first we start with news of a blast at a french school in kabul. a suicide bomber flew himself up inside the school's auditorium during an event taking place there. that institution is near the foreign ministry. let's speak to jennifer glass on the phone for us, and jennifer, a lot of people used this school. tell us what more you know about the explosion. >> the suicide bomber get i go in and blowing himself inside that auditorium. we understand from the police authorities that one has been killed and 19 injured in that attack. there are a couple of reports as to whether there was a performance going on in the auditorium. it is in the afghan capitol where people gather for those kinds of performances. it is a secure place, going through a checkpoint, often people are searched, so they ever been looking closely to see how that suicide bomber got into this very secure location in the heart of kabul. >> do you have more information about the suicide bomber? i'm getting reports that he was a 17-year-old boy. >> we don't have that confirmed yet. he was

the latest attack targeted an arm bus in kabul. seven soldiers have been killed and ten others have been wounded. jennifer glasse joins us from the afghan capitol. tell us about this latest attack that targeted the afghan army. >> reporter: well, the taliban has claimed responsibility for that attack that took place just as the sun was sitting here during kabul's busy rush hour. suicide-bomber on foot, a a suicide-bomber went up in flames. six soldiers were killed in that secon attack. it's the second attack here earlier a member of afghanistan supreme court was shot to death as he was headed to work. the taliban has claimed responsibility for that attack as well. in the south 12 mine clearers were attacked and killed in helmonds province. and then we saw two soldiers from nato's international security assistance force also killed. >> an up tick in violence and we're seeing the end of the na nato-led mission with the bulk of troops pulling out in the end of 2014, how confident are afghans that their security forces will be up for t

let's go to kabul where jennifer glasse joins us from there. what more can you tell us about these recent attacks. >> reporter: a deadly 24 hours here in afghanistan. the latest attack just before the sunset here during afghanistan's kabul very busy rush hour. the police say it was a suicide-bomber on foot that attacked that bus, setting it aplay ablaze. seven afghan personnel were killed, 18 people wounded including civilians walking by on the busy kabul streets. it's the second attack this morning. a senior member of afghanistan's supreme court was killed on his way to work and as you mentioned 12 mine clearers killed by the taliban in an attack in helmand province. on friday night two members of the nato security force were killed as the taliban at the point up their attacks against what they call the invaders and their puppets. they say those attacks will intensify. >> jennifer we know that foreign troops are expected to leave by the end of the year, and it seems that taliban attacks are on the rise. this does not body very well by the afgh

this is the kitchen at one of kabul's most popular french restaurants. the cooks have been specially trained by a chef from paris and the food here has made it a major draw for the city's expat population. but today there's one slight problem. there's no one to serve. >> tonight is christmas. we don't have reservation. we don't have customer. we will make the food. we have the menu of christmas. up to now, we don't have customer, we don't have reservation. >> last january, a taliban attack on a lebanese restaurant left 21 people dead. more than a dozen foreigners among them, including u.n. officials. since then, most restaurants catering to westerners have shut down. and security fears are keeping them away from the few that remain. it's not just the food business that's hurting. kabul's real estate boom, fueled by the flood of aid workers, diplomats and contractors who came here over the past ten years is slowing down. this large house is in one of kabul's most exclusive neighborhoods. i've just been inside it. several bedrooms, a fireplace. very, very

that's a much outside of kabul. there's also a surprisingly vibrant like talk radio infrastructure in afghanistan, but i would say they definitely do foreign reporters, particularly americans, as rank propaganda. i would say that was a true of everyone i met regardless of the tribe, city or village or ethnicity or anything, their political affiliation. and, frankly, can you really blame him? that's exactly the way of american reporters have done a really terrible job in afghanistan. i can't speak to what they been doing in iraq, but their entire provinces that opposing an american reporter. ever. it's not that hard. i did it. i'm just a cartoonist. it's kind of shameful that reporters from major media outlets with a lot of resources are not dedicating the kind of, and getting the kind of reporters to go into the kind of work, and they don't. i mean, you can't blame them. they see these reporters. whenever they see them at our traveling with u.s. troops. i saw them. they would drive by surrounded by guys with kevlar

