not just the news, but also the more hidden stories from parts of the world that often go under reported. oh, be the hero, the world. nice, right. ah washer. in the news. hello again. i'm pete adobe here and how the sub stories from al jazeera afghanistan's president says he won't give up the achievements of the past 20 years as the taliban claims more provinces surrounding the capital. in a brief televised address the day after i've gone, he said he's speaking with local leaders and international partners about how to prevent more instability and violence. meanwhile, just south of cobble. the taliban has captured another provincial capital. shadonna . charlotte bellis has more on mr. gun. his address from cobbled the speech was

somewhat underwhelming. there was a lot of talk here this morning that this was going to be a resignation speech that he was under a lot of pressure. and that he was addressing the public in order to explain what he was going to do next to that did not happen. it was more speech of reassurance. he said to his people, i know you are worried, we are doing everything we can to look after you. he thanked security forces, you said way prioritizing the coordination of security forces and he said, i will do everything in my power to stop. so the blood shoot, the big question is, what does he intend to do to stop this further bloodshed? he did mention that he is in consultation with local and international policies. and those negotiations are ongoing about what the future will look like. and we understand his future as president is very much in play as part of the bed. the taliban refused to negotiate with him at the home that has been their position

through this entire process. they are currently undermining him. residence in algeria is to use who surveying the devastation after the recent wildfires their firefighters have managed to put up all the fires in this province. but there are still 35 other flareups elsewhere. the army has been deployed to help fight the fires, but many rural areas still lack equipment. at least 71 people have been killed. the government says the fire was started deliberately. there is a lack in material. as you can see, there are only few firefighters and we are trying to help. that's it. may god help . every day, it's progressing and there is wind. we don't have resources to stop it. people are trying to put out the fires. some are bleeding and others have head injury. wildfires in california not threatening more than a dozen rural communities and forests that being fueled by hot and dry weather conditions. the so called dixie fire in northern california has been through an

area bigger than greater london as he, as wildfires of ravaged, more than 15000 square kilometers of land across the u. s. so far, us government, scientists say july was the world's hottest month ever on record in another indication that climate change is intensifying. this comes as wildfire rage across 3 continents. the data showed july was asia, the hottest month on record for europe. it was the 2nd hottest sam b as opposition to her candy each a. lima has taken an early lead in presidential elections. the incumbent president colonial is trading behind his rival for now, but the outcome could change his more results come in from rural areas. the final result isn't expected until sunday. at the earliest turn, i've been high with polls kept open for several hours longer to allow everyone to cast a vote. venezuela's, government and opposition have come together in mexico, in the latest attempt to end the countries, political and economic crises for census, supported by norway, mexico, russia,

and the netherlands neurons. going back into a 6 day long lockdown as of monday as it struggles to bring climbing. corona, virus infections under control. the lockdown includes all bazaars and public offices, as well as movie theaters, gyms and restrooms. the countries recording around 40000 new cases every day and 500 deaths to iran had rejected earlier recommendations to impose the emergency measures. the search in cases is being driven by an outbreak of the delta variance with a new death every 3 minutes. in australia, the state of new south wales has recorded its highest jumping, covered 19 cases, yet there were 466 infections on saturday. most of them in sydney, the state leader says she is extremely concerned. greater sydney and surrounding areas have been in lockdown since june. those are your headlines up next on al jazeera, the bottom line. i'll have another quick summary for you in a little under 30 minutes. i

i am steve clements and i have a question after almost 20 years america is leaving afghanistan. but what is it leaving behind? let's get to the bottom line. ah. in the heat of the moment after the attacks of 911, the united states declared war and afghan, a stand in 2001. the media goal was to find out kite, but the long term goals were lofty and i quote, to create a sovereign democratic afghanistan. that's a piece with itself. well, 2 decades later, with countless lives lost and more than a trillion dollars spent, it really doesn't look like any of those things are likely. the taliban, whom the u. s. has been fighting the entire time is poised to take over most of the country city by city. the government that washington is propped up and the military that it trained could be gone with the wind in the short term as for sovereignty.

