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| David Petraeus hands over Afghanistan command | David Petraeus hands over Afghanistan command |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Gen David Petraeus, US commander of Nato troops in Afghanistan, has handed responsibility for the military campaign there to his successor, Lt Gen John Allen. | |
| Gen Petraeus, who is returning to the US to run the CIA, oversaw last year's surge of US troops to Afghanistan. | Gen Petraeus, who is returning to the US to run the CIA, oversaw last year's surge of US troops to Afghanistan. |
| The transition comes hours after a close aide to Afghan President Hamid Karzai died in an attack in Kabul. | |
| Earlier on Sunday, Nato handed control of Bamiyan province to local forces. | Earlier on Sunday, Nato handed control of Bamiyan province to local forces. |
| It is the first of seven areas to be passed to Afghan security forces under a plan announced by President Karzai in March. | It is the first of seven areas to be passed to Afghan security forces under a plan announced by President Karzai in March. |
| The handover from Nato to Afghan forces is seen as a critical step in a transition of power before foreign troops end combat operations in 2014. | The handover from Nato to Afghan forces is seen as a critical step in a transition of power before foreign troops end combat operations in 2014. |
| Shoot-out in Kabul | |
| At the change of command ceremony in the Afghan capital, Kabul, David Petraeus, expressed his "profound and lasting" gratitude to Afghan and Isaf troops for their service. | |
| Gen David Petraeus has been in charge at a critical period in Afghanistan, a year in which an extra 33,000 surge troops were brought in as part of a Nato plan to push into Taliban strongholds in the south. | |
| That saptrategy has only been partly successful. While insurgent attacks are lower than in previous years, the number of casualties has increased making the first six months of this year the most violent in a decade, according to recently released UN figures. | |
| And while it is acknowledged that the Taliban have been hit hard in the south, eastern Afghanistan is still a problem area with a large presence of Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters. | |
| Insurgents have also shown they have the capacity to launch a number of spectacular raids like the one last month on a luxury hotel in Kabul. | |
| He also addressed the people of Afghanistan saying: "You have shown enemies of Afghanistan that you are willing and able to resist campaign of violence and intimidation." | |
| Gen Petraeus, who has served with the US Army for 37 years, is credited with turning around the war in Iraq after former President George W Bush tasked him with managing a surge of troops there in 2007. | Gen Petraeus, who has served with the US Army for 37 years, is credited with turning around the war in Iraq after former President George W Bush tasked him with managing a surge of troops there in 2007. |
| He took charge in Afghanistan last year and managed the deployment of more than 30,000 US troops to fight the Taliban. US troops are set to begin the first phase of their withdrawal in the coming months. | He took charge in Afghanistan last year and managed the deployment of more than 30,000 US troops to fight the Taliban. US troops are set to begin the first phase of their withdrawal in the coming months. |
| But the killing of a key presidential aide to President Karzai in the Afghan capital highlights the challenges that lie ahead, says the BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Kabul. Less than a week earlier, Mr Karzai's half-brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai, was assassinated in Kandahar. | But the killing of a key presidential aide to President Karzai in the Afghan capital highlights the challenges that lie ahead, says the BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Kabul. Less than a week earlier, Mr Karzai's half-brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai, was assassinated in Kandahar. |
| The aide, Jan Mohammad Khan, was killed in an attack on his home in Kabul. | The aide, Jan Mohammad Khan, was killed in an attack on his home in Kabul. |
| Lawmaker Hasham Watanwal also died in the attack, said police, as gunmen stormed the house in the western Karti Char district of the city. | |
| A shoot-out with security forces in the area continued for some time afterwards, police said. One report said the attackers had been wearing suicide vests. | |
| The question many are asking, according to our correspondent in Kabul, is that if key figures such as Ahmed Wali Karzai and Jan Mohammed Khan can be killed in their own homes, how can ordinary Afghans be protected against insurgents? | |
| Though a close ally of the president, Mr Khan - a former governor of Uruzgan province - was also a controversial figure. | Though a close ally of the president, Mr Khan - a former governor of Uruzgan province - was also a controversial figure. |
| Correspondents say that despite rising casualty numbers, security has improved in a number of areas of the country following a surge of extra American troops and tens of thousands of new Afghan police and soldiers. | Correspondents say that despite rising casualty numbers, security has improved in a number of areas of the country following a surge of extra American troops and tens of thousands of new Afghan police and soldiers. |
| However the quality of Afghan police and soldiers is patchy and correspondents warn of fears that they will be unable to withstand a renewed summer offensive from the Taliban. | However the quality of Afghan police and soldiers is patchy and correspondents warn of fears that they will be unable to withstand a renewed summer offensive from the Taliban. |