she just returned from kabul afghanistan.ill link your recent piece "obama extends war in , afghanistan: the implications for u.s. democracy aren't reassuring." matt aikins, please stay with us, we want to talk about your latest piece "afghanistan: the , making of a narco state." stay with us. ♪ [music break] >> "military madness." this is democracy now! democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. as the us-led coalition in afghanistan officially concluded its combat mission sunday, 13 years after it started in 2001, ending the longest war in u.s. history, we continue speaking with matt aikins, a journalist usually based in kabul, but speaking to us from halifax nova scotia in canada. his recent article for rolling stone magazine is headlined, "afghanistan: the making of a narco state." why don't you lay out for us what has happened in afghanistan around the growing of heroin. >> today, afghanistan produces twice as much opium as it did in 2000. this spring, i traveled to helmand province in southern afghanis

a serious attack in the heart of kabul.t comes on the heels of another attack this morning where a suicide bomber killed six soldiers and wounded 14. >> what message is -- are they wanting to send here, jennifer, whoever is behind this attack, by attacking a french school? >> reporter: i think it's really designed to create unrest in the city, a feeling of incurty. today's two attacks were the first attacks here in kabul in 11 days, and we saw a series of attacks in the heart of the afghan capitol. since then security has been beefed up. both the police and the intelligence services trying to make the capitol as safe as possible. this morning's attack was claimed by the taliban. no one has claimed responsibility for this evenings attack. this is a very secure facility. they search ever who comes in. this was an invite-only event. so there is an actual guest list. so who was this suicide bomber, and how was he able to get in. and it is a very social night here in the afghan capitol, but lots of check points as well. >> jenni

what happened in the past three weeks, the taliban is targeting foreigners in kabul. aide workers are urged to leave temporarily. and the canadian embassy said if you are in afghanistan, you should leave. threats to foreigners including canadians from terrorist and criminal violence is high. the high- profile attack on the the california based charity of academics and developments left three africans, a father and teenage son dead. the mother has decided to remain in kabul in defiance of the taliban's attempt to frighten international aide workers. they are timed by the taliban to discourage international groups from staying and making it look like the taliban and insurgent are pushing nato and american out of afghanistan. admiral john kirky said the u.s. plans to draw down by the end of the year. >> combat mission comes to an sxend we are on track to get down to the proscribed level of forces by 10000. >> and white house doesn't want to make the same mistakes as it made in iraq. and president obama reversed the previous band on night raids and air strikes. there will

there have been at least 11 attacks in kabul alone in the last two weeks. more money for afghanistan is expected to be pledged in london. history has taught these people at least that that money will make little difference in their lives. charles stratton, al jazeera, kabul. >>> during a conference for his party, mogabe accused his party from undermining him. his wife grace is tipped to be named as his new deputy. hara mutassa has more. >> president robert mogabe says this year's conference is going to be a spectacular one. he tore into his deputy vice president, accusing her of trying to assassinate him of trying to remove him from power but she has denied the allegations. people are watching the rise of his wife. she's expected to be elected leader of the women's league, a powerful lobby here in the country. for being the deputy or the vice president of zimbabwe. >> more than 6,000 people have died from ebola in west africa and that number is still riding. sierra leone one of the worst affected countries and yet the president insists the country is still

kabul bank has branches across the country.hey say it would be a legitimate target, because it's a symbol of the government. if you can stop the salaries of the police and early, that creates more instability. that seems to be the aim of the attack. >> turbulence hitting an american airlines jet, more than a dozen people were hurt. it hit turbulence after taking off from seoul headed to dallas, but landed in tokyo. five were taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life threatening. >> freezing rain may cause problems in the northeast and great lakes today. >> we turn to nicole mitchell. good morning. >> good morning. that video's a good example of why you always keep your seatbelt on, just in case. >> not a first class cabin that video was shown in. >> even worse than coach, right? >> i've never been there. >> we are talking about the freezing rain. we had that area of mostly rain that moved through the northeast, still moisture wrapping pack behind that system and that's bringing some warm air over the cold air that

