won the war in afghanistan began as a counter strike for the nine eleven of tragedies masterminded from the country by some of bin laden a retired army general stanley mcchrystal said the u.s. began the occupation with a friendly simplistic view and still have no idea how to end the conflict successfully meantime in the war zone american bases are still expanding with an ongoing program of infrastructure building jason modeling is visited by a ground base for r.t. . if the united states is drawing its troops from afghanistan why is its largest base getting bigger the u.s. led forces overran the taliban of late two thousand and one bug a mere field is little more than a flight to correct runway since then the former soviet base in the plains north of the afghan capital has grown into a small city itself over twenty five thousand full time personal fleets of military cargo aircraft and enough equals to cause traffic jams in the expansion is no way it is by scores of contractors u.s. military engineers are constructing new housing and storage facilities to make room

for even more maybe more hard work after sending an extra thirty thousand troops to afghanistan last year president obama started bringing them home this summer but with afghan forces struggling to stand alone it's likely that less will even plant bases like this one are going to shrink anytime soon. at least there are plenty of home comforts from soldiers standing on fertile a few moment appointments we can shop for everything from flat screen t.v.'s to fine jewelry enjoy a cappuccino to grab some take at the new pizza hut franchise and if you're tired of working out in june you're free to go to the salon for a haircut inside which although some officials have tried to limit such amenities calling them a distraction from the more the troops are happy to have them and these are extremely. useful if enough to leave this planet or have a case that the right. local afghan merchants are also glad to have the extra business both inside and outside the wire without agreement

a soldier's my business would be nothing we like having them here but not everyone agrees deadly taliban rocket attacks are on the rise and as the base becomes more and more crowded the threat to those living inside multiplies no matter how high its most become everyone gets a close call when you're this congested get this much equipment personnel consolidate into one tight spot get close it's going to destroy something or someone. easy as it may be to do the time this is still. just a month. from. general john allen one of the military's top brass said u.s. troops will still be in the country even for the twenty fourteen deadline that have been announced by nato in the white house with this insurgent attacks have been increasing in recent months with several high profile assassinations and shoot in the heart of the capital kabul as we've been reporting civilian casualties in the country are also on the rise to discuss the outcome so far this ongoing military campaign is on i'm joined by michael chugg analyst at the george mason university

school for conflict resolution mr shank thanks ever so much for being with us tonight this conflict already becoming the longest war in u.s. history of the outcome still up in the air in years to come how do you think the history books are going to record what actually happened at the end of it all. what's interesting is not only the longest war but it's the most expensive war costing one million per soldier per year so we're spending three hundred twenty five million per day ten billion per month one hundred twenty billion per year in terms of how the history books will tell the story i think you'll look at the success and sustainability of the strategies and i would argue that they aren't successful and they aren't sustainable we've tried every military strategy under the sun from counterterrorism to counterinsurgency and now we're trying out these afghan local police which is essentially u.s. commanders giving money and munitions to whomever they choose on the ground that's not sustainable we'll look at the development strategy which is also not sustainable foreign contractors. excessive egregious war profiteering as

illuminated recently by the wartime contracting commission senate foreign relations committee and the look at our diplomacy strategy in terms of the failed reconciliation peace talks recently you know the u.s. was extending a hand while having a hand behind its back that hand behind its back was killing taliban as was expecting taliban to come to the table so i think across the board terms of success and sustainability of the strategies it's. failed on all three accounts so let's wind this but let's look back to the beginning of this just a few days before nine eleven the taliban offered to give up some of bin laden did it continued to do so after that campaign started why do you think the u.s. didn't take them up on that offer. well it's interesting they have not taken the taleban up on several offers there are several recent case studies where in taliban leaders went to the negotiation table and were killed on the way i mean the real problem with killing the top taliban brass if you will is that they were willing to

negotiate now that you're killing them off you have a younger breed coming in and they're less willing to negotiate they've been fighting for fewer years they're not as tired of fighting some of the fighting and so when you're killing the kind of the top taliban elder leadership you're also killing off those most willing to negotiate. president causes admitted that the combined forces failed to provide afghans with security is what's going to happen if and when the coalition forces do leave the country. well it's interesting in terms of winning the hearts and minds either afghans or americans we've lost on all accounts you know afghans are not experiencing more security more freedom of movement more economic opportunity more access to health care medical services schools they're not experiencing that and in fact it's declining they're facing more insecurity attacks have risen in the tray is actually issued more airstrikes increasing at sixty to eighty percent over mcchrystal so they're experiencing less security so in terms of winning the hearts and minds there were fail in terms of winning the hearts and minds in america around this war you know america is tired

