strategy in afghanistan. olsonses include richard who now serves as the state department's special representative for afghanistan and pakistan. we also hear from a representative from usaid. this is 2.5 hours. the foreign relations committee will come to order. we want to thank our witnesses for being here. in lieu of reading a normal opening statement, i want to make a general statement. yesterday, we had a classified briefing. what we hear and classified briefings about the direction and signals and all the things occurring in afghanistan directly contradict some of the made public statements about what is happening within the country. it is actually alarming to go to a classified session and then to hear reports about those discussions in the armed services committee itself. with that backdrop, i want to say to each of you, all of us want our nation to be successful. in its efforts in afghanistan. there's been debate about the numbers of troops on the ground. there's been arbitrary numbers that have been t

and afghanistan.there's still some negotiations to be done. >> i would be remiss if i didn't note that tomorrow afghanistan will be accepted into the world trade organization. that is not in and of itself -- it is in and of itself an accomplishment. the adjustments they have to make for the programs you're describing to be both productive in the short run and sustainable. >> thank you, mr. chairman. >> thank you. senator isakson. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i apologize i had to go in and out so i missed some of the questions and i may be redundant and i apologize for that. mr. sampler did you serve in usaid when we were in iraq? >> i did. >> were you part of the reconstruction teams? the provincial reconstruction teams? >> no, sir. i served in baghdad. >> mr. olson, were you serving when we were involved in iraq? >> i served from december of 2003 to march of 2004 in najaf, iraq. >> you all correct me if i'm wrong, my recollection and the title of this hearing is the administration strategy in afghanis

strategy in afghanistan.mmittee heard from former u.s.b ambassadors to afghanista and pakistan as well as afghanistan's former interior minister. tennessee senator bob corker chairs the foreign relations committee. >> foreign relations committee will come to order. we want to thank our witnesses for being here and certainly all of our committee members. i think in lieu of reading my normal opening statement, i just want to make a general statement. and that is that yesterday we had a classified briefing. what we hear in classified briefings about the direction and signals and all the things that are occurring in afghanistan directly contradict some of the rosy public statements that are made about what is happening within the country. i think it's actually alarmingw to go to a classified session and then to hear reports about thosef?f;?ju(uáárjjr' the armed services committee itself. so, with that backdrop, i just want to say to each of you, all of usñ94Ñ obviously want our na to be successful. in its efforts

in afghanistan, iraq and elsewhere. but even as the united states winds down its wars, these workers remain critical to american facilities around the world. >> the problem doesn't go away, because we're still going to have needs of support both for department of defense and department of state. now they're starting to use third country nationals for bases in djibouti and other parts of africa as well. icking candidates, volters in the central african republic choose a new president-- voters. hello. this is al jazeera live from our headquarters in doha. also on the program, reinforcements come to ramadi to maintain the iraqi forces' hold on the city. an indonesian court throws out a case linking a company linked to fires that polluted larges parts of south-east asia. keeping the home fires burning

of endemic corruption in afghanistan. just to review aa little bit what has happened so far, we were encouraged by the decision to reopen the investigation into the bank scandal and the effort of the government to recover assets. we were then discouraged by the fact that one of the main co-conspirators was released from prison and started working on a housing development project. and we understand that he is back in jail and the deal has been invalidated and we will continue to watch that. but the government of afghanistan under pres. president donnie with the full support of the ceo of bella has adopted improve anti- money-laundering regulations, prosecutor judges complicit in the release of the drug trafficker and established a national procurement commission which altered a series of illegal procurements in the ministry of defense and the interior. going forward, we really need to continue to condition our assistance to the updated mutual accountability framework that was decided at tokyo which will be an important par

in afghanistan, iraq and elsewhere. but even as the united states winds down its wars, these workers remain critical to american facilities around the world. >> the problem doesn't go away, because we're still going to have needs of support both for department of defense and department of state. now they're starting to use third country nationals for bases in djibouti and other parts of africa as well. >> the agonizing wait is over. the wait list reach schools and safety schools have made their wishes known and thousands of high school seniors have had to cope with what they might see as college failure before they take a single class. they will be in school in fall just not their dream school. have we created crazy unworkable expectations at toop schools? does it matter that you go to college and less where you go? the deposits for the fall are in the mail.