there have been at least 11 attacks in kabul over the past weeks. history has taught these people that money will make little difference to their lives. charles stratford, al jazeera, kabul. >> earve'africa's oldest leader tightens his grip. >>> warning 2014 is set to be the hottest year on record. stories on al jazeera, at leastn killed in russia's chechnya region, after fighters attacked a press building in the local capital, grosne. russia has fought two wars in the region in the past 20 years. >>> there will be an investigation into the death of eric garner. garner who is black died after a new york police officer put him in a choke hold but the grand jury has charged the officer will not be charged. >> afghanistan new leaders, president ashraf ghani and abdalla abdalla are meeting foreign nations. >>> air strikes against i.s.i.l. in his country are not working, bashar al-assad says especially with turkey providings direct aid to these areas. if he thinks about sinking everyone will die. >>> al jazeera continues to demand the release of its thre

also ahead outgoing defense secretary chuck hagel makes an unexpected stop in kabul to announce extra troops. >>> zimbabwe names grace mugabe as head of the women's league. >>> philippines prepare for a typhoon. >>> why scientists say they have solved a medical mystery. >> an american and south africa being held hostage by al-qaeda in yemen has been killed during an attempt to rescue them. president obama said i authorized the mission because luke somers' life was in danger. >> it was the second time u.s. and yemeni forces tried to rescue luke somers. along with pierre kork work who was held aside him. this time they never made it out alive. >> they wanted to rescue him, but the al-qaeda was wag bearing down, and as one of my sources told me, they tried to kill him. they tried to escape with him, but the operation was very strong, and they were surround surrounded, so they killed him. >> that operation took place in the southeast of yemen. u.s. president barack obama released a statement that strongly condemned the killings and explains the timing of the operation. it reads that luke

as jennifer glasse reports from kabul. >> the worst single attack on afghan civilians took place last month in eastern afghanistan. children were among the dozens killed when a suicide-bomber detonated himself at a val match. [ gunfire ] the united nations said civilians are increasingly in the line of fire. injuries and deaths are up 19% over last year. this is one of the latest victims. he's fighting for his life after a suicide-bomber detonated his explosives in a kabul auditorium killing one. november was a bad month in the capitol. >> we have never seen so many explosions in the city. there is almost not one single day where we're not waking up, coming to work hearing explosions or gunfight. >> in the children's ward all the injuries are the result of shrapnel. this seven-year-old was injured. the eight-year-old in the bed next to him. nearly 10,000 civilians have been killed or wounded in afghanistan this year. child casualties alone are up 33%. the numbers are so high because of the increased fighting between afghan forces taliban and other groups. car bombs and explosives are

and in kabul a court official was shot dead by gunmen as he left his home. and military personnel were killed in a suicide attack in elsewhere in kabul. about 5,000 afghan police and soldiers have died along with 1500 civilians in the first half of this year. from kabul here is jennifer glasse. >> the taliban said that it attacked a bus carrying military personnel. it attacked during the height of the traffic rush. >> we went to get a burger, we turned around and they attacked the bus. >> the bus was engulfed in flames. >> i noticed two soldiers getting out of the bus. one of them was injured on his leg. the other one jumped out of the bus window until the fire brigade arrived. the rest of the soldiers burned inside. >> afghans are concerned about the deteriorating security situation as nato forces continue to withdraw. only a small nato force remain next year. the taliban said because international troops are remaining here it plans to intensify its attacks as it works to destabilize the afghan government. >> to iraq now where isil fighters are gaining grou

>> in the british house of commons on wednesday, david cameron pay tribute to the embassy staff in kabulho were recently killed in an attack. he also took questions on the national economy, the health service, and immigration policy. this is about 35 minutes. questions to the prime minister, flello.rt >> i'm sure you'll join me in paying tribute to the embassy staff in kabul. our thoughts are with their families at this time. we will not allow such inhumanity to prevent us from building a stable future for the afghan people. we have nothing but admiration for the staff of the embassy, who work together, at great personal risk, to help achieve that. this morning i had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. in addition to my duties in this house, i shall have further such meetings later today. >> robert flello. >> i would like to associate myself and my constituents with the prime minister's remarks about our brave staff, not just in the embassy in kabul but, of course, across the world in very dangerous places. the prime minister promised to balance the books by 2015 and to cut

