it was the afghanistan by me. i come back 10 years later and i feel like the contras changed more in the last 10 years than it did in the previous 38. and there's no rubble. now there is a skyscraper. probably a wedding palace, and, where some rich person has 1000 guests for a wedding. i feel fat, you know, and there is some way -- i feel that they were not able to stand up to dollars. >> atta? >> you know, you're right. i did go for the question, i did go in search of that answer to that question as to why we look as occupiers. as i referred to in the beginning it's about priorities and what do you see? the woman with 11 should have told me, you know, why do you see, tough to talk about america? and i said why? and he said it's not for us. if not for me, it's not for my children. what's the difference? that answers the question. it's only for the benefit of a few, not for the masses. that's why they look at this ridiculous. otherwise they are in need of help. >> okay. thanks to tamim ansary, the author of "games

the fact is that afghanistan is now a huge strategic vacuum. the pakistani army wants to control that area as before now that the american forces are withdrawing from there. >> in a carefully crafted strategy, pakistani militants have been targeting indian interests in afghanistan. pakistan aims to establish itself in afghanistan after the 2014 drawdown of foreign troops. pakistan appears to be keen to reestablish a taliban regime in war-ravaged afghanistan. >> let's move on to sri lanka now. continued tensions between the minority buddhist and majority muslim community flared up when a mosque was attacked in colombo. a new trend of hatred has surfaced here in the last couple of weeks. >> a buddhist mob attacked a mosque in sri lanka's capital. at least 12 people were injured. the latest in a series of attacks on the minority muslim community by members of the buddhist majority. nearby houses and essential colombo neighborhood were hit during evening prayers. hundreds took to the streets to prevent any further attacks in the community, witnesse

recently, a soccer match was laid between pakistan and afghanistan. here is a look. with the relationship between afghanistan and pakistan difficult, it took a soccer match in kabul to bring these south asian neighbors together, build as an indication of the countries' gradual return to normalcy after decades of war and violence. the 6000-seat stadium was filled up, and fans cheered at every pass, erupting in a frenzy when the game ended 3-02 afghanistan. the crowd represented a wide spectrum of society. >> the last time the pakistani national team played in afghanistan was in 1977. given the background of strain, sometimes violent relations, the game was every bit as significant, although it seemed to matter little to the crowd. they have a history of strained relations that sometimes lead to clashes and harsh accusations. not only did they not see eye to eye on their border, there have been several cross-border shelling incidents in recent years, but pakistan's role in the 12 year war in afghanistan has been ambiguous. other reminders of the past were also present.

the pakistan areas border afghanistan. there are some 800,000 people living in there and many of them lived in a state of constant fear. whether they are working on their farms performing chores, going to the market, driving cars were sitting at home, they're always worried that you might strike. the inability to protect themselves and their loved ones compound the stress. so does their inability to hold anyone accountable. it's important to know not only to the families affected by the stretch themselves unaffected, are effective, but also the community as well as a whole weekend ... but you that's a very important issue that i saw when i traveled to places where the germans have been used, including in gaza were the israelis have been using drugs for quite some time. it was also the focus of nyu and stanford university and added this to the most recent edition of the book. it is so important to recognize that it's not just the people who are killed and injured. it is also what it does to the community. these drums becaus

and nato forces in afghanistan. what do you hope to achieve in afghanistan by moving your family there and starting a life there? >> i feel my children will have better education and i will have better business options. the government in koebel is looking after people too and there is dangers everywhere but the situation improved and god willing it will stay that way. >> reporter: after several hours conn and his family reached the border crossing where their time in pakistan comes to an end and their new life in afghanistan is about to begin. after crossing the border there is no turning back for afghan refugees like conn and his family. but what lies ahead is far less certain than what they left behind. al jazeera at the pakistan, afghanistan border. >> reporter: ahead as the u.s. marks 50 years since martin luther king's iconic "i have a dream" speech we traveled to a rural area trying to makeup for history of discrimination. ♪ ç] ♪ it's good to have you with us, these are the top stories on al jazeera, the

have nothing to do in afghanistan. they should leave afghanistan and the way they live. and in this case nobody will attack them i don't believe the taliban actually are posing to the american mainland the taliban never said we are going to bomb the new york or to bomb washington or san francisco so i think of that american would like to put an end to the war against terrorism and they should pull out their troops from afghanistan that we did in iraq and leave the middle east alone and you mentioned the air the issue of drones and of course mr obama talked at length about his years of drones and he promised to scale down on that application but it's not just about drones says senator for example if we take the issue of libya or syria no drones for you is there but. the death toll and the. consequences of america's intervention are very dramatic and more specifically on syria what do you think was america's role do you think a bomber was too quick or to slow to intervene when i'm out and syria it is different situation he doesn't need to use drones until now but it is a w

have nothing to do in afghanistan. they should leave afghanistan the way they lived. and in this case nobody will attack them i don't believe the taliban are actually posing any threat to the american male and the taliban never said we are going to bomb the new york or to bomb washington or san francisco so i think of that american would like to put an end to the war against terrorism and they should pull out their troops from afghanistan that we did in iraq and leave the middle east alone and you mentioned the air the issue of drones and of course then mr obama talked at length about his years of drones and he promised to scale down on had that application but it's not just about drone. if we take the issue of libya or syria no drones for you is there but the death toll and the. consequences of america's intervention are very dramatic and more specifically on syria what do you think was america's role do you think a bomb a was to quick or to slow to intervene what i'm. syria it is different situation he doesn't need to use drones until now but it is a war by a broker

they are tired of afghanistan and iraq. you do not see afghanistan in the headlines as it used to be. do, it isn you usually about the pace at which we are leaving. >> then there is the last thing that is particularly true for the counter-terrorism effort. way, the better we are, the less people will notice what we are doing. disspirited byt the fact people do not seem to pay enough attention and care enough about defense and security, i consoled myself with the thought that if we're doing our job well, people get up in the morning and go to work and take their kids to school. they live their lives and in their dreams without having to worry about physical security. what a gift that is. looking around the world. a lot of people do not have that. security is like oxygen. if you have it, you do not think about it. if you do not have it, it is all you can think about. we would like to be in the former circumstance. that is kind of a paradox. it is very important in the counter-terrorism effort, of which we are a part. is an im

we were in georgia as members we spent time with in afghanistan in september came home. they hope for a very long time. >> for as long as most of these soldiers have been in the army, homecomings meant they will soon be preparing to go back to war. >> i'm used to coming home and hurrying up and getting back in. >> before long it becomes tearful goodbyes. >> it hits you at night when you go to bed alone. >> after five deployments since 2003, four to iraq and one to afghanistan this past year, the army's third infantry division has just returned home to ft. stewart, georgia. with the u.s. planning to largely pull out of afghanistan by the end of next year, it appears this division won't be going back any time soon. >> so now they can take time for themselves. they can take advantage of going to school. they can take the opportunity for their family to settle down and be stabilized. >> we were with elements of a third id in kandahar last fall where i first met captain steve has as he led his troops in search of taliban rocket placements. after two deployments to afghanistan

you don't have that in afghanistan. a lot of these people that come in and want to be soldiers or policemen can only be veted by the elders in the village. so you don't know who you are. what we tried to do was bring in bio metrics and you'll probably read about that now, how do we reset and establish a good background way to determine who should be armed and who should be in uniform over there and who shouldn't be and that's some of the things we were doing. corruption is very real. but it's acceptable. we don't like it but in afghanistan, people accept corruption as a way of life. so another challenge was how do we change the mind set, how did we make people realize it's not right to do the kind of things they were doing which was grafting, taking money and being a corrupt society, taking money from people just to move throughout their town. one of the ways we did that was trying to be sure we took people and spent time with the police officers themselves. we probably spent way too much -- too much emphasis on contrac

have nothing to do in afghanistan. they should leave afghanistan and the way they lived. and this case nobody will attack them i don't believe the taliban are actually posing any threat to the american mainland the taliban never said we are going to bomb the new york or to bomb washington or san francisco so i think of that american would like to put an end to the war against terrorism and they should pull out their troops from afghanistan that we did in iraq and leave the middle east alone and you mentioned the air the issue of drones and of course then mr obama talked at length about his years of drones and he promised to scale down on how that application but it's not just about drones says senator for example if we take the issue of libya or syria you know drones for years there. the death toll and the. consequences of america's intervention are very dramatic and more specifically on syria what do you think was america's role do you think a bomber was to quick or to slow to intervene what i mean and syria it is different situation he doesn't need to use drones until n

there is talk of mali becoming the next afghanistan. you think that situation is possibly already there? >> it had some positions that were already there. as you look towards even north africa, you see some element coming in. we started our discussion before were on the air with algeria, it is very strict and kills terrorist directly without negotiating. you are seeing some elements in egypt and -- terrorism and terrorist groups fee of countries that do not have the rule of law. they do not have an infrastructure and a government providing services, for example. radical people stepping in to fill in social services that the government should be providing. when there is a loyd, you have these terrorist groups, non state organizations that do not adhere to any of our international agreements, that are under no obligation, legal obligation, to fulfill any thing. they are very dispersed and very disorganized, which makes it much harder to combat. >> you mentioned the provision of things such as social services. the taliban are stepping in a

have nothing to do in afghanistan. they should leave afghanistan the way they lived. and this case that nobody will attack them i don't believe the taliban are actually posing any to the american mainland the taliban never said we are going to bomb the new york or to bomb washington or san francisco so i think of that american would like to put an end to the war against terrorism and they should pull out their troops from afghanistan that we did in iraq and leave the middle east alone and you mentioned the air the issue of drones and of course mr obama talked at length about his years of drones and he promised to scale down on had that application but it's not just about drones says senator for example if we take the issue of libya or syria you know drones for years there. the death toll and the. consequences of america's intervention are very dramatic and more specifically on syria what do you think was america's role do you think a bomb a was to quick or to slow to intervene when i'm out and syria it is different situation he doesn't need to use drones until now but

have nothing to do in afghanistan. they should leave afghanistan the way they lived. and this case that nobody will attack them i don't believe the taliban are actually posing any threat to the american mainland the taliban never said we are going to bomb the new york or to bomb washington or san francisco so i think if that american would like to put an end to the war against terrorism they should pull out their troops from afghanistan that we did in iraq and leave the middle east alone and you mentioned the air the issue of drones and of course mr obama talked at length about his years of drones and he promised to scale down on had that application but it's not just about drones says senator for example if we take the issue of libya or syria you know drones for years there. the death toll and the. consequences of america's intervention are very dramatic and what specifically on syria what do you think was america's role do you think a bomber was too quick or to slow to intervene what i mean and syria it is different situation he doesn't need to use drones until now

women in afghanistan have made considerable progress since the overthrow of the taliban, but they feel the enterprise and freedom they have achieved will fade away when foreign forces depart the country and they feel they will be pushed back to the taliban era if the international community leaves the country. here is a special report. >> working women in afghanistan say they are worried about the future and expressed concern about whether they will still be able to learn -- earn a living. they fear that opportunities to work and remain active in public life will scaled back drastically. merely 150 women working in a factory are earning money to support their families and children. [speaking foreign language] >> she earns $250 monthly to feed her children while her husband is a drug addict. since the overthrow of the telamon in 2001, women have one writes such as voting and jobs, but beatings and forced marriage are common. there is a growing fear among many in afghanistan that a withdrawal after elections in 2014 could undermine the position of women and see them retreat, especially t

forces in afghanistan. >> what do you hope to achieve in afghanistan by moving your family there and starting a life there. >> i feel that my children will have better education opportunities and i will have better business options. the government of kabul seeming to will be out for people, too. i know there are dangers, there are dangers everywhere, but things have improved, and god willing things will stay that way. >> reporter: they go to the border crossing where their new life in afghanistan is about to begin. after crossin crossing this bore is no turning back for afghan refugees. but what lies ahead is far less certain than what they've left behind. al jazeera, at the a pakista pakistan-afghanistan border. >> let's go live, where th the family reports they were headed. >> reporter: yes, we're here in jalalabad, the first major center that afghan refugees will pass through. we've been following the khan family. they made a difficult decision to leave their life in pakistan after 30 years and make their way back to afghanistan. frankly it was a difficult journey. but it's the jo

as the war in afghanistan ends, it's true. our military, including our marine corps, will be leaner. budgets will be tighter. and that's only natural. part of ending a war responsibly is moving off a perpetual wartime footing. it's time to use some of the money we have been spending on war to do some nation building right here at home. but, what we can't do is repeat the mistakes of history. we've seen in the past where after a war, we hollowed out our military. left our military unprepared. we've got right now the best-led, best-trained, best-equipped military in human history. our marine corps is the finest expeditionary force in the world. and as long as i'm commander in chief, i'm going to keep it that way. now, to do that, we're going to need some help out of washington. congress couldn't agree on a plan to reduce the deficit in what i consider a sensible way, so instead, what we've got is these big across-the-board cuts called the sequester. sequester kicked in. it includes defense. and we're already starting to effects.

women in afghanistan have made considerable progress since the overthrow of the taliban, but they feel the enterprise and freedom they have achieved will fade away when foreign forces depart the country and they feel they will be pushed back to the taliban era if the international community leaves the country. here is a special report. >> working women in afghanistan say they are worried about the future and expressed concern about whether they will still be able to learn -- earn a living. they fear that opportunities to work and remain active in public life will scaled back drastically. merely 150 women working in a factory are earning money to support their families and children. [speaking foreign language] >> she earns $250 monthly to feed her children while her husband is a drug addict. siro of the telamon in 2001, women have one writes such as voting and jobs, but beatings and forced marriage are common. there is a growing fear among many in afghanistan that a withdrawal after elections in 2014 could undermine the position of women and see them retreat, especially the taliban incr

been iraq ands afghanistan. with our departure in iraq, we are not going to have the same granular insight into those countries that we once did. won'terhaps terrorists choose to use them as operational bases, but it will be harder to know that. and iraq itself is now subject to center circle -- center centrificle forces, pair that and you will redraw the lines in the middle east. by the way, hearing myself talk reminds me of bob gates' definition of intelligence, he said that if someone who smells flowers, they look for a coffin. [laughter] i'm not giving you just the dark side here. [laughter] >> negatives. >> it is the job of an intelligence person to think about the worst case, or have most often when others are not. the second big trend in terrorism right now i would say is the changing pattern of governance in the area of greatest concern. you think about it, these countries which a few years ago were authoritarian countries, we did not like that, but we liked the fact that they had visibility into their s

forces. >> what do you hope to achieve by moving to afghanistan and starting a life there? >> i feel that my children will have better education opportunities and i will have better business options. the government in kabul is looking after people. i know that there is danger. there is danger everywhere but thank god the situation has improved and, god willing, it will stay that way. >> reporter: after several hours, he and his family reach the border crossing where their time in pakistan comes to a end and their new life in afghanistan is about to begin. after crossing this border, there is no turning back for afghan refugees like this individual and his family but what lies ahead is far less certain than what they left behind. >>> richard is here now with weather next and then russia struggles to reach people in the east affected by the worst floods in over a sentry and as the u.s.a. marks 50 years since the iconic "i have a dream speech" of martin luther king we travel to a rural area attempting to make up for a history of discrimination. ♪ >>> it is good two you with

have nothing to do in afghanistan. they should leave afghanistan the way they lived. and this case that nobody will attack them i don't believe the taliban actually are posing to the american mainland the taliban never said we are going to bomb the new york or to bomb washington or san francisco so i think of that american would like to put an end to the war against terrorism and they should pull out their troops from afghanistan that we did in iraq and leave the middle east alone and you mentioned the air the issue of drones and of course then mr obama talked at length about his years of drones and he promised to scale down on that application but it's not just about drones says and if for example if we take the issue of libya or syria you know drones for years there. the death toll and the. consequences of america's intervention are very dramatic and more specifically on syria what do you think was america's role do you think a bomber was too quick or to slow to intervene when i'm out and syria it is different situation he doesn't need to use drones until now but it

see that in casualty evacuations in afghanistan. we have to go through each of these transitions from tactical level training and equipping to ministerial level development, from laws of armed conflict approach to law enforcement impact,, too quick stabilization assistance, the longer-term development -- all of these things require concerted forward-looking planning. i think that is really important. finally, i agree with the about nss needs to step up to this. that is very important and that is critical, thank you. >>leanne? >> on national capacity development and planning from the beginning -- one of the hardest things we have to struggle with -- the main problem i see is that we are putting the wrong people into capacity development jobs. i was an international lawyer doing development capacity programs in the foreign ministry and i had no skill sets. i may have been a technical expert and that area but i did not know how to work with an older afghan man who had been in the foreign service for 20 years who had to listen to a youn

