U.S. general takes over NATO force

A U.S. Army four-star general took command of 35,500 North Atlantic Treaty Organization-led soldiers in Afghanistan, putting an American face on the international mission after nine months of British command.

Gen. Dan K. McNeill is the highest-ranking U.S. general to lead troops in Afghanistan. The transition comes after a year of increased violence following the alliance’s push into the Taliban’s southern heartland, and military officials said privately that they expected McNeill to take a harder line with militants.

The appointment of McNeill raises the profile of the American mission here two weeks after the Pentagon extended the tour of 3,200 soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division. There are about 24,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan.