or not stay in afghanistan. that is simply the question that we want to have debated. and yet to get a debate on the floor of the house for those of us who raised our hand to support the constitution, and our responsibility is to debate before we send a young man or woman to die in afghanistan, is why we have introduced hr 1666. we want a debate. >> and representative, why can't you get a debate on this? >> i think people are frightened. members are frightened on having to vote on whether to go to war or not, they would as soon somebody else make that decision. when i arrived in congress, walter handed me one of these when i was on the armed services committee, he said, we should pay attention to it. he pointed to the article, it says congress has the only power to declare war. it's in the constitution. yet all the seven, 7 1/2 years i've been in congress, we have never taken up the issue of war. are we as american people going to go to war, in afghanistan or syria, iraq, yemen, somalia? so, hey, this is what th

taxpayers have done for afghanistan. a special tribute is always in order to all of the families and all of those fallen heroes that made the ultimate sacrifice in the cause of democracy, in the cause of freedom, in the cause of fighting global terrorism. the question will be is the fight over. no. unfortunately, if you look at in the past, you know, 15 years after 9/11 how the ecology, pathology, and morphology of terrorism has really changed. if you look at its ecology, how we're dealing with networks of terror and networks of illicit activity. we're talking about drug trade from human trafficking to trafficking of antiquities to terrorism, and all of these organizations have been working far more efficiently than we would like to see governments work. secondly, when you look at the pathology of these organizations, you start from al qaeda all the way to daesh, how that whole pathology that when you look at groups whose only interest is destruction, whose only interest is denial of peoples' rights, and if you look arou

afghanistan. he and i will then have a brief dialogue, and we'll open things up to questions. now, let me repeat that word question. it usually ends with a question mark. it is not a speech, and it has to be simple enough so somebody can understand the question and answer it. if you look around, you also see that we need to give people the opportunity or as many people as possible to actually ask that question. so one question. and i will ask that when you have the opportunity to please identify yourself so people in the audience know who you are and some idea of your affiliation. with that, mr. qayoumi. >> good afternoon, everyone. such a pleasure to be back at csis and to have a chance to have a conversation about what's going on in afghanistan. first of all, i would like to express on behalf of the afghan people and its government -- express our deep gratitude for the great support the u.s. government and the u.s. taxpayers have done for afghanistan. a special tribute is always in order to all

to afghanistan. option b, an open ended commitment. we keep 8400 troops there and current levels of funding and do it forever. essentially as jim cunningham put it, put the current approach on auto pilot. and that includes managing the policy episodically from the white house and from washington, d.c. and option three is what we called focused engagement. is there a way to -- is there a way to do something different besides open-ended commitment or simply leave? and so this is what we called focused engagement. a very simple and realistic strategy. and it is based on a fact that a negotiated outcome is probably the most realistic way to gain a favorable and durable result in this war. so we have got to make the -- we have got to figure out how to make the conflict right for negotiations, in which the afghan government has the advantage. and then you need to be building the foundations of a peace process, and not a peace deal, where people get around the table and try to hammer out a deal in three day

strategy in afghanistan. military and policy analysts discuss the conflict between afghan forces and the taliban at an event hosted by the center for a new american security. it's 90 minutes. >>> welcome, everybody. good afternoon. i'm michelle. i'm the co-found sxwrer ceo for the center for new american security, c dmch23467 cnas. we're delighted you could join us today. as we were thinking of the presidential transition we thought it was important to put together some papers for the next president before we knew who that president would be. really recommending a way forward that would protect and advance american interests on any number of topics. and it seemed to us that afghanistan as a war that continues 16 years on that this was a key area where administration would have to grapple with u.s. strategy, objectives and the way forward for the campaign. and so we commissioned chris columba who's a cnas senior adjunct fellow here, to lead the development of the report. chris is now president and ceo of the s

