General Scott Miller took command of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan on Sunday, as worsening violence erodes hopes for peace in the war-torn country. Miller, who has commanded special operations units in Afghanistan since 2013, succeeds General John Nicholson, who is rotating out of the post after more than two years. The handover comes at a sensitive time in the 17-year war that has seen little progress by Afghan or US forces against the Taliban, Afghanistan's largest militant group.
Afghan and international players have been ratcheting up efforts to hold peace talks with the Taliban, which was toppled from power by US-led forces in 2001. An unprecedented ceasefire in June followed by talks between US officials and Taliban representatives in Qatar in July fuelled hopes that negotiations could bring an end to the fighting.
But a recent spate of attacks by Taliban and the smaller but potent Islamic State group that left hundreds of security forces and civilians dead has almost extinguished that optimism. "This is a tough fight," Miller acknowledged during an outdoor change of command ceremony in Kabul attended by top Afghan officials and foreign diplomats. "There's no room for status quo, we cannot afford to be complacent. We must be aware of bias and easy conclusions - they don't exist here."
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