the mission that we came here for, to prevent afghanistan, prevent afghanistan from being a sanctuary, but i'd also highlight that we do have a vital national interest in the region, and certainly we have every interest in pakistan being stable. a weak state to the west of pakistan from which security can be challenged is also an issue, and i think a stable and secure afghanistan not only is important in the context of afghanistan itself, but it's also important in the context of regional stability and security. >> lieutenant colonel peters was also critical in questioning of the role of women in the afghan culture by -- on flip side he was very supportive of our expansion of combat opportunities for women in our services. what's your comment on that? what are women up to these days in afghanistan? >> i'll tell you what women are up to, women have made tremendous gains. there was about a million young children in school here in afghanistan ten years ago, very, very few women. there's about ten million children in school today, a very large number of women. there are women in parliamen

and nato effort in afghanistan. and his confirmation hearing on capitol hill he spoke about the support he receives on the home front. >> joining me today my wife ellen. i am very fortunate to have her love and support. she is a great mother to our three children and serves as a tireless add ve cvocate. she is unkequestionably the mos valuable player in our family. >> she introduced me to him because she knew we had grown up in the same area. >> both joe duchnford and his we ellen have deep roots in boston. he was born in south boston. moved to quincy, massachusetts at age 12. the couple met in washington, d.c. he was a young marine captain. as for ellen. >> i had come down here and working as a physical therapist. >> i was taking a course at george washington university. ellen's roommate invited me over. the three of us had dinner one saturday night. i think two weeks later i asked her out on a date. >> when you brought him home for the first time and said i am going to marry this marine, what was your family react

a massive ied in afghanistan nearly killed him. he was in a coma for months with severe dramatic brain injury. then how when i saw him in the hospital he had come out of the,, but he still cannot speak. when i asked him how he was feeling, he slowly brought his hand up, and he pulled his fingers together and he gave a thumbs-up. his mom was sitting there with him. , i saw cory and his family again, this time in phoenix where they live. i wanted to give you an update on how he is doing. i suspect it won't surprise you , the yearst for cory since it surgeries have been heart, brain surgeries, half a dozen of them, surgeries to place part of his skull, i surgeries, -- eye surgeries, special surgeries on his lungs, all told dozens of surgeries and procedures. rehab has been grueling. on a typical day, cory wakes up and spend hours in therapy. physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy. the progress has come slowly, but it has come. he had to learn the simple things all over again. how to speak, how to write his name, how to

yes, in eastern afghanistan. differenceis the between being embedded and being not embedded, for lack of a better term? being a reporter not embedded with a particular unit. what is the difference for you, as a reporter? >> the military has a word for that. they call it a unilateral, a non-embedded reporter. focus was on, in this case, u.s. combat troops. it is helpful to be inside the unit, and to take advantage of their transportation and their protection to go into places that you perhaps could not access easily, cheaply, or safely on your own as a reporter , and to get the troops' perspective. if you are embedded, you are definitely seeing the war from a certain perspective. if we only had embedded reporters, the state of war journalism in america would be pretty dire, but it is a useful part of the picture. a unit,en you work with as an embedded or unilateral reporter, are you often subject to, for lack of a better term, censorship? do they ask some approval on the video you are taking in the field? guest: t

life for us in afghanistan. a second suspect has been invested in the gang rape of a photo journalists. the two are expected to appear in court. female activists say new laws and public outrage are not enough to deter rape itselfs. where a group of women has been taking their safety into their own hands. >> packing a punch, this self-defense class is teaching women to protect themselves on the streets of new delhi. university student says she constantly worries about her safety. >> i should feel more security when i am walking by, even into my colony, or someone in my house, i am so apprehensive. who is is following me, who is looking at me -- you are never safe. >> how many of you think if a man attacks you, you can take him on? >> started these free classes at the beginning of the year. she herself escaped an attack outside her home a few years ago. >> deep rooted things, somewhere down there, if something happens to a woman, she is still looked -- people still question, it might be her fault, she may have ins

peace talks with the taliban are high on the agenda on the afghanistan's president visit on monday. he will likely seek support from the new government on the issue. >> we have more from kabul. >> they're hoping that will produce results because both countries want security. >> the people of afghanistan and pakistan are safe from acts of terrorism so our relationship gets better and these two countries can live in a brierly, a peaceful manner. >> afghan officials say this spring pakistan sent hundreds of fighters to afghan security forces. this the first year that they have taken the lead from n.a.t.o. troops and they have taken heavy casualties. the head of the army say that pakistan could end the fighting in week weeks if they wanted and they'll enlist the help to initiate a dialogue with the taliban. >> i think it is wise for president karzai to have a lower expectation from his trip to pakistan because if his expectations are high run he can't meet the expectations, then frustration and freezing of relationship comes in. >> president karzai remains optimistic. >> i'm sure the pr