taxpayers have done for afghanistan. a special tribute is always in order to all of the families and all of those fallen heroes that fought side by side with afghan soldiers and made the ultimate sacrifice for, in the cause of democracy and the cause of democracy and the cost of freedom and a cause of fighting global terrorism. the question will be that is the fight over? no, unfortunately if you look in the past 15 years after 9/11, how the ecology, pathology and morphology of global terrorism has really changed. the way it a strange if you look at its ecology, how we are dealing with networks of terror and networks of illicit activity. so even look at it globally we're talking about $1.7 trillion of illicit activity that starts from drug trade to yemen trafficking to trafficking of antiquities to terrorism, and all these organizations have been working far more efficiently than we really would like to see government work. secondly, when you look at the pathology of these organizations, start from al-qaeda all the way t

or not stay in afghanistan. that is simply the question that we want to have debated and yet , get a debate on the floor of the house for those of us who raise their hands to support the constitution and our responsibility is to debate it before we send a young man or woman to die in afghanistan. that's why we have introduced hr 1666. we want to debate, that's all we ask. >> host: representative garamendi, why can't you get a debate on this? >> guest: the members are going to vote on whether we're going to go to war or not. to have somebody else make the decision and we've turned that over to the president. when i arrived in congress almost 7 and a half years ago, walter handed me one of these when i was on the armed services committee with him and said we should pay attention to this and he pointed to that article and here it says congress as the only power to declare war. constitutionally, yet all of a sudden almost 7 the hat and a half years in congress we have never taken up the issue of war. our beef as ame

none require that we stay in afghanistan. it's clear to me we have not been successful in bringing peace to afghanistan. if you look at the history ofal the country for 5000 years nobody has brought peace to thae area. war has raced back and forth for millennia. it's not likely to change anytime soon.i can we protect ourselves from terrorism by being it in afghanistan with more trips? i think the answer is no.pu other things we have to deal forget to deal successfully with the terrorism issue. >> the point you made is why we are to have that debate. we don't never have a debate anymore. that's why john and i are p sitting here today.' that's why we put the billing.me we are frustrated that decisions are being made outside of congress yet congress is being blamed by the decisions being made. we need to show that we are an equal branch of government. madison said it better and i paraphrase, it is the legislative branch that will debate about for war, not the executive branch. we have allowed the executive branch to take over ou

and afghanistan veteran joining us. caller: i was in afghanistan couple years ago. the seven months i was there was the biggest waste of time you could possibly imagine. all we did was walk in circles on patrol waiting to get shot at or wait to step on an ied. anytime we did make contact and we pursue the enemy, it was never the taliban. it was always just a bunch of edrmers or guys that were piss that we had been in their country for 14 years. in intel reports it would thetantly be labeled taliban. the whole issue is the biggest waste of time. we would constantly be talking to different leaders of different spots. the fact that there is no real centralized government is there is no hearts and minds we can turn to at the national level. there is always going to be fighting because of huge cultural differences in the country. it's a huge astronomical waste of time. that's all. guest: thank you for your service to our nation. you articulated much better than i ever could because you have in there. and you know it. i will tell you with great pride the former commandant

or not stay in afghanistan. that is simply the question that we want to have debated. and yet to get a debate on the floor of the house for those of us who raised our hand to support the constitution and our responsibility is to debate before we send a young man or woman to die in afghanistan is why we have introduced h.r. 1666. we want a debate. ms. harrison: and representative gare mend -- host: and representative garamendi, why can't you get a vote on this? guest: they're worried about going to war or not and assume everybody else make the decision and we turn that over to the president. when i arrived in congress almost 7 1/2 years ago, walter handed me one of these when i was on the armed services committee with him and said we should pay attention to this. he pointed to that article in here that says congress has the only power to declare war. that's in the constitution. and yet almost 7 1/2 years i have been in congress we have never taken up the issue of war. are we as the american people going to go to

