cnn's nick peyton walsh is in the country. he joins us live from bagram air base. nick? >> reporter: absolutely. what we're about to see is a report from a remote part of the border with pakistan, an area called newer stan. this is a small village surrounded by valleys. nato used to have a fairly strong presence here, outposts securing the area. a few years ago pulled back. that left the afghans in control. since late march of this year, the talibans have moved in and taken over this village. the report you're about to see is sinister for some people because it shows their flag flying above the local administration there and them suggesting they are the law in that part of afghanistan, potentially shocking for the future of this country. in this quiet village near the pakistani border, one of nato's fears is realized, the local

cnn's nick patton walsh has been speaking to u.s. troops at the bagram air base in kabul. he joins us now. nick, what have they been telling you? >> reporter: interesting enough, zain, we didn't have huge numbers of people gathered around tv screens to watch the speech. people here know what really was coming roughly. they didn't know the exact numbers but they did know to expect some kind of drawdown. one soldier, just to give you a snapshot, it's their own personal opinions, one soldier privately saying we have to stay here, we have to finish the job. the cost to america was paid in 9/11. the cost in the budget now is not the point. we can't afford to leave. another one earlier saying, look, we got bin laden, that's the job done. it's time to reduce our numbers here significantly. it's fatigue, i think it's fair to say, in a majority of soldiers we've heard here. obama has sounded fairly anti-military, tough demand in the troops. let's look at the numbers really. we're talking about 10,000 here. that's a fraction of the 100,000 strong force here. two-thirds of that force

nick walsh joins us from bag ram air force base. nick, what's the reaction in afghanistan as the president announces the surge troops are going to start coming home? >> reporter: the commander in chief hasn't spoken yet, we privately hear that he is ordering the end of the longest ever war. it is fair to say not the same energy for this conflict that we have seen previously or even iraq. one said we got bin laden, the job is done, we should go home. another expressed fears that a precipitous withdrawal could let the taliban come back in force. i think a recognition of the dangers here, but also perhaps acknowledgment that maybe some of america's cards are being played. >> that question of a vacuum being created and the taliban stepping into it, to sort of seize control, how likely is that for real? >> reporter: i think across the whole country that is unlikely because of the pockets created in kabul. you go out towards the afghan, pakistani border where we sent a cameraman recently, there is a town where it does appear the taliban ha

nick paton-walsh, cnn, kabul. >>> to iraq, five u.s. soldiers killed last week in baghdad were likely targeted by shiite militias attempting to drive the u.s. out of iraq. >>> six weeks after osama bin laden was killed another operative in east africa goes down. fazul abdul mohammed was killed in mogadishu, he was behind the bombings in kenya and tanzania. he was on the fbi u.s. most wanted terrorist list. >>> congresswoman gabrielle giffords will leave a houston, texas, rehab facility this month. the arizona congresswoman spokesperson telling "the houston chronicle" giffords will become an outpatient. she was among several people shot in january in tucson. six of those people died. >>> take a look, volcano in chile now causing air travel problems. thousands of miles away in australia, as well as new zealand. thick black cloud drifted west as the eruption spits ash into the air. qantas airlines canceled 20 flights. >>> the blue angels are ready to get back in the air. they were forced to take a few weeks off because of safety concerns.

nick walsh is embedded with u.s.outpost that's actually in taliban territory. >> reporter: everywhere you look here on afghanistan's eastern border the choices aren't good. this outpost is caught between hills full of taliban. if the americans leave militants from pakistan will flow through the valley. if they stay then every few days this happens. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: mortars hit the base. the last attack was long enough ago there is panic. they are worried the taliban have been preparing a big one. after days of nothing the insurgents finally amassed around the compound and they are being attacked from all sides. >> come on, hustle up. grab it, get ready. >> reporter: first they use mortars but the incoming fire is very accurate here. >> fire! >> go, go, go! >> reporter: they arrange cover from heavy machine guns. >> oh! >> reporter: but the bullets are too close. >> never mind! >> reporter: locals scatter. just before huge american firepower has the last word. >> oh! [ explosion ] >> whoo hoo! >> reporter: fou