again to ed afghanistan. afghanistan. she served at bases, getting along the way. and those remote outposts, she the only woman on base. she proudly wears the combat action badge. [ applause ] but her service hasn't stopped. others as counsels they recover. helping troops is what i'm about. what she says. nd we're grateful to you for your extraordinary service. and we salute jason. where's jason? right here. jason's unit was ambushed and pinned down, he was hit five times in the chest. on. he pushed helped to lead his men to safety for which he earned the silver star. after months. [ applause ] after months of care and rehab, unit, going to his out on patrol. gritting his teeth through the chest. his and today at d.a.v., he helps his fellow vets access the earned. they have it's my job to help people heal, that's what jason says, thank you. jacari, jason, they're just examples of all who war.d in these years of the 9/11 generation. beginning the next chapter in your lives. proud new title. veteran of the united states armed forces. so this time of war may be coming

have nothing to do in afghanistan. they should leave afghanistan the way they lived. and this case that nobody will attack them i don't believe the taliban are actually posing any threat to the american mainland the taliban never said we are going to bomb the new york or to bomb washington or san francisco so i think of that american would like to put an end to the war against terrorism and they should pull out their troops from afghanistan that we did in iraq and leave the middle east alone and you mentioned the air the issue of drones and of course mr obama talked at length about his years of drones and he promised to scale down on had that application but it's not just about drones says senator for example if we take the issue of libya or syria you know drones for years there. the death toll and the. consequences of america's intervention are very dramatic and more specifically on syria what do you think was america's role do you think a bomber was to quick or to slow to intervene when i'm out and syria it is different situation he doesn't need to use drones until

afghanistan is too weak and too poor. so most of the problems that pakistan sees itself and is a psychological rather than real. the real problems are we have amelie 180 million people, to london to million according to this morning's estimates based on the population growth. highest population growth rate in that region. half the population is below the age of 21. one-third of them will never see the side of any school. many school. one-third. one-third of the population is below the poverty line. another one-third is just above the. and yet the country, and i'm the only pakistan the who has had to say that look, the new clear weapons should have made as secure. we are now like the guy who keeps buying guns to try and protect itself. then i can't sleep because i'm afraid someone will steal my gun . some now pakistan has created this new site. so the real fight is essentially from syria to come to terms with this charter fee in history and having a direction for it nation. a new vision for pakistan. tune in focus in words

to iraq and one to afghanistan. some have only done two or three, but still an awful lot of folks lost in uniform. >>> just ahead, we are getting schooled with farmer's market 101. from picking the best produce to how to keep it fresh. but first, these messages. >>> some of the >>> some of the pictures here that you sent us of your trip to the farmer's market. thank for sending those to us on instagram. if you're like a lot of people, nothing says summer like all the fresh fruits and vegetables. whether it's the juicy ripe tomato and the best place to find those are at the farmer's market. i think it's fantastic trend. >> so exciting. our farm to table is what everyone is striving for. but, you know, it's pricier when you buy from the farmer's market. so how do you keep your investment fresher? we went to the folks at america's test kitchen to find out the tips. >> there's nothing like shopping at the farmer's market where locally grown fruit is fresh and pristine. but to get the most bang for your buck you need to

army staff sergeant ty carter the medal of honor for his actions while fighting in afghanistan. it will be the fifth living individual who fought in this war. people are saying this is an interesting time situation and that the president is giving out this award in reflection of the war in afghanistan and the continued violence that's spiked right now in iraq and deciding what to do with syria here. >> well, i'm sure this was an event planned well in advance, but it does bring -- >> but timing gives reflection. >> exactly. it does bring into sharp focus the fact that there is no appetite among americans to go back on a third adventure in the middle east. the president, when the time comes for him to communicate, not so much with congress but with the american people, about why he needs to do this action in syria, whatever that action is, he's going to need to message that very carefully to make it clear to americans what the stakes are and for a person who's taken a very long time to act, what was it, what was the triggering effect that makes him feel like this is the moment. >>