our own band deployed alongside us in afghanistan, iraq, everywhere we go, andi afghanistan, iraq, everywherehe royal marines band every time i have heard them, they always stir something in me, but lovely to see the other services alongside, as you say. this drumhead service, as it is known, an ancient british military tradition we re ancient british military tradition were really in the field you can stack comes together and make a makeshift altar on the battlefield to have a religious service. you can, and it is something that has continued over many hundreds of yea rs. continued over many hundreds of years. you do not see a lot of drums in afghanistan and iraq but it is lovely to see today. for you and all the other people who served in iraq and afghanistan, is this an important point you think where the nation stops and remembers everything that has been done in those two countries? everything that has been done in those two countries7|j everything that has been done in those two countries? i think so. i think it is, as you say, an important point, a full stop, to a degree. that as a nat

you have worked there for many years in afghanistan andi there for many years in afghanistan and i wasthat people like you have done as well as the military? yes, i think it is really important. it's not just military? yes, i think it is really important. it's notjust government departments, it is also contractors and others who have in afghanistan as well as the military in support of each other in the reconstruction effort and helping the country move forward. i think it is three tours you have worked on in afghanistan. you must have grown very close to that country and its people? yes. i withdrew from opposed to go to sierra leone in 2005 to go back to afghanistan and work alongside the military before being deployed into helmand. it is important to me and... and how do you see the future of afghanistan and... and how do you see the future of afg ha nista n after and... and how do you see the future of afghanistan after so many years of afghanistan after so many years of terrible conflict that? change is happening. it is incremental. the government is moving forwards. there isa gove

troop presence is still in afghanistan, about 400 troops, almost completely silent about afghanistan. host: what is timeline on how long they will be in afghanistan? guest: well, it is sort of on hold. president obama wanted to bring number, not small remove them entirely, but n lking about 8400 america forces in afghanistan, again mostly in support role of the afghan army is taking the fight against the taliban, they are on the front line, suffering heavy casualty and it has not been going well. the commander general nicholson, capitol testified on hill, called the war a stalemate, would like additional troops, no indication if he will get additional troops and not a sense it would be a large number, even if he does. we are 16 years into the war in fghanistan and have top commander calling the stalemate. ost: dryden, michigan, jody, good morning. caller: good morning. my question is this. mr. obama declared both wars over and then he said isis was jv team and then he started sending troops over there in support. we have 8400 id troops in afghanistan, all this fighting in iraq and fig

>> afghanistan has gone through a lot. there is an element of weakness and corruption, no doubt about it. we are facing terrorism in more than just one form. we used to hear it talk only about the taliban. toy are still there destabilize afghanistan. now it seems we have other cells. to what extent are they connected to the taliban, former taliban, new jihadists entering afghanistan? do you think the islamic state is gaining ground in afghanistan? is adon't think that it consequence of what is happening in syria, yes. that might be the case in the future as they lose more territory in iraq. afghanistan, has for the last year and a half, then a target for i.s. cells from the region. many i.s. belong to what used to , and others belong to foreign fighters from central asia. thea: why do you think afghan government needs to fight the extremist threat, whether it is the taliban or i.s.? would more u.s. troops and nato boots on the ground help? >> better command, better control, better management. going after real targets. ther

these are troops in afghanistan, i think, the middle.looking foran it is a foot patrol. i was looking for an image that synthesised 25 years of soldiers working and fighting in the field. this is a foot patrol that have come under fire and securing a space to evacuate an injured comrade. i think it reveals the vulnerability of men and women actually in the front line. and it includes obviously the three services. and just a word about the stone here, which is rough around the edges, what is the concept that? it is not like any other war memorial. well, i wanted something of this memorial to remain incomplete and unresolved, in a way to reflect the nature of the history of the two campaigns. so, the rough stone not only reflects something of that lack of resolution, lack of completeness, but it also, for me, is in some way representative of the hostility of the terrain in afghanistan in particular, the mountainous terrain, which is dry and arid. and so leaving raw stone exposed like that has a double purpose. we are just going to go round

