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New US general takes command of Afghan NATO force
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-06-03 19:09

KABUL - US General David McKiernan took command of around 50,000 troops in NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan on Tuesday, pledging that anyone who stood in the way of security would be dealt with.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai (L) looks at the new NATO commander for Afghanistan US General David McKiernan during a ceremony marking the transfer of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) command in Kabul June 3, 2008. [Agencies] 

McKiernan takes over ISAF at a time when the international community is trying to input new momentum into military and aid efforts in Afghanistan, but the Taliban show few signs of bringing an end to their insurgency.

ISAF has grown from some 36,000 troops a year ago and the Afghan army has more than doubled in size from just over 20,000 at the beginning of last year to about 57,000 now.

The large Taliban offensives in 2006 in the south, in which the insurgents suffered heavy losses, have not been repeated and many militant commanders have been killed or captured in a campaign to decapitate the hardline Islamist guerrilla movement.

But the Taliban have answered back with suicide bomb campaigns across the country that have undermined the perception of security among Afghans frustrated with the seeming inability of their government and Western troops to stop the attacks.

"While today marks a transition in commanders, the mission must continue without missing a beat," said McKiernan after taking command from retiring US General Dan McNeill.

McKiernan described ISAF's mission as: "Support to the government of Afghanistan in bringing security, reconstruction and development, and effective governance to the country."

"Insurgents, foreign fighters, criminals and others who stand in the way of that mission will be dealt with."

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said McKiernan faced a difficult task.

"We will have a lot of days of working together, a lot of happy days, but also some sad days. We will lose lives, NATO soldiers will lose lives, Afghan soldiers, Afghan personnel will lose lives ... but we must remain steadfast," Karzai said in a speech at the handover ceremony.

The president, facing elections next year, has been increasingly critical of the international presence in Afghanistan, saying foreign forces are heavy-handed and the aid effort lacks coordination and effectiveness.