. >> joining me now nick payton walsh. nick, from your vantage point s afghanistan ready for a withdrawal of u.s. troops? >> reporter: in short, no. could really do with another ten even 30 years of american money, security, there has to be some kind of accommodation in the future between the afghan government and the insurgency. america can't stay here forever. popular support is vanishing. we don't know if that cooperation whether that will work or whether, as it happened in the past, lead to some kind of civil war. that's the deep concern here, joe. >> now, the united states has certainly had its share of tension and disagreements with afghan president hamid karzai. how is this announcement expected to affect that relationship which i certainly would call delicate? >> reporter: it's a very fragile relationship. a few days ago karzai was thinking of calling american forces here occupiers. he's got a domestic audience tired of ten years of troops on their soil, but no one is in any doubt that karzai is very dependent on am

joining us now from kabul is nick paton-walsh, recently returned from the northern portion of afghanistan where he's looked at how the northerners cultivate a controversial crop. >> reporter: for awhile opium was off nato's radar as it focused on tackling the insurgentry. the blight for the last harvest caused the price to triple for this particular harvest causing warnings perhaps of record profits giving money to the insurgency, but also causing many form farmers who for years have grown the wheat, the alternative crops nato is keen to promote to turn back to opium as we saw in bal asham. we're heading north into the remote hills for a glimpse of afghanistan's future. the war here in balakshan is against a business so profitable and growing so fast many fear it's the only thing left when the u.s. pulls out. opium. here, it's expanding faster than anywhere in the country, and risks getting out of control. stopping this harvest is particularly important because the price of opium has risen dramatically threatening to flood a record amount of cash into afghanistan and also into the insurge

nick peyton walsh is in kabul covering reaction there. nick, welcome. we're hearing the president plans to draw down 10,000 troops this year, 20,000 next year. does the size and timing of draw down make sense, nick? >> reporter: i think domestically, yes, it does. he is keeping his promises. also it helps the military out to a certain extent, gives them a pretty long time to keep working with those surge troops of 30,000, two-thirds of whom will be here another 18 months or so. that's enough time really for the military frankly to fulfill the agenda they have. 10,000 this year helps explain the narrative to the american public that they are succeeding here, bringing the troops home, getting that transition story told ahead of the november, 2012 re-election. so yeah, it makes sense domestically. i think in terms of afghans here, how they will perceive it, it is very much restructuring the nato preps here, and giving them the simple idea that there's a new fiscal landscape in which they have to come to some common with the insurgency. >> are forces ready

cnn nick patton walsh has answers from an isolated military outpost. >> reporter: everywhere you look here on the eastern border, the choices aren't good. out post caught between the taliban. if the americans leave, militants from pakistan will flow through the valley. if they stay, then every few days this happens. mortars hit the base. the last attack was long enough ago there's panic. they are worried the taliban have been preparing a big one. for days they have finally amassed around the compound and attacked. >> come on, hustle up, grab it and be ready. >> reporter: they use mortar first. the incoming fire is very accurate here. they arrange cover from heavy machine guns. >> as soon as they go, go quick. >> reporter: but the bullets are too close. >> never mind. >> reporter: locals scatters, just before huge american fire power have the last word. four massive air strikes on the hills and then the taliban fall silent. america new why it came here, but isn't sure why it's staying. >> can you get a -- >> reporter: ten minutes later, jets swoop in to the hills. a show of force for t

nick payton walsh for us in afghanistan tonight. thanks. stay safe. >>> now what you might call a tale of two serious. tonight an activist group is telling cnn at least ten people died in today's anti-government protests with clashes and security forces against the regime of syrian leader al assad, reported in at least six cities as well as some neighborhoods in the capital of damascus. yet in damascus itself, you might never know there was a crisis. the syrian government has finally allowed cnn crews inside the country. even though she's being supervised, she was allowed to talk to people after friday prayers. >> reporter: this young man just came out of the mosque and he said he doesn't want any trouble. they're a small group of pro government demonstrators expressing their support for the regime. this young man is saying people are paying money from out said in order to ferment this unrest. >> what kind of activity did you see in damascus today? >> reporter: really it's interesting, it's a tale of two syrias. over the last more than thre

we are going to get in touch with nick payton walsh. he is in kabul, afghanistan. you have been there on and off for the last four years. what do you think will happen if the u.s. speeds up its troop withdrawal? the congressional reports we are seeing here and sources within the military saying it could mean big trouble for afghanistan if, indeed, troops leave and the money goes. >> i think we are seeing in some areas of the country perhaps the beginning of the impact along the eastern border. they have pulled out of some of the less populated areas. there are reports that suggest that the taliban actually has found new safe havens there. separately, i think the most important thing is the message. effectively, you're saying to afghans, you have to choose a side in this that nato is not going to be here an awful lot longer. that leaves them with a choice. do you back the guys that say they are leaving or do you go with the guys that were here yesterday, here right now and will be here tomorrow? that's the taliban. frankly, leaving a much more difficult job for the

