safe and deal with the threats from al qaeda and that also comes with the pakistan and the afghanistan taliban. three of the terrorist plots that have hit our streets in britain come from that area of the world, from pakistan and the borders of pakistan and afghanistan. and we've got to do something to make sure the british people are safe. of course, there also a al qaeda in somalia that have threatened action in somalia. that is very difficult. it is in somalia and in other parts of africa, al qaeda. it is our duty, first of all, to keep al qaeda out of the afghanistan, second to keep them out of pakistan. to do that we have to deal with the people that harbor them, and that is the pakistan taliban and we have got to do with the afghanistan taliban. it is clear action that we have to take. >> you just talk about the tough year that you have had and that the countries have had with the recession, swine flu, and the expense candles and everything else. are you optimistic in the next 12 months that it will be better for you and your -- and the country? are you concerned about sexism and ageis

afghanistan. doigs fighting the taliban the u.s. and allies are fighting a drug war. >> reporter: they may be beautiful, but afghanistan's poppies are the source of an estimated 90% of the world's opium. >> translator: when it's harvest time we slice the capsule then leave until the next day. then we collect the opium the next morning. >> reporter: in 2000, afghanistan taliban rulers banned poppy farming for heroin production calling in unislamic. after the overthrow of the taliban in 2001, the poppy made a swift comeback. in a vexing irony, profits now fund taliban efforts towards regaining power. >> it's very clearly most certainly funding, we know that. strategically, my view is it has to be eliminated. >> reporter: eliminated is a challenge. afghanistan's premiere cash crop, and so far attempts to get quick to other props have been met with limited success. a former state department official talked about the challenge of last year. >> one of the myths i tried to debunk, a lot more development assistance, give the farmers irrigati

the summer heat reaching 120 degrees coalition forces have been able to put down taliban insurgents in southern afghanistan. the number of taliban attacks now at its highest since the war began in 2001. and july is now shaping up to be the deadliest month on record. 35 u.s. soldiers have already died this month. surpassing last year's monthly high of 28. 750 u.s. soldiers have been killed since 2001. and 1000 deaths are now yepected by the end of this . isar year. is the r wawinnable? t is unlikely that we llbe wa able to defeat the lin. successful ents of counter insurgency campaigns in places like malaya, control of the rders, troops, strong support from the jomarity ma ethnic group. a long-term commitment d a credible local government are lacking in afghanistan. but atwh should e thwhallied forces do? the best afghan policy would be to reduce the number of foreign trompsfr frthe current level of 90,000 to far fewer. perhaps 20,000. in that case, two distinct objectives would r the international community. development and counter terrorism. so says royy stewart writing in the london review of books. that

afghanistan three weeks ago. believed captured by the taliban.u can see, in this video, the soldier appears to be in relatively good shape. out of his army uniform wearing traditional taliban dress. what's disturbing though is what he says on the tape. he says he's scared, scared he will not be able to go home. then the soldier makes a plea to bring all american troops home. but he's clearly under duress. in fact, on the video itself, you can hear his captors in the background prompting him about what to say. >> in the message to your people? >> yes. to my fellow americans who have loved ones over here who know what it's like to miss them, you have the power to make our government bring them home. please, please bring us home so that we can be back where we belong and not over here wasting our time and our lives. >> reporter: u.s. officials are condemning this video saying the soldier's being used for propaganda purposes. as of now, we're not releasing the soldier's name at the request of the family and the military over concerns for his safety.

sheriff suggested people show up to the vigil on a bike. >>> in a separate development in afghanistan, taliban militants carried out a series of attacks in two cities in eastern afghanistan today. the militants targeted three government buildings in the city of gardez. some of the attackers were suicide vests. eight militants and six afghan security officers were killed in the fighting. the attack on u.s. base u.s. and afghan forces were able to capture one of the militants, two others were killed. >>> today the senate agreed to cut off new spending for the f-22 fighter jet programs. there are 187 of the stealth fighters in the pipeline. 1.75 billion had been set aside for more. today's vote removes that money from the defense policy bill. defense secretary robert gates says the pentagon has enough of the jets. president obama threatened to veto the defense bill if congress ignored the request to terminate that program. resistance has been fierce and because the f-22 has provided thousands of jobs in some lawmakers districts. >>> federal reserve chairman bernanke updated congress on the econom

described as a hostile incident as some 4,000 marines pushed through southern afghanistan in a major operation targeting the taliban stronghold. meantime, in helmand province, a civilian helicopter crashed this morning. some casualties are reported. >>> as the august election approaches in afghanistan, the taliban has launched a new offensive. the taliban captured a small town in eastern afghanistan, but u.s. forces met it head on in a dramatic fire fight to take it back. mandi clark is on the front lines and has this exclusive look. >> reporter: this is the battle for bargh-e-matal. it started at dusk. insurgents high on ridges, pouring fire down on this exposed u.s. position. hundreds of taliban overran bargh-e-matal a week ago, the largest town in the eastern province of norstan. hundreds of troops from the mountain division backed by the u.s. army are now fighting to win it back, as you can see in this exclusive video shot by cbs news. this battle lasted an hour. one u.s. soldier was killed along with ten insurgents. u.s. medics treated an insurgent who said he worked for a notorious taliban leader accused of a

afghanistan. tonight, we visit a far-flown u.s. outpost where the taliban are so close the soldiers write them letters. >>> as the fight in afghanistan intensifies the real threat to american troops isn't taliban bullets but bombs. tonight, join a patrol on the hunt for ieds. >>> a new report says israel used reckless power and human shields causing needless deaths in its war in gaza. the accusers, more than two dozen israeli soldiers. >>> and truly horrendous, that's how one british union describes the latest jobless numbers, as uk unemployment sees its biggest quarterly jump on record. >>> from the world's leading reporters and analysts, here is what is happening from around the world. this is "worldfocus." made possible, in part, by the following funders -- >>> good evening. i'm martin savidge. we're beginning tonight in afghanistan, where the steadily expanding war against the taliban is turning increasingly deadly. just halfway through this month of july, 46 coalition troops have died, 24 americans, 15 british, four canadians, two turks and one italian

afghanistan. meanwhile a military surge that includes thousands of u.s. marines battles the talibanprovince. in the southern territory of sabul, a group of army soldiers is fighting in isolation, and awaiting reinforcements. our nick schiffren has been with them. >> deep in southern afghanistan, 50 young americans are under this is their home, the taliban have launched an attack on their base. charlie company has been dug in here for six months. and this area the enemy is as strong as ever. >> did -- >> the men are led by lieutenant patrick higgins. two years ago, higgins was in college. today, the 24-year-old is in charge of the district of afghanistan's province. the taliban control 90% of the area. >> the challenge in is how much can you control with what you have, and that's the challenge we have been trying to meet out here. >> on the base, a few romanian soldiers, 75 afghan forces, the company mascot, and higgins' men. >> we're supposed to disrupt the enemy movements. this is one of the main routes that the enemy uses from pakistan to get into the central heart of afghanistan.

one for kids. >>> there is new information on an american soldier being held captive in afghanistan. the taliban captured private first class bowe bergdahl of idaho in afghanistan earlier this month. the video of him surfaced on saturday. bergdahl vanished three week ago. we'll hear more of his message coming up in a few minutes. >>> america is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the apollo 11 landing on the moon. the three american astronauts will meet with president obama later today. last night, neil armstrong, buzz aldrin and michael collin made a rare appearance together at the air and space museum. the men didn't spend a lot of time looking back. they used the opportunity to look forward. they say the next giant leap in space exploration is for america to make a trip to mars. >> it may sound like a distant destination beyond our reach but that is what some called apollo's goal to reach the moon. >> nasa has plans to return to the moon by 2020. >>> all morning long, we are mashing the 40th anniversary of the moon landing. >> we have the wax figures of neil article strong and buzz aldrin. >>

