army since 9/11, to both iraq and afghanistan. so based upon my visit and our privilege of meeting with president ghani and the upcoming deployment of soldiers in my district that i represent, i'd like to know knock your you assessment of the recollection of the security situation and how that will impact future operations against the taliban. >> ma'am, again, thank you for visiting and thank you for the question dime have colonel pat frank with me over here that commanded the third big gate tenth mountain in afghanistan in 2010-1011. we are very appreciative of the support. what i would tell you is they'll come in and work the train, advise and assist. ers to protection is our number one priority. the i look at that every day. we continuously monitor the threat streams, both inside of kabul and at all of our combat outposts and attacks. every day we look how to mitigate the threat but it will continue to be a very dangerous environment. there will be insurgents that want to kill our soldiers. we shouldn't make -- shouldn't put th

in afghanistan, it really is. we talk about security pillars police and army being two different pillars. when these pillars, they do cross, they do work together the army and police and are much stronger and can't be beat. and i attend a saturday brief, three, four hour session which we call the security senior shera and senior members, so the police and army interaction is daily every single day. the police operate a little differently. they have the law enforcement aspect and continue to work through that. but in many places, they are the only security institution in the far reaches of afghanistan. and so they are a threat to the insurgents. the afghan local police which were designed to provide security are probably the most attacked. they have the least amount of training and don't have the same weapons as the regular police or the army and they do get attacked, but they do stand up and are protect and feared by the taliban because they are linked to the people inside the communities. the linkage between the

we traveled to afghanistan in the midst of this transition. but on the base we found a story that isn't being told. the people doing the day-to-day work here are mostly civilian contract workers - men from india and nepal, who traveled to a war zone just for the promise of a good job. for many of them, that promise turned out to be a lie. they ended up deceived and indebted, victims of human traffickers who thrive on military contracts. fault lines examines the lives of these workers - and investigates how the american military has come to rely on an indentured workforce. camp marmal is the largest base in northern afghanistan. nato's mission here centers on training the afghan national army. >> the complexity, when we first got here i started thinking about it. it almost becomes overwhelming. >> this is the us regional garrison commander, responsible for daily operations in the north. >> there's a lot of great contractors that come up here. local nationals, third country nationals, us expats. they're really good, they work together. >> what a

america's combat mission in afghanistan may be over, but our commitment to afghanistan and the people will endure. president ashraf ghani: president obama express deep sympathies for german and french families could -- families. both of these countries to heart -- took part -- they have made major commitments. i would like to make this opportunity to pay tribute to those sacrifices and take the opportunity to pay tribute to the 2250 american men and women are sacrifice. more than 22,000 american soldiers have been wounded in action. civilians, contractors. you stood shoulder to shoulder with us, and i would like to say thank you. i would also like the thank the american taxpayer for his and hers hard-earned dollars. yesterday, i saw young girl. her father came out of retirement to serve again in afghanistan. she is sending a care package of relief to her father, and i want to thank her and the fathers of all other american children who are making sure that their parents are helping us and standing next to us. i promised -- and the sisters are dreaming of achievement that will have a c

we travel to afghanistan in the midst of this transition. but on the base, we found a story that isn't being told. the people doing the day-to-day work here are mostly civilian contract workers. they travel to the war zone, just for the promise of a good job. for many of them that promise turned out to be a lie. >> for more "faultlines" check out on demand or visit aljazeera.com/faultlines. >> we wanted to talk to more people who'd worked these jobs. but to do so, we had to go far outside the war, where they could speak more openly. we found them in the rural heartland of southern india, in the state of tamil nadu. >> the main issue when we talk about trafficking - we can call it as bonded labor - it all starts because they have to pay an amount to get that job. >> sindhu kavinamannil used to work for a subcontractor in kuwait. now she advocates on behalf of migrant laborers. over the last eight years, she has interviewed hundreds of contract workers in iraq and afghanistan. >> debt will make you work anywhere. it doesn't matter if it's a wa