and also one thing that differentiates iraq from afghanistan was afghanistan conflict and war was not along the light of the sectarianism. but if you look at the long-term involvement of the two countries, which they have liability everywhere, in middle east, how do you see that dynamic playing in afghanistan long-term? >> well, that rivalry or competition in saudi arabia and event is not limited to afghanistan as you said. is whiter. in afghanistan likely we don't have the sectarian problem. i do remember any sunni-shia problem we have. how do we deal with that? of course the rivalry in each of them are trying. i would say that, i'm sure you heard the president saying that i want to let my american cigarette with a soviet matches. that's the same. i think we should make a good use of both of them. rather than look at negatives, the rivalries. they are rivalries and we may be negatively affected. let's look positive at how we can take advantage of those competitions they have for reconstruction and economic role and trade, and all of the kind of relationships. we can't live in that pa

in afghanistan, iraq and elsewhere. but even as the united states winds down its wars, these workers remain critical to american facilities around the world. >> the problem doesn't go away, because we're still going to have needs of support both for department of defense and department of state. now they're starting to use third country nationals for bases in djibouti and other parts of africa as well. ♪ >> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ you're watching the news hour live from our headquarters in doha, these are the top stories. a rare evacuation underway, syrians trapped in three battleground areas are given safe passage out. a painful legacy resolved, south korea and japan reach an agreement over the women used as war time sex slaves. border agency dispatchs hundreds of officials to greece

to exert control in afghanistan. i wanted to hear your perspective on that. in fact, in its report to congress and the progress towards security and stability in afghanistan, the dod openly stated that pakistan uses these proxy forces to hedge against the loss of influence in afghanistan and to counter india's superior military. do you know if it's true that ghani is being rebuffed by pakistan? and what is pakistan's strategic objective with regard to afghanistan? and then i wanted to ask about the terrorist safe havens inside pakistan's borders. thank you, mr. ambassador. >> thank you, madam chair. with regard to president ghani, as i mentioned in my opening statement, he did travel to the heart of asia conference last week, and of course, we have applauded president ghani's outreach to pakistan, which has been one of the notable characteristics of his time in office. and we believe that pakistan has been wanting to reciprocate this outreach. pakistan has taken several steps that are important in this regard. the fi

>> afghanistan. i grew up in kabul. amy: why did you leave afghanistan?because of war, because of americans, politics. they come to my country, use the bombs, warplanes. in my country, we don't have any warplanes, so these warplanes afghanistan is the americans -- anyone using, using them in my country. there is war in my country and i am here. amy: we just saw a protest about the death of a young man named joseph, a sudanese man who was killed on the highway on the overpass above. do you know about that? >> yeah, i know. amy: what happened? every day.ns it is not just this one time, you know? it happens every day, every week. one month before -- nine people died here in calais. amy: why are you willing to risk all of this? me, theye people like have problems in their countries. if i have a problem in my country, i have to go. i don't have to go back. if i go back, i die. for this, i can risk it. likenk people are thinking this, if i go back, i will die and have a really bad life. it is that he -- it is better to try, 50% to have a normal life. amy: presi

relationship with both pakistan and afghanistan. it is clear that despite many challenges, pakistan will continue to be an important partner with the united states for the foreseeable future, particularly in light of our enduring presence in afghanistan. while we do not always see i to i, our relationship is important to the security of the united states. withll continue working pakistan on issues to shape the future in which pakistan is more stable, increasingly prosperous, and plays a constructive role in the region. it is a complex place and it is important not to overlook the significant progress made in the last few years. in 2013 a completed its first democratic transaction from one elected civilian government to another. however imperfect, made across the economic and security sectors. have restored macro economic security to pakistan and improved economic growth. while structural changes are still needed to set the economy on a path to accelerate growth, the reforms today are a considerable accomplishment. there have also be

