that we're looking at the number of troops. We are always looking at the au- thorities question and the best use of our troops." AFGHANISTAN Official:USmovingtoexpandairstrikes By Zeina Karam and Susannah George The Associated Press BEIRUT U.S.-backed fight- ers in Syria converged from three sides on an Islamic State stronghold near the Turkish border Thursday, while Iraqi special forces pushed deeper into Fallu- jah, one of the last bastions of the militant group in western Iraq. In Libya, IS militants were fleeing their strong- hold of Sirte as forces loyal to a U.N.-brokered govern- ment advanced, with some fighters reportedly cutting off beards and long hair to blend in with civilians. The anti-IS offensives posedasignificantchallenge to the extremist group as it tries to stave off multiple at- tacks across parts of Syria and Iraq, where it declared a so-called caliphate in 2014, and in more recently seized territory in chaotic Libya. If the U.S.-backed Syria Democratic Forces capture Manbij, it will be the big- gest strategic defeat for IS in Syria since July 2015, when it lost the border town of Tal Abyad, a major sup- ply route to the militants' de facto capital of Raqqa. Manbij, which had a pre- war population of 100,000, is one of the largest IS-held urban areas in northern Aleppo province and is a waypoint on an IS supply line between Raqqa and the Turkish frontier. In a sign of the town's perceived significance, the SDF's advances were ac- companied by intense air- strikes from the U.S.-led co- alition battling the IS mil- itants. The U.S. Central Command said the coali- tion has conducted more than 105 strikes in sup- port of the battle to liber- ate Manbij. The airstrikes recalled the battle for the Kurdish town of Kobani in north- ern Syria. That campaign saw hundreds of U.S. air- strikes to support Kurdish forces who wrested Kobani from IS in January 2015 af- ter four months of fighting that left the town in ruins. Since then, members of the U.S. and French mili- tary have joined in to advise the anti-IS forces in north- ern Syria. Syrian journalist Mustafa Bali, who visited the front lines in Manbij, said the ex- tremists didn't appear to be preparing to withdraw from the town as they had from other areas. On Wednesday, black smoke covered Manbij as militants set tires ablaze in an apparent attempt to cut visibility from coalition warplanes, he said. FIGHTING Setbacks seen for IS in Syria, Iraq, Libya By Kathleen Hennessey and Ken Thomas The Associated Press WASHINGTON Testifying to Hillary Clinton's grit and experience, President Barack Obama endorsed his former secretary of state's bid to succeed him on Thursday and urged Dem- ocrats to line up behind her. It was all part of a carefully orchestrated pressure cam- paign aimed at easing Clin- ton rival Bernie Sanders to- ward the exit and turning fully to the fight against Re- publican Donald Trump. Obama's long-expected endorsement, delivered via web video , included a force- ful call for unity and for "embracing" Sanders' eco- nomic message, which has fired up much of the liberal wing of his party. Obama sought to reassure Demo- crats that Clinton shares their values and is ready for the job. "Look, I know how hard this job can be. That's why I know Hillary will be so good at it," Obama said. "I have seen her judgment. I have seen her toughness. I've seen her commitment to our values." Obama's testimonial came less than an hour af- ter the president met pri- vately with Sanders at the White House to discuss the future of the senator's so- called political revolution — one that will not include him taking up residence at the White House. Sanders emerged from the meeting subdued and indicated he had gotten the message. Although he stopped short of endorsing Clin- ton, the Vermont senator told reporters he planned to press for his "issues" — rather than victory — at the party's July convention and would meet with Clinton "in the near future" to dis- cuss ways to defeat Trump. "Needless to say, I am going to do everything in my power and I will work as hard as I can to make sure that Donald Trump does not become presi- dent of the United States," Sanders said, standing in the White House driveway with his wife, Jane, at his side. In another sign of Dem- ocratic unification, Sen. Elizabeth Warren made plans to endorse Clinton. The Massachusetts senator had been the only holdout among the Senate's Demo- cratic woman, and her en- dorsement would send a signal to Sanders' progres- sive supporters that it's time to unite around the party's presumptive nominee. Warren's endorsement was to come Thursday eve- ning in an appearance on MSNBC, according to two Senate officials who de- manded anonymity to con- firm the news ahead of time. Clinton declared victory over Sanders on Tuesday, having captured the num- ber of delegates needed to become the first female nominee from a major party. Her late and some- what sputtering victory set off a fresh round of private phone calls and back-chan- nel negotiations, all aimed at sussing out Sanders' de- mands, easing him out of the race without angering his die-hard supporters and putting the full-court press on Trump. Obama's endorsement and Sanders' visit were the public culmination of that work. PRESIDENTIAL RACE Wi th c ar ef ul s ta gi ng , Ob am a backs Clinton, nudges Sanders PABLOMARTINEZMONSIVAIS—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS President Barack Obama walks with Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., down the Colonnade of the White House in Washington on Thursday. By Paul Elias The Associated Press SANFRANCISCO Dealing a blow to gun supporters, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday that Americans do not have a constitu- tional right to carry con- cealed weapons in public. In a dispute that could ultimately wind up be- fore the Supreme Court, a divided 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said lo- cal law enforcement offi- cials can place significant restrictions on who is al- lowed to carry concealed guns. By a vote of 7-4, the court upheld a Califor- nia law that says appli- cants must cite a "good cause" to obtain a con- cealed-carry permit. Typi- cally, people who are being stalked or threatened, ce- lebrities who fear for their safety, and those who rou- tinely carry large amounts of cash or other valuables are granted permits. "We hold that the Sec- ond Amendment does not preserve or protect a right of a member of the general public to carry concealed firearms in public," Circuit Judge William A. Fletcher wrote for the majority. The ruling overturned a 2014 decision by a three- judge panel of the same court that said applicants need only express a desire for personal safety. In a dissent, Circuit Judge Consuelo M. Calla- han said the ruling "oblit- erates the Second Amend- ment's right to bear a fire- arm in some manner in public for self-defense." Three other federal ap- peals courts have ruled similarly in the past, up- holding California-like restrictions in New York, Maryland and New Jersey. In addition, another fed- eral appeals court struck down Illinois' complete ban on carrying concealed weapons. The 9th Circuit cov- ers nine Western states, but California and Ha- waii are the only ones in which the ruling will have any practical effect. The others do not require permit applicants to cite a "good cause." Anyone in those states with a clean record and no history of mental illness can get a permit. The National Rifle As- sociation called the ruling "out of touch." "This decision will leave good people defenseless, as it completely ignores the fact that law-abid- ing Californians who re- side in counties with hos- tile sheriffs will now have no means to carry a fire- arm outside the home for personal protection," said NRA legislative chief Chris W. Cox. The New York-based gun control organization Everytown hailed the de- cision as "a major victory for public safety." The California case be- gan in 2009, when Edward Peruta filed a legal chal- lenge over the San Diego County sheriff's refusal to issue him a permit. Peruta said he wanted a weapon to protect himself, but the sheriff said he needed a better reason, such as that his occupation exposes him to robbery. 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