abdullah abdullah is chairman of the high council for national reconciliation. dr. abdullahry much for joining us. did you hear today from president biden -- you've just come from the white house -- what you wanted to hear? >> absolutely. we are grateful to the president of the united states told to the president of afghanistan in our delegation, while the troops are withdrawing, and that's a decision that is has been made, the commitment of the united states for an enuring partnership with afghanistan in terms of supporting the afghan people, supporting afghanistan with $3.3 billion of assistances for the security forces, humanitarian assistances, diplomatic support, and all of that will continue. meanwhile, in our part, of course, we own the sacrifices with the united states have made alongside our people with us and remember those fallen and we express our gratitude for those who have served in afghanistan, but, meanwhile, i think it's good news. we knew it, but we heard it from the administration today, we heard it from the congress today and yesterday, so that will be g

head of afghanistan's peace council abdullah abdullah comes as taliban forces have escalated fighting in recent weeks, seizing control of dozens of districts. abdullahafghanistan relations. is pakistan meddling? are they working with the taliban? the whole countries _ working with the taliban? tie: whole countries of working with the taliban? tue: whole countries of the region, including pakistan, we have engagements, we talk. and there is a new situation, there will be a new situation in the region and there were countries which were not happy with the presence of the international troops in afghanistan. meanwhile, they don't want the return to the taliban era. that's also a reality, so i'm talking about different countries in the neighbourhood. they also spoke about the potential plight of afghan interpreters if us and nato forces leave by september the 11th. how can you how can you ensure how can you ensure protection for these interpreters as they await special immigrant visas? if there are special cases which needs attention, that i cannot speak of, or those which have gone through different phases of working with the american forces there. the

head of afghanistan's peace council abdullah abdullah comes as taliban forces have escalated fighting in recent weeks, seizing control of dozens of districts. abdullahr. she began by asking him about the reaction in the region to the us and nato pulling out theie troops by 11 september. there were countries that were not happy with the presence of the international troops in afghanistan. they do not want to return to the talent and error, that is also a reality. so talking about different countries in the neighbourhood, and all countries including pakistan, pakistan says that instability in afghanistan will lead to instability in pakistan, and peace in afghanistan means peak in pakistan and the region. and to translate the spirit into deals. is pakistan meddling? are they working with the taliban? the point is that they have contacts may have relations and there is a background that as well it is important to point —— work together to encourage everybody, who has leverage over the taliban, to encourage them to engage seriously in negotiations. but them to engage seriously in negotiations.— them to engage seriously in negotiations. but how do you fee