and ceo of afghanistan dr. abdullah abdullah in iran intense and passionate complains, such is the need to end corruption taking the actions that would build transparency into government. and guaranteeing support for the impartialed rule of law. campaigns became forums for public debate. more than 7 million afghans turned out to the polls, but 38% of the were cast by women, many of whom never had the chance previously to speak politically with their own voice. [ applause ] >> there's no denying that the election was hard fought but in the end we chose the politics of unity over the politics of division. the national unity government brings together all parts of the country to make the government the arena where disputes arise and result. dr. abdullah and myself may not initially agree on every issue, but we both believe deeply that spirited debate will produce better outcomes than will confrontational stalemate. we not only work together. we like working well together. [ applause ] >> afghanistan contrary to wh

veterans will always be welcomed in afghanistan. our deepest hope is that the time will come when americans visiting our country, see the cultural heritage and natural riches of the valley the ancient architecture the fishing streams, the forests and the ancient architecture of another. not as soldiers but as parents showing their children the beautiful country where they served in the war that defeated terror. on behalf of my entire country, when that day comes you'll be our most welcomed and honored guests. america's support to afghanistan has been led by a succession of remarkable generals. i'm proud to have known and worked with dan mcneil david mcconcernon, stanley mcchrystal david petraeus, john allen, joseph and john campbell. their commitment and dedication is inspirational. these generals lived in simple quarters. they worked tirelessly through the night and their leadership of their troops sets an example that our generals are working hard to follow. your civilian leaders are no less inspirational. ambassadors such as rona

america's combat mission in afghanistan may be over, but our commitment to the afghanistan people, that will endure. president beganny. president ghani: president obama. first of all i'd like to express the deep sympathies of the people. german and spanish families. both of these countries -- a major commitment in afghanistan i'd like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to those common sacrifices and take the opportunity to pay tribute to the 2215 american men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice. more than 22,000 american soldiers have been wounded in action. civilian contractors and others. you stood shoulder to shoulder with us, and i'd like to say thank you. i would also like to thank the american taxpayer for his and her hard earned dollars that have enabled -- yesterday i saw a young girl. . her father came out of retirement, out of reserve, to serve again in afghanistan. she's sending a care package every week to her father, and i want to thank her and the father of all other american children for making sure that their parents are helping us and standing next to us. i p

>> look he's the president of afghanistan. he is here to make the case that there's a vision going forward. is the vision that he laid out possible? sure. there's possibility that afghanistan could become a cross roads and a home for modern islam, could work to educate and integrate its women in society. is that a very rough sell and uphill climb, i think the answer yes. >> doug thank you very much. we want to find out how this is playing in kabul where we find jennifer glasse. and jennifer one of the points of the speech that received the loudest ovation was ghani pointing out that in 2001 there were very few children in schools, in 2015 there are 3 million. how will this play on the streets of kabul? >> reporter: i think that's one of the most encouraging signs you see here in kabul is young girls going to school. they make up about -- almost 40% of the 8 million children in school across the country. it was at the american university this afternoon which he mentioned in his speech and i was encouraged by the young women who

we travel to afghanistan in the midst of this transition. but on the base, we found a story that isn't being told. the people doing the day-to-day work here are mostly civilian contract workers. they travel to the war zone, just for the promise of a good job. for many of them that promise turned out to be a lie. fault lines examines the lives of these workers - and investigates how the american military has come to rely on an indentured workforce. camp marmal is the largest base in northern afghanistan. nato's mission here centers on training the afghan national army. >> the complexity, when we first got here i started thinking about it. it almost becomes overwhelming. >> this is the us regional garrison commander, responsible for daily operations in the north. >> there's a lot of great contractors that come up here. local nationals, third country nationals, us expats. they're really good, they work together. >> what are the contractors doing? >> everything, everything you can think of. they work in the dining facilities. they help maintain

in afghanistan, it really is. we talk about security pillars police and army being two different pillars. when these pillars, they do cross, they do work together the army and police and are much stronger and can't be beat. and i attend a saturday brief, three, four hour session which we call the security senior shera and senior members, so the police and army interaction is daily every single day. the police operate a little differently. they have the law enforcement aspect and continue to work through that. but in many places, they are the only security institution in the far reaches of afghanistan. and so they are a threat to the insurgents. the afghan local police which were designed to provide security are probably the most attacked. they have the least amount of training and don't have the same weapons as the regular police or the army and they do get attacked, but they do stand up and are protect and feared by the taliban because they are linked to the people inside the communities. the linkage between the

