US Army General David McKiernan assumed command of ISAF from General Dan McNeill on June 3 in a hand-over ceremony in Kabul.

McKiernan is a 36-year army veteran and has served in every capacity from platoon leader to numbered Army commander in Europe, United States, Korea and Southwest Asia. He’s been deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania, and Kosovo in addition to other locations.

In his remarks after assuming command, McKiernan said,  “While today marks a transition in the commanders, the mission must continue without missing a beat.”

You can read ISAF’s news release, see high res photos or watch the video of the event.

Many of us take riding a bike for granted. We learned to ride when we were young children. We rode our bikes to school, to our friends’ houses, or to the candy store. But not everyone in the world is so fortunate. For example, in Afghanistan.

So a not-for-profit organisation sponsored by ‘Bicycling Magazine’ and Rodale Institute  launched a campaign to donate bikes to Afghan children, similar to their work in the United States and Africa.

more…

American broadcaster Fox News is in Afghanistan covering ISAF.  The story on their website has footage inside the C-17 aircraft that took them into theatre. Check out the story on the multimedia section on the main page of the SHAPE website. Scroll  down to the bottom; it’s on the right-hand side. Just click on the video called ‘SACEUR in Afghanistan’.