abdullah abdullah, president biden promised to confront afghanistan's third covid wave, by donating 3 million doses of johnson & johnson vaccine, and badly needed oxygen. and he pledged support for afghanistan's government, but with what an administration official called “tough love.” president biden: the afghans are going to have to decide for the future, what they want. nick: president ghani compared today in afghanistan, to the u.s. >> the afghan nation is an 1861 moment. like president lincoln. rallying to the defense of the republic, determined that the republic is defended. nick: but that's not going well. this week, afghan soldiers in multiple districts surrendered to the taliban, and taliban fighters have threatened two provincial capitals. the taliban also captured the tajikistan border crossing, and districts that could allow them to cut off the sole roads to kabul. on wednesday, the taliban released a statement declaring “manifest victory and triumph.” we interviewed taliban spokesman, sohail shaheen, earlier this week. do you believe that you've achieved victory? >> we are ending the war and the afghans become as one, as one nation. so i think that is victory for the nation. but if you see at the angle that we and the united states achieved a solution through talks in the negotiation, that is, i think, a success for both sides. nick: the taliban say they still want a political settlement in talks in doha. but the afghan government accuses the taliban of stalling, to try and win on the battlefield. there are taliban forces that got to the edge of kunduz city and maymana -- two provincial capitals. do the taliban plan to try and seize those provincial capitals? >> right now, we do not have any intention of running those capitals and taking them. a military takeover is not our policy. our policy is reaching a solution through talks and negotiation. nick: but afghan government members of the negotiating team whom i speak to, accuse you of largely abandoning the talks and not taking them seriously. >> we say, come and please talk about the road map, political road map first in order to reach a permanent solution. but they say we first, we want a cease fire. they are rather interested in surrendering our side to them. but that is not a reconciliation. nick: are you willing to entertain a humanitarian cease fire, especially with the third wave of covid? >> it is it up to the negotiation team on both sides. nick: are you ready and willing to share power? >> any solution can reach by both sides, they will be acceptable, acceptable to us. we want to enter a new phase of friendly relations with the u.s.a in the reconstruction of afghanistan, and the reinvestment in the country. but if they still insist continuing the military approach, if they give them, this moribund administration, more money and ammunition, weapons, that means it will continue, will prolong the war. nick: why, if foreign forces have agreed to leave, do the taliban continue to attack and kill your fellow afghans? >> those districts which have been falling to our forces in the last few weeks, are they falling through negotiations, not through fighting. nick: but that's not true in all areas. just in the last few weeks, the tele-have killed dozens of u.s.-trained afghan commandos. when the taliban ruled afghanistan, they destroyed historic buddhist art, and hunted and executed minorities and women who didn't adhere to their version of islam. if the taliban were to come back into power, would you do that again? >> that is something for future, for the religious scholars. nick: and so that punishment could include public execution? >> so that will be seen. nick: you said you will allow girls to go to school. what reassurance can you give the that you will follow through on that promise when in the past you haven't? >> all schools, that also includes girls schools and all universities and offices, they should remain open. so, that it's clear they will have access to education. nick: the administration is currently negotiating with turkey, for turkish troops to secure the airport, initially with the assistance of u.s. soldiers. u.s. service members will also remain to guard the embassy. and the u.s. is completing plans on how to keep training afghan soldiers, and whether u.s. contractors will continue to help the afghan air force. the taliban reject the presence of all u.s. forces and contractors. >> if they remain or leave behind some forces, some residual forces, that means continuation of the occupation. nick: meanwhile, thousands of afghans who have helped translate for and facilitate the u.s. war, are applying for u.s. visas. senior administration and congressional officials tell pbs newshour they are planning on evacuating some 17,000 -- and perhaps more -- to u.s. territory. for the pbs newshour, i'm nick schifrin. judy: after president biden's meeting today with afghan leaders in the oval office, we turn to our amna nawaz, who is reporting from the white house. amna, what more can you tell us about the president's meeting with afghan leaders, and how this administration is working through security issues? amna: it seems that the meeting was all smiles, a very friendly atmosphere. president biden welcoming, as he called them, old friends to the white house. but it was a tough meeting because of those underlying issues. the u.s. negotiated their withdrawal from afghanistan not with the government, but with the taliban. the white house wanted to focus on the continuing support, the enduring friendship. they pointed to humanitarian assistance, security assistance and 3 million doses of the covid-19 vaccine going to afghanistan. but the shadow over all of this, the meeting at the white house, is the deteriorating situation on the ground and government forces on the back foot and dire predictions about what could be had for the afghan government. i asked the press secretary about the reporting in the conversation we just saw with the taliban spokesman, and the repeated message from the taliban that any continued u.s. presence would be seen as a violation of the u.s. commitment to them. we also know a taliban spokesman said in a text message that even a diplomatic presence of the u.s. would be seen as a violation of the agreement. jen psaki said negotiators have been clear with the taliban and private that the u.s. intends to have an ongoing diplomatic presence and they will do whatever is necessary to secure it. judy: you are following another strike, vice president, harris -- vice president harris and her trip to the border, this after being criticized for not going. how has the trip gone? amna: part of her portfolio is to see the root causes and address those. she has been feeling a lot of questions since getting the portfolio, when she would go to the border, and criticism from republicans about what she had not been. the harris office told us she always planned to go but because her portfolio has a foreign policy lens, she wanted to go to guatemala and mexico first look at the causes. the trip to the border looks closer at the effects. she visited the port of entry, central processing center, one of the busiest ports of entry in the country in el paso. she did not visit fort bliss, one of the emergency intake shelters set up quickly to address the influx of unaccompanied children coming across the border. the facility can hold up to 5000 children and was subject of concerns because of disturbing reports about conditions. i asked the white house about this and an official told me she might not have visited the facility but she did with the managing attorney who oversees legal services for children, and this remains a concern for them. the shelter is getting more resources. i also spoke with veronica escobar, who accompanied harris on the trip, and congresswoman representing the district. she invited harris after they spoke. she published an op-ed earlier in the year saying this is what we need to do on the border, and that's part of the back story about how this trip came to be. judy: quickly back to afghanistan, the other issue is what will happen to american hostages who are still being held in afghanistan? amna: i asked the white house press secretary about the case we reported on. a man held for over a year by the taliban. jen psaki said the president's message is she will continue -- he will continue to release any americans held overseas. an official i spoke to said mark's name has been mentioned by the leading u.s. negotiator to the taliban in recent discussions, but the family, who i spoke with today, a source close themselves remain concerned. that as u.s. sources continue to leave, they will lose leverage. judy: all right, thank you. we turn now to a man at the center of negotiations for afghanistan, both with the u.s. and the taliban. dr. abdullahn of the high council for national reconciliation. thank you for joining us. did you here today from president biden -- you have just come from the white house -- what you wanted to hear? >> absolutely. we are grateful the president of the united states told us, to the president of afghanistan, that the troops are withdrawing and that decision has been made, but the commitment of the united states and the enduring partnership with afghanistan in terms of supporting the afghan people, supporting afghanistan with $3.3 billion of assistance for the security forces, humanitarian assistance, diplomatic support and all of that, will continue. meanwhile, on our part, we honor the sacrifices the united states has made alongside our people, with us, and remember those fallen, and we express our gratitude for those who have served in afghanistan. meanwhile, i think it is good news. we knew it, but we had it from the restriction today, we had it from the congress today and yesterday. that will be