attack happened at the kabul bank. the governor spokesman tell us of the seven dead. as you said, three civilians, three guards and a member of the intelligence services. the government spokesman said six attackers have been kill. fighting fierce inside the bank. it's a 3-storey building making it difficult. he says that the bank, is the bank where government salaries and the salaries of the police and military are paid out. in recent days afghan police have been at the bank, collecting salaries, as it's at the end of the afghan month. it's the second attack across afghanistan, eastern afghanistan, magnetic bombs underneath a police vehicle killed two police men elsewhere. wounding five others. we have seen over the past few weeks sa number of attacks targetting members of the afghan government, the afghan security forces and anyone believed to be a spate of attacks. really, since new president ashraf ghani was inaugurated. >> thank you. jennifer glasse reporting from kabul. >> a drone trike killed nine taliban insurge

we have a journalist on the phone from kabul.ll talk about the taliban continued use of violence right now at this critical time. what can you tell us about what happened in these recent attacks? >> reporter: there's been a string of attacks just this past month but particularly the past week has been very deadly here in kabul. only yesterday there was an attack against a bus of army soldiers where six soldiers got killed. there was an attack against the convoy north of kabul where two u.s. soldiers got killed. and an attack down south in the hellman province. all in all this fall has been one of the bloodiest since the war started 13 years ago. >> right. there's a judicial leader that was shot as well recently and, of course, this comes at a critical time for this country with u.s. combat forces leaving and it seems that the taliban is trying to prove that it has not been weakened and it's not going anywhere. >> reporter: exactly. i think that is the main message to take from this, from the taliban. it comes also at a time where

hagel also talked about the surge of taliban attacks in kabul over the last two weeks saying "we will take appropriate measures against taliban members who directly threaten u.s. and coalition forces in afghanistan." now that said, u.s. military officials still say that the plan remains that the number of troops will be scaled back to 5,500 in afghanistan in 2016, and then the plan again is to pull all the troops out in 2017. patti ann? back to you. >> john huddy live in our mideast bureau thank you. >>> later this half hour, lieutenant colonel bill cowan will talk more about the impact of the extra 1,000 troops remaining behind in afghanistan. >>> pakistan's military now claims to have killed a top al qaeda operative. this man served as head of external operations, the same role once held by khalid sheikh mohammed, the mastermind of the september 11th attacks. back in 2000le the 39-year-old saudi national was indicted for his alleged involvement in a plot to bomb the new york city subway system. >>> in the big easy and across louisiana it is election day, it's the final face-off betw

sure the whole house will join and contribute to the british embassy staff were killed and injured in kabul following the horrific bomb attack last week. our thoughts are with their families and their friends at this time. we will not allow such inhumanity to deter us from building a stable future for the afghan people. we have nothing but admiration for the staff of the embassy, reddish an afghan who worked together at great personal risk to help achieve this. >> here, here. >> this morning i had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others, and in addition to my duties in this house, i shall have further such meetings later today. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i would like to associate myself with my constituent with the prime minister's remarks about our brave staff, not just in kabul but, of course, across the world in dangerous places. >> here, here. >> the prime minister promised to balance the books by 2015 and to cut the debt this fight punishing the poor swift cut the deficit has rarely been cut, borrowing is greater in the last four years than has been in the previous 13. doesn't,

jennifer glasse, al jazerra kabul. but battle against isil is intensifying, u.s.on jets have launched more air strikes in syria and eye rook. with the important gains by iraq's army where the forces have regained several villages and town. >> reporter: these shia militia fighters are celebrating after taking over the iraqi towns. they are supporting the iraqi military's advance against fighters belong to this islamic state of iraq and the levant. dozens were reportedly killed and injured on both sides. and the pro-government militia say they are now in control of both towns. >> translator: this is the town it used to be infested with snipers who hurt many civilians. we have now managed to retake it for the iraqi people. all iraqis hear us, we are ready to fight back. >> translator: this is in front of us, all praise to god we have managed to liberate it. and d by the help of god, we are the victors, we are the. [ inaudible ] brigade. >> reporter: but battles are continued around the towns, they are important because they are less than 100-kilometers from the north

