After 10 days of talks in Bonn, a preliminary Afghan government has been appointed.

Power will be transferred to the new coalition on December 22, by which time a UN peace-keeping force will be in place.

Tony Blair described the agreement as "a remarkable achievement", while the German chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, said it was "a great day for Afghanistan."

However, the day was overshadowed when American bombs missed their targets in Kandahar, killing three US soldiers and injuring the new Afghan prime minister Hamid Karzai.