the details. 00:27:27,714 --> 1073741526:08:58,143 this 1073741526:08:58,143 --> 2147483051:50:28,571 is 2147483051:50:28,571 --> 3221224577:31:59,000 bbc 3221224577:31:59,000 --> 4294966103:13:29,430 news. across the united states in support of gun control. 00:00:00,001 --> 858993220:38:41,887 this 858993220:38:41,887 --> 1717986441:17:23,772 is 1717986441:17:23,772 --> 2576979661:56:05,658 bbc 2576979661:56:05,658 --> 3435972882:34:47,543 world 3435972882:34:47,543 --> 4294966103:13:29,430 news. we will continue to stricter gun control fight for those things that are right. laws in america. we will continue to fight for america. common sense. survivors of the florida school shooting. fight for our lives. we will continue to fight for our dead friends. shooting. he said was a big mistake but he wouldn't stand down. wouldn't stand down. official in egypt's survived an assassination attempt in alexandria. assassination attempt in alexandria. understood to have been the target of a car bomb. of a car bomb. he survived unharmed but two police officers were killed. during a supermarket siege. but two police officers cambridge take the 2018 men's boat race. race. were killed. thames, this stretch of the thames, belongs entirely to cambridge. hostages during yesterday's terror attack. attack.

winning the men's, women's and both reserve contests. president macron says he died a hero. here with a full round—up of the day's news. day's news. america's longest conflict —— at ten o'clock. f—16fighterjets take turns to refuel. i've got eyes on him. roger that. looking good, nice and stable. we are a little slow. disconnect. providing air cover to afghan forces battling insurgent fighters. 17 years in, and america's longest war shows no sign of ending. the troops out of afghanistan once and

for all. until, in his words, the war is won. thank you very much, thank you, please be seated. deserve a plan for victory. trust they have earned to fight, and to win. afghan commandos launched a night raid on a taliban position. despite improvements in elite troops like these... the fact is that afghanistan still looks like a quagmire. expanded their territory. in kabul and elsewhere around the country.

in afghanistan. america's new policy. which emanated from here. it is personal. to this conflict.

should continue, why did you... from the region. groups and protect our homeland. to the peak? the difference today we have 320,000 afghans in uniform. troops, this was only for about 18 months. during that period we began to grow the afghan army to its present size. we drew down our troops

sharply. taking the fight to the enemy. financial support. are protecting us. years, what are you doing now that will make a difference? the end state is reconciliation, this is what the afghans want. military pressure applied to the enemy. in the afghan military. the investment in the afghan army is already well under way. compound for commandos on the outskirts of kabul.

troops to 211,000 in total. it is theirjob to take the fight to the taliban. of afghan troops, but they carry out 80% of offensive operations. the plans for the afghan air force are even more ambitious. the aim is that it will triple in size. take over from the us, targeting taliban positions... and providing air support for operations by afghan troops. why the army and the air force, what can they bring...

of the government. offensive capability. the combat here in afghanistan sits in a regional context. with new players, if you like. president, president trump, is the role of pakistan. pakistan has been harbouring and facilitating the taliban. that is a huge problem, isn't it? that this insurgency continues. without that it would never survive inside the country.

what do you mean? their leadership lives outside of afghanistan. where? you mentioned pakistan. trump in his august speech. continue to force. to change? conversation about peace. willingness to talk about peace, i believe there is a link. but it is also diplomatic and social. about peace. it is pakistan still harbouring taliban leaders?

are still living on the other side of the border. these terrorists and stop the flow back and forth. the other external actor to talk about is russia. resources for the taliban. undermining our interest as well. terrorist who could pose a threat to any country. peace and reconciliation. of common interest of the way forward. however, that has not been the case.

what has been happening? to legitimise the actions of the taliban... and provide some degree of support to the taliban. to the taliban. what support do you understand to be? the support is difficult to quantify. to the taliban. observed the russian behaviour elsewhere around the world. we have also seen exercises on the border. in tajikistan. yes. vezo counterterrorism exercises. exercises. large amount of equipment and leave

some of it behind. some of it behind. —— these are counterterrorism exercises. to the efforts of the united states and nato. with the war in syria. of the taliban in afghanistan? last 18—24 months. when things started to heat up in syria. it is interesting to note the timing of the whole thing. seemingly interminable conflict. opium, and the heroin it is used to produce. comes from afghanistan. and production has

been going through the roof. it almost doubled last year according to un figures. and use the revenue that raises to fund their operations. is what we saw similarly in colombia. this insurgency continue. in this conflict?

