NEW YORK, February 28. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump has eased the rules for the country’s armed forces regarding the range of potential targets for airstrikes and special operation raids outside conventional battlefields, CBS News reported, citing sources.

According to them, the move "signals a return to more aggressive counterterrorism policies." US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth signed the relevant directive at a meeting with senior military leaders from US Africa Command. CBS News points out that the document is aimed at "easing policy constraints and executive oversight on airstrikes and the deployment of American commandos." However, it remains unclear if the directive contains provisions about the need to obtain approvals from "seven decision makers, including the president," and the criteria for choosing a target.

Meanwhile, the sources specified that the directive "prioritizes flexibility by giving commanders greater latitude to decide whom to target, while relaxing the multi-layered centralized control former President Joe Biden implemented over airstrikes and raids by American special operation forces." A senior Pentagon official also told CBS News that Biden’s "warfare policies were carbon copies of those" established under former President Barack Obama. In particular, airstrikes used to be carried out mostly against the senior leadership of terrorist organizations.

Another source estimated that "Trump's approach carries both risks and rewards because the streamlined process can potentially degrade foreign terrorist organizations capabilities faster <...> but it inherently raises the risk of flawed decisions and unintended civilian casualties." According to the broadcaster’s sources, potential targets discussed in Washington include the Somalia-based Al Al-Shabaab Islamist Group and the Yemen-based Houthi rebels.

ABC News reported on February 2, citing sources, that the US had for the first time carried out airstrikes using fighter jets on facilities in Somalia belonging to the Islamic State terror group (IS, outlawed in Russia). According to the report, the operation was not defensive but represented targeted action against the IS. The sources said that previously, only drones had been used for such attacks.