it is not unusualfor the islamic state in afghanistan to attempt something thatis afghanistan to attempting. but this really is a new level, to pose as medical professionals. it is shocking even for a professionals. it is shocking even fora group professionals. it is shocking even for a group which is known for beheading ethnic minorities in afghanistan. it is the first time the having gauged directly with afghanistan security forces in the capital. does it suggest a change in tactics? it is possible. it may be the result of something forwarded happening between different factions organisations. i think it is too early to know if it is definitely a new evaluation in the organisation there. what are the chances of the afghanistan security forces getting a grip on the country? one official was suggesting that the conflict the has effectively been lost? it is difficult to see them achieving what we would regard as a clear victory. that does not mean that they will not be able to ensure that law and order will be present in places with in afghanistan. but it will be very difficult for them t

afghanistan. i believe we have too many in congress who are not listening to our men and women in uniform. and i actually not even listen to the taxpayers who are paying the bill to be in afghanistan. from articles written about paying for ghost soldiers, that means they don't exist, to the of defense spending $6 million to buy nine goats, the stories just go on and on and on. there are so many examples of waste, fraud, and abuse it is time that we in congress realize that it is not in our best interest to stay there for 16 more years. we have already been there 16 years. and, you know, you get to a point that you just wonder, so many of our young men and women who have fought for our country in iraq and afghanistan are special heros to all of us. we know that. this is about the policy of the congress. not the military policy. recently i read an article that he former president of afghanistan, named karzai, has been meeting with the russians and asking the russians to come back to afghanistan and

memorial for those who served in both afghanistan and iraq7m memorial for those who served in both afghanistancivilian thing, which is brilliant. people underestimate what the civilians do in a conflict zone. you rescued what the civilians do in a conflict zone. you rescued a what the civilians do in a conflict zone. you rescued a dog, who was a dog who was looking for explosives in afghanistan? yes, vidar, it was hisjob to go in afghanistan? yes, vidar, it was his job to go out and find the improvised explosive devices. we cannot smell them, we are not backward. he would go ahead of the patrols, go into busy villages and marketplaces to clear those and we would go in after and make the area safe. he started showing signs of not enjoying it any more and became gun shy. what does that mean? it is a term used the dogs when they don't reacted loud explosions and gunfire. they start showing signs of fear. they start showing signs of fear. they don't want to play and work any more. for a surge dog in afghanistan, we need them to work. he came out of service and he is now mine. you cannot blame him?

with afghanistan, his plan to withdraw. when he saw that wasn't going to be a good idea and there were ongoing problems, what did he do? he punted it to the next presidency and said i'm going to let them handle it. he made the most restrictive rules of engagement that cost american lives. 3 out of 4 of the lives lost in afghanistan were under barack obama's presidency. that's a fact. it is, bob. well, the point is, now president trump is going to have to go in there and fix it. one of the first things he did was turn the rules of engagement back to what they were before. ask anybody who's involved in the theater there militarily, special ops forces, that was the thing that hurts them the most. not having the resources but being so restricted they weren't able to take the fight to the tele- band to begin with which led to this abysmal failure we are seeing in afghanistan. >> greg: here's an easy question. has president obama ever admitted he was wrong about anything? trump seems more willing to change his mind. >> bob: that'

is that how you see iraq and afghanistan?p their people enjoy a more peaceful and prosperous 21st century. those must continue. they are largely political. there was the failure of the 2011 government which created the 2011 government which created the space for isis. isis are being defeated militarily but the government of iraq today has to come up government of iraq today has to come up witha government of iraq today has to come up with a political and constitutional settlement which will allow people in that country to coexist peacefully. you spoke of the sacrifice of the service men and women who lost their lives in iraq and afghanistan, are you confident that was worth it? that is always an impossible question to answer. for the families of those who were lost, how could they ever feel that it was worth it quite but if you are asking me did we achieve anything in iraq or afghanistan, yes we did. what we could never do was live those countries' futures for them. that has to be done by the people but what we could do is gi