and different actors are pushing afghanistan in this way and that, and that includes india, pakistan, china, iran, and of course the united states. so for a poor country that's been at war for more than 40 years, just how likely is there ever to be in afghanistan, that is at peace with itself and its neighbors and its america leaving it in better shape than it found it. fortunately, we're joined by people who have all the answers. andrew base of a professor emeritus at boston university, retired colonel in the u. s. army and author of america's war for the greater middle east. he's also the co founder and president that the quincy institute for responsible stay crap. and joining me here in the studio is hash. and what about you are a writer and analysts on international affairs and former spokesman for the united nations in afghanistan. let's start with a clip from pentagon spokesman john kirby. it's their country to defend. now, this is their struggle. the commander in chief has given us a new mission and that mission is to draw down by the end of this month. and that's where we're moving to what it looks like. beyond that,

i'm simply not going to speculate, but this is their country. these are their, these are their military forces. these are their provincial capital, their people to defend and, and it, it's really going to come down to the leadership that they're willing to exude here, this particular moment professor base of which let me start with you. i remember reading your work and writing and concerns about not only the iraq war and the canister morbid as well as the yes and we're for a very long period of time. now we seem to be the punctuation point where this is coming to a close. do you feel satisfied that america should be leaving with it's held up high or did we make very big mistakes in getting as involved as we did so that mistakes are, are ghastly. sadly, the people about janice, dan, are going to pay the price the the project that you described, the nation building project i think was misguided from the outset. and i

think that the president biden's decision to terminate the american war doesn't imply american involvement. but to terminate the american war and it can stand was long overdue hash. and i know that you have a perspective that right now that america came in with a promises that it made to the afghan people that it tried to set things on a different course. how do you feel at this moment of american departure? are we are, are we culpable with what is unfolding now in the country as we see city after city fall to the taliban? thank you very much. yes, the united states had clear definitions and objectives when it invented up kind of an after $911.00. but unfortunately, it also followed the number of mistakes that this can be made in outcomes and not only the united states but international community. the united states out the taliban in afghanistan,

but did not address the safe havens of the sanctuaries in pakistan who provided equipments and playing the tada. not only the top of the 20, at a terrorist groups who are backed by the pakistan interest topless meant and out enough kind of stand and post rates to the governance, to the security, to the democracy and the lives of all kind of sent. but also pull straight to the international community and be $33000000000.00 at the united states, paid to the government of pakistan. and in return, what the, what the united states spoke the and as it took like, unfortunately, 2200 americans were celtic enough to stand by the kind of network supported by the pakistan established. it is not something that we say, but that is something that the government of pakistan, the farmer and colon leaders of pakistan, confirmed that they train how paid that they supported the taliban. and that is what the nat as the back. and he did not belong to the admins,

but also to the united states. now unfortunately, they now did state signed a dealer with the taliban, but that was not a p still. right? that was a withdrawal, a deal with the, with the talent. but this was a puzzle of a nation that was hardly a country because of the divisions with proxy conflicts that on top, what would have been the approach you would have advised after 911 to get this right? well, let me add one footnote to what hashem said, in terms of enumerating our ears, a crucial one is it, before the job was done in afghanistan, however, we defined the job. the bush administration decided it was a great idea to invade iraq in 2003 and embark upon an even more ambitious nation building exercise in an, in an equally divided country about which again, we understood very little. so we cannot forget the enormity of the error of the

iraq war. what should we have done? i think what we should have done, i think i think it was necessary. and i think most people agreed that it was necessary for us to do demonstrate that any entity government that provided a safe haven to terrorist attempt on attacking the united states. that that government was going to pay a very, very heavy price. and therefore, yes, post 911. it was necessary to punish the taliban. i think where, where, where we made a mistake was having imposed that punishment. then embarking upon the grandiose nation building exercise that we have been pursuing, i think it would have been far wiser in the, in the aftermath of over throwing the taliban to allow

