embassy, when it comes to isaf headquarters. what they will make an impact on are the areas outside of it where you will see afghan civilians. you've see foreigners patrolling, whether it be isaf troops or u.s. embassy employees walking maybe from one area to another. so they're not going to have such a strong impact for their intended target. they will have an impact, not only an impact physically but mentally as well. five days, again, i'm going to mention it again. five days, again, before the presidential elections. >> and as we wait to find out more about this explosion, who might have been behind it and how it was carried out, how do you usually get the information there in kabul? where do you go for sources when things like this break out there in the capital city? >> reporter: we call our sources -- we call our sources. we have various sources within the capital. we've been trying to call the interior ministry. we called the taliban for a reaction to see if they will take credit for the explosion. we're trying to make th

there's very limited nato isaf presence because there are only limited nato isaf force and as a result the taliban has been able to reinfiltrate in many areas, intimidate the local population, drive out traditional leaders. take over control of political space. it's fighting one kind of war and we've been fighting another and what general mcchrystal and others have focused on is changing the whole way this war is fought, and this battle is a good case in point. it isn't simply a matter of defeating the taliban. it's holding the area. it's securing the population. it's bringing in afghan forces to protect them. it's providing them with minimum amounts of government services and aid so they have reason to be loyal to the central government and reason to reject the taliban. so it's a shift from this kind of war fighting tactical strategy to what people call shape, clear, hold and build that's the fundamental reason for this campaign. >> anthony cordesman, as always, we appreciate the insight. thank you. >> thank you. >>> reporters are not only embedded with the marines fighting in dahaneh

isaf is a security assistance force. we are here to facilitate and an able our assistance wherever possible. also, it reflects the will of the people. as you can imagine, the sense of confidence that will be generated to see, other than foreign troops on the ground nearby, they will see and interact with members of their own security force, in particular, in the first responders, the afghan national police, people they used to see moving a monk's their communities, ready to be prepared to deport the afghan national police and execution of their responsibilities. i think it is important that they are now able to step up to the task that is before them. there are is no doubt that there are many challenges. we are aware that there is an active insurgency. but the reason i think it is critical that the afghan security forces are seen by their people as a critical response and pro-active circumstances put in place by their own agency to reassure them that they are a security -- that they are doing the best they can within the

isaf is a security assistance force.ere to facilitate and an able our assistance wherever possible. also, it reflects the will of the people. as you can imagine, the sense of confidence that will be generated to see, other than foreign troops on the ground nearby, they will see and interact with members of their own security force, in particular, in the first responders, the afghan national police, people they used to see moving a monk's their communities, ready to be prepared to deport the afghan national police and execution of their responsibilities. i think it is important that they are now able to step up to the task that is before them. there are is no doubt that there are many challenges. we are aware that there is an active insurgency. but the reason i think it is critical that the afghan security forces are seen by their people as a critical response and pro-active circumstances put in place by their own agency to reassure them that they are a security -- that they are doing the best they can within their resour

to play it safe, he's decide not to kill any gines or shred any cars until the money isafe in hand. >> a delightfucatastrophe is the best w to put it, we're excited because we are selng cars, doina lot of work, but it's been a mess becauseo some degree it's anlement of unknown, it's something new at neither us nor t government real had any idea how to do it. >> rorter: the story is similar at oer dealers we spe with. sheehy auto stores is waitinon nearly $3 llion for its 700 clunker deals. the dealership recved its first paent from the government on fridayor $4,500. a survey lt week of virginia dealers found the governnt ocessed 9% of trade-in's, rejected 9 and paid fewer than 3%. and while dealerworry about being paidthey are also woied about what's next. auto analyst recca linland lowered her sales focast for next year, as someuyers moved up pchases to take advantage of the program. >> we have seen somencremental sales or really true new buys in thearket, probably about 150,000 to 200,000 new bers in the rket, so they're not all pull ahead, some lonterm benefits he, but we'll feel a

we did see it rising from the vicinity of isaf and the u.s. embassy. it whaks you up, remind you you are in the afghan capital, in a war zone, though you're living in the capital city which doesn't see much violence compared to the rest of afghanistan. there are ideologies out there strong enough to come infiltrate -- to come kill afghans, themselves, because whatever their intended targets are, usually foreigners, which usually are coalition forces u u.s. embassy, german embassy, where we saw a blast in january, the victims tend to usually be afghan civilians. they're killing more afghans than they are killing anyone else. this ideology that they have is warped in way because they're just killing people. that's what it is. these are people who have seen 30 years of war, 30 years of killing and they're sincerely tired of it. they're tired of seeing their families die. no one wants to see their children, their parents die. unfortunately the afghan people have been seeing it from one war to another for the past 30 year. it doesn't show signs of stopping,