nick payton walsh got caught in just such an attack.h this. >> reporter: everywhere you look here on afghanistan's eastern border, the choices aren't good. an outpost is caught between hills full of taliban. if the americans leave, militants from pakistan will flow through the valley. if they stay, then every few days, this happens. the mortars hit the base. the last attack was long enough ago there's panic. they're worried the taliban have been preparing a big one. after days of nothing, the insurgents have finally amassed around the compound and beginning to attack from all sides. >> come on, hustle up. grab it and be ready. >> reporter: they use mortars first, aiming for taliban dug into the hills, but the incoming fire is very accurate here. >> go, go, go, go, go! >> reporter: they arrange cover from heavy machine guns. >> grab a round. as soon as they go psycyclic, d it. >> reporter: but the bullets are too close. locals scatter. just before huge american fire power has the last word. >> oh, oh! >> reporter: four massive air strike

. >> our cnn's nick walsh. ned when they see the resurgence of the taliban. any comment from nato when they see the flag from taliban is now flying again? >> reporter: well, nato, to be honest, say videos like this are often part of a taliban propaganda machine, and they are not there in the numbers they suggest and they don't have that kind of control or certainly the government functionality which that video seems to suggest. we have heard from some officials that the taliban have been in control of that area since march. there are remote parts of the country where the taliban are locals and will be there in the future, and it makes some wonder what will happen when nato pulls back. >> do we have any sense whether nato sees the withdrawal of nato troops as a win for them now that they are pulling away? >> reporter: well, i think the taliban -- there has always been the saying here, while nato has an expensive watch, the taliban has the time. that's the time to wait nato off. they know nato does not have an ine

nick walsh takes us inside the poppy fields. >> reporter: we're heading north into the remote hills for afghanistan's future. the war is not against the taliban but against a business so profitable growing so fast many worry it's afghanistan's only option when the west pulls its troops and money out. opium. and with them racing through the valley, for a while they let the opium grow while focusing on the surge of the taliban. but here it's expanding faster than anywhere in the country, and risks getting out of control. stopping the harvest is particularly important because the price of opium has risen dramatically. in one year, the price has tripled. that's because uncertainty about afghanistan's future means traders are hoarding the drug. this could generate record profits. the united nations control chief revealed to cnn. >> we can see a record profit of the harvest means the ones who benefit more, the traders, will have a big incentive to continue the continue to make sure they can continue to provide the huge profits that we witnessed today. >> reporter: eradication is the simplest

nick paton walsh is in kabul. first of all, what do we think, when you're on the ground there, what do we think? what do the afghans think? what do the soldiers think will happen once u.s. troops star to withdraw? >> reporter: it's really about the pace and the number of troops that leave. already practically we're seeing some suggestions that in the east along the border with pakistan, areas from which nato has withdrawn. -- it's when nato starts to talk about how quickly they can leave, afghans will have to work out who they need to land on, whether they trust the nato and u.s. or the afghan government. frankly when one side is saying how quickly it can withdraw and the other side, the taliban, who have been here in the past, are here now, and will be here in the future, you may wonder where they turn. >> nick, what do they tell you? are they worried when u.s. troops leave that things will fall apart, that they're going to get worse? >> yeah, i think it's hard to say, actually. there's definitely a fear. people

nick payton walsh, cnn, kabul. >> if your choicedi

nick payton walsh, cnn, afghanistan. >>> deep concerns about iran's growing influence as the u.s.ghanistan and iraq for that matter. we're seeing some disturbing new evidence that officials in tehran are reaching out aggressively to the leaders of afghanistan, the leaders of iraq, and pakistan. we're joined now by cnn's national security contributor fran townsend. fran, by the way, with more than 100 members of congress, some other former senior u.s. national security officials, has publicly advocated the united states take the iranian opposition group, the mek, off the state department's list of terror groups around the world. just as the european union has already done. fran, let's talk about what is going on. in recent days, the leaders of three nominal u.s. allies, iraq, afghanistan, and pakistan, they all went to tehran to meet with ahmadinejad, amidst growing concern, he must say, at least i'm hearing from some u.s. officials that when all is said and done, the dust settles in that part of the world, despite all the heavy u.s. investment, iran could emerge as the big strateg