/afghanistan as well as others. during the course of this operation over the course of more than a year and a half, the pakistanis have lost nearly 500 troops, 488 was it was just announced. at the same time, they have carried out counterterrorism operations throughout the settled areas of pakistan; that is to say, the nontribal areas, the rest of pakistan. and despite the terrible incident at the army school a year ago, there has been less blowback than might have been expected from the terrorists. as i said at the outset in my statement, most of the action has been -- we think there is more that can be done in terms of targeting groups that don't just target the pakistan internally, but are threats to their neighbors. and we continue to have an active dialogue with them. i had a very active dialogue during my three years in pakistan on the question of the haqqanis and also the question of lashkar-e-taiba, although pakistan has taken steps to ban -- >> thank you. and i will leave the other questions to another memb

to exert control in afghanistan. i wanted to hear your perspective on that. in fact, in its report to congress and the progress towards security and stability in afghanistan, the dod openly stated that pakistan uses these proxy forces to hedge against the loss of influence in afghanistan and to counter india's superior military. do you know if it's true that ghani is being rebuffed by pakistan? and what is pakistan's strategic objective with regard to afghanistan? and then i wanted to ask about the terrorist safe havens inside pakistan's borders. thank you, mr. ambassador. >> thank you, madam chair. with regard to president ghani, as i mentioned in my opening statement, he did travel to the heart of asia conference last week, and of course, we have applauded president ghani's o outreach to pakistan, which has been one of the notable characteristics of his time in office. and we believe that pakistan has been wanting to resciprocate ths outreach. pakistan has taken several steps that are important in this regard. the

we have built schools in afghanistan. we have built the road network in afghanistan. and also we are trying to help afghanistan economically. every year, we offer 6,000 scholarships to students to come and undertake studies in various educational institutions in pakistan. and these 6,000 scholarships that we offer, they're in addition to the, in addition to the education facilities, which are being provided to the refugees who are presiding in afghanistan. tomorrow the president will be visiting pakistan because of the conference being organized in pakistan, prime minister of pakistan, they would jointly inaugurate and address the meeting. lastly, ladies and gentlemen, education is certainly one of the primary areas of focus. by the current government. the document that was approved by the cabinet last year aimed at substantial expansion of enrollment of all children as well as improvement in the quality of education. the government is committed to increase the budgetary allocation from the current 2% of the gdp to 4% of the gdp by 2018. si similarly we have also incr

you asked about particularly the effect on afghanistan. i would just note that we had a very constructive week last week with the heart of asia conference which president ghani attended, in which pakistan committed to uphold the legitimacy and sovereignty of the afghan government and its constitution, which was important for the afghan side. and they committed to renewing and reinvigorating a peace process. pakistan did host talks at murray between the taliban and the afghan government, the first such talks, last summer in july. i think we are all agreed that it is important to get a political settlement process going with a sense of urgency. and we look to pakistan to help to bring the taliban to the table. at the same time, we continue to raise our concerns about the threat that specifically the hakani network represent to us and our forces and our embassy and civilians in afghanistan, as well as the taliban more generally. and finally, we certainly have the same view with regard to l.e.t. and the need to not just ban l.e.t. but to take

we have built schools in afghanistan. we have built the network in afghanistan. and also, we are trying to help afghanistan economically. every year, we offer 6,000 scholarships to students to come and undertake studies in pakistan. and these 6,000 scholarships that we offer, they're in addition to the, in addition to the education facilities, which a are, tomorrow, president would be visiting pakistan because of the conference being organized in pakistan, prime minister of pakistan, they would jointly inauguraluate the meeting. lastly, education is certainly one of the primary areas of focus. the document that was approved by the cabinet last year aimed at substantial expansion of enrollment of all children as well as improvement in the quality of education. the government to increase the military location. also, increased public expenditure on higher education from the current 0.2% of gdp to 1.4% of gdp. recently, in 2012, the government, free and compass education making all five to 16-year-old children eligible for free and come pulsery education. launched re

military in afghanistan. thank you for that. encountering corruption and then know that is a big job. this is a distinguished panel. keep your comments to around five minutes without objection it will be entered into the record also going down the order of introduction. >> the to see you again at. i'm honored to testify today i appreciate this opportunity of whites continued the engagement is so important it in context of the challenge we face from the islamic ideology that britain's our citizens in values and way of life. rather than submit a statement i will refer to the recent paper on afghanistan and u.s. security that was the principal author. cosigned by former senior government officials of both parties with senators mccain and senators read audrey co-sponsors. their registers bipartisan agreement that afghanistan matters as a way for word despite all the challenges. it should be seen in the context of a broader terrorist threat. we argued to maintain assets at close to current levels. 2014 were years of great political s

