juan: i want to follow up on that issue with bilal.storically an american appach dealing with its enemies you assassinate the head and therefore stop the movement. it is not just with bin laden, al-zawahri, but the leaders of isis. you can go back to the days when the u.s. was hunting jay guevara -- che guavara, going back to the 1930's, nicaragua. is it your sense that cutting off the head really deals with the fundamentals raised by these insurgencies? bilal: i think al qaeda did transform the taliban as an insurgency over the last 20 years. let's go back and see how the taliban learned how to use roadside bombs, learned to have an army of suicide attackers, how they learned to have powerful truck bombs. in my view, al qaeda has done their job, as far as i'm concerned. the relationship between al qaeda and the taliban is extremely close, on the battlefield, as well. today, if you look at afghanistan, i would say there goodeveral thousand foreign fighters including arab fighters, those from central asia, operating in afghanistan along

joining me now is bilal sorari. it is good to see you.an 20 years ago in afghanistan. you worked as a journalist throughout the long war, the u.s. presence there. you were one of the lucky ones to get out. first, about you, tell us what life is like outside of your home country, and what it is like for those in your family left behind? >> well, just because we were forced to leave afghanistan does not mean we have given up on the country. so i have continued to cover afghanistan as much as i could, speaking to colleagues, friends and family, but it is heart breaking, jim, to hear that people are struggling for a loaf of bread, to hear families don't have enough to eat, to hear that people are selling their baby daughters and sons. and what afghanistan today is a country, you know, that is struggling on the economic front under the taliban as the de facto rulers. the taliban would like you to believe that afghanistan is the island of perfection, basically. there are no problems. we also see that the taliban have cracked down against the af

ramita navai also questioned the deputy spokesman for afghanistan's taliban-run government, bilal karimiave spoken to young women who told me when they were arrested, taliban officers used tasers to electrocute them. >> many people may make such a claim, however, they may have other motors -- motives. >> i've also spoken former female prisoners who said some were told if they married, they would be released. liu investigate that? >> i won't comment on that. it is completely basis. >> i've spoken to some families who to me -- amy: that is the deputy spokesperson for afghanistan's taliban government bilal karimi. speaking in a pbs document recall " afghanistan undercover." zahra nader, your response? >> the taliban, they never accept the truth. for the past year, several, several dozens of reports like you and human rights watch. the taliban responses, this is not true. the only thing they want to say is they want the whole world who believe the taliban are telling the truth and everybody else is trying to lie. i want to very much emphasize that whatever the taliban are saying is not accep

(speaking dari): >> maryam: ♪ ♪ >> navai: i'm waiting to see bilal karimi.imi: >> karimi and man: >> karimi: >> man and karimi: >> navai: we covered some cases of women who were arrested and imprisoned for immorality, and their cases were not officially registered. they were being held without charge. >> karimi: >> navai: i've spoken to young women who told me that when they were arrested, taliban officers used tasers to electrocute them. >> karimi: >> navai: i've also spoken to former female prisoners who said that some prisoners were told if they married talibs, they would be released. will you investigate that? >> karimi: >> navai: i've spoken to some families who've told me that talibs are forcefully marrying women and girls. why is this happening? >> karimi: ♪ ♪ >> navai: international women's day. the taliban had set up extra checkpoints across kabul. arifa and her group told me they hoped to stage a demonstration. they're having problems leaving their homes. one of them left a voice message to tell me that there were two talibs right on her street. be

i'm joined now by bilal wahab, from the washington insititute.atching this very closely. good to have you on the programme. the iraqi president said that the crisis is not over, but sadr�*s intervention has been essential, how precarious do you think the situation remains? the situation is _ think the situation remains? tue: situation is precarious think the situation remains? tte: situation is precarious because we are talking about two political factions with armed groups that also billions of dollars at stake. the iraqi state sails $10 billion worth of oil each month. these guys gave the iraqi population a taste of the violence that they've been holding the society hostage with, but i hope and i think their hope hoping the statements of the president and also by the prime minister that what happened yesterday was the peak, and therefore everyone should just de—escalate from now moving forward. we will see. to de-escalate from now moving forward. we will see. ., , . ., de-escalate from now moving forward. we will see-— we will see. to be clear,