afghans to negotiate some type of settlement. however, tentative, perhaps temporary, and then get out of the way. so we've got admiral kirby announcing that the future of afghan is dan, belongs to the afghans. true enough. but if it was true today, it was also true in 2001 in 2002. and we should have appreciated that way back then almost 20 years ago. right? well, part of that reality, how should we just laid out, is that the future of afghanistan also rest of pakistan. also, rex with india, also ras, with other powers in the country. how should we approach the dynamics of those conflicts? what is your recommendation when it comes to thinking about the, you know, we've got iran, you've got, you've got packs in india, china, you know, and afghanistan stuck in a vice in the middle of them. what, what should be done? well, actually let's have a clear distinction. one is the issue of granite then of course that is the

responsibility of the outcomes that they have to take care about it. but the other thing is the fighting against the global terrorism, right? the government is not fighting only the taliban when the college and there are number of international terrorist groups. it's not only about the canister, but that is a way that will be post and that is posted into national community. it must larded and also to, to the region. it was the issue of atkins, the evidence would have taken care of it on, and it should take care about the issues with enough. but, but it is about the global heart. it's about the global terrorism in i've got to now now that the united states signed with that, all dealer with the taliban. after that, the government and the i've gotten gangster is in transition from fighting terrorism to doesn't to be a center of global jihadists against the west. i guess the europe and i guess the

world and that is something worrying and that should not be the responsibility. relied on the shoulders of the i've been people and i've been government and i've got to worry that this circle of history is going to repeat itself. it's actually that is the case. but what do we need to highlight here is that the united states, i think that is repeating mistakes and that mistake is the person passions with it all while without proper coordination with the african government to hand over the air and ground responsibility. because the i've, the government thought that the united states has been since, since 2011 that it's with robbing, but it's with, it's not with w, but the returning horseback to i've got this done. this was a suspicious with it all and adequately this. this is something that you like the war now and has had we are now right, whether you not should have that. and also another very important point that i have to mention. the international community pressed and force the government to release

5000 to ton of all the factors and with those 5000 part of the release. and they are seizing a number 9 product provincial competence and had we are. so in that way i tend to hush him. yes, go ahead. touch him. my question relates to the regional situation. i myself don't agree that the us withdrawal has been precipitous. withdraw is what you do when you fail. we have failed. but i'm interested in your thoughts on the regional context. that is to say, it seems to me, i'm not an expert here that the neighbors pakistan, iran, russia, china, do have a common interest in trying to ensure that as the united states withdraws, afghanistan doesn't descend into absolute absolute chaos. what are the prospects of the united states? encouraging working with incentivizing the neighbors of afghan

a stand to to collaborate right. however, modestly in ensuring some semblance of stability in afghanistan, after the u. s. military has gone. thank you and who? that's a great question. the region number one, it does not have a consensus about, i was honest, the number to the countries of the region. they are in dilemma. first like iran, russia, a little bit china. they were trying to get the united states out of i'm kind of stun gives the united states basis out of understand because professors, especially the iran dealer feeling, crept from the us basis. and i've kind of said that they didn't want to have it apart from having us basis. it'd be iraq. and i don't countries of the middle east now. iran, whether russia, china, and pakistan. these be who like

a threat from the tolerant, if they take over, because tall about having an excellent elective, a tight relationship with the slummy could groups on tarka st on. he's standing up on and the those grooves targeted 8 chinese engineers in pakistan. and it's also being seen that they have hi, how are you, aren't you now identifying a common interest of the afghan stanz neighbors that can provide a basis for them to collaborate in minimizing the negative consequences of the american failure. but let me, let me kind of take it one step further. you know, one of the parts of the mission they've got morphed into the reaction after 911 was the, was the democracy project was raising the aspirations of people telling them that we were going to modernize the country. i remember richard holbrooke working to