afghanistan. soviet troops invade an islamic nation.jihad against the infidels sounds throughout the muslim world. a call raised by men like abdullah azzam, a palestinian cleric, charismatic and deeply spiritual. he is the man who would mentor and shape osama bin laden throughout much of the 1980s. >> my name is hutaifah azzam. i've been living with bin laden for more than eight years continuously you could say. >> reporter: hutaifa is abdullah azzam's son. this is his first interview for western television. >> my father was leading islamic and arabic studies and osama bin laden was studying engineering at that time. >> reporter: bin laden was drawn to the influential cleric, seen here in afghanistan. he was the ideological force behind the call for jihad and he implored the young and impressionable osama to follow him. >> at the end of 1984 in the summer my father told him, you have to leave with me. i'm leaving to pakistan and afghanistan. >> reporter: bin laden responded. he made the move from saudi arabia to pakistan. >> the picture

. >> woodruff: on the newshour tonight: a fight for afghanistan's largest province. afghan forces with the help of u.s. airstrikes are pushing back as taliban fighters make gains in helmand province. >> ifill: then, this christmas eve, time to talk about how some gifts can be life-changing. >> woodruff: and, the power, appeal, and craftsmanship of the holiday classic song, "white christmas." >> now every christmas there's a new recording of new christmas songs, but the whole idea of secular christmas songs really didn't exist before berlin. no one was actually dreaming of white christmases before him. >> ifill: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. >> carnegie corporation of new york. supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and security. at carnegie.org. >> and with the ongoing support of t

moved to the united states when the afghanistan war was imminent. she returned in 1971. >> we realized that the 17-year-olds were studying at third grade. there was a need for an accelerating program to help these students grow up and finish their high school as soon as they could uponnably. a lack of schools for girls, the taliban, and now, the government. if a girl gets married she can't stay in public school. that's where shurgen's private school comes in. providing an accelerated education, years of learning, reduced to a few. it is a godsend for a mother of two, wife at age 15. this was her only option to complete her education after marriage. she's about to graduate hoping to become a teacher. >> she has now opened schools in eight of afghanistan's 34 provinces, she said the needs are great. >> previously during the years of the factional war, there weren't any schools, folks couldn't even move out of their houses. so we've really, three generations have in fact suffered. so three generations are not having access to education and now we have

del, not--a very difficult year for afghanistan. back in the day they used to refer to the fighting season in afghanistan, the times when the snows had melted and people had start fighting again. now it appears that the fighting season is 12 months of the year something that the u.s. commanders say that the afghan security forces are going to have to adjust to. >> jamie, that being said is anybody talking about changing the strategy? >> no, when secretary carter was in afghanistan, there were a lot of questions about why the u.s. does not do more. his answer was at that part of the plan that the afghans have to do it for themselves. they mentioned that they're sending new fighter plains to afghanistan, attack plains for ground support and helicopters as well. they mentioned the fact that the afghan military will soon have its own air force and said that they wished it had started sooner. what is clear is that there was a lot of heavy fighting going on in afghanistan this year. and probably going to be a lot more next year as well. >

third the development progress in afghanistan since 2,001, the resources we put in to afghanistan, it has certainly been a question. the economy is not performing anywhere near a level that would be susceptible for sustainability and progress. yesterday the new york times, an article my question as to whether the taliban key to usaid projects which i would like to get some answers on as to what is the short-term long-term gains and whether our investments are really being beneficial and afghan future and then lastly the anticorruption efforts. we know the president made strong commitments then you have received virtually no progress in dealing with the corruption issues in afghanistan. so what i hope it will do, we have been here for a while. build one. we've got a a lot of good things in afghanistan. this is not the country was in 2,001 which is a positive. things have gone wrong. have we learned from what has gone wrong so we can take appropriate adjustments to make sure we have an effective policy for afghan future? i look forward to hearing from our witnesses. >> thank you, sir. w

it makes it the deadliest day in afghanistan for u.s. troops since the fish end of combat operations a year ago. it also comes as the pentagons own report to congress suggests that the overall security situation in afghanistan is deteriorating and that the taliban are becoming more frequent and more effective in their attacks. >> reporter: in afghanistan southern helmand province fighting is intense as the taliban claims success in claiming the police force office and government buildings. the the latest suicide attack that killed half a dozen u.s. troops outside bagram air base, it is more evidence that taliban is back. kabul has been the focus of high profile attacks and it counts the deadly motorcycle suicide bombing as the 29th taliban attack since the beginning of the year. a 27% increase over the same period last year. at the same time the taliban has shown it can also take key terrain outside of its traditional stronghold as it did back in late september and early october when it briefly held the north city. >> the taliban's advan