taliban. the aim is to change the momentum of this war. helmand is the largest province in afghanistan, 23,000 square miles. it borders pakistan to its south and kandahar to the east and it's the taliban's main stronghold. 4,000 u.s. troops stormed cal ban-controlled villages out of the helmand river. there have been ,000 british troops in helmand since 2006. their focus is on securing the south, while the british continue to look north. president obama outlined his goals for afghanistan. >> the key strategy for us at this point, the benchmarks of success that we've laid out are are we building an afghan national army and police structure that can secure itself without the assistance of into the forces or u.s. forces -- nato forces or u.s. forces. >> breaking news. an american soldier is captured by the taliban in afghanistan and is still missing. >> in the east of the country, a u.s. soldier is being held by insurgents. the circumstances behind his capture aren't clear. >> this is just the start of what will be a long and bloody campaign. u.s. commanders must know that they need to en

we haven't seen that same thing happen in afghanistan, and this is taliban.t's suspected to be the network that is holding this individual soldier. we'll see how it plays out. >> that was ken robinson. you've heard what others had to say about private first class bergdahl. now it's time to bring in warren ballentine and chris plante to weigh in on this and other hot topics. warren, no matter, left or right, republican, democrat, when you see this, we're all americans in this situation and our hearts go out to that soldier and his family. >> well, when i first watched it earlier today, don, the first thing i did was say a prayer for the soldier and his family. i agree with some of the comments made earlier by the people you interviewed. i think we need to go in and get this young man. i think no matter what, whether we have to send the s.e.a.l.s in, i hope the president steps up to the plate. >> some people are talking about the airing of the video, they're uncomfortable with it. >> it does serve the propaganda purposes of the people of the taliban group that

we haven't seen that same thing happen in afghanistan, and this is taliban.t's suspected to be the network that is holding this individual soldier. we'll see how it plays out. >> that was ken robinson. and my conversation with him earlier. you've heard what others had to say about private first class bergdahl. now it's time to bring in warren ballentine and chris plante to weigh in on this and other hot topics in the news. welcome to both of you. warren, let's start with you. no matter left or right, republican, democrat, when you see this, we're all americans in this situation and our hearts go out to that soldier and his family. >> well, when i first watched it earlier today, don, the first thing i did was say a prayer for the soldier and his family. i agree with some of the comments made earlier by the people you interviewed. i think we need to go in and get this young man. i think no matter what, whether we have to send the s.e.a.l.s in, if we have to send somebody in in a diplomatic way, i hope the president steps up to the plate and gets this young man

soldier who's held captive by the taliban in afghanistan. >>> good evening. at 6." >> the taliban captured 23-year-old private first class bowe bergdahl in afghanistan. they caught him about three weeks ago, just five months a fr he arrived in that area. as the military is working to find thean missing soldier, s family and his entireni commuty here at homes struggling to cope with a very difficult situation. leeann gregg has our report. >> reporter: in idaho, yellow ribbons line there streets. volunteers spent the day distributing them for bowe

soldier captured in afghanistan. the taliban released a video of the 23-year-old private over the weekend. joel brown reports a massive hunt is underway now. >> i'm from idaho. >> reporter: the search for a captor churred american soldier is largest military operation in eastern afghanistan. secretary of state hillary clinton whose oversees in india told reporters the hostage video of private bowe bergdahl is a sign of desperation from the taliban. the 23-year-old soldier from idaho disappeared in afghanistan earlier this month. >> in america, the american people have that power. >> reporter: in a 28-minute video that the u.s. military calls nothing more than propaganda, bowe bergdahl said he was captured lagging behind a patrol. he checks up when talking about his family and girlfriend. >> i have my girlfriend who i was hoping to marry, i have my grandma and grandpa. i have a very, very good family. >> reporter: the obama administration says it is doing everything possible to find and free the soldier. but that it is not willin