nick peyton walsh in kabul. >>> this is "world one" live from london. ahead, a scandal over phone hacking widens in britain, drawing in some pretty big names. sion. my eye doctor said there's great news for people with astigmatism. acuvue® oasys for astigmatism. he said it's the only lens of its kind designed to realign naturally with every blink and created with hydraclear® plus. i'm seeing more clearly, crisply, comfortably, all day long. now life doesn't have to be a blur. [ male announcer ] learn more at acuvue.com. acuvue® oasys for astigmatism. from "i like you." "i really like you." "i love you." "i will always love you." and sometimes a gift says, "you mean more to me than anything else in the world." life insurance from new york life ensures your loved ones will always be taken care of, with 166 years of financial strength -- it's the most selfless gift you can give. new york life. the company you keep. >>> they're normally thought of as gentle giants but this video you're about to see shows a different side of the elephant. animals went on the

nick peyton walsh embedded with u.s.s when a military outpost came under attack by the taliban. u.s. troops were forced to take cover until reinforcements could arrive. at least five insurgents were killed in this battle. >>> let's talk about money. christine romans, i saw you covering it yesterday. president obama is made about reaction over the debt ceiling. >> the debt ceiling debate as it ticks closer and closer to august 2nd, very important, ali. this is say money and personal finance story. the world is watching to see if the u.s. can get its long-term fiscal issues under control and short term can pay the bills. the president said it yesterday, we already spent this money. congress already spent this money. the world is watching to make sure the u.s. isn't at some point deciding what bills it's going to pay and what bills it's not going to pay. this is incredibly important to confidence overall. stocks have been up for three days. stocks and bonds and the markets have been pro session the fact that the u.s. econom

we're joined by cnn's nick patton walsh in northeastern afghanistan.hanistan with fewer nato troops actually look like. >> reporter: it's interesting you ask that. we're south of an area called newer stan, on the border with pakistan. voluntarily nato began pulling troops out from there about a year or mo ago, simply because they didn't see this mountainous area of valleys, small remote villages strategically being worthwhile pouring resources into. at the same time the surge heightened in the south, down in this area in the north there was less of a nato presence. we've seen subsequently in videos we've obtained that some towns there, the taliban claim they're back -- the government there as the dominant force. it's hard to verify that, although afghan officials do say in that particular area the taliban appear to have been in power since march when they say they moved into the area. this is a glimpse really of what people might start seeing in afghanistan if nato troops are significantly withdrawn. moving back was a strategic choice made by the ameri

nick paton walsh, cnn. >> let's dig deeper with our analyst, peter bergen.dent and secretary of state both made it clear this past week they would like to negotiate some sort of peace settlement with the taliban. let me play this clip of what the president said in his address to the nation. >> our position on these talks is clear. they must be led by the afghan government and those who want to be a part of a peaceful afghanistan must break from al qaeda, abandon violence, and abide by the afghan constitution. but in part because of our military effort we have reason to believe that progress can be made. >> i hope he's ritght. i know you hope he's right progress could be made but is it reasonable to think the taliban leadership will accept the afghan constitution? article 22 gives equal rights to women. >> they wouldn't be the taliban if they accepted that. and, you know, the taliban kind of almost one of the main, as you know, points of their rule is the exclusion of women from the work place and girls from schools. they haven't said anything about what thei

nick paton walsh is in afghanistan and nic robertson is standing by as well as dana bash. let's go to afghanistan. nick, in terms of the impact of this initial -- he's saying 10,000 troops by the end of 2011. 33,000 troops by the summer of 2012. what kind of impact does that have on the ground? >> reporter: i have to say minimal by the end of this year. 10,000 is 7% of the total force here. i'm listening to the tone of that speech. a president trying to sound healing talking about the tide of water ending. that doesn't really tally with the violence we've been seeing here. may the deadliest month for nato soldiers since the campaign began. some reports suggesting violence across the country building year on year, month on month. this speech very much for domestic audience. you have to bear in mind also, he's not talking about bringing a large number of troops home very fast. there is clearly issues here which require two-thirds of that surge to stay on until pretty late in 2012, anderson. i think a lot to digest there as you're saying. >> and in terms of the schedule of fig

cnn's nick paten walsh joins us live from afghanistan.rom the militant group, and u.s. officials are saying it's not a smoking gun. help explain. >> reporter: absolutely. this is osama bin laden's courier key because the signals from the telephone led the navy s.e.a.l.s to the compound for the raid. also in this cell phone appeared to be numbers linked to a group that is a militant organization inside pakistan said by some to have been organized and fostered by elements of pakistan's intelligence, and a rogue elmeant they might use in conflicts with india. they say they have no comment on the new york times story, and they are cooperating bypassing on intelligence. now, the courier was in touch with the militants, and as they say, there is no smoking gun or direct link between the two groups, and clearly if they had the direct link between the courier and intelligence, that would be a huge deal for the obama administration. >> this group has a relationship with the pakistani government at its founding, and all of that changed over the yea

