Around the World: Afghanistan

US-led force has new chief

A veteran commander of top-secret special operations took charge of the nearly 90,000 US and NATO troops in Afghanistan yesterday, promising to shield Afghans from civilian casualties that have cost Western troops support.

"The Afghan people are at the center of our mission. In reality, they are the mission. We must protect them from violence, whatever its nature," US General Stanley McChrystal said at a ceremony on the lawn of NATO's Kabul headquarters.