US Gen David Petraeus has arrived in Afghanistan to take command of American and Nato forces fighting the Taliban. He will replace Gen Stanley McChrystal who was sacked for making disparaging remarks about senior US officials. He has promised to use the same counter-insurgency tactics he used in Iraq and that Gen McChrystal introduced in Afghanistan earlier this year. Gen Petraeus is taking command as some Nato allies are questioning their deployments of troops to Afghanistan. June saw the highest number of deaths among Nato personnel in the nine years of war – 102, an average of more than three a day. Attacks on Afghan and foreign military and civilian targets have been increasing in number and sophistication. Civilian deaths have been one of the major difficulties in the relationship between Nato forces and the Afghan Government.