willhe whole join me in paying tribute to the british embassy staff who were killed and injured in kabul following the horrific bomb attack last week. our thoughts are with their family and friends at this time. we will not allow such inhumanity to deter us from building a safe future for the afghan people. we have nothing but admiration for the staff of the embassy, british and afghan, who worked together at great personal risk to help achieve this. i will be having meetings with ministerial colleagues and others later today. >> i would like to associate myself with my constituents about the prime minister's marks about our brave staff, not just in kabul, but in dangerous places around the world. minister promised to balance the books by 2015 but to cut the debt. the deficit has barely been touched. our borrowing is greater in the last four years than it had been in the previous 13. doesn't this country desperately need a labor government -- a la bour government? >> we have gotten the deficit down by one third because we and difficultgh decision after tough and difficult decision. they

. >> brown: a subdued ceremony in kabul brought a formal close sunday to the longest war in americanry. >> today marks an end of an era and the beginning of a new one. today nato completes its combat mission, a 13-year endeavor filled with significant achievements and tremendous sacrifice. >> brown: the conflict began with a u.s.-led invasion in october 2001, less than a month after the 9/11 attacks. the assault quickly ousted the taliban from power, but fighting continued as the american focus shifted to iraq. then, in 2009, president obama ordered a surge, and u.s. force levels peaked in 2010 with 140,000 troops. since then, the u.s. combat role has wound down after a tremendous cost in both blood and money. more than 2,200 americans been killed over the course of the afghan war. another 22,000 have been wounded in these 13-plus years. and to date, the war effort has cost the u.s. treasury one trillion dollars. now, though, the taliban is mounting its own resurgence, making 2014 the war's deadliest year, with 5,000 afghan security forces killed, including four today. it's a dauntin

the army chief travelled to kabul to shore up support for the pakistan taliban. this is the army public school where taliban attackers were sent to a venge what it calls the death of its children by the pakistani army. it has caused disunity against the group. when you enter the school, there's a smell of death. the blood-stained floors and walls are a sign of the massacre. classrooms riddled with bullets, books and shoes scattered. this is where the children were taking an exam. each one that survived has a terrifying story which they say they'll never forget. >> translation: me and my friend hid under the chairs. there was intense firing, many of my friend lay there dead. there was a lot of blood. many children were crying. whoever made noise, the attackers would shoot them. >> reporter: pakistan is in mourning. schools across the area held prayers. many are filling cemeteries, their families want actions - not words. >>> while the taliban released photos, claiming to show the fighters who carried out the school siege, it says the attack was revenge for a milit

let's get more from our correspondent jennifer glasse joining us live from kabul. what is the mood in afghanistan ahead of this impending pull out. ferguson, greater st. louis, same people, same protesters same mourning the same community. and to see another officer involved shooting when we are still reeling from what happened in august and the shooting of black men in the area since then then, powell and meyers, and to see there hasn't been police accountability to date, no matter what happened last night, whether this young plan had a gun or not. there's going to be questions about this. >> there's evidence of gun at the scene. >> allegedly. >> when you say allegedly, there is video of a gun at the scene. there is one difference ferguson to berkeley, the demographic of the places. >> of the 31 police officers, 17 berkeley. there is more black leadership in berkeley, however the officer who fired the fatal shot is said to be white. this is -- it is a race problem but ultimately it speaks to a police problem in the way that police police african americans. >> it's

this is all that was left of a bus destroyed by a suicide bomber in kabul. six afghan soldiers killed, at least 14 others wounded. this man described two afghan soldiers badly injured and bleeding, jumping out of the burning bus. in another attack today in kabul, two gunmen shot to death an afghan supreme court official who was walking to his car. the violence continued in other parts of the country. in southern afghanistan, taliban insurgents killed 12 workers who were clearing mines. dozens of others were injured in that attack. the violence is growing in afghanistan, as the international military effort comes to an end. a week after u.s. secretary of defense chuck hagel was in kabul, germany's defense minister was there today. she says afghan forces are prepared to take over security responsibilities. the u.s. will leave about 10,800 troops in a noncombat role to advise, assist and train those afghan soldiers. nato forces will remain on the ground as well. but again, the taliban warns the attacks will continue, in particular on government officials, milit