now turning to the war on terror in afghanistan. the taliban has launched a new offensive to destabilize the country and intimidate voters before the upcoming august elections. after the taliban captured one small town in eastern afghanistan, u.s. and afghan forces engaged them in a dramatic fire fight to take it back. cbs news has an exclusive look at the operation as mandy clark reports from the front line. ( gunshots ) >> reporter: this is the battle for barge matal. it started at dusk yesterday. insurgents high on ridges, pouring fire down at this exposed u.s. position. hundreds of taliban overran barge matal a week ago, the largest town in the eastern province. a hundred u.s. troops from the tenth mountain division backed by the afghanistan army are now fighting to win it back, as you can see in this exclusive video shot by cbs news. this battle lasted an hour. one u.s. soldier was killed along with ten insurgents. u.s. medics treated an insurgent who said he worked for a notorious taliban leader, accused of a series of attacks on coalitio

for here in the first five years after it, the taliban were first driven out of afghanistan. basically, all the resources went in to iraq. many of the europeans traded this as post conflict reconstruction. they didn't take the taliban seriously. even today, some can't use the word "war." they have to use the word "conflict" for political reasons. if you put the resources in that, by itself, will make a tremendous difference. if you take developing afghan forces really seriously and the plans are there and the trainers have the capability, that makes a major difference. and if you can clean up the problems with the karzai government and within the international aid effort that would provide a very strong incentive to afghans to reject the taliban and support the government. >> well, i want to bring up, you meng said in your report that one of the great challenges facing the u.s. and nato is the afghan government. why is the government a challenge? >> part of the reason is, it simply lacks capability. we created a system that was extremely centralized to try to make the warlords

in that message the taliban has asked americans to pressure the government to leave afghanistan. the taliban group holding him has not set any conditions for his release. the u.s. military says it is doing everything possible to get him back safely. the health insurance industry releases a nationwide ad campaign today in support of universal coverage and an offer to insure people who are already sick. an overhaul of the industry tops the agenda for the barack obama this week. both houses of congress are working on bills. the president calls it vital to the long-term recovery and he hopes to have something to sign in september. >>> maryland governor will seek funds to build two transit systems a 14-mile red line through baltimore and a purple line between montgomery and prince georges counties. calls from the obama administration to increase transit funding are raising hopes in maryland that affording two or more transit projects at once is a realistic goal. >>> dc mayor fenty has cut $12 million in earmarks from his upcoming budget. the may -- the mayor had proposed cutting it to

now turning to the war in afghanistan. the taliban threatened today to execute an american soldier they captured more than two weeks ago unless the u.s. military stops looking for him. but mandy clark tells us the united states is making a counterthreat. >> reporter: in the hunt for soldier captured june 30, american forces are trying something new in afghanistan: directly threatening the taliban militants who are holding him. cbs news has recovered leaflets handed to locals containing this blunt warning. the u.s. military has been heavily criticized by the afghan government for civilian deaths. 900 this year alone. officials say the new message is not meant to scare the local population. >> it's targeted at the enemy forces holding our missing soldier. if you're not in that category, it's not directed at you. >> reporter: the military says another leaflet meant for locals has been air dropped. this one a simple plea for information on the missing soldier. the soldier, whose identity is being withheld by the military, was taken just a

afghanistan. the u.s. military spokesperson says two u.s. soldiers died when taliban rebels attacked a base in southeastern afghanistan. now the spokesman says, dozens of taliban fighters were killed. the battle came as u.s. marines continued their offensive in southern afghanistan. cnns correspondent joins us with the latest. atia, first, foremost, what can you tell us about today's attack? >> well, what we know, melissa, a car bomb exploded outside of the combat outpost in paktika province, and two soldiers were killed and ten wounded. they did engage with the enemy. mortars and rockets that flew into the combat outpost. at least one containing white phosphorous. we also heard from the military saying they did kill at least ten taliban and captured at least one of them. but we also spoke to a spokesperson for the governor of paktika, that at least 32 mill stands were killed. melissa. >> of course it's independence day. i know the soldiers where you were did have an opportunity to try to celebrate independence day? >> that's right. we are at bagram airfield here. the