back from afghanistan. it was a process that was difficult and most people are completely unfamiliar with it. when a went to my company commander, he had no idea what to do. you never heard of it. he did not think of was able to do that. i had to give him army regulations to show him what to do. then the battalion ended up losing my paperwork after a year. it was a very complicated process. even if he had decided to leave when he came home through koch inches objector status, that is also a difficult process. amy: brock mcintosh, thank you for being with us, brock mcintosh served in afghanistan from november 2008 to august 2009. applied for conscientious objector status and was discharged in may 2014. now a member of iraq veterans against the war. this is democracy now! democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we will be back in a minute. ♪ [music break] >> amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we end today's show with a look at how t

you are right, the insurgents and i can only speak for afghanistan but the insurgents inside of afghanistan in many cases feed off of each other and they are interrelated in many different ways. you may have one that provides finance, food, lodging and one that may provide weapons and secure routes but some fight each other internally but also it's very tough as we took a hard look at it to separate some of these organizations. what i do have right now is the authority to prosecute those who come after the coalition and that's how i look at it as they try to bend those. does not buy their status but by their conduct come after coalition forces. >> the reason we are in afghanistan to begin with is because that is the place from which it plot was launched that ultimately killed 3000 americans americans. what can you tell us about your assessment of al qaeda's core ability to reconstitute itself were it not to be under constant pressure on the front lines? >> thanks again for that question. i do think we have to make sure we understand the threat and how the threat will continue to evolve. the

last point, afghanistan is the frontline. because of american engagement in afghanistan, there have not been attacks on mainland united states. let's not forget that fortresses cannot be built around countries are continents. we are living in an interconnected world and our security is joined together. reporter: you are talking about a long-term strategy with the united states. at the same time, you are talking about the withdrawal of soldiers from afghanistan and how do you ensure the long-term or how do you define the long-term strategy partnership from 2017 onward? reporter: mr. president what do you expect -- what was your expectation coming to the united states and what would you like to return with two afghanistan? pres. ghani: our expectations were that our cooperation would be enhanced and we would have clear vision and practical vision for cooperation for an enduring cooperation with the united states to be th

inside of afghanistan. now that is significant because that message appeals to president obama and conservatives on the hill. i think he will get a lot of, a lot of support from that. i betcha that is coming from ash carter who is helping him formulate the message how you get more troops to stay in afghanistan. melissa: judy real quick, is it a new day with this new leader? >> definitely it is. it is such relief to hear an after gan president thank american soldiers for protecting his country and the american tax payer to keep his country afloat. afghanistan's economy is stag than the. huge unemployment. melissa: the president is about to step out with the leader of afghanistan. why our soldiers may be about to spend a lot more time in the middle east. >>> turning up uninvited. reports out that israel has been keeping very close tabs on our iranian nuke talks. do you ever have too much money or information? there's nothing more romantic than a spontaneous moment. so why pause to take a pill? and why stop wh

the world looked away from afghanistan for a long time. until a saudi arabian who fought with the moouja had eem, osama bin laden, ordered his fighters to attack the united states on september 11th, 2001, >>> comparing the american and soviet wars in afghanistan, the soviets suffered more fatalities. as john terrett mentioned. 14,000 soldiers died between is the 79 to 1989. which comparison the u.s. lost 2200 soldiers in afghanistan since the invasion after 9/11. at the peak they had about 115,000 on the ground. not all that far off from the u.s. topping out at more than 100,000 back in 2011. when it comes to civilian deaths the comparison is stark, an estimated 1.2 million innocent people died during the war with the soviets in the conflict with the u.s. civilian deaths have been tracked since 2009. the u.n. says around 20,000 have been skilled. >> joining us is amy knight an american historian that has written a series of books on the former soviet union. great to have you with us. >> the two great powers of the last eight years, the sov

he had a lot of experience in afghanistan and in different roles during our conflict in afghanistan. there has been progress as general campbell took over and i give you all the credit for this. power-sharing arrangements within the afghan government, signed bilateral security agreement and laid the foundation at least to build off of the solid government and build a partnership unlike in iraq where we have very strong difficulty getting any bilateral security agreement that would allow us to stay. the president wants to be there and hopefully we can make that relationship. ultimately that is the challenge which afghanistan has to be responsible for itself. they have to provide their own security and they made great strides in doing that. they have taken over the primary security role throughout the country and have done ok. not going to sugar coat that. it is a tough fight but they have held their own. they keep the country relatively stable in light of the insurgency and we need to build on that because ultimately in afghanistan and iraq and all these countries western military for