over the last months, isaf has been involved in numerous security operations all over the country andvery closely with its afghan partners, the afghan national police, and the afghan national army to prepare and provide security for the people of afghanistan for the elections. the object of these was to minimize and mitigate the risk to the lowest levels possible. despite the best plans, and they're always be some problems, particularly in places like afghanistan. as you can imagine, conducting this through insurgency makes this elections even more challenging -- these elections even more challenging. on average, about 32 attacks a day are made, and around 40 it attacks within the last four days a day. -- around 40 attacks within the last four days. 15 million afghan voters have registered for these elections. on the 1% and 6500 potential polling stations -- only 1% of 6500 potential polling stations. the afghans have expressed very clearly there will and their determination to vote, and we will continue to support them so that they can firmly exercise their right to choose their next

isaf is a security assistance force. we are here to facilitate and an able our assistance wherever possible. also, it reflects the will of the people. as you can imagine, the sense of confidence that will be generated to see, other than foreign troops on the ground nearby, they will see and interact with members of their own security force, in particular, in the first responders, the afghan national police, people they used to see moving a monk's their communities, ready to be prepared to deport the afghan national police and execution of their responsibilities. i think it is important that they are now able to step up to the task that is before them. there are is no doubt that there are many challenges. we are aware that there is an active insurgency. but the reason i think it is critical that the afghan security forces are seen by their people as a critical response and pro-active circumstances put in place by their own agency to reassure them that they are a security -- that they are doing the best they can within the

isaf yes of course. they say but you don't know what's the job. and i say yes, sir. but why? i said come on, if it is a bad job so you will never ask me, you see, i like it or not like it if it is the chinese border you say come on, if you ask my opinion so it is good job. i say look, preparation, five years. i have now ten years of military education from 11 to 21, so five more years. you agree? i said of course. why? because i say. it is serious preparation. if it is 50 minutes preparation is not very serious. five years i accept sali of the four years of preparation and after i become officer and i am not historian and i just produce all of that because my job to make an honest, my job to look small evidence like what is meaning of what. it means that, you see. so my job was to take lots of thousands of small pieces all together and just say what we will do so my job to find, to prevent new attacks against soviet union and all i, because i was a good boy, you see, i tried to prevent the second german attacks i think the 22nd of june, 1941 is the greatest disaster in histor

command in the international security assistance force or isaf some marines will be a writing beginningce that tomorrow at 11:59 p.m. is the deadline for those who wish to of tanned media credentials for the pittsburgh summit. with that, i will take your questions. yes? >> to follow up to the question asked yesterday, the u.s. commission for leaders freedom has put in the of the watch list, and in the death has officially done this as a great deal from the u.s. cis. secretary clinton was their last month on the ground. what is her sense about this freedom in india? >> i think that obviously we talk at the department of state about many universal principles. we have talked about in in a variety of contexts. but certainly, freedom of expression and religious freedom we think are hallmarks of stable progressive societies in the 21st century. it is obviously important to us. i can't say to what degree it came up during the secretary's conversations last month but clearly this is an area which we think it obviously is across the globe a source of potential stability. and we believe that thos

there has been civilian deaths due to military operations by the united states and by isaf and i think we're making adjustments on the ground to try to minimize the impact. yes. >> to anas which topics? >> sure. >> i have a question regarding a conversation over the weekend between bill burns and russian deputy foreign minister. and did burns and she did that phone call? >> i don't know. if we were in contact with both the russians and the georgians over the weekend i think there were multiple attempts to reach officials on both sides. i can't say whether it was bill burns or fill gordon. -- were still gordon -- or fill gordon -- or phil gordon. i think it was probably a combination i think first of all, we're not sure that there was any evidence to support the original claim that there was an exchange of fire across the border, but we were in touch with both sides and to kind of check on mechanisms that have been put in place so that if you have incidents of these kind, it can be resolved until local laws quickly as possible. >> just to clarify, so there were conversations with george

reeional command east and with coalition isaf forces. he served as the talking hansi pn, cnn and many media outlets and his work on afghanist was recognized by the soviet government, which awarded him the titles of bourgeois falls of fire of history, and the cia agent with hum accounts will be settled. needless to say both charges are false. our second speaker, who is dr. marvin weanbm. he is acholar in esidence in the middle east institute. he formally with the afghanistan and pakistan analyst at the bureau of intelligence research at the u.s. department of state. he is also a professor emeritus at the university of illinois where he served as director of the program in south asia and middle eastern studies. before that he was a senior fellow at the united states institute piece. he held a fulbright research and is t author of numerous books, chapters and articles about afghanistan and pakistan. he returned last week from afghanistan greece served as an observer with the democracy common and the election observer with the democracy inte

regional command east and with coalition isaf forces. he served as a talking head on cnn, pbs, fox news and many other media outlets. and his work on afghanistan was recognized by the soviet government, which awarded him the titles of bush wall balls of fire of history him and the cia agent with whom account will be settled. needless to say, both charges are false. our second speaker is dr. marvin weinbaum. is a scholar in residence of the middle east is to. he was formally afghanistan and pakistan analyst at the bureau of intelligence research at the u.s. department of state. he is also profeor emeritus at the university of illinois where he served as director of the program in south asia and middle eastern studies. before that he was a senior fellow at the united states institute of peace. he held full research fellships for afghanistan and egypt. and he is the ahor of numerous books, chapters and articles on afghanistan and pakistan. he returned last week from afghanistan where he served as an observer with a democracy -- an election