look on you know, how you change the kinds of products in agriculture that you had in the country to try to build a very different form of commerce in the nation. i heard david betray us, had captains that were acting like mayor is throughout the country. we saw a women, many of whom i know who were educated and promised and given a very different different element. and i guess my question to both of you, which is, which is another element of this question is, is, isn't disingenuous of the united states, you know, to go into place like this and talk about democracy, raise the aspiration of the people and say, you can have better because we seem to be walking away from that professor base of it. well, i mean, it's a version of imperialism. this was an imperial project. it, it, it began on the assumption that afghans need our help, that afghans are incapable of governing their own country. and so here come the

americans with democracy and market economics and technology and human rights that we presumed we could bestow on these on this backward people and forgive me for using that term. but i think that was implicit in the attitude of the americans and their coalition partners, as they embarked upon this project. and that project has, has, has failed. there is simply no question about it, and that's why it seems to me that the time has come to terminate the war. which to emphasize does not end american responsibility for, for our failure. there is a profound moral responsibility that continues to exist. and i think that the again, forgive me somewhat half hearted effort to allow afghans who worked with the

americans to, to leave afghanistan, is utterly inadequate. we need to do more on that front than quite frankly we to the extent that we're about to see or are seeing a massive refugee crisis. similar to the refugee crisis that existed during the years of, of soviet up occupation. right there to there is a requirement for the united states to step up and do what is right. i'd like to ask you the same question about the ordinary afghan citizen that looked at the united states as delivering something different. modernity, civil rights, social justice, at all of that, they came by way of education and broadening themselves, which today is put a mark on their back in some of these cities. what are america's responsibilities and europe's responsibilities right now to those people that we had promised to

different life? what look the government has like to strategic agreements with the united states. one is a political strategic agreement with united states and you know, this is the security agreement with the united states. of course the admins will be looking to even thing because it has gone through several words for the past 40 years and the in the quiet and need like indication democracy technology help. and some of the things that requires because it has gone through a number of 7 awards, and unfortunately it's coming again, but we need to prioritize the per, yerkes ok both for the i've been government all over the national community also for the united states. now the per year is fighting terrorism, no, going to bring stability to the athens to make sure that the outcomes live insecurity. and to make sure that there's no threat from a kind of needed to the region nor to the nor tough can. and also not to be the international community in, in enlarge,

and that is the area that entire world is felt. now, it's not only the united states and the government because the united states intervening that is done with the international partners. and i've kind of that responsibility is not going to rely only on the united states shoulders, of course, that $911.00, happening in the states, that there are 30 a member states of the need to force it when needs to happen. that is important. what should happen next? well, yes, percentage about it. and also the way to withdraw from up kind of stand and this is the responsibility on the absence, shoulders and also to the country of origin. yes. countries of the region, but there's no consensus among them. we just the, all the threat from i've got to stand, they all do not want to have a child in a lot of them, not people in a sense, but that is coming in because there are internal adversary's. what are the reasons like india and china? so the iran and number of other countries, but now these countries feel that there will be a voice in kind of right. there is a big problem. not only can afford the reason for number of years,

the russians and chinese, and even if they were the things that didn't have to shut it off on that. but now they know the message is not with rob because it says it's not a responsive battle with it all responsible with an out of i'm up because the feel pregnant from a lot of stuff. you know, i can, i can see that point of view on the other hand, i'll bring professor base of it back into this. because another dimension of this that i think often doesn't get discussed is how other big geopolitical rivals of the united states looked at this. you know, and i'll say china for a moment where china, i've been to try to talk to chinese leaders a lot. and they were very happy to have the united states very dragged down and saw american power somewhat contained in china spending to trillion dollars and not getting much for it in afghanistan was just fine by china. and so i'm just sort of interested in whether or not this inflection point, what we're talking about different level that you're talking about terrorism, which i understand hush him. we're also talking about the african people what they were promised and had hopes up. but there's another geostrategic dimension about

america's place in the world and what it can do now. and i guess the question i have is america is, is it more able now to impact global affairs in a positive way by not being so bogged down in afghanistan. so to peak professor base of it. well, the international agenda is pretty crowded right now. i mean, the potential collapse of the government in kabul. a big deal is only one concern. climate change would be another big deal that poses a threat to, to all of us. it seems to me that we, if we are in an inflection point, it's an inflection point that points to a, an imperative of creative diplomacy. we don't even have diplomatic relations