veterans will always be welcomed in afghanistan. our deepest hope is that the time will come when americans visiting our country, see the cultural heritage and natural riches of the valley, the ancient architecture, the fishing streams, the forests and the ancient architecture of another. not as soldiers but as parents showing their children the beautiful country where they served in the war that defeated terror. [applause] on behalf of my entire country, when that day comes you'll be our most welcomed and honored guests. america's support to afghanistan has been led by a succession of remarkable generals. i'm proud to have known and worked with dan mcneil, david mckiernan, stanley mcchrystal, david petraeus, john allen joseph stanford and john campbell. their commitment and dedication is inspirational. these generals lived in simple quarters. they worked tirelessly through the night and their leadership of their troops sets an example that our generals are working hard to follow. your civilian leaders are no less inspirational. amb

we went into afghanistan in 2001. the dead of our nation was $5.9 trillion today it is over $18 trillion of debt. you no what we are faced with with budgets. then i read in a blog from yesterday by jason did between casualties and desertion the afghan military is shrinking fast. the desertion problem is a long-standing one with many afghans signing up for the military, sticking military, sticking around long enough to get there 1st paycheck and then bailing and ultimately taking their weapons with them as a sort of severance package then in the guardian yesterday afghan officials sanctioned murder torture rape. i realize this is from human watch, and we can have our views on that. that is fair but they still write this. apparently there has been no dispute. the report focuses on a commanders and officials across afghanistan some counted among the country's most powerful men and key allies for foreign troops some accused of personally inflicting violence and others of having responsibility for malicious or government f

troops in afghanistan. a little less than 10,000 right now scheduled to cut almost in half by the end of the year. afghan's president ghani is making the argument we're fighting the taliban and suffering more casualties than we thought we would. and also that there's a counterterror interest by the united states, that they don't want to have a situation in afghanistan that isis could have a foothold there. maybe we'll get information short term on 2015 at this news conference, but they are looking for a bigger picture throughout the next couple of years while president obama is still in office. we won't get any big picture stuff into the early months of 2017. >> the other big story that caught everybody's attention is the wall street journal reporting that israel spied on the iran nuke talks in an article out, it said soon after entering negotiations to occur taken iran's nuclear program, they learned israel was spying on closed door talks. it doesn't upset the white house as much a high stakes deal intende

where afghanistan is vulnerable and what a secure afghanistan can mean to americans and afghans. domestic abuse you do not hear about. we'll look at how money can be used for power and control and how romantic relations go wrongs. and why people say the dallas cowboys are crossing the line by paying big money to a football player bringing shame to the game and league to a footballer with a domestic violence prop. i'm ali velshi on al jazeera america, and this is "real money". >>> nearly 14 years into the war in afghanistan today president obama announced he will halt u.s. troop withdrawals planned for the next few months. the decision after a face-to-face request from the afghanistany president ashraf ghani. he knows the united states well, spending a decades in the u.s. when president obama stood at the white house next to ashraf ghani, he announced troops levels in afghanistan will continue. >> president ghani requested some flexibility on draw-down time lines, i consulted with general campbell and we will maintain 9800 troops to the end of the year >>> ashraf ghani thank the t

we know they are recruiting in afghanistan. so my question was under this current operation you're under was if isil is identified by american troops or after began national security forces in the assist mode we are in, can we absolutely destroy isil and the answer from the state department no, ma'am. my comment was i would consider the fact that we are at war with them means we should destroy them. in your role right now, what is your understanding when isil is identified. are they taken out because we are at war with them or given a path? general campbell: we don't talk but rules of engagement. i would just answer that and say i'm comfortable with the authorities that i have today that i can prosecute the mission both from a c.t. perspective and train, advise and assist perspective and protect the forces that i have. i can't go into the rules in this environment. mrs. walorski: i would like to have a conversation that talks about that at some point. and also, this new amuf. how can you engage isis? do you have more advantages

