occupied west bank in gaza, and in jerusalem. particularly with the troubles of the taking place there with the number of deaths that have been. we have reported in the last hour, that the israeli prime minister says he is prepared to meet palestinian president. >> troop withdrawal where afghanistan delayed. a major reversal, as the taliban presents new security threats. a meeting of the mind, european leaders gather with a very full agenda, and germany order as recall of nearly 2.2 million cars but growing scandal over emissions.

>> this is al jazeera america live. i am tony harris. a major reversal from the white house. on the plan to withdraw troops from afghanistan. president obama says the u.s. will now keep a hand full of bases open through 2017. the u.n. security region, the the current force just under 10,000 troops will stay on through most of next year. they will cut back to 5500 troops by the time he leaves office. that scales back the previous plan which would have seen that number go down to 1,000. al jazeera natural security force, from the pentagon, tell us more about the new strategy, and then what promised the change. this about face comes in face

of this the fall of con dui that was held by the taliban briefly just for about two weeks. they insist this is something that has been in the work for months that he was con sacramentoing with the afghan government who by the way requested an additional u.s. presence and the president arrived at this after the cost and the risk of keeping additional troops in the afghanistan longer. although the timetable has changed the mission has not. which means that troops will zillion not be in a combat role. delay will be training the security forces and then there's a separate mission, so called counter terrorism mission that is designed to

go after remanence of al quaida, so the role of the troops will not change. they won't be in direct combat in most instances but they will be there longer and it will now be up to the next president, to decide how long those 5500 american troops that will still be in afghanistan when the president leaves office in 2017, how long they will stay and whether they might need to be additional troops added at that time. what is the response around washington to this plan? >> as you can expect, on capitol hill it is split along partisan lines. nancy pelosi says he welcomed this. i don't think boehner called it a halfhearted measure, that was emboldened the enemies. jon mccain probably has the faddest and most critical response. mccain's argument is that why should there be any troop

cuts while the instability is going on. he thinks all 9800, or almost 10,000 should stay, let the next president decide what to do, so he also dismisses this as a half measure. be uh the president initially got this recommendation from his former joint chief chairman, back in the summer. and they have been working on this proposal trying to come up with the right number. the president believes this is the right number and the right thing to do, even though he believes he won't be able to fulfill his pledge to leave office with no troops in iraq or afghanistan. >> all right, jamie for us at the pentagon, appreciate it, good to see you, thank you. the draw down delay comes after high profile attacks. al jazeera has more on how will it be impacted. >> they requested this extense, the afghan c.e.o. has a meeting with american

officials while he was in new york at the u.n. general assembly a couple of weeks ago, requests that the forces remain at their current level, because of the resurgent taliban fighting. that happens before country dui city fell, but certainly the security forces knowing they continue to need international help. they say the and then generals here will decide how they will be drawn down to 5,500 troops in 2017. it is a big shift for the obama administration. not just in numbers but also in terms of where those forces will be stations there. initially, supposed to be only 1,000 forces are supposed to stay after 2017,

basically the u.s. embassy just behind me, instead those forces will stay around afghanistan. here in abu at the air base, north of kabul, in east afghanistan, and in canada what are. so maintaining a presence around afghanistan through 2017. the afghan officialing welcoming this move. but also with the fight against terrorism. they have been fighting in the north and do you know dui city, but manages to take control of the main high. they made an attempt to overrun the city. and fighting killed more than 22 afghan policeman also this week. so the taliban is very much making their presence known. and the fact that american forces will remain here, through next year, and beyond i think will be very muched

welcome not only by the afghan government, but the afghan security forces. >> jennifer glass reports there from kabul. retired major says keeping more forces in afghanistan is the right move, because the afghan forces are simply overwhelmed. >> i am worried about the returning back to the future of the taliban reinforces along the border with pakistan, we have to fix that relationship as well. that's a major incident to making sure there's peace going forward. and then the second aspect is isis. they continue to infill strait places and disrupt and be someone that and a party that is not going to go away any time soon. you take those two forces and the afghan security forces have their hands full. at least for the next 14 to 15 months now commanders can plan on getting the afghan security forces through that, evaluate them, measure their

effectiveness against that the military will wait for the next administration. so now that at least the military knows what it is dealing with, knows will it be there, and they can plan accordingly. >> well lion says he thinks it was a mistake to originally announce a day that troops would be withdrawn. the tipping point was likely the taliban attack in kunduz. the top commander just released a statement, general jon campbell says the move is key to stabilizing the region p there is a tense calm right now in israel. follows days of violence turmoil. which has left seven israelis and 32 palestinians dead. the military is on the streets to prevent attacks.