the taliban releases video from afghanistan. we'll have reaction and analysis. >>> assessing the president. tomorrow marking his first six months in office as he makes a big push for health care reform. how will that play into the next six months? discount travel, airfares on most u.s. routes this summer are dirt cheap, down as much as 50%. >>> moon walk myths debunked. 40 years after man first stepped foot on the moon, some people still think it was all a fake. we have an expert's take. >>> good morning everyone. i'm chris jansing, in for alex witt. we'll have that and the latest twist in the michael jackson investigation in moments. >>> first, this morning the pentagon is confirming that the man you see in this individuvid american soldier who went missing in afghanistan last month. on the tape the soldier answer a capture's questions about why he's in afghanistan. >> we were told when we got here we were supposed to do joint operations with afghan government, army and police that are here now. >> let's go live to the white ho

the taliban in afghanistan are more violent and better organized, according to the head of the u.s. joint chiefs of staff. he spoke to the bbc. the british embassy is about to debate the war. the indian and pakistan prime ministers have taken part in a rare meeting in sharm el-sheikh. they've been attending the nonaligned movement summit hosted by egypt. they've issued a communique describing their encounter as cordial and constructive. joining me from sharm el-sheikh is our reporter pereta nalanda, this communiqu-- is all reporte. yolanda. >> terrorism was the first thing mentioned in the joint statement. there were the mumbai bombings last year. both ministers say the meeting has been cordial. they both say terrorism is the main focus. they need to bring the perpetrators of those attacks to justice, they agree. india is holding pakistan militants responsible. the pakistani prime minister says pakistan is doing everything in its power in this regard. we were told adel cear was handed over by pakistan to india -- we were told that daya documt was handed over toby pakistan to india o

. >>> as america celebrates independent day the nation is mourning more deaths in afghanistan. talibans. base in eastern afghanistan killing two u.s. soldiers. president obama is beefing up troops in the country as part of a plan to double the force fighting there. 4,000 marines arrived in the troubled province of halmeng on wednesday. >>> visitors to the statue of liberty taking tours tin side her crown for first time in eight years. >>> the announcement that left the political world stunned. sarah palin putting in her notice. what is next for the former vice-presidential candidate? what she posted on face pook today coming up next. - ♪ five - ♪ five dollar ♪ five-dollar footlong - ♪ f-f-f-fiv - ♪ five dollar - ♪ five dollar - ♪ footlong - ♪ g-go - ♪ goin' strong ♪ strong at subway, subway ♪ the famous subway $5 footlong anthem rolls on. and america's loving every note. many of your favorite gular footlongs are $5 each, all day, every day. including the bold cold cut combo... and the en roasted chicken breast. subway. eat fresh. book today coming up next. >>> lawmakers are still in a

afghanistan is not about to fall to the taliban. ut the problem is that, again, in counterinsurgency, if you're not winning you're losing. i think if you look at afghanistan, there's a lot of reason to be pessimistic, to be very sober minded when looking at it. but on the other hand, i think a properly resourced strategy, especially one that builds capacity within the afghan government, has a chance of success. but this is the 11th hour. at this point we can't do anything in afghanistan that does not build capacity in the afghan government and in its institutions. >> rose: can we do it without a change in the policy and tactics of the pakistani army? >> in order to be successful in afghanistan we have to see a destruction or reduction of safe havens across the boarder in pakistan. as you pointed out in your introduction, thus far the pakistani military has shown willingness to go after what they perceive as existential threats to their state. but we also need to see a reduction in safe havens of transnational groups that are attackin