they're looking at financial cuts in congress and saying well why aren't we scaling down the war which is crippling our economy here and so i think i'm on well exactly tired and broke let's face it i mean it's been estimated as you started as you would say to me started out in this. you mentioned in a recent article as well that afghanistan was a cost a staggering three point seven trillion dollars so far we're going over the ten year timeframe in times of financial hardship like we've got now what we're seeing so graphically in the u.s. and around the world kaldis will still be justified at any level. absolutely not and the c b o put out a report saying if we end the wars now we save one point four trillion dollars these are monies that can be saved the three point seven trillion that you mentioned brown study brown university study i mean that's money that we didn't have that was all debt funded deficit funded and they're certainly not fiscally sustainable but even look at strategy you know if we want to pursue something that

works at the rand corporation which is kind of a wing of the pentagon it's a think tank produced report how to terrorist groups in that they identified three strategies most effective policing intelligence negotiations eighty four percent of all terrorist groups that have been ended were ended as a result of those strategies those are nation building state building strategies that don't cost much money at all we need to reduce the heavy military footprint and air print that is costing our coffers incredible amounts of money not sustainable pursuit lighter footprint perhaps around the world where things are unstable but in terms of the current strategy not remotely financially sustainable michael shannon got a list of the george mason university school for complete the resolution of this a good view of the program. thanks given. that there actually. target. system. should be the same as us rich. nation to bring peace and stability to the world.

for ten years and does it only have to change. libyan fighters have launched a final attack on cole gadhafi hometown of sirte reports say the interim government troops have now largely taken the city but is still meeting pockets of heavy resistance hundreds of vehicles are pouring into the outskirts of the city as it's being pounded with heavy shelling thousands of civilians of left many more are thought to remain your soul comes after colonel gadhafi and all of your messages the libyans to resist the interim leaders the civil war which has claimed thousands of lives so far was joined by nato under u.n. mandate to protect civilians are supposed to get chandan he's an activist journalist told me he doesn't believe the western powers will leave the country any time soon. from the part of the global south africa in particular this is being an absolute disaster civilians are clearly targeted and i

think now china in this last few days china and russia have vetoed the u.n. resolution which is a similar program by nato which they cannot from libya but they want to conduct now in syria i think china and russia have admitted that they were fooled over the resolution seventy three on one libya and they're not going to be fooled again there's no sign whatsoever that nato is going to leave nato it will intervene even further if the factional amongst the rebels continues to have this of the relationship continues to worsen and it's very clear that for the west and for nato there man on the ground is people like jabril and so the battle is far from over. president develops again stated that russia will not support any u.n. resolution to impose sanctions on syria he said it's not up to the u.n. or nato to decide the political course the country should follow but his ego piskun off reports. president of the the fixed wing that russia strongly criticizes the

ongoing violence in syria it supports the idea that the country is in desperate need of democratic reform but also thinks that if the current of the thirty's will not be able to create this change then we will have to go but we need to be there for stress that this will have to be the choice of the syrian people and not a result of some foreign military intervention similar to how the end vans are unfolding proly in libya and since it would be you on draft resolution on syria backed by the west did not exclude the chances of foreign military intervention russia had to block it of that it is the resolutions alters didn't take our concerns into account worse they declined the simple proposal to stated there would be no external military interference in the conflict this means only one thing our partners in the un security council do not rule out a replay of the libyan scenario although they said more than once that they clearly understood syria is very different to libya russia will continue resisting attempts

to legitimize unilateral sanctions through the u.n. security council that aims to overthrow political regimes the un was not created for that meanwhile the violence in syria continues according to the leaders figures coming out of the year one nearly three thousand people have lost their lives throughout the entire conflict the west says that it will continue applying pressure on syrian authorities while russia hopes that the country will be able to conduct peaceful democratic reforms on its own. kind of a correspondent for still to come few in the program the u.k. may be facing its worst economic crisis in history the bank of a good warning comes as the country fills the by the recession with banks graded and the government implementing desperate measures to boost growth report on mt. and russian prosecutors prepare to bring new charges for the murder of journalist anna politkovskaya shot dead here in moscow exactly five years ago. because of the occupy wall street protests have reached the american capital

chanting the movement's message crowds march through downtown washington d.c. the demonstration started as a simple sit in in front of the new york stock exchange would have quickly gained support all over the country more rallies followed in chicago boston san francisco and los angeles activists say they're fed up with breaking their backs at work while bonuses flowing to the pockets of already wealthy wall street bankers when police used pepper spray a baton to disperse tens of thousands of people walking from the wall street earlier we spoke to occupy wall street activist you know tomorrow give us his experience of being beaten by the police he also told us that the lack of definite demands of the movement is in fact its strength. i think actually there's an interesting contrast in the police response i've been around. because. it's intense. i haven't seen this.