i was in afghanistan at the time of the operation. a source called me to tell me that soldiers had beaten a man to death. he also told me it was too dangerous to go to charkh, so i drove as close as i could - to the provincial capital. this is the video i shot just days after the operation. >> at first it seemed like another footnote in the war. but after i returned home to copenhagen, more details began to emerge from my contacts in charkh. then six months later the un came out with its 2014 report citing civilian casualties. i found a short reference to the operation in it. >> the operation resulted in 28 civilian casualties (15 deaths and 13 injured). >> fifteen dead. how could fifteen civilian deaths from a joint us and afghan military operation go by almost unnoticed to the outside world? the report said that the international and afghan security forces denied civilian casualties. i knew i needed to go back to afghanistan if i'd any chance of finding out the truth. in 2009, eight years into the war in afghanistan, the united nati

forces that are operating in the southern of afghanistan. in this particular compound which is the residential compound, it is inside the airport and getting into there you have to cross at least two or three check points. it raises questions that how come not one or two, at least we believe that 11 or 12 taliban attackers with a.k.47 grenades and suicide vests could manage to enter the compound and to get hold of the location >>> thank you very much. lots of questions, obviously. live for us there. the attack comes as regional leaders are meeting in pakistan's capital for a conference aimed at supporting afghanistan in the fight against armed groups. the opening of the meeting on tuesday, afghanistan's deputy foreign minister said the only way to defeat them is to have a global and united strategy. the two-day gathering will also focus on energy, infrastructure and investment deals for afghanistan. >> this vision of a peaceful stable and prosperous afghanistan which is in the best interests of the region is far from becoming reality unless

many want to leave afghanistan. the flood of refugees is probably going to be increasing in the months ahead. they don't have much confidence in their future security. katty: this happened near bagram airbase. which of course is a highly secure area for american troops. if it can happen there, the taliban and can get that close to american forces, that is a very worrying sign, isn't it? >> it is. there were other attacks the same day. helmand provinces under severe attack right now. earlier this fall the taliban took kunduz. the taliban are active in ways they really have not been for the last seven or eight years. katty: is this the result of the drawdown of foreign forces? >> i think it's a direct correlation. afghan casualties have gone up, and taliban activity has gone up. afghan forces are fighting well but as the defense minister said, the withdrawal was too hasty and ill-prepared. >> talk about islamic state in afghanistan. some american officials have mentioned that with alarm, that we are seeing a rise of i

-afghanistan as well as others. during the course of this operation, over the course of more than a year and a half, pakistanis have lost nearly 500 troops. 488 was just announced. at the same time they have carried out counterterrorism operations throughout settled areas of pakistan, the non-tribal areas. incident atterrible the school year ago, there has been less blowback that might have been expected from the terrorists. as i said at the outset in my statement, most of the action has been -- we think there is more that can be done in terms of targeting groups that go just target the pakistan internally but that that's their neighbors. we continue to have an active dialogue with them. i have very active dialogue in pakistan on the question of the haqqanis. although pakistan has taken steps -- >> i will leave the other questions to another member. we will move on to dr. barra. >> thank you. as the only indian-american member of congress, the stability of the region is incredibly important to me. that i have spent

leaves afghanistan altogether?, the odd thing is that actually the taliban right now, very fragmented. the taliban is facing a leadership crisis itself because its principal leader died two years ago and this was not disclosed by his other commanders and there was resentment building up within the taliban and the main taliban force have actually been fighting in the west of the country but in the east of the country it has also been fighting i.s.i.s. which has become a factor in at least three provinces in eastern afghanistan so the taliban are fragmented, they are divided but it seems when it comes to going on the military offensive they tend to unite and come together in order to take on the afghan government. >> joining us from pakistan via skype, thank you very much. >>> as soon as today the african union may send its troops to burundi. the alliance gave the west african country to today to allow peace keepers in the capitol but burundi parliament said on monday it would view any deployment as an invasion. ther

you asked about particularly the effect on afghanistan.i would just note that we had a very constructive week last week with the heart of asia conference which president ghani attended, in which pakistan committed to uphold the legitimacy and sovereignty of the afghan government and its constitution, which was important for the afghan side. and they committed to renewing and reinvigorating a peace process. pakistan did host talks at murray between the taliban and the afghan government, the first such talks, last summer in july. i think we are all agreed that it is important to get a political settlement process going with a sense of urgency. and we look to pakistan to help to bring the taliban to the table. at the same time, we continue to raise our concerns about the threat that specifically the hakani network represent to us and our forces and our embassy and civilians in afghanistan, as well as the taliban more generally. and finally, we certainly have the same view with regard to l.e.t. and the need to not just ban l.e.t. but to take a