absolutely. in order to profit from the drugs trade. of profit than it is their original religious and political leanings. how has this changed your tactics? is the number one source of that. we are now going after narcotics. influence, control or contested. activity in the areas

that are under control. is expanding its area of influence, or at least it did last year. the taliban effectively advancing? the way... the way they interpreted? the way they were interpreted. government control 60 to 64% of the population. area on the ground. to describe the territory controlled?

we think the population is much more relevant than the empty desert. or live in irrelevance. are going to increase really significantly. here, aren't we? that stalemate is done with the south asia... you have moved on from that... yes and... you've broken it? the afghan air force, as the us air force.

so that was never a factor previously. into these new areas. with these awful bombs that were... in late december and january. we saw terrible attacks here in kabul. what does that tell us about the state of the war? theyjust have to make it in. they only have to be good once, to get in. and the death of any civilian is something we want to avoid. so this is exposing the hypocrisy of the taliban. statements, they are trying to protect? is that what you are saying?

no, i am not. i'm saying, it shows a lowering of ambition. with heavy losses. and then the afghans would come in and retake the district. and again, we ended up at about the same place. and they discussed their strategy going forward. to maintain their relevance and to show that they were still present. and controlling population to conducting terrorist attacks. and as the commander of forces here, how do you interpret that? well, we have to adjust to that, to protect the population. which means that

our pressure is working. to go after specific leaders. and closer to terrorism as an organization. as an organisation. a peace offer to the taliban — a very generous peace offer. we will let you set up a party...

as it is on most other issues. with the afghan government. this is an enemy that you have been fighting for 16 years. were you surprised how generous president ghani's offer was? did you support the offer? we support the offer. we want to see a peaceful reconciliation in afghanistan. is all of the back channel communication that's going on. many in the taliban are tired of this war. there are many taliban who disagree with these tactics. with blowing up civilians, with blowing up a hospital.

i mean, they disagree with this approach. the taliban leadership. return to their country. so why haven't we had a response from the taliban? i don't know, you have to ask the taliban. i mean, this is... they wrote an open letter to the people of america. and will engage in a peaceful reconciliation. now, president trump's policy is conditions—based. this will last? by both the government and the taliban.

i do not think this is any coincidence. talking about peace in their own way. he talked about winning here, he talked about victory. what would victory in afghanistan look like? where they lay down their arms and bring stability to afghanistan. from this region. but it is a reconciliation that brings us to that point. so victory could mean a government including the taliban?

this has to be an afghan solution. and to prevent terrorist attacks emanating from the region. so, yes, whatever path the afghans take... not as preconditions but as things that they'd be looking for. they haven't answered president ghani. what would your message be to the taliban? this war to a conclusion. so it's a start point. what happens if they don't? we will maintain our pressure on the enemy.

continued rejection by the afghan people. that there can be a kind of resolution, a reconciliation? i think we are in a moment, now, with these offers on the table. that we have not been at before. their own form of an offer to the american people. which will enable us to protect our homelands in a more secure way. to live in stability and peace. hello

there. in the north and west. the swirling area of low pressure. the spanish met service have named that storm hugo. it's bringing some fairly stormy conditions across spain. of cloud. towards the south—east. little bit more in the way of cloud. we'll see some milder temperatures here. frosty start. northern england and wales in particular. parts of scotland and northern england. 12 celsius with light winds. as we go through the evening we will hold onto some clear spells.

still one or two showers persisting in the north, perhaps. continues to dominate the weather. weather front working in from the west as we move through monday. up to a bright and frosty start. west, the wind starting to pick up with spells of rain pushing in. in the double figures. we are looking at a maximum of 12 celsius. pressure and associated weather fronts. across the north of the country. milder with some spells of rain. in the double figures across england and wales. here we are looking at a maximum of 12 celsius.

weather front pivoting its way across towards the east. hills, perhaps to lower levels as well. details, so do stay tuned to the forecast. celsius in the north. high ground in south—west of wales. week, not quite as cold as it has been over the past few cold spells. continuing to see the jet stream wavering

towards the south of us. particularly over high ground in the north. times as well. up—to—date as we pin down