and tel-aviv has now eased restrictions on gun ownership for israelis. more on the security situation there. traffic being pun nelled through check points that have been established around the perimeters of most neighborhoods. now also within this note of grim at one stage on social media, there's a picture of a dark complexioned israeli wearing a t shirt that says relax, i am a yemen night.

it is only half funny, there are have been a number of attacks on fellow citizens mistaking them for palestinians. this is just a touch of what is happening in both societies and certainly in which way people live, the day-to-day life, by a action of a few individuals armed with fives. >> israeli police are oles on high alert. they say were planning an attack. there are new suspects stood in the bombing of a passenger jet almost 30 years ago. american and scottish investigators say two men from libya in connection with the 1988 pan am flight 103 bombing. 270 people were killed when that plane crashes. the only person to be convicted in the case died in 2012, fbi officials and detectives plan on interviews the suspects in tripoli.

e.u. leaders are meeting right now to try to find a solution to the growing refugee crisis. to skim the flow, turkey is a key part of the plan, the e.u. wants to make sure the refugees it's hosting stay there, on tuesday, the commission details the action plan, a list of requests with the hopes that they will fulfill to help reduce the strain on the european union that is being described as one of the most challenges toasts of unity within the e.u. since the e.u. tomorrowed in the 1950's. in return for 1 billion euros in financial aid, and top of the financial aid that has already been given, the commission really hopes that turkey will reduce the so called push back asylum seekers rather than stay,

continue to head through the country in the direction of the european union, the hope is this money will be used to improve the conditions living in camps and also help to repatch rate tens of thousands that arrive from places of course like syria. according to your pen commission figures in the last nine months alone, 350,000 people have passed through turkey, but only 50,000 people have stayed on there. so the real request here from europe, is that all of that changes to kind of make sure that some of the strain continues to be shared by turkey, of course, a nation borders the likes of syria as well. a turkey hosts nearly 2 million refugees. straight ahead, more fall out for volkswagen as the auto maker scandal continues to grow.

>> i've been ask

health insurance is about tog begin, millions have signed up since enrollment began, but as inside story ray

suarez tells us now, this time around it may be harder to convince americans to buy insurance. in few weeks ads like these will be back. >> encouraging millions of uninsured americans to buy health insurance policies under the affordable care act. >> we don't want people to set with the penalty, we want people to realize that this is an opportunity for them, to be covered. >> but as the campaign gets underway, the program is facing another challenge, keeping the unroll lees that it already has. in february of this year, about 11.7 million people were enrolled in federal and state run marketplaces, but by the end of june, that number dropped by 15%, down to 9.9 million. >> a lot of people got insurance maybe for a month or two months waiting for a job, others didn't realize

how expensive it would be. some people were just ineligible to receive subsidies. others were ineligible to buy on the exchange. >> the cost of health care isening thatting even with subsidies some of the most difficult places to afford healthcare are in these states. those are the states that haven't expanded medicaid but the obama administration, despite the challenges the new system is wrongerring. five years in and millions have coverage. and the annual rate has been reduced to the lowest levels on record. >> the rate f ouninsured people is down to 11.6%. >> health officials estimate about 10.5 million people uninsured are still eligible for coverage. this new enrollment period will be the toughest yet. >> most of the lowening haing fruit, so to speak, has been picked so the people that bet

tip the most have already enrolled. the next step will be convincing people that think they don't need insurance, convincing them that they do need insurance that will be a challenge. >> we are working matter to reach then. we are doing everything we can to help them find the coverage they need. miami and northern national, analyst say 2016 and 2017 will be the true test for the affordable care act, and this time, the ads will need to be a lot more convincing. >> ray suarez reporting and you can watch inside story at 6:30 p.m. eastern time. now according to a new study, tens of thousands of americans are rushed to emergency rooms every year, for reactions to weight loss supplements.