-- by the people of afghanistan.one year we took over the responsibility. we were trying our best to hold all of those areas. correspondent: the latest fighting in helmand has exposed weaknesses in the afghan army and government in maintaining a solid grip on security after the withdrawal of nato forces. in that, the taliban regrouped. each loss of a strategic position means loss of afghan lives and families being caught in a violence. >> we fled home with the clothing on our backs. ,esterday, i returned to sangin to the market. i'd saw -- i saw taliban militants. the market was closed. people are stuck in their homes. statement,nt: in a the taller than condemned british troops returning to support afghan forces. they say they have broken a tomise to their people, not return to the afghan war. 100 troops were killed in sangin alone. as the taliban tightens their grip on the helmand province, many will ask why are those lives were lost. bbc news, kabul. katty: for more, i spoke with the former state department spokesm

forces in afghanistan in more than two years. and in his christmas message just last year the president declared the u.s. war in afghanistan was over. >> our longest war will come to a responsible end. >> reporter: but today without direct u.s. combat support, afghan forces are engaged in a losing battle with the taliban throughout large parts of afghanistan. this month the pentagon issued a dire report on the afghanistan war saying security has deteriorated. the taliban is now launching 1,000 successful attacks per month and for the first time isis has started mounting attacks in afghanistan. still the president intends to reduce the number of american troops in afghanistan before he leaves office which critics claim could put u.s. troops at greater risk. >> the smaller the american contingent, the more dangerous it is going to be for those who remain. >> reporter: but officials here say it is impossible to predict what the afghanistan battlefield will look like a year from now. or just what kind of war the next president will i

' presence is growing in afghanistan as well." in a report to congress, the pentagon stated the overall security situation in the country had deteriorated, with a greater number of sophisticated insurgent attacks, and higher casualties among afghan forces. military analysts say that even after 14 years of u-s troops in combat there, the fight for afghanistan is one that the u-s cannot ignore. keane says:"...if we're not able the afghan national security forces, properly assisted by us, then that government could fall. and then afghanistan becomes a hotbed of terrorist activities." general campbell told u-s-a today he'll be heading to washington soon to brief leaders on the security situation in afghanistan and offer his recommendations. president obama will make another trip to germany in april...but it won't focus on fighting terrorism. the white house says he will meet with german chancellor angela merkel in an effort to boost trade and investment. the proposed u-s-european union free trade agreement is the biggest free- trade p

would stand steadfastly by afghanistan. here is a little of what he said during that joint appearance last week. >> taliban advances in some parts of the country even if only temporary underscore this is a tough fight, and it is far from over. it is also a dynamic fight. >> so, the taliban has been making advances in various parts of the country. interestingly last week the pentagon issued a required congressional report to congress highlighting the deteriorating the situation in afghanistan. it said that insurgents on the second half of the 2016 the overall security situation in afghanistan had deteriorated, that there had been an increase in effective insurgent attacks and higher casualties inflicted against the afghan security forces. the bottom line of the assessment of this report, del, if i can read it for you says insurgents are improving their ability to find and exploit security force vulnerabilities, making the security situation still fragile in key areas and at risk of deterioration in other places. del, this la

and we saw that in afghanistan as well.f the situations where an ounce of prevention is really worth a pound of cure. putting in those issues early on right away establishing good governance along with security is much easier in the early stages where everybody's waiting to see what's going to happen then waiting until the entrenched interests have gotten with their money and militias and so forth and trying to weed it out later and then you have a problem where weeding out corruption is probably generational at that point when you've gotten that far. so, i would say the lessons learned to afghanistan we should see being applied to ukraine. where is the oversight and accountability? how do we deal with oil politics and pipeline politics and the resource issues that can face ukraine? how have we insulated the ministry of defense and interior there against corruption and ensuring, for example, that promotions are merit based and assuring that logistics networks are sound that the quartermaster general groups and so forth aren