we have some video taken from our colleague nick peyton walsh who's been reporting throughout afghanistan recently. an example of one town that apparently is where the taliban has regained control. here it is. this is one of these towns. might this, nic, might this be the beginning of more things to come once americans leave? >> sure. the taliban are waiting there to take control in places that they haven't controlled since 2001. and they were beaten out of the country. they have provincial sort of parallel governors, district counselors, parallel to the central government. they have people to put in place and take over control of parts of the country. there's no doubt if you look at the south and the east of the country where the taliban are traditionally strongest, that's where the sort of ethnic kinsman are, people share those very conservative cultural views. it's a very sort of country side mentality, if you will, that they're not as sort of urbanized as the sort of cities are. in these places the taliban are going to be able to take and assume control again. but they've got a politi

nick peyton walsh explains why. >> reporter: a generous state-of-the-gift from the american people tognificent in design. and cost, $300 million before anyone had even switched it on. but american planners forgot one thing. could afghanistan afford the fuel to keep it going? you can listen to the answer here. much of the time, the plant stays silent. that's because the diesel fuel that it runs on is so expensive that to run it at even half capacity could cost the afghan government up to $100 million a year. it's high-tech turbines run at about 7% the amount planned. and why some say, its sponsors say it's occasional back uppower is vital. >> what i think the person on the street will probably tell you is that he or she is satisfied with the fact that power which is available two hours a day is largely available 24 hours a day. >> reporter: but today, it's a symbol of the billions that americans spent here without asking itself will afghans be able to pay for this once we're gone? the same question about this. a huge network of highways built for over $2.5 billion. it's a project runni

here's cnn's nick peyton walsh. >> reporter: a generous state-of-the-art gift, a power plant magnificent in design and in cost, $300 million before anyone had even switched it on. but american planners forgot one thing, could afghanistan afford the fuel to keep it going? you can listen to the answer here. much of the time the plant stays sight because the diesel fuel that it runs on is so expensive, that to run it at even half capacity could cost the afghan government up to $100 million a year. its high-tech turbines are on about 7% the amount planned. but its sponsors say its occasional backup power is vital. >> what i think the person on the street would probably tell you is that he or she is pretty satisfied by the fact that power, which was available two to four hours a day in 2009 is now largely available 24 hours a day. >> reporter: but to many, it's a symbol of the billions that america spent here without asking itself will afghans be able to pay for this once we're gone? the same question about this, a huge network of highways built for over $2.5 billion. it's a vast project, mon

nick payton walsh is live in afghanistan where the presence began in 2001.s the news from the president's speech playing out the the there? >> reporter: that's a reality check on the ground here. people were watching it overnight. one said i have to get up at 6:00 a.m. and the president was talking at 4:30. privately we are hearing from people here of mixture of different personal reactions. his decision impacting personal lives. one saying i don't believe we should be leaving early. we should finish the job, stay here. the cost of the budget is not immaterial. the cost was on 9/11. another suggesting the job is being done since bin laden was killed. somebody else actually said go home as quickly as possible. karzai welcoming the withdrawal and hoping perhaps the afghan news could protect the country. i think also have to accept that without american backing and finance, the insurgency is a little weak. >> you still would have a pretty decent size presence after the surge is reversed. also, wouldn't there be diplomats? wouldn't there be american infrastructu

nick perry, assemblyman from the state of new york, thank you. i wanted to add this on today, we checked back with family therapist wendy walsh to get some tips forents, and here is what she had to say. she said, number one, digital transmissions are written in stone not crayon. anyone can forward a picture at any time ten years down the road, and that can affect relationships that they are not contemplating yet or show up in a search when applying for a job. and two, girls are more likely to be shamed by a text that is public, and they can be ostracized by other girls or excel expelled from school, and third, boys should say no to every request to sext and should sound like a broken record every time she is asked to sext, and when boys replare replied to by no b girl, they really mean no. >> and i'm stressed out, because i need a house for me and my kids and the bank does not want to work with me. >>> she is not the only one. dave mattingly is live in florida with what folks are say sayi saying. >>> and pay up. soldiers were forced to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for extra bags when coming home from afghanistan. we will have the l