it suggests the group is changing tactics in afghanistan.policy researcher at the rand corporation think—tank, who's spent time in afghanistan working on reform of the government's security forces. i asked her whether the attack on the hospital marked a new low in the conflict. it is not unusual for the islamic state in afghanistan to attempt something that is shocking. but i think even for this group, it reaches really a new level, to pose as medical professionals and to come in and to kill the sick and wounded. it is shocking, even amongst a group thatis it is shocking, even amongst a group that is known for the headings of ethnic minorities in afghanistan. the first time i think islamic state fighters have engage directly with afg ha n fighters have engage directly with afghan security forces in the capital, doesn't suggest eu a major change in tactics? it could. it is difficult to know now. it is also possible that it is the result of something happening in terms of partnerships between different organisations. —— to you a major. what we

i, as a reservist, and afghanistan. i've been serving for 35 years, in and out i am part of hms cambria in wales. as a reservist i have a lot of co nta ct wales. as a reservist i have a lot of contact with civilians out in theatre in iraq and afghanistan. and they really contribute to the whole theatre contingency of making it possible. lieutenant commander eileen munson thank you very much indeed for being with us. and that is the memorial commute can see it behind me, that was unveiled today by the queen. the queen attended a service of dedication just a short distance away in was guards parade with other members of the royal family, the prime minister was there, and former prime ministers as well, for that service. then the queen came here to unveiled this morning at which will be here for future generations to come, and remember the contribution made by hundreds of thousands of military personnel and civilians in both iraq and afghanistan. now was this the greatest comeback in football history? barcelona produced a

i should never have gone to afghanistan.a scholarship that many people in the whole world dreamed to have. and what i did, i threw everything away and i went to afghanistan. this is the definition of a nitwit. >> williams: and when you left afghanistan for the second time, did you still consider yourself a member of al qaeda? >> slahi: absolutely not. i cut all my ties with the organization. to me, i joined for the sake of participating in jihad in afghanistan. jihad in afghanistan turned into a quagmire. i did not want to be part of a civil war. and i went back. thank god i resumed my studies. i finished college. and i worked to help my family. >> williams: slahi denies he ever had anything to do with terrorism, but he doesn't deny that some of his friends were still members of al qaeda. he also had a cousin who was a spiritual advisor to osama bin laden. >> slahi: that was really the trouble. that where the trouble began. >> williams: one day in 1999, he got a phone call from that cousin, a man known as abu hafs. >> willia

ina in conflicts in iraq and afghanistan in a little while.as speaking to the bbc‘s political editor laura kuenssberg. in westminster, some politicians think you're bluffing about holding a referendum. i'm not and i never have been. i always think that sometimes kind of says more about them than it does about me because it suggests that there are politicians in westminster who think brexit and all of this is some kind of game. it's not a game, it's really, really serious and the implications for the uk are serious and the indications ——implications for scotland are serious. some of your colleagues talk about autumn, 2018, as a likely date. within that window, as the outline of a uk deal becomes clear, and the uk exiting the eu i think would be the common sense time for scotland to have that choice if that is the road we choose to go down. just to be clear, you're not ruling out autumn, 2018? i'm not ruling out anything, no. let us get the thoughts of ian murray. from edinburgh, the snp, miles breaks. ian murray, what do you think about the pro

. 682 service personnel lost their lives in iraq and afghanistan.m's way still divide opinion. no one has ever doubted the courage and dedication of every man and every woman who travelled to a troubled region. may this memorial commemorate the lives and service of all. my son was called kris 0'neill, he was killed in iraq in 2007. at least they are all being recognised, that is the main thing. that is the main thing. with all the controversy over the iraq war, i did not even think we would get a memorial, but it shows what people power can do. but delight at public recognition was tempered by regret. a very fitting service, a very pretty memorial, but very frustrated. bereaved parents, family members, were not originally invited to this. those who were invited saw a sculpture that offered a glimpse of the past and the future. today brought a good closure to the events, both iraq, which was quite traumatic, and afghanistan, which i went to four times, which was very traumatic. there are still people out there. ileave injune. and i am leaving a team