all. along. i think here there's an incredible strength from not having a career was the right answer. this moment is a little bit different i don't really think this one has to come up with its own demise this occupation we are foundational which those roots organizations and movements. it's the worst service added witness i think that's very credible springtime for the royals for example to really build a movement capable of both creating an alternative structure and cycle to carve out the space for that. across the atlantic because finances have been dealt another blow ratings moody's has downgraded twelve of britain's financial firms and banks it comes after the bank of england chief said the country's economy to its lowest point since the nineteenth thirty's if not ever analysts say ject except the five

billion pounds into the economy isn't going to do the country any good. we already have inflation of around about five percent in the united kingdom which compared to recent years this is hardly putting more money into the economy risks actually increasing that inflation it's post b. the bank of england's central key task to actually keep inflation under control two and a half percent or less my concern is that quantitative easing throwing another seventy five billion pounds into the economy is actually a distraction from what the u.k. government needs which is a very aggressive and radical growth strategy one that i think they lack at the moment what we've got to get away from in the united kingdom and actually right across the western world more generally is this idea that every single bank is copper bottomed because if they get into trouble the taxpayer will cry all them out and one of the key things that the u.k. government is struggling with is how do we allow a bank to go through the ward to fail without actually describing the wider economy

and i think that these these downgrades by actually reflect the fact that we are beginning to move away from what was a hopeless and helpless situation knowing which basically every bank you could if you crash in the time when the government would come to their right so it's a grim warning but in the same way as you would wish to have an almost a toy from your doctor about your state of health i think it is a welcome warning. that was mark littlewood director general of the u.k. free market think tank been sued big number fares this is the state of britain's finances. russian prosecutors are said to hand fresh charges to key suspects in the murder of prominent journalist anna politkovskaya five years ago she was gunned down in her apartment block in moscow but while the case has drawn worldwide attention now would be convicted for the murder. of the met politkovskaya family who still want to see justice done. for police who worked on this day five years

ago it was a model of a woman huff way through their shift at around four pm for a very political it was hard way through her pregnancy when she got a call her mother had been shot dead outside her apartment it was a watershed moment and there is life before and after it is national when you might seem to you that i was well aware what kind of journalism my mother was into she would ok janelle they say if something happens to me documents are the monies here here are all the numbers to call but we never really took it seriously i was four months pregnant the family was full of hope and my mother promised that after her first grandchild was born she would stop going to chechnya and take up quite a journalistic work. but quiet journalistic work is not something you would associate on the political scale with best to get it corrupt security officials and exposed to human rights violations she help people when there are cases in the

highest courts in russia and in strasbourg but the irony is that five years later your own murder still remains unpunished but your eyes would be if you were there there have been different periods in the process both busy winton people were arrested almost simultaneously in two thousand and seven and passive when nothing was happening however the events of recent months give us certain optimism for a successful ending successful in terms of finding the mastermind of the murder i can tell you if the investigation was as active five years ago as it is now by this time we would have had more evidence on your own or the twenty eleven has indeed been a turning point in may prosecutors named a man who is believed to have pulled the trigger. mood of was arrested in chechnya up to years on the run and belgian and shortly afterwards investigators announced they were closed just solving one of the most high profile slayings in recent russian memory. a former high ranking police official dimitri publishing co was

a middleman for money agreed to organize a criminal mob consisting of four people it's a cardioid the assassination he kept. provided the perpetrator with a gun and would organize other members of the group we also have other information about the alleged mastermind of the killing but it's too premature to release that information which was. not very good as yet aware on the political worked up until her death has been carrying out its own investigation into the journalists munter the newspapers deputy editors says it's good that interest in the case is so high both in russia and abroad but it's bad when it turns into pressure on prosecutors but it's more than your friends period before we still believe that the four people that my brothers and their friends who were in were acquitted in two thousand and nine with no or in some way linked to this murder but you cannot blame the cord security for the record it was a lack of solid evidence presented in court and always happened because there was

a public pressure on the prosecution to rush to judgment we think that even their races were too premature dominico. the russians supreme court unknown to the acquittal verdict of two thousand and nine and ordered a reopening of the investigation it's a significant part of the johnny but it's certainly not the end one of the biggest challenges for investigators at this point is to find other suspects who are now on the run outside the country but just like on the political scare herself her family and colleagues will never give up as they strive to find the truth it takes very little to describe someone's death in case of on the political just a dozen words on a piece of stone but these journalists life and her legacy could never fit in a forty by forty marble plane. it's in the catch of our team.