military has thought he was in the hands of the network, both afghanistan taliban. the voice on the tape may have been putting out that to try to throw the u.s. military off. as of today, they still think it's the acan network who has him. >> jim miklaszewski at the pentagon, thanks for the report. heart wrenching situation for his family and fellow soldiers. >> it's incredible how that town in idaho, they knew about this, but kept that family's secret, wanting this young man to be brought home safely. his face, he was fighting back the tears when talk about his family. we'll continue to follow that. >>> we have other break troops. their goal is to meet the demands in iraq and afghanistan. >>> we're following breaking news out of our los angeles international airport where a suspicious device was spotted at the counter, bradley terminal, the upper level of the airport itself, being evacuated. a suspicious package at the el al counter. it appears to be traffic tied up going into the airport. it's backed up as they try to get a location on this package and evacuate th

. >> police under attack in eastern afghanistan. taliban fighters wearing suicide vests carrying ak47s, storming the station, some of the terrorists have been killed. >> and a final farewell, britain's last world war one veteran has died. he was 111 years old. >>> right now on the beautiful sight from the international space station where shuttle endeavor astronauts are orbiting earth. look at that. that's happening right this minute. 40 years ago this weekend, our astronauts had just gone from taking one small step for man to a successful splash down in the pacific. today the uss hornet is celebrating 40 years since the apollo astronauts safely returned to earth from the moon. julyly wasn't there, i don't think, because she wasn't born of the but that's where we find our own casey spiegel who is live in almeda, california. you weren't even born yet, were you? >> why are you putting me on the spot like that? >> he's putting himself on the spot 'cause he's older than us. >> that's right. i agree with you. we'll go with that option. celebrati

afghanistan and what is taking place. a dangerous situation for the international and afghan troops. more than a half dozen taliban insurgents attacked government targets in khost in eastern afghanistan. attackers carrying machine guns and wearing suicide vests were killed in a battle with afghan security forces. at least 14 civilians, three military service members and police officer were wounded in the attack. everything you want to know about afghanistan, conflict, history, the people. it is all just a click away at cnn.com. giving us a tour, cnns josh levs. >> all right. i want to show you this. cnn.com/afghanistan. like a one-stop shop to see latest reporting from afghanistan including our latest videos and photos. the stories. let's zoom right in. i'll take you through it. i'll scroll down. take a look at this. every time you see a new loon one of the latest stories we have added. life in afghanistan or the state of the war. let's go over here. something you don't see often. shots of what afghanistan looks like. large parts taken by photo-journalists traveling through. these are some from cnn's photo-journal

marines are engaged in a tough fight with the taliban in southern afghanistan, and mike boettcher is on the front lines. >> reporter: since july 2nd, d-day for operation kanjari. the marines are pushed south into territory the taliban call home. their mission, secure villages controlled by the taliban and disrupt their supply lines. in the operation's final push, marines press on deep into southern helmand province to capture a main taliban supply point. a formerly untouched insurgent stronghold called lakari bazaar. the expected heavy resistance. each locked door was blown open. but the taliban fled before the advancing marines, retreating so quickly that they left behind bomb-making materials, booby traps and 5,000 pounds of poppy seed. if planted, its opium byproduct would net millions for the taliban's war effort. they even left behind receipts. >> when the taliban tax the locals they hand out receipts. >> the enemy, they're never going to be in the open waiting for you to come in. it's a cat and mouse game. >> reporter: the lakari bazaar remained deserted hours after the attack.

taliban. >> the top military office says pakistan can set up direct talks with the top taliban leader in afghanistan t.j., betty, the obama administration has expressed its first response to the pakistan military's offer to help broker talks between washington and the taliban fighters of afghanistan. president obama's special envoy for afghanistan and pakistan described the admission from the pakistani military that it has ongoing communications with the afghan taliban as not surprising. however, ambassador holbrook did say that he sees that admission publicly as a positive development. >> there have been long allegations that there are continued contacts, and i think it's a step forward for the pakistanis to say publicly what everyone has always assumed. >> reporter: but under what some pakistani military officers called intense pressure following the revelations of the ongoing communication with the taliban, pakistan military headquarters issued a denial of the remarks of its official spokesman, describing them as fabricated, faceless and taken out of context, even those remarks were with made on