tony o'donnell lost her husband gary in afghanistan. region. tony o'donnell lost her husband gary in afghanistan. it is definitely not just about widows. i am happy to be here and i have seen some of the other widows, so there area some of the other widows, so there are a few of us here. it is a pity we couldn't all come, but this is about everybody, notjust those who died. this unveiling might not have been possible without the generosity of the public. the queen was the first to inspect a structure which ca ptu res first to inspect a structure which captures the complexity of the events spanning a quarter of a century. the memorial itself is left, and in a way, there is an unfinished site, which is a nod to the fact that we live in an ongoing situation in both of those countries. one day, this sergeant and his wife will pass on their iraq experiences to their son, alfie, not on his best behaviour this morning. now, he and generations to come will have a permanent reminder of a chapter in our history that remains unfinished business. i wanted

|j they were both injured whilst on patrol in afghanistan in 2011. ground. i was in the royal engineers, just happened to stand on an ied while we were carrying out such operations outburst of europe asa such operations outburst of europe as a result of the blast, i lost both my legs above the knee. i was awake through my injury, i managed to treat myself at the beginning, i was away, the doctor put me asleep. and then i woke up in camp bastion, andl and then i woke up in camp bastion, and i woke up on the flight home. i can picture every stage of it. and i woke up on the flight home. i can picture every stage of itm was a pretty tough time. you go from being this super abel, super strong and capable soldier, who is in the flick of a switch on his back in a bed for four months having to be fed, having to have people do the most basic of tasks for you. it is really, really tough mentally to deal with that. once you get injured, you put on a bit of weight, you are full of tablets and feel rubbish, you feel that your life is over. things start to change

he led paratroopers in afghanistan. he speaks with admiration about one interpreter in particular who is an iraqi, part of the iraqi program, a woman in her early 20's ned hussam. on one occasion they were in a small forward operating base in iraq. he said a man approached frantically pointing to his watch and indicating an explosion with his hands and the americans didn't speak arabic so they couldn't tell if the man was trying to warn them or threatened them. some hurried over to captain breen to assist. she was belorved by her -- beloved by her comrades, always cheerful, always eager to help. she listened to the men and said that he was actually there warning of an improvised explosive device on the main road. as captain breen later told me, a trusted interpreter can be the difference between a successful patrol and a body bag. he noted that every night he and his fellow soldiers would hunker down in their heavily guarded perimeter but with some would leave the compound and go home. well, one evening after she left t

which all makes afghanistan look more vulnerable than ever.ational troops as military trainers to try to stop the rot. james robbins, bbc news. a brief look at some of the day's other news. in wolverhampton, a man has stabbed his sister to death before killing himself. west midlands police used stun grenades to break into the flat this morning. another woman, believed to be the mother of the two, is in hospital in a critical condition. suffolk police say they are confident the body of the missing raf airman, corrie mckeague, will be found in a landfill site. the 23—year—old vanished on a night out in bury st edmonds last september. he was last seen when a refuse lorry was in the area. police have started a search of the site. "extremely concerned" about a security breach that led to wikileaks publishing cia documents. that's how president donald trump is feeling, according to his white house spokesman. sean spicer said at a news briefing that the trump administration intends to be tough on those who leak information. a maltese rock formation,

i know you served in iraq and afghanistan, three tours of duty in afghanistan. i want to check in on what's happening in mosul. when we were talking three weeks ago, you said it took a hundred days to take the first half of that city and you weren't as optimistic about the western side. you said it will get done but it will take a lot longer. what are your thoughts with reports of victory. >> just to be clear i served three tours in afghanistan but i didn't go to the rack. we looked at that map, it was fairly detailed when we looked at that a couple months ago. what we've done so far, the tigris river dissects the city and they have made some significant progress over the past three weeks. however, they have yet to get into the old city of mosul. remember when we were looking at the pictures, that ancient city with the very narrow streets and tight corridors the between homes, that's where we still need to get into and that will be the most difficult and the most body because they will have to go block by block and house by house. isis had two years to prepare f