complicated include heart problems such as irregular or rapid heart beat. the joint study from the c.d.c. finds nearly three-quarters of those e.r. visits are related to the use of weight loss or energy boosting supplements. mrsa critical condition with a relapse of ebola. first treated for the illness after returning from syria leyon, she suffered a relapse. a new study found that the virus can happen around in some parts of the body because it takes longer for the immune system to get at it there. the deals with the fall out from the emission stand call, germany has orders the company to recall 2.4 million cars. al jazeera has more. officials say this new suspect software is in the 2016 model year vehicles the same ones the auto maker has

now pulled from the market. the software makes the pollution control catalyst heat up faster improving performance. many have similar systems but v.w. never disclosed it's existence to regulators which all car makers are expected to do if they want to receive e.p.a. certification, to sell their cars in the u.s. >> the presence of those devices designed to fool emissions tests has the company facing billions of dollars in recalls fines and civil lawsuits. the company insists the top executives never signed often on those. >> to my best knowledge today, the corporation and no supervisory report meeting has authorized this. >> all right, let's take you to the pent gone now where defense secretary is speaking. over the last 14 years over

2,200 americans paid the ultimate price, to keep the ice security while helping the people of afghanistan realize a brighter future. we welcome many of those brave americans home, and visited many more wounded at walter reid. today's decision from the president, to adjust our troop presence in afghanistan honors that sacrifice. and gives us the chance to fin haren we started. over the years i have witnesses and contributes to that effort, which has been so sue purkely executed by u.s. and coalition forces. one of the first things i did when i started this job was to travel to afghanistan, i wanted to see what was happening in this country, and in particularly the men

and women of the department of defense. have been sacrificed so much. what i have learned is that afghanistan is on a better path, and more work lies ahead, and america's national security remains very much at stake in that part of the world. so today, after considering input from me, our top military leaders and the rest of the security team, our nato allies and the government of afghanistan, the president announced his decision to maintain ours force posture. through most of next year. by january 2017, forces will draw town to 5500 troops. and there will be deployed at several locations around afghanistan. and is up the port of two important and enduring missions.

our counter terrorism effort, and our advice and assist support to the afghan security forces. question are adjustable our presence based on conditions on the ground. to give the united states and our allies the capability to sustain a counter terrorism platform, denying a safe haren for terrorists and violent organizations. this will keep americans safer pack home. these changes take into account the partnership we have formed with president gahni, and chief executive abdullah. afghan forces are proven themselves to be capable and resilient fighters. we are able to provide security for afghanistan, they performed admirably, the first for which their responsibility to fight the taliban has fallen squarely on their shoulders. but taliban advances and

parts oif country underscore the reality, that this is and remains a difficult fight after bannderstand that stan still needs assistance. we are wrongerring with security forces and afghan security ministries to ensure that they are prepares for their critical mission of protecting the people, and setting the conditions for stability. in this vital region. this extends be i the way beyond our u.s. military presence, and includes important financial contributions we will need to make. in support of the afghan security forces in years to come. the u.s. military presence and financial sustainment, will enable the afghan forces to continue their development, as an agile, and sustainable set of forces capable of meeting afghan security challenges and

partners with ugh against terrorists exploitation. of the region. it send as strong mission that we are committed to afghanistan, and intent on fostering stability over the long term. we anticipate will it garner the commitment of other forces that u.s. forces have operated with. i have already initiated consultation to ensure their continues support of this mission. over time we will reduce our footprint, but not our commitment to the country and it's people. black in march, during the first official visit to the u.s. president gahni came here right here to the pent gone. and did something very important to all of us here. he said thank you to the men and women of the u.s. military for the sacrifices

they and their families have made over the past 14 years. he also visited arlington, to remember the fallen, an important message. today, we deliver our own message to president gahni, and the afghan people. >> there you have it. the defense secretary ash carter talking about the -- how do we put it, the readjustment, the adjusting of troop levels in afghanistan. let's get to al jazeera national correspondent, and jamie, he is just affirming what you did in your reporting at the top of this newscast, so i will give it to you, because you do a little better. >> well the key point here is that the secretary is saying that this was not done lightly. it was done with pretty much everything involved. the government of afghanistan, the nato allies that are part of that coalition mission. resolute support, and of course the advice of the u.s. military commanders and the direct request from the

afghanistan government, and now secretary carter says his mission is to try to convince other of some of the other nato allies to also extend their commitment in afghanistan as well. you know they are talking about the 9800 u.s. troops but there are more than 6,000 troops from other nato countries that are also there, and when the taliban did conducted their offensive it wasn't just american forces that were helping to assist the afghans there's also german nato troops there as well. so again, the mission is not changing but they are going to be advising and assisting the afghan forces but the time line has now been extended. looking forward to your reporting this later today. that is all of our time, in new york city, we will see you back here, tonight at 7:00 p.m. eastern time. the news continues next, live from london.