>> well, i happened to grow up in afghanistan. you know, we got to see the final two years of an era of what many afghans would call the golden era. i remember how startled i was and they have no idea where that was. they had never heard of it. you know, i feel privileged foreign land mines and drug trafficking in the for bin laden. our country was beautiful and it was at peace. , was thriving, there was culture, there was an influx of modernization. but it was quickly making its way towards this. and it was a great place to grow up. it sounds very funny but afghanistan was a great place to be a kid. it really was is from my perspective. it was a poor country even then. so i think that if i was born as a girl in those days, i certainly would've been educated in my mother was a vice principal at a very large high school. very outspoken, successful, professional women in my family and extended family and friends. there needs to be a red line in afghanistan is the education of women. you know, this is not a secret and how you empower

in afghanistan. we will stop worrying about kashmir right now, yes we will have a right to it but we will not try to get it right now. wee will start dealing with indy a. we will grow our economy, put kids though are not in school into school, and move forward. that may happen five years later, but the next five years we will have a mixture of bad news and worse news. >> so i... >> that is honest and helpful. let me close this out by offering a brief comment from the moderator. ambassador was careful to speak of the arsonists without being specific as to who that might possibly be. but if you assume that what we're hawk talking about here is whether the pam stand i intelligence service will continue to metal in afghanistan so as to protect its security interests, it's interesting that the i.s.i. from what i report has been working pretty intensively and effectively with the taliban negotiators who have come to qatar to begin yesterday negotiations with the u.s. representative. it's a broad group, it

. >>> now, when the former soviet union invaded afghanistan in 1979 afghan refugees began to pour in to neighboring pakistan. three deck indicated later the pakistani government is encouraging the refugees to return home that. journey can be very dangerous. as part of our afghan challenge series we have been following a family that took the difficult road through pakistan's lawless tribal areas entering afghanistan through the border there. they have reached the city of jalalabad where our reporter tyab picks up their story. >> these are the first few moments of him and his families new life after living as refugees in pakistan for many years they have just crossed the border into afghanistan. afghan forces are clearly in charge here and flying high above the crossing is the flag of the country's central government. his a village where he plans to setting is still a few hours away. the first stop won't be there, instead they come to a united nations processing center for returnees. all 11, most born in pakistan, are registered and the children are given polio drops and receive measle

they have just crossed the border in afghanistan after living as refugees in pakistan for many years. afghan forces are clearly in charge here and flying high across the crossing is the flag of this government and the ancestralvillage that he plans to settle in is still a few hours away but first they will come to an u.n.-run processing center and most of those here are registered as residents and they get polio drops and receive measles vaccinations and welcome videos are shown to the adults and other lessons are given on how to live that, for many in his family, is foreign and in a stark reminder of how precarious the situation is, upon arriving in the country returnees are taught how to detect mines and ied's and both of them among the biggest killers in afghanistan and are a threat that everyone here takes seriously and then after filling out a final round of paperwork, he receives a $150 allowance and an additional $30 for each member of his family, money that he will use to rebuild their lives in a country that he has not called home for nearly three decades. >> i'm very happy t

drones fly missions in afghanistan, targeting suspected militants. the locations may be kidnapped -- maybe used by intelligence agencies. but security authorities in germany are struggling whether communicationare data with allied intelligence services. a german who survived one such attack is on trial in frankfurt. his brother was killed in 2010 in a strike in pakistan. our german officials complicit in these controversial killings? they have called for cell phone information not to be shared, but an agency member has overwritten those concerns. both on television and in the newspaper. said this was legal and this was too inaccurate to target individuals. cell phone networks in pakistan are less concentrated than in germany but cellular phone towers are more common in the regions where drone strikes are carried out. based on the closeness of the cell phone towers, it is possible to determine where someone is located, sometimes within tens of meters. continuing, abate senior staff member who criticized this faces dismissal. the issue of data sharing