america's combat mission in afghanistan may be over, but our commitment to afghanistan and the people will endure. president ashraf ghani: president ashraf ghani: president obama and i would express deep sympathies for german and french families could . both of these countries took part in our coalition. i would like to make this opportunity to pay tribute to those sacrifices and take the opportunity to pay tribute to the 2250 american men and women . more than 22,000 american soldiers have been wounded in action. civilians, contractors. you stood shoulder to shoulder with us, and i would like to say thank you. i would also like the thank the american taxpayer for his and her hard-earned dollars. yesterday, i saw a young girl. her father came out of retirement to serve again in afghanistan. she is sending a care package of relief to her father, and i want to thank her and the fathers of all other american children who are making sure that their parents are helping us and standing next to us. the sisters are dreaming of achievement that will have a career path, and hopefully one day we

things seem to settle down well in afghanistan. we did not really know when that would spur back up, but we knew it might. i would say by the turn up of 2003 or 2004, people started to say, things are going wrong. i can remember a general who served in iraq in the first war, work, he knew that area very well. spoke arabic. he was the commander, central command, in the korean war. i remember he used the term counterinsurgency and a lot of our ears pricked up. because we knew, oh, that is a long, long war. i think what worried us was we never heard that strong public u.s. commitment that we would stick with it. the military guys, we figured, we will keep trying this month and hope the political guys have our back. that they will pass laws and make that happen. by and large, that happened. even though the government change stance from democrat to republican, both the congress and the presidency, in general, we kept going. but what we never had was that honest discussion with our political leaders to say, if you want to fight a us-led

america's combat mission in afghanistan may be over but our commitment to the afghanistan people that will endure. president ghani. >> first of all i'd like to express the deep sympathies of the government and the people of afghanistan to german and spanish families and governments. both of these countries took part in the isis coalition. they have had major commitments and they've sacrificed in afghanistan. i'd like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to those common sacrifices and simultaneously take the opportunity to pay tribute to the 2,215 american servicemen and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice. more than 22,000 american soldiers who have been wounded in action civilians, numerous contractors, and others. you stood shoulder to shoulder with us and i'd like to say thank you. i would also like to thank the american taxpayer for his and her hard-earned dollars that have enabled us. yes at the pentagon i saw a young girl. her name is reese. and her father came out of retirement out of reserve to serve again in afghanistan. she's sending a care package of relief to her fath

for those who are in afghanistan. and the date for us to have completed our draw down, will not companying. but it is my judgement, it is the judgement of general campbell, and other whose are on the ground, that providing this additional timeframe during this fighting season, for us to be able to help the afghan security forces succeed, is well worth it. and in thatceps, once been we are asking our minute and women in i don't know form to fight on behalf of our freedom freedom, and on behalf of a more orderly world. it does, perhaps raise one thought which is right now there's a debate going up on capitol hill about budgets. this would be a good time for my friends up on capitol hill including on the other side of the aisle to take a look at their budgets. if we are el holding both our defense and nondeft budget today 2006 levels it is harder fortous do the job we need to do not only on the national security side, but also here at home making sure that when our men and women come home, and when they potentially go in

of it's soldiers from afghanistan. how do you ensure the long term or how do you define the long term strategy parter in ship after 2017? or from 2017 on ward? >> mr. president -- i wanted to -- what do you expect mr. president, what expectation coming into the united states, and what would you like to return with to after ban stan? >> are expectations are that our cooperation will be enhanced the we will have a clear vision and practical vision for cooperation for an enduring corporation with the united states be there. and this change of environment has occurred and today the united states government, and considering the government of afghanistan a really reliable partner. commitments that are made are considerable. and the funding proposal of supporting afghan forces by 2017, and it has reached to $4.1 billion. it is nothing less, it is a significant issue. it is a very important issue and also yesterday, there was a new frame work for economic cooperation was layed out according to it's $800 million were made, a co

troop level in afghanistan will remain at 9800 u.s. military personnel in the country through the end of this year. it was supposed to be cut in about in half by the end of this year but they decided to slow that down given what's going on. at the same time the president making it clear that the date for the complete withdrawal of u.s. troops in his words, will not change. they're all supposed to be out by the end of 2016 early 2017. let's check in with nick payton walsh on the ground for us in kabul, afghanistan. i assume this is basically what the afghan leader the new afghan leader wanted to hear right? >> i would imagine they could have perhapsed hoped for a slightly larger presence here of u.s. troops potentially more than that. yes, this will certainly not leave those who returned to kabul feeling empty handed. to some degree wolf it's symbolic certainly. it's certainly not going to open obama to accusations that he continued despite the security challenges here. but it's not a huge change. it's 4300 more troops for a maximum of

