CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan (AP) -- U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal said that U.S. and other NATO troops must make a "cultural shift" away from being a force designed for high intensity combat and instead make protecting Afghan civilians their first priority. The newly arrived four-star commander said Wednesday he hopes to install a new military mindset by drilling into troops the need to reduce the number of Afghan civilians killed in combat. McChrystal is expected to formally announce new combat rules within days that will order troops to break away from fights -- if they can do so safely -- if militants are firing from civilian homes. One effect of the new order will be that troops may have to wait out insurgents instead of using force to oust them, he said. Thousands of Marines this spring have poured into Helmand -- the country's most violent province and the world's largest producer of opium poppies. Southern Afghanistan is the center of the Taliban-led insurgency, which has made a violent comeback in the last three years. (23 images)
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U.S. Marines from the 2nd MEB, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines fire mortars at Taliban positions from inside their base at Now Zad in Afghanistan's Helmand province on Monday June 22. AP / David Guttenfelder
U.S Marines from the 2nd MEB, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines dismount from their vehicles during a battle against Taliban fighters near Now Zad in Afghanistan's Helmand province Saturday, June 20. AP / David Guttenfelder
U.S. Marines Daniel Hinther of Helana, Mont. and from the 2nd MEB, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines fires from his vehicle during a battle with Taliban fighters near Now Zad in Afghanistan's Helmand province Saturday, June 20. AP / David Guttenfelder
U.S. Marines from the 2nd MEB, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines battle Taliban fighters inside a mud walled compound near Now Zad in Afghanistan's Helmand province Saturday, June 20. AP / David Guttenfelder
U.S. Marines from the 2nd MEB, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines battle Taliban fighters inside a mud walled compound near Now Zad in Afghanistan's Helmand province Saturday June 20. AP / David Guttenfelder
U.S. Marine Daniel Hinther of Helana, Mont. and from the 2nd MEB, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines throws a hand grenade during close quarter battles with Taliban fighters inside a mud walled compound near Now Zad in Afghanistan's Helmand province Saturday June 20. AP / David Guttenfelder
U.S. Marines from the 2nd MEB, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines battle Taliban fighters inside a mud walled compound near Now Zad in Afghanistan's Helmand province Saturday June 20. AP / David Guttenfelder
U.S. Marine John Daly, left, of Collingdale, Pa., and from the 2nd MEB, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines is helped by a fellow Marine after injuring his ankle in a fall when Taliban fighters opened fire on him and his squad inside a mud walled compound during a gun battle near Now Zad in Afghanistan's Helmand province Saturday June 20. AP / David Guttenfelder
U.S. Marine John Daly, right, of Collingdale, Pa. and from the 2nd MEB, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines is helped by a fellow Marine after injuring his ankle in a fall when Taliban fighters opened fire on him and his squad inside a mud walled compound during a gun battle near Now Zad in Afghanistan's Helmand province Saturday June 20. AP / David Guttenfelder
U.S. Marines from the 2nd MEB, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines prepare to enter a mud walled compound during a close-quarter battle against Taliban fighters near Now Zad in Afghanistan's Helmand province Saturday June 20. AP / David Guttenfelder
U.S. Marines from the 2nd MEB, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines walk through a mud walled compound as they search for Taliban fighters near Now Zad in Afghanistan's Helmand province Saturday June 20. AP / David Guttenfelder
A U.S. Marine missile from the 2nd MEB strikes a Taliban position inside a mud walled compound near Now Zad in Afghanistan's Helmand province Saturday June 20. AP / David Guttenfelder
U.S. Marines from the 2nd MEB, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines cross an alley way as they battle Taliban fighters near Now Zad in Afghanistan's Helmand province Saturday June 20. AP / David Guttenfelder
U.S. Marines from the 2nd MEB, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines dismount from their vehicles during a battle against Taliban fighters near Now Zad in Afghanistan's Helmand province Saturday, June 20. AP / David Guttenfelder
U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Luke Medlin of Ind. and from the 2nd MEB, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines takes cover as a mortar fired by Taliban fighters explodes next to his vehicle near Now Zad in Afghanistan's Helmand province Saturday June 20. AP / David Guttenfelder
U.S. Marine Daniel Hinther of Helena, Mont. and from the 2nd MEB, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines smokes a cigarette during a lull in fighting against Taliban fighters near Now Zad in Afghanistan's Helmand province Saturday June 20. At right is U.S. Marines Staff Sgt. Luke Medlin of Mishawaka, Ind. AP / David Guttenfelder
U.S. Marines from the 2nd MEB, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines rest on their cots at an observation post near Now Zad in Afghanistan's Helmand province Friday June 19. From left to right are Michael Hamilton of Eureka, Kansas, Kenneth Bubier of Barstow, Calif., and Benjamin North of Ames, Iowa. AP / David Guttenfelder
U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Richard Garver from Pittsburg, Pa., the 2nd MEB, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, lights a cigarette inside an observation post on firebase Caferetta overlooking the town of Now Zad in Afghanistan's Helmand province, Friday June 19. AP / David Guttenfelder
U.S. Marines from the 2nd MEB, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines walk to their base near Now Zad in Afghanistan's Helmand province after visiting the nearby village of Khwaja Jamal to meet with the local population on Monday June 22. AP / David Guttenfelder
A medic treats an Afghani man suffering from back problems as U.S. Marines from the 2nd MEB, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines visit people in the village of Khwaja Jamal in Afghanistan's Helmand province on Monday June 22. AP / David Guttenfelder
An Afghan interpreter for the U.S. Marines, wearing Marine boots, speaks with a barefoot Afghani man as Marines from the 2nd MEB, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines visit the village of Khwaja Jamal in Afghanistan's Helmand province on Monday June 22. AP / David Guttenfelder
An Afghan boy stretches to look through the rifle scope of a U.S. Marine from the 2nd MEB, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines during a visit to the village of Khwaja Jamal to meet with the local population on Monday June 22. AP / David Guttenfelder
U.S Marines from the 2nd MEB, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines walk from their base near Now Zad in Afghanistan's Helmand province on their way to visit the nearby village of Khwaja Jamal to meet with the local population on Monday June 22. AP / David Guttenfelder
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