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president joe biden out here with white house correspondent, kimberly healthcare sat down with abdullah abdullah afterwards to discuss what's next for afghanistan, dr. bella, thank you for joining us. you were just wrapped up this meeting with the us president. what security assurances did he provide you? prison biden assured ass, the president of upon the sun and all of us and the delegation. that while their troops will be leaving new trying and it will be completed in a few days time or a few weeks time. near hammock mentors about of afghanistan, national defense and security forces will continue. but given the taliban gains, are there going to be enough numbers in terms of security support? i see that those gains will not be per minute. i'm sure about the diff taken advantage of the gap temporarily and that that will not, that will not sustain itself. we saw when the soviets withdrew and the country descended into civil war. how can you be so confident that won't happen again? it was a completely different context. the soap with it all in the soviet themself disintegrate . afghanistan was is

reporter: as you know president ghani will be here on friday while president ghanian and dr abdullah abdullah are visiting washington d.c taliban still continue their attacking all over afghanistan do you think that president biden committed to a stronger long-term support for afghan people especially afghan military because afghan people are high expectations from this president? jen psaki: i don't anticipate the timeline for withdrawal is not going to change by september which of course is overseen by our department of defense a part of their discussion on friday will certainly be the president reiterating his commitment to work with the government of afghanistan to continue to provide humanitarian support over the horizon. reporter: firstly on the on the vice president's trip to the border, why does the white house view this as the appropriate time for that visit? ms. psaki: the decision on the timing was made in coordination with the department of homeland security as we've said from the beginning, we didn't want to have anyone visit at a time where it would be disruptive to efforts and p

the visit by ashraf ghani and his former political rival abdullah abdullah comes as taliban forces haveabout ongoing us involvement in the country: the partnership between afghanistan and the united states is not ending. it is going to be sustained and you know, our trips may and you know, our troops may be leaving but support for afghanistan is not ending. in terms of support and maintenance of helping maintain their military as well as economic and political support. speaking at a press conference following the meeting, ashraf ghani paid tribute to the thousands of americans who'd lost their lives fighting in afghanistan. asked about the us decision to withdraw militarily, he said he respected the move: the decision of the president has been taken on the basis of very significant national consultation and deliberation. this is a sovereign us decision. we respect that decision and our course is to manage the consequences and to ensure that the people of afghanistan rise to the challenge. chinese researchers have discovered the skull of what they believe to be a new species of human tha

head of afghanistan's peace council abdullah abdullah comes as taliban forces have escalated fighting in recent weeks, seizing control of dozens of districts. abdullah. there were countries which were not happy with the presence of the international troops in afghanistan. meanwhile, they don't want to the return of the taliban era, that is also reality, so i am talking about different countries in the neighbourhood. and to all countries, including pakistan, instability in afghanistan will lead to instability in pakistan and peace in afghanistan means peace in pakistan and the region and we want to work with the neighbouring countries based on that spirit and to translate that spirit into dates. is pakistan meddling? are they working with the taliban? the point is that, of course, they do have contacts. they do have relations and there is a background to that as well, but it is important to work together and encourage everybody to have leverages over the taliban and encourage them to engage seriously in negotiations. but how do you feel about that right now? how do you feel about that relationship? we need to continue to make efforts. how are those e

abdullah abdullah meet with him, and we think of them being the military xglue that has held afghanistanr. but it has been a political glue holding the disparate political elements together in the country and the president -- afghan president and former chief executive officer of the country exemplified that, they have been at loggerheads and it took the united states to get them to agree to share power. so i think that we will hear biden talk to them about unity and of course this is what the taliban is trying to undermine as it tries to take different areas in the country where it is succeeding in some places, that undermines confidence in the central government, weaken the resolve to be unified. and for the united states not being that diplomatic political glue, that will be hard. but i think the president will say that the drawdown date is set, you need to negotiate with the taliban. i don't think that it is a win/win situation for any of these leaders in the white house today. >> and in the meantime we've heard from so many american veterans who are terrified about their former coll

biden made the promise to afghan president ashraf ghani and abdullah abdullah, chairman of afghanistan's high council for national reconciliation, as the president ghani said after the white house meeting he hoped to engage the taliban in dialogue. >> it not the way to compel submission. we still call on to have a cease fire and to engage in a political process because of political settlement is the ultimate mechanism of endi a war. i think it is the best way of treating an enemy, turn them into a friend. amy: the visit came after the taliban doubled the territory under its control in just the last two months. in florida, the death toll has risen to nine people, with over 150 stillissing following the collapse of a high-rise apartment building in surfside last thursday. a 2018 inspection found the building had abundant cracking and spalling in its foundation, with engineers pointing to design flaws a insufficient wateroofing. npr is reporting a surfside official nonetheless told residents one month after the inspection report that the building was in very good shape. vice president kamal

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