disappeared in afghanistan and was held by the taliban for five years. marshall on charges of desertion. >> lori: protestors for black lives matter are vowing to demonstrate at the mall of america tomorrow. that's regardless of whether a judge grants the mall's request to keep them out. >> people have a right to show up. we have a right to say what our message is and speak out and us not showing up and not speaking would be the mall winning. >> lori: they are demanding the release video. 2,000 demonstrators crowd it had mall last december after no charges filed. >> nicole: deadly car crash in las vegas, police say the woman who plowed her car into pedestrians was living in the vehicle with her 3-year-old daughter, after her arrest 24-year-old lack -- lakeisha described a stressful period. authorities are trying to find out what exactly led her to drive on the sidewalk killing one person and injuring dozens of others. >> lori: federal judge ruling that enrique mÁrquez will remain custody while he faces terrorism-related charges. mÁrquez poses a continuing

we saw that in afghanistan as well. it's one of the situations were an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. putting in those issue issues en right away establishing good governance along with security is much easier in the early stages were everybody is waiting to see what's going to happen than waiting until the interests of got into with the money and the militias and so forth and trying to weed it out later. now you have a problem where weeding out corruption is probably generational at the point when you have gotten that far. i would say the lessons learned from afghanistan we should be seeing applied to the same places like ukraine. where is that oversight and accountability? they have a tremendous corruption issue. how do we do with oil politics, pipeline politics and resource issues they can face ukraine? how have we completed the ministry of defense and interior against corruption at ensuring that promotions are merit-based? assuring that logistics networks or sound, that quartermaster general groups an

soldiers killed by a terrorist in afghanistan.rmation on the attack. >>> and new information on the woman who plowed into pedestrians on the vegas strip. welcome to "early start." i'm christine romans. >> i'm boris sanchez. we start with donald trump taking the attacks on hillary clinton to a new level. trump used vulgar language to describe clinton's 2008 primary loss to obama. he stopped himself in the middle of the attack on clinton for the late return after a bathroom break on saturday night. >> i know where she went. it's disgusting. i don't want to talk about it. it's too disgusting. don't say it. it's disgusting. we want to be straight up. everything involved in hillary. she was going to beat obama. i don't know who would be worse. i don't know. how does it get worse? she was going to beat. she was favored to win. she lost. >> meantime, the clinton campaign is pushing back against the demand for an apology after the debate. the republican said clinton was lying when she called him an isis recruitment tool. cnn's sunlen serf

in afghanistan as well. that makes this a complicated situation, and even more difficult for the u.s., doesn't it? >> absolutely. what we're seeing is that i.s.i.l. and the taliban are actually fighting each other in some places and you might think, well, that's probably a good thing for us, right. you know, let them fight it out, but, in fact, it's a lot more complicated than that. we're starting to see a lot of blurring of lines, powerful regional actors in afghanistan who are fairly independent, a lot of - very arbitrary who is taliban, who is not, who is i.s.i.l. so, in fact, actually the presence of the sort of nests has some really problematic aspects within it >>> the citizens were told that when in afghanistan one of the missions of the u.s. armed forces was to stop these breeding grounds for so-called terrorists in afghanistan. now the u.s. has pulled back, spent a lot of time in iraq and here we come more than 10 years later with similar problems. you have to wonder whether there's actually an answ

afghanistan. and a grim reminder that american troops remain in harm's way. president obama declared the end of the u.s. combat mission there, six americans were killed and two more injured in a suicide attack near bagram airfield. and here at home six families are coping with a terrible loss four days before christmas. our pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski is tracking down the details of what happened. >> reporter: the six americans were killed today just as the war for the afghan military had taken a turn for the worst. the u.s. service members had been call e called to a meeting with local afghan leaders northeast of the bagram air base. as the americans walked through the village, a lone suicide bomber on a motorcycle drove into the group and detonated his vest. the devastating blast killed six americans and wounded two others. plus an afghan interpreter. it was the deadliest attack on u.s. forces in afghanistan in more than two years. and in his christmas the president declared the u.s. war in afghanistan was over. >> our longest war will come to a