america's combat mission in afghanistan may be over but our commitment to the afghanistan people that will endure. president ghani. >> president obama first of all, i would like to express the deep sympathies of the government and the people of afghanistan to german and spanish families. both of these countries took part in the coalition. they have made major commitments and sacrificed in afghanistan. i would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to those common sacrifices and simultaneously take the opportunity to pay tribute to the 2,215 american service men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice. more than 22,000 american soldiers who have been wounded in action civilians, numerous contractors, and others. you stood shoulder to shoulder with us and i would like to say thank you. i would also like to thank the american taxpayer for his and her hard-earned dollars that have enabled us. yesterday in pentagon i saw young girl. her name is reese. her father came out of retirement, out of reserve to serve again in afghanistan. she's send aing care package of relief to her fathe

afghanistan continues to be a dangerous place. tragically we lost a coalition soldier from turkey last thursday in a suicide attack. casualty rates increased in 2014. i think this must be viewed in light of the fact that they are operational tempo was four times greater than that of 2013. even considering they are higher casualty rates the attrition rates which account for all losses have not impacted combat readiness. recruiting has not been a problem. afghan youth continue to join the ranks and service and security forces are widely respected. the afghan national army remains the most trusted institution in the country. on balance i do not believe the insurgents represent an existential threat to the government. however much they need a great deal of help in developing systems and processes necessary to run a modern army and police force , and they need sustained support in addressing capability gaps in aviation, intelligence sustainment command special operations. our advisors are at the security of ministries, army corps level

. -- out of afghanistan. we are on the path to do that. i think it makes sense for us to provide a few extra months for us to be able to help things like logistics, making sure that equipment is not just in place but it is also used properly that the training and advising and strategic input that has been provided continues through this fighting season so that president karzai, who has taken on the mantle of commander-in-chief in a way that we have not seen an afghan president, can do a serious review, and can assess with your where the strengths and weaknesses are, and we can proceed with more affected joint planning going forward. the bottom line is, our men and women in uniform make enormous sacrifices. their families do, too. they serve alongside them. this will mean that there are going to be some of our folks who are in afghanistan under the new schedule who would've been home. it is important to keep into perspective first of all that we have gone down from 100,000 down to under 10,000, that they are n

has nearly 10,000 forces in afghanistan down from 100,000 troops. afghanistan's present -- president welcomed the delayed drawdown. >> the possibility that is provided will be used to accelerate reforms to ensure that national security forces are much better equipped, trained, and focus on their fundamental mission. laura: the war in afghanistan has already cost the u.s. military more than 2200 lives. and the american tax payer more than $1 trillion. he will try to convince u.s. lawmakers to continue supporting his country in an address to the u.s. i'm joined now by mark roseland, who formally served as special representative to afghanistan and pakistan for the state department. how much of a difference will this may, 9800 troops staying on through the end of this year? mark: i think it's a great decision. the president came here and said i have a different attitude toward the united states. i want reform and self-reliance, but we've got some work to do with the afghan security forces. they can fight but they take a lot of casualties and they have a

in afghanistan, i have the whole operation. brian: here is video from 2012. >> legacy weapons from the soviet era. building on the existing experience of the afghan national army with new technology is key, according to nato's training mission. >> focus on training. we do not deliver a lot of the instruction ourselves. we teach the instructors how to do it. >> the afghan army officers we spoke to set their soldiers are ready to fight the insurgency. but many worried about the future. where more sophisticated weapons might be needed to protect their country. brian: we've read all the time that they do not care that much. general bolger: i thought alongside both of them. i not only trained them, i went out on operations. i found them to be brave in combat. but when you wanted to get an iraqi or afghan to do it, they only look at training. when he wanted to get a unit to do the best, we looked at training. giving them the right weapons. that is one component. the next component, embedded advisors. they have got to have somebody wh

what we have seen in afghanistan, was quite striking. last week, president ashraf ghani, thew -- the new president of afghanistan. the ballots have not been released, we do not know how many people voted the theft was so great. he is surrounded by the same warlords and druglords hamid karzai surrounded himself when. the taliban is stronger than ever, record numbers of forces and civilians are being killed. the only thing doing well in afghanistan is the drug trade something the afghan government is involved in. every year there are bumper crops of poppies in afghanistan. somehow president obama thinks it is worthwhile to continue propping up this government while millions of afghan people suffer. tens of thousands recent reports that about a quarter million afghans have died since 2001 because of this war. president obama somehow thinks it is worth it. i think -- while i don't want to see sergeant bergdahl go to trial because of the toll that will take on him and his family, i would like to see a discussion about this war and a more open