afghanistan i credibly corrupt. so what we've seen in the south, for example,s the taliban tak vantage of this perception corruption. so they'llsend only buds men into t south and ey'll ask people, they say "so assess your show governor in the south of afghanistan? what type of job ise doing? we're interested in your feedback and the significant thing tre ishat the taliban is directly challenging the govement of afghanistan ere it knows it's at its weakest and that's a peeption of corruption and a perception that theew are getting wethy at the extense of the many. and there's a real problem in afghanistan with respec to the peeived power of regional wer brokers and their corruption. now,ow that all plays into the drug trade it's significant. but think maybe it's a little overplayed. there's a lot ofriminality in the south, and is not just drugs. 's the expropriation of land by powerful indiduals, it's the monopoly on certain jobs, use of the government a patronage systems. so we've got real problem with governan in afghanistan at all levels. there's some encouraging signs there's some money indusies in afghanistan t

if the afghan taliban were to succeed in its goal and take over afghanistan, three in five pakistanis would see this as a negative outcome. 61% said if the taliban were to regain power in afghanistan, this would be bad. 54% called it very bad. 24% said this would be a good outcome, and another 10% volunteered it would be neither good nor bad. when the united states is brought into the picture, this overlay gives rise to some very different attitudes. ask about the curent u.s. drone aircraft attacks that strike targets in northwest pakistan, 82% called them unjustified. only 13% disagreed. if the u.s. were to identify afghan taliban bases in pakistan, 79% say it would not be justified in bombing them, though this action is supported now when carried out by pakistan's own government. we asked a question that would remind respondents that the international community originated the military presence in afghanistan. it read, the u.n. has authorized a nate dash nato mission. this mission is meant to have the government defend itself from taliban insurgence. do you approve? >> 72% disapprove

the issue first of all ages the change in approach of the taliban campaign in afghanistan, and i think there are defense experts far better equipped than me to explain the nature of what has happened. but clearly the afghan taliban and associates are operating in guerrilla tactics and using roadside bombs and electronic devices to cause maximum damage. they are not in the same way as happened in the past taking on the troops had on. they are hoping that by this method and to cause dismay and loss of life -- >> so did this come to surprise to you? >> this is a tactic the taliban have been pursuing obviously. it was a tactic pursued by others in iraq and obviously the military have changed their tactics to deal with that in a far more engineers dealing with the bomb threat and equally our tactics have had to change as a result of that. the number of taliban involved in these activities do not need to be massively high for them to have an affect through the use of these devices, and i think it is the change in the tactics of the taliban that we are having to deal with, and i do pay tribut

secretary of state clinton talks about ann >> now checking out headlines around the world, in afghanistan, taliban militants carried out attacks on three buildings in a u.s. base. american forces killed two of the militants and a third was captured. witnesses say hundreds of people took to the streets again in iran's capital city to protest last month's presidential election. this video is believed to be out of tehran today. we cannot confirm this independently. proat the-- protestors shouted r president ahmadinejad to resign and were detained by riot police. president clin tonight and hillary are in thailand looking to get north korea to abandon nuclear programs as worries emerge over a possible alliance involving the communist nation. james ozen has the story from bang bangkok. >> secretary of state clinton acknowledged, quote, growing concerns about reports of military collaboration between two countries the u.s. watches most carefully -- burma and north korea. >> it would be destablizing for the region. it would pose a direct threat to burma's neighbors and it is something as a treaty ally of