. >>> when the former soviet union invaded afghanistan the afghan people poured in to pakistan. now the government is urging them to return home. al jazeera follows this family back to pakistan. >> this is the beginning of the new life after living as refugeerefugees in pakistan fory years they have just crossed the border into afghanistan. afghan forces are clearly in charge here and flying high above the crossing is the flag of the country's central government. his village where he plans to settle is still a few hours drive away but the family's first stop won't be there instead they come to a united nations ran processing center for returnees. all 11 family members most born in pakistan are registered as residents here. the children are given polio drops and receive measle vaccinations. welcome videos are shown to the adults and other lessons are given on how to live in a country that for many in kahn's family is mostly foreign. it is a stark reminder of how precarious the security situation is in afghanistan, upon arriving in the country returnees are t ho taught how to dete

in afghanistan, in pakistan, and yemen. that disrupts plots and makes it more difficult for them to operate. i think the task has become more complicated, because pre-9/11 it was pretty much just afghanistan. it was osama bin laden, and al qaeda senior leadership. that has since spread to somalia, yemen. we have problems in mali now. there are cells in different places. but we also have many, many more assets that we have brought to bear to try to contain them. to try to take out their leadership and try to undermine their plans. so they are still a threat. i would not agree that they're stronger than pre-9/11. >> and one of the theories is that one of the reasons we're seeing these threats right now is in that there's a lot of anger behind recent drone attacks in some of the parts of the world where the embassies are being closed, particularly in yemen. do you think that the use of these drones, so commonly in that part of the world, is actually fueling more anti-american sentiment, that's ultimately making us less safe in

that is the task facing afghanistan as nato combat troops withdraw. among the recruits is the first ever woman in the country to qualify as an airline pilot. she has streamed of this moment since childhood. of thiseady -- dreamed moment since childhood. she is ready to fly. afghanistan's first female pilot. reaching these heights has not been easy. >> it was difficult. the female situation or the rules for the woman here. to change the culture, the old mind that we can do it. i want to do it. >> she's joining a military operation which is at a crucial stage. with nato combat troops due to leave by the end of next year, the afghan armed services are now taking the lead role in fighting the insurgents. played a part in afghanistan's security forces for many years, but still make up less than 1% of the total. when she became her country's first helicopter pilot wendy five years ago, -- 25 years ago, she had to battle overwhelming prejudice. the future of this country is in your hands. we have to work shoulder to shoulder to bear this country. >> the comm

i was going to afghanistan. i know it's the real deal over there. >> april 2009, the unit captures on camera a frightening day when they're hit with multiple ieds. >> we're driving down the road and we get hit in the middle of nowhere. there was no indicators, there was no markers. there is just an ied in the middle of nowhere. >> no one is hurt in that explosion, but the ied takes out the platoon's mine roller, a critical piece of equipment. the repairs take hours, forcing them to wait until morning to move again. and leaving them exposed on the dangerous road. >> i talked to the village elder. and he told me that the taliban used the road quite often and he advised us not to go down the road. >> he passes that information on to his commanders, but they order him to continue. the next day just as he set out, their camera captures yet another strike. >> each time when your friend's blown up, your heart stops and you don't know. you wait for the dust to come down and wait for the radio to crack back up and hear s

working at this factory in afghanistan are sewing uniforms for the military. the political situation in afghanistan is highly unstable and future prospects are uncertain. female workers are a relatively new addition to the country's workforce and it is a break with their traditional role as homemakers. >> i worry about my future and what will happen when the international community leaves afghanistan. this job lets me feed my children. but what will happen if international aid is reduced? my children always play for -- always pray for a good future in afghanistan. >> after the taliban was ousted, women gained the right to vote. some even went into business on their own. but they have little trust in their government. littlegovernment has time for females. they discriminate against women and say women should stay home to watch their close. as nato speeds up its withdrawal of troops, it doesn't look like afghan women will be getting much support from the international community. if the taliban and is able to regain power, many women fear they will lose their rig

there have been periods of afghan history with the rulers of afghanistan have taken advantage of the geographical position of afghanistan to play a neutrality card using stuff favoritism to one global power to play that begins the possibility of leading to the other global power to keep both at day and this is the diplomatic strategy of successful afghan rulers whenever there have been any and the cold war is a notable period both the u.s.s.r. and the united states were interested in those competing to enlarge their influence in the country and somehow because of the counterbalancing of these forces there was a period when afghans were in control of their own destiny and during that period of use of modernization and change that was more rapid and it dramatic then you have seen anywhere in this country. that period ended when the pendulum of trying to swing back and forth started to swing so fast and so far it finally crashed in the country succumbed to the crew of a small communist group quickly followed by the soviet invasion and i would contend from that day to this we are still i