i want to turn to afghanistan. are thed of support russians sending to the taliban and how direct is their involvement, what does it mean about the ongoing conflict there? we dootel: there is a lot not know about what russia is doing. it is fair to assume they may be providing some kind of support to them in terms of weapons or other things that may be there. that is a possibility. what russia is attempting to do is be an infringement -- influential party in this part of the world. they have concerns because it is close to soviet states they considered to be within their sphere. there is concern about that. it to beconsider helpful to what we come of coalition, has been trying to accomplish for some time now in afghanistan. ms. davis: could you share with your share of that accomplishment that you can share in this setting? gen. votel: we are at a stalemate right now. it is generally in favor of the , butnment of afghanistan still may have a tendency to decline over time. to continue to support this. we have two mi

i want to turn to afghanistan. what kinds of support are the russians sending to us through the taliban and how direct is their involvement, what does that say about our ongoing conflict there? >> i think there's a lot we don't know about what russia is doing. i think it's fair to assume they may be providing some kind of support to them in terms of weapons or other things that may be there. again, i think that is the possibility. i believe what russia is attempting to do is they are attempting to be an influential party in this part of the world. obviously they do have concerns because it is close to the former soviet state that they can sitter to be within their sphere so there is some concern about that but in general, i don't consider their outreach and linkage to the town and to be helpful to what the coalition has been trying to accomplish for us for some time now in afghanistan. >> could you share with us in your state of acknowledgment? >> that you talk about? >> in afghanistan? i think we've established we

gonfortu nately, afghanistan, as long as it remains unstable gonfortu nately, afghanistan, as long asactive to groups like isis for relocation. which all makes afghanistan look more vulnerable than ever. no wonder america's top general there has been urging the despatch of thousands more international troops as military trainers to try to stop the rot. james robbins, bbc news. in south korea, the trial of the chief of samsung, on charges of corruption and bribery, will begin in the capital seoul on thursday. billionaire jay y lee is accused of paying bribes in exchange for political support. it's alleged samsung paid more than $37 million to south korean president park geun—hye in exchange for the government's support on a large merger deal involving samsung. the company admitted it donated money but denies seeking any favours in return. the bbc‘s steve evans has more from seoul. you can't doubt it, this is one of the world's biggest companies, a household name throughout the planet and the top man, the defect to head of the thing, is up for trial on embezzlement and bribery and will

none of us will prevent -- will forget the central fight to prevent afghanistan from becoming a base for terrorism. i appreciate the witnesses answering our questions. i want to mention one additional issue that has been in the news lately. there have been press reports about civilian casualties in mosul related to u.s. aerial support reclaiming the city from isis. i would suggest that everyone be cautious. environmentrban there may well be civilian casualties. even the finest military in the world can make mistakes. we know for certain that isis uses innocent civilians as human shields, and they can arrange civilian deaths to further their misguided. . -- misguided narratives. i think we should always give the benefit of the doubt to the professionals who are working every day to keep us safe. let me turn to mr. smith for any comments you would like to make before turning to our witness. >> i want to echo the comments about how important this region is. the challenges are great. the issue i want to highlight and have the general discussion -- as we continue in iraq, the problem cont

it suggests the group is changing tactics in afghanistan.kman, an a nalyst of we can speak to colin cookman, an analyst of the politics of afghanistan. what did you make of this? it was a horrible morning, in terms of the casualties. we have seen terms of the casualties. we have seen many terms of the casualties. we have seen many attacks by the so—called islamic state in the afghanistan capital. but this is the first time we have seen them directly engage with afghanistan army forces. the only be no relying more on these major attacks. is this a sign of strength or weakness or a change of tactics? it does seem to be a change of tactics. in terms of the strength of tactics. in terms of the strength of the organisation, reports suggest they are under greater pressure in they are under greater pressure in the east with the number of fighters declaiming. this is maybe a wavy trying to respond, to hit back against the government. does it surprise you that security at the hospital was not seen as peter, given that it could be a possible target. i