afghanistan. >>> the soldier on this taliban video has been identified as private first class bowe bergdahl of ketchumaho. it was put on line 2 1/2 weeks after he was captured in afghanistan. his parents say they're hoping and praying for his safe return. >>> would you sell your kidney to a stranger in a foreign country? they say they have no choice. this is next hour. this has been a report. >>> here are some facts. july will be the deadliest month for nato forces in the entire afghanistan war. the pentagon is even admitting the u.s. has lost troops, quote, at an alarming rate this month. when the caskets return home, the united kingdom held a day of national mourning. britain is the united states's most important allies in this fight. many remain if the casualties remain high, the british could soon abandon their effort. joining me to talk about all this, david kilcullen. david is a former army officer who helped plan the troops in both iraq and afghanistan. he is a profess this man is a professor of boston university. they are in opposition on this. >> when the surge began in iraq, they said the di

afghanistan. a victorious taliban could threaten russia's borders. instead, moscow sees the u.s. as a competitor in a strategically important region in its own backyard. >> translator: central asia is rich in raw materials, like natural gas and oil. that makes the whole region interesting. that's why russia, china, and the americans are competing for influence here. >> reporter: for now, analysts say the conflict in afghanistan takes precedence. both u.s. and russia want security in the region. but if and when that's achieved that competition will heat up more than ever. >> the pentagon told us today there was one emergency fuel dumping incident over kyrgyzstan in 2008. but that "evaporated before it hit the ground and caused no harm to the environment." >>> there are new signs today that peace talks between israel and syria might resume soon. the turkish prime minister, who left for meetings in syria today, said that he's gotten requests to mediate new negotiations. syria cut off earlier in protest talks to protest the invasion of gaza. >>> and now to saudi arabia, which tonight

afghanistan? i mean is it just as simple to say that it's taliban and al qaeda? or are there many, many, other groups and sub groups that you're dealing with in the country? >> it's the latter. there are in southern afghanistan, three principal types of enemy. there are what you might call full-time national level taliban, who answer to mull her omar, the old head of the taliban and the so-called regimen located in a pakistan city. then there are local taliban. some are little more than gangsters, really who claim to be taliban and they are part time for the most part and are probably the enemy fighters that the coalition would find easiest to buy off. and then there are foreign fighters. while i was in zabul, u.s. forces fought a fierce battle against an enemy force that appeared to be speaking farsi and russian. they were much better armed than your average taliban squad. they had body armor, kevlar helmets, used smoke grenades to break contact and so forth. so there is at least three types, and that's just in southern afghanistan. >> sean, thanks very much. we

barack obama has about afghanistan as a major priority for his administration, and he has committed additional troops to combat taliban militia. today, mr. miller band is focusing on dialogue. he ascended -- mr. -- mr. miliband. >> british troops in afghanistan have had their deadliest month so far. 20 soldiers killed in the past four weeks. of the nato -- other nato countries have seen their casualties rise as well, so the question now is how the campaign against the taliban can be won. britain's foreign secretary, visiting nato headquarters this morning, came with a clear message -- military force alone will not be enough. there also needs to be political reconciliation and reintegration. >> that means in the long term an inclusive political settlement in afghanistan, which draws a way conservatives nationalists, separating those who want islamic rule locally, from those who would commit violent g h jihad globally. >> afghanistan said david miller iband was at a turning point. >> by challenging the insurgency, dividing the different groups, by convincing the afghans' we will not desert them to taliban retribution, a

take a look. >> reporter: i came to these mountains to unravel how the taliban in afghanistan are basedhere across the border in pakistan. in these remote mountain valleys of pakistan's northwest frontier province, the taliban can hide, train, smuggle weapons, and launch military strikes against u.s. forces in afghanistan. for generations the border here has been little more than a vague blur, and that is what is crippling the american effort in afghanistan. to put it simply, america cannot win the war in afghanistan. certainly can't win it with bombs and bullets and it can't win it in afghanistan alone. part of the answer lies here where i'm standing in the mountain valleys in pakistan on the afghan border because this is al qaeda and taliban territory. right now there's as many as 100 taliban on that mountain top. between the snowcapped peaks they're currently under siege from local villages who are driving them from their bunkers. but at the end of the day it's the pakistani military that tolerates the presence of groups like the taliban and it's not until america can start cutting d