The US Defence Secretariat approved broad scale and secret military operations against militants in the Middle East and Africa, claimed The New York Times on Monday.
According to the daily, head of US Central Command General David Petraeus signed a directive which authorizes Special Operations troops to make surveillance in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Somalia.
The mission was to infiltrate into organizations such as al Qaida, to disrupt them, to defeat and finally to destroy them. The mission also included preparation of the environment for future attacks.
The New York Times said the directive does not allow for attacks. Citing an anonymous US official, the news item says that the order does not allow for intelligence gathering which could lay the groundwork for a potential military operation in Iran if tension escalates between Washington and Tehran.
The directive does not specify missions while The New York Times says that some details were not released due to uneasiness over troops safety.