Photos: Afghanistan ride-a-long with Gen. Stanley McChrystal

As top commander of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal spends several days a week visiting military outposts across the country and meeting with local Afghan officials.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Gen. McChrystal flies by helicopter to Camp Kunduz in northern Afghanistan, not far from the border with Tajikistan.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Remote communities in the mountainous areas of Afghanistan are not easily accessible by road. McChrystal flies over the area during a trip to Kunduz, where he met some of the more than 3,500 German troops serving in a NATO-led force are currently deployed in northern Afghanistan and Kabul.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Gen. McChrystal sits down for an interview at the ISAF headquarters in Kabul to discuss recent developments and the change in U.S. strategy from routing Taliban militants wherever they are to focusing on protecting civilian areas..  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

McChrystal listens as an interpreter conveys concerns from Kunduz Gov. Mohammad Omar. Attacks by Taliban in Kunduz province are on the rise, partly due to the opening of a NATO supply route through the area.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

McChrystal is presented with a traditional Afghan coat from Kunduz Gov. Mohammad Omar, right, after their recent meeting on security issues.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)