because so many more new stories on one is one our website r t v dot com for you tonight the u.s. threats leave us go without american funding as the world's education and heritage group is a step closer to allowing palestine to become a member find a more mind and unusual proposal solve greece's financial woes from the mayor of lithuania is capital he suggested get this the businessman from his country should buy one of the greek islands to provide the debt stricken nation with cash a good idea or not. world news in brief this year's nobel peace prize will be awarded jointly to three women's rights activists from gehman and liberia among them the liberian president ellen johnson sirleaf the laureates were praised for their nonviolent struggle for women's rights and participation in peace processes the nobel committee wants to send a message that will bring an end to women suppression around the world. a pakistani doctor could be charged with high treason for allegedly assisting the cia in their

operation to kill osama bin laden state investigators claim shall kill after it be operated a fake vaccination program to gather d.n.a. samples in the city where the al qaeda head was killed pakistan claims the us violated its sovereignty by carrying out the unsanctioned mission to take out bin laden on may the second. chilling means of brutally lashed out at protesters demanding educational reform police in riot gear surrounded students in the capital said the are using water cannons and tear gas to push them straight is the slogan united and stronger the clash left several injured and students groups are eventually forced to disperse this is the latest escalation between protesters and police and a confrontation that lasted several months. a complete change of tone looking ahead a bit later this followed martin andrews on a cultural trip to the renowned pushed good museum of fine art in the heart of russia's capital. when the museum was founded one of its main objectives was to

become an educational institute for local students many of the exhibits on display inside the museum are exact copies of original masterpieces from all around the world and were commissioned and created specifically for the pushkin museum in this room for example you can see replicas of some of the most famous greek statues and sculptures between the fourth and first centuries. so more from art in the moscow just five minutes from now tonight we've got sports news lying ahead to this will russia's footballers be booking their tickets for euro two thousand and twelve tonight you know it's got more about that in twenty minutes first let's check out the business with to be true.

and welcome to the program the euro zone's a sovereign debt crisis is causing problems far beyond the borders of the countries directly involved russia which has a balanced budget and healthy reserves has been hit hard in its latest report the international monetary fund says the best way to get rid of this vulnerability is to diversify away from energy. we would recommend as we have always recommend that every effort be made to be less dependent on the oil and gas sectors so policy priority to emphasize all other industries in particular the manufacturing sector into competitiveness exports and so forth russia has plenty of access to technology educated labor force all the ingredients necessary to relaunch its manufacturing sector like all other advanced economies so that would be a first second we think that russia might want to continue for sizing a stronger public finances the government has set

a target of four point seven percent. that is a very valid target which would make the russian economy a lot more resilient if you are. russia's burbank is considering buying the turkish unit of troubled french belgian group dexia now it's struggling to cope with its exposure to greek debt and is considering an asset sale so also that burbank say the deciding factor will be the price of the asset but the acquisition would be consistent with the bank's well publicized plan to expand into central and eastern europe. in other news russia's top diamond producer al gore also plans to hold an i.p.o. at the end of twenty twelve or soon after vice president of. the state plans to privatized seven to ten percent of the company with also says over also his restructuring in preparation for listing. in europe we're going to know in these pre-crisis volatile time we are in the ideal situation we are sitting on

a big stack of money capitalization is better than before the two thousand and eight crisis and all sales volumes should champions' performance in the coming days we will publish or two thousand and eleven first half report and we will post such figures as the company has never seen in its history because. now a quick look at the stock markets in russia the r.t.s. m i six continued the bounce back on friday gaining three and two and a half percent respectively but overall the week was negative to look at some individual share moves on the my sex metal stocks were on the rise with that show adding almost six percent attach produce so wild card is among the main again is in the session it's up more than six percent on news of a two and a half billion dollars buyback is also a good in a company plans to invest almost twenty billion dollars in refinery upgrades in ten years and its other if didn't add i have seen that trickle wraps up the straight.

we were close in the little bit above the opening of the week while. the last three days was significant let's say let's try to call the trolley we see the. three percent growth of the day and. it seems that the market sentiment remains cautious we see the wall if you will to steam place we see if it's this will probably be in place for the next two weeks while still markets reacting quite well to consolidate its. efforts over the sea be bank of england and other european authorities to get through the crisis everybody is thinking about. and that's all the business for now coming up next i'll see the headline.

on. a very warm welcome to you this is your news today protesters on the walls central they have to. leave the sentence when your child gets a chance to set a good book for example the status of the human experiment is exploding with. problems in this rap music or did no good movies alertly try to make sense of global economy and its arcane things as financial templates each of the research

clambering to maintain our confidence in markets and ignore the primitive wants to be seen trade imbalances recession look cheap emissions close to collapsing a subprime loan foreclosed homes. to fail switchblade banks again feel level i think if the us crash and imminent smash the ceiling team feels it's a call to the classes in athens greece the i.m.f. impulse strikes me i'm just programs in greece saying that told me condoms. ok. under attack america lost out target. customers. he should feel the full u.s. mission. to bring peace and stability to the. news president.

how did the mission successfully. desperate for those inside the. u.s. . will flow into the pockets.