with iran, and yet iran certainly inherits the catastrophe. one of the countries did inherit the catastrophe of us policy and afghan is dan. we need to be engaging with iran. pakistan. however difficult that may be the other countries in the region, they, they may up to this point, have not understood that they have a common interest in collaborating to prevent anarchy from prevailing in afghanistan. they should see that now. and i think they should be encouraged. again, it's a diplomatic issue, not a military one. they should be encouraged to find ways to, to collaborate and we'd be willing to participate in an effort, not in terms of military action, but in terms of either action to address the consequences of our failure. how should thank you that hash him in our last minute or so, i'd love to get essentially some strategic counsel from you as well. i don't know

what's going to unfold in afghanistan, what's going to unfold and couple, and if you were to be honest right now, things don't look good. but as you sort of look ahead and given what you just talked about, which was a, the threat of a glow, a new global empowered turbo charged, you know, terror network emanating from, from this country. what is your advice, you know, given where things are were out of afghanistan is going to happen. what is your advice now? well, number one, well, in international relations, like when one country intervene in another country, a lot of positive things and also with, with a good heart, some adversaries and polls around the feel like they have some other agile does. so what needs to happen? you know, kind of standard is that there should be a common common function drawn together with other actors of the regional actors and international to get that look, that is afraid, there will be a lot of fun and that it will not be only for outcomes. it will also not only be

with the united states, this will be for the region and part of their words. so let's come together and address the challenges. that's number one. number 2, pakistan, pakistan is playing. actors understand and the international communities to address these challenges in pakistan to make sure that that is not expanded. $1200.00 and part of the world. number 3. yes, the now does this intervene enough kind of not only for the safety of the kind of sun, but the safety and security of the world? do you think that now there is no threats from up into the words? it's absolute. is there the level of the threats now? you know, it's much more higher than it was in 2001. and so the telling awful summer a lot of not bring any things. so the right legacy of the legacy and identity of terrorism, spelled data, and i, one of them will thank you for that. andrew bass of its president of the quincy institute for responsible for crap. and how she me, what are you are afghanistan analysts, you're in washington, d. c. thanks to both of you for being with us today. so what's the bottom line?

20 years ago, america had no choice but to attack those who attacked that on 911. but war is complicated, and in afghanistan, the united states and its partners raised expectations really high for the people there. they spoke of a democratic future without solving any of the underlying tensions that the nation faces, especially the ethnic divide and also the proxy war between india and pakistan. so now afghan is just as divided as ever. half of the people prefer the taliban and hope they take over soon. the other half of course, don't want to live under taliban rule, but last time the taliban government didn't have much support and recognition for many countries. it was isolated. this time, beige ng and others, and maybe even washington may be okay with what's unfolding. and after all this, it doesn't look like america has really learned the main lesson, which is to stop over promising and under delivery. and that's the bottom line. ah.

if you were looking at this from the outside, you would really wonder what was going on, what, what is this growth is a religion that they have an in depth exploration of global capitalism on our obsession with economic growth. this is still the center of capitalism. there is no limit, i view myself as a capital artist we are trying to bake as well as smaller and smaller. we don't want to be so realistic in the world. we would rather have a fantasy. growing pains on al jazeera, investigative journalist, and government panic. they didn't have the infrastructure they needed. they promised results in 5 days. but it's been a year examining. the headline. is this another potential last point for conflicts voice is from different corner. every house here has someone who has made it to the

top of ever. it's not just one, but several time program that is not punitive you today on algae near me because i'll be here and how you top stories from al jazeera afghanistan's president says he won't give up the achievements of the past 20 years. that the taliban claims more provinces surrounding the capital. in a brief tv address, that's ref ghani said he's speaking with local leaders and international partners about how to prevent more instability and violence. meanwhile, the taliban has captured another provincial capital in the east. i sat about in coon, our province close to the border with pakistan. charlotte bellis has more now on gun his address in cobble.