with the kabul government or not. and thus we are giving kabul a chance to make it work, but it's not clear that it can. when people look at the number of deaths on going terrorism within that society, they may lose faith. >> civilian casualties -- 2014 is going to be the deadliest year since 2001. statistics have been kept since 2009, but it's up 33% among children deaths, and up 12% among women, and sthr a sense within the afghanistan people that they are welcoming the departure of u.s. troops? do they feel safe they can handle it alone? >> i think they don't feel safe at all, and i think there was a lot of pressure. it was interesting. different picture than iraq. the afghan people wanted u.s. troops to stay and both candidates signed on to u.s. troops staying, and so there has been a lot of concern about what comes in the future. senator john mccain is in afghanistan now punctuating that same point he worries with the increase of violence and deaths that maybe we are pushing this a little too early. >> with the re

jennifer glasse, al jazeera, kabul. >> battles now underway with the islamic state of iraq and the levant in the city center. the battle for sinjar and the surrounding areas have become the latest focus in the campaign to take back territory lost to i.s.i.l. al jazeera continues to demand the release of its three journalists detained in egypt for 359 days, almost a year. peter greste, boa baher mohamedd mohamed fahmy are appealing against their sentences. mohamed and peter were sentenced to 7 years, baher was sentenced to an additional three because he had a spent bullet in his possession which he picked up at a protest. >>> ahead, grim picture of muslims trapped in the central africa republic. how this new model of jet is critical to the plane maker airbus. >> a special one hour look at global attacks on free press. next monday 9:00 eastern. >> i'm ali velshi, the news has become this thing where you talk to experts about people, and al jazeera has really tried to talk to people, about their stories. we are not meant to be your first choice for entertainment. we are ment to be your first

jennifer glasse joins us live in kabul. with the security situation in afghanistan still unstable give us an idea what the general mood is like at the end of nato's combat mission. >> i think afghans are concerned. at its height nato had 140,000 forces across the country. drawing down to a very small force now just around 14,000 forces here. the afghan forces have had to step up and they have been fighting very fierce battles usually whether the fighting dwindles. the fighting was the most serious in the south we were there last week. helman is the most dangerous province. the people are nervous. said came to ashragali a month ago. he says thousands have fled. >> fighting when we lost the first harvest and now the second. farmers have lost their cattle. people have lost their homes. people have been targeted by road side bombs and they face many threats from this insecurity. >> his wife is the victim of the war, intense fighting kept her from getting to a doctor and she died from her illness. >>> like most afghans who have

all four were considered low-level detainees by the pentagon, they were flown to kabul aboard a u.s.itary plane. president obama vowed to close the prison when i took office six years, a but obstacles in congress have prevented that for happening. there are now 132 prisoners left in guantanmo bay, down from 750 since 9/11. >>> north korea has struck a defiant tone denying involvement on the psych air tack on zone i president obama and the fbi says evidence points to pyongyang. but today the north korean minister says the allegations was groundless and offered to conduct a joint investigation with the united states in to the hacking. courtney keel kealy has more. >> reporter: according to a statement by an unidentified north korean foreign ministry spokesman in pee an yang, north korea knows how to prove it's not responsibility for the hacking. it also warned washington of serious consequences if the offer of the joint investigation is rejected. the fbi consulted with several u.s. government agencie agencied departments and concluded what pee an yang is responsible. it cited several f

. >> american and nato soldiers in afghanistan celebrated christmas day in kabul.r was served at the headquarters of the international security assistance forms it's the tenth time in afghanistan as the country soldiers fight increased terrorist attacks. most u.s. and nato combat troops will leave december 31st. >> got a pretty important mission here so it's an honor to be a part of that but at the same time it's a little difficult being weigh from home. >> senator john mccain was in kabul for christmas day. he has separator meetings with chief executive officer abdullah abdullah. >>> president obama reflected on the afghanistan mission today. the commander-in-chief told americans the thank the troops. >> we're able to gather with family and friends because our troops are willing to hug theirs goodbye and step forward to serve. after a long day we can come home because they're willing to leave their families and deploy. >> the president said the combat mission in afghanistan was coming to a "responsible end." >>> former president george h.w. bush remains in a houst