. 682 service personnel lost their lives in iraq and afghanistan.s way still divide opinion. no one has ever doubted the courage and dedication of every man and every woman who travelled to a troubled region. may this memorial commemorate the lives and service of all. my son was called kris o'neill, he was killed in iraq in 2007. at least they are all being recognised, that is the main thing. that is the main thing. with all the controversy over the iraq war, i did not even think we would get a memorial, but it shows what people power can do. but delight at public recognition was tempered by regret. a very fitting service, a very pretty memorial, but very frustrated. bereaved parents, family members, were not originally invited to this. those who were invited saw a sculpture that offered a glimpse of the past and the future. today brought a good closure to the events, both iraq, which was quite traumatic, and afghanistan, which i went to four times, which was very traumatic. there are still people out there. ileave injune. and i am leaving a team be

and incredible story of a marine who lost both legs during a tour in afghanistan.w job to protect us. this hero's inspiring story next. i realize that ah, that $100k is not exactly a fortune. well, a 103 yeah, 103. well, let me ask you guys. how long did it take you two to save that? a long time. then it's a fortune. well, i'm sure you talk to people all the time who think $100k is just pocket change. right now we're just talking to you. i told you we had a fortune. yes, you did. getting closer to your investment goals starts with a conversation. schedule a complimentary goal planning session today. come close, come close. i like that. [ all sounds come to a crashing halt ] ah. when your pain reliever stops working, your whole day stops. awww. try this. for minor arthritis pain, only aleve is fda approved to work for up to 12 straight hours with just one pill. thank you. come on everybody. aleve. live whole. not part. eric: president trump is not backing off his push to a tax code. president putting tax reform at top of his legislative agenda. now that the g.o.p. h

. 682 service personnel lost their lives in iraq and afghanistan.n. no one has ever doubted the courage and dedication of every man and woman who travelled to a troubled region. mavis memorial commemorates allies and serviceable. my son was called chris 0'neill allies and serviceable. my son was called chris o'neill and he was killed in iraq in 2007. at least they are all being recognised. that is the main thing, that is the main thing, with all the controversy over the iraq war, i didn't think we would even get a memorial but it just shows what people power can do. but delight at public recognition was tempered by regret that invitations were not extended to all bereaved families. a very fitting service and memorial but very frustrated. bereaved parents and family members were not originally invited to this. those who were invited to this. those who were invited sora sculpture which offered a glimpse of the past and the future. —— saw a sculpture. a glimpse of the past and the future. -- saw a sculpture. today brought a good closure to the events b

what they are attempting to do is to be an influential in afghanistan. i think they are reaching out to the taliban and they have made the decision under their own determination that the government of afghanistan and the coalition that supports them is unable to solve the concern about isis. they have much more concerned about isis and the potential that has to move to central asian states and have an impact on them. narrativecreated a that you have to partner more with the taliban to address this particular threat. they are trying to leverage that into a bigger role to pursue peace agreements with the taliban. frankly i do not consider that to be helpful to what we've been doing in the process we have been using. dr. wenstrup: does that change your behavior in any way? gen. votel: i do not think it has changed our behavior. we have been working with our afghan partners, focused on the islamic state as it has emerged in afghanistan. we have had a significant amount of success against them. from 15 districts they were operating into about two. we are targ

he served three deployments, two to iraq and one to afghanistan.nder fire from both sides of a river. they took heavy casualties in the ambush. john was targeted while trying to recover the body of his company commander. i was shot by machine gun, basically cutting my leg in hal half. with support from his wife sarah and doctors, he made the excruciating decision to amputate it. looking back on it, he considers that the best decision of his life. he began his recovery and full to start climbing, running, and playing golf again. >> the first time i saw the picture the president painted, i was shocked to have the full action. the full body painting, very much honored. i liked the idea that he captured my walk and everything. a little smirk on the left. i like that. i think he did a really fantastic job. >> sean: welcome back to "hannity," we are coming to you from the george w. bush center in dallas, texas. one of the heroes featured in the presidents book, "portraits of courage," purple heart recipient and retired u.s. army sergeant, john and his wi