Mrs Clinton has a long-standing relationship with James Jones, the former general and NATO commander whom Mr Obama is said to have tapped as national security adviser (though whether the relationship will survive the traditional rivalry between that role and the secretary of state is another matter).

ECONOMIST: Lexington

Although U.S. officials have warned of possible reprisal attacks by bin Laden supporters, there has been no surge of attacks inside Afghanistan, the commander of NATO forces in eastern Afghanistan said Tuesday.

CNN: U.S. granted access to speak to bin Laden's wives

Ton van Loon, the NATO commander in charge of the troops, said at a news conference late last month that they are acting cautiously to ensure Afghan civilians are not caught in the crossfire.

NPR: Taliban Wages War on Afghan Girls' Schools

John Reith, commander of the NATO force in Albania, said he wanted to see all refugees moved from the northern border town of Kukes to shelter deeper inside the country.

CNN: More refugees pour into Albania, Macedonia

Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, has said he wants to focus more on protecting Afghan civilians rather than holding remote outposts like the one that was attacked Saturday.

CNN: 8 U.S. troops killed in battle with militants in Afghanistan

"I'll put my 34 years of defending the United States of America, and the results that I and my teammates in the United States armed forces achieved, against his three years of failed policies any day, " said Clark, who was NATO supreme commander during the 1999 air campaign in Kosovo.

CNN: Clark: Bush lacks will to find bin Laden

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's World at One programme from Nato's headquarters in Belgium, Sir Richard - the deputy supreme allied commander in Europe - said green-on-blue attacks were "an issue that we have to come to grips with".

BBC: General Sir Richard Shirreff

The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf), which oversees operations in Afghanistan, said the commander's email was "prudent".

BBC: Karzai speech 'put Nato forces at risk', commander warns

The deputy commander of the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf), Lt Gen Nick Carter, said he was worried about "the rate of attrition that the Afghan forces are having to cope with presently".

BBC: Afghanistan: Challenges of security handover