relations with afghanistan p.today, u.s. described the situation as a revised partnership. >> productive meeting at camp david with ashraf ghani. a goal to extend funding for the afghan military. >> taking a look at the afghan military relying on millions of dollars for technical consultants and development programs. over that period afghanistan saw double digit gdp growth. >> but it plummeted to 13% to 3%. the afghan national budgets is estimated at $7 billion a year 40% of the operating budget is funded 50 international community. >> part of afghanistan's economic problems stem from a culture of corruption. last year afghanistan was ranked third worst in the world for corruption. >> earlier today i spoke to mohamed khomi president of san jose state university. >> in the last 14 years the u.s. has made as well as the western countries have made a tremendous investment on afghanistan. but there's still a major development deficit in afghanistan. i think given all of the sacrifices the young member and women of our military h

and foreign troops from afghanistan in a way that safeguards international interests and peace in afghanistan as well as u.s. national security interests. second, and since the best way to ensure afghan's progress is a settlement, we're going to continue to support an afghan led reconciliation process. president gani, you've shown bold leadership in reaching out to pakistan which is critical to the pursuit of peace. afghanistan and the united states agree on what the taliban must do. break with al qaeda, and abide by afghan laws including the protections for women and minorities. third, we'll continue to support the national unity government in its efforts to truly serve the afghan people. we discussed the urgent need with parliament support to seat a full cabinet. president gani in your inaugural address, you spoke forcefully about the need to combat corruption, uphold rule of law and strengthen democratic institutions, and the united states very much commends you for those efforts. and you moved many afghans with your eloquent tribute to your wife and partner, first lady. america will conti

so yes, he was in afghanistan for five years. but as barbara has reported this is a capital offense that we're talking about. leaving a post during a time of war has a maximum penalty of death. there have been several instances during the course of military history in the united states where, in fact the death penalty was given for soldiers who deserted their post during time of war. now, that's not saying that's going to happen but certainly that was part of the consideration of the seriousness of this offense when he did leave his post. >> again, we'll be hearing from an official at ft. bragg in just about 20 minutes from now on these charges involving sergeant bowe bergdahl. for now, general hertling thank you for jumping on the phone with me. barbara starr at the pentagon and ed lavandera in texas. thanks to you. we'll take that news cob frens as soon as it happens. expecting that to happen at 3:30 p.m. eastern time. >>> let me turn now to this germanwings airplane this crash mystery which has become an international tragedy.

in afghanistan, held for five years. and it was just last year that president obama made the decision to trade bergdahl in captivity. you see the rescue mission there to bring him back home in exchange for releasing taliban militants from guantanamo bay. hugely political, hugely controversial. the president making the decision to get bowe bergdahl back. but what everyone's been waiting for is what we are going to learn at 3:30, the next step in this case. because bergdahl by all accounts left that base in afghanistan voluntarily. by all accounts he walked away of his own free will. he was not captured on base. he was captured outside. he went outside the wire. so at 3:30 today in fort bragg, north carolina, the army will announce the next steps in any disciplinary proceedings against bergdahl. what they have been doing for several months now, general mark milly, the head of u.s. army forces in the united states, has been reviewing the evidence, reviewing the case. he now has apparently by all accounts made a decision on

senator murphy are you confident that afghanistan even with u.s. support, can withstand this threat from the many extremist groups who threaten the country? >> i certainly cannot say i'm confident of the we have seen epidemic levels of violence over the course of the last year. you saw a winter with noorblely lying helfs of violence which predict spring and summer may be bloody as well. what i do know is we have a stronger partnership than we had in a very long time. our relationship can karzai became unimaginable fblet he was unwilling to take and accept the help we thought was necessary to make this transition. gani, of course, immediately signs the new status of forces agreement. the president announced he will keep additional forces through the end of the year, something i support. i think we're in a better position than we have been to repel the taliban and the threats in afghanistan. but i would be lie fg i stood -- lying if i stood here today and said i'm confident we will get to where we need to get to over the next year or so. >> will it t