jennifer glasse is in kabul. >> at the height of the mission, n.a.t.o. had 140 forces in afghanistan across the country as they draw down to just about 13,000 forces. the afghan security force had to fill the void. there is still heavy fighting now in the winter particularly in the south. we were there this week. this is it afghanistan's deadliest province. in the provincial capital where the security is tighter, the people are nervous. this man came here four months ago. fighting is raging around his family in the north. thousands have fled. >> we lost the first harvest and the second. farmers lost their cattle. people lost their homes, people have been targeted by roadside bombs and face many threats from this insecurity. >> this man's wife is a victim of the war. fighting kept her from getting the doctor and she died of her illness. the lucky ones pd up here. an emergency hospital. like most this person has one name doctors are fighting to save his leg. in the operating room a painstaking search for shrapnel in the gunshot victim. the hospital accepts

and this is another face of kabul and other cities, unemployment. been jobless for almost 12 months after working in the media for 13 years. "i've tried many places, many office," he says," but because foreigners are leaving, that's affecting the economy and i haven't had any positive response. i know other people who have lost jobs." the recent taliban attacks largely targeting foreigners inevitably are concerned as the new afghan government engages with its international partners this week. but it's the government's longer-term plans for managing security, for reform, and also for reconciliation that are the wider agenda. mike aldridge, bbc news, kabul. >>> let's take you to our correspondent gary o'donahue who joins us from lancaster london. that's where the conference is being held. and there's so much on the agenda, isn't there, gary? >> one day and an awful lot of things to discuss in that one day. 59 countries represented as well as a whole host of ngos and aid organizations from around the world, all trying to answer one question, what shoul

. >>> a suicide bomber in afghanistan has killed a policeman and wounded three others in kabul. taliban militants have claimed responsibility. the violence adds to growing concerns about dee tieruating security. authorities say the bomber blew up his vehicle when police tried to intercept it. the man was apparently trying to enter kabul to detonate explosives in a crowded part of the city. >> they recognized -- but he blew himself up. >> insurgents have been stepping up offensive in recent months. multiple attacks in the last week have killed at least 20 people. the u.s. led international forces who end their combat mission at the end of the month, the remaining troops will transition to a support and training role. concerns are mounting whether afghanistan will be able to handle its own security situation. >>> members of the united nations want pyongyang in international court for human rights abuses. the general assembly approved a resolution denouncing north korea's rights record. it's the harshest of all attacks by japan and the european union over the past ten years. the dr

jennifer glasse is in kabul, and we should warn you that you may find some images. n.a.t.o. had 140 forces in afghanistan across the country as they draw down and the afghan security forces filled the void and there's heavy fighting in the winter months and in the south. >> helmand is the deadliest province, in provincial capitals where security is tighter, the people are nervous. >> fighting is raging around this man's home in the north. he says thousands of families fled. >> fighting meant we lost the first harvest and the second. farmers lost their cattle and their homes. people have been targeted by road side bombs and faced threats from insecurity. his wife is the victim of the war. intense fighting kept her from getting to a doctor. she died of her illness. the lucky ones end up here. like most afghans, they have one name lost a leg, and doctors are fighting to save the other one. in the operating room next door the painstaking search for shrapnel in the gunshot victim. the hospital accepts anyone no questions asked. >> he has been serving four years, and the fighting

of kabul bank in the capital of helmand province.e to get in the bying. they went to the second floor and took positions and opened fire where police force and army later arrived to clean up the area. after exchange of fire for a while the building was cleared. police tell us that seven were killed, five were civilians, two were security personnel. 14 other people were wounded. 10 are civilians as well. the building of the bank was on fire. it has been cleared at this stage. taliban claimed responsibility on their website and said they attacked the mercenary government officials there to receive their salaries. it needs to be mentioned now right now it's the end of the solar month on the solar calendar afghanistan uses. government employees goes to banks to receive their end of the salary at the end of the month. >> it's not seen as connected to what happened in pakistan yesterday. it does illustrate the complexity of the problem with the taliban, doesn't it? can you still hear me? >> repeat the question. line was bad. >> sorry. i wa

there have been at least 11 attacks in kabul alone in the last two weeks. history has taught these people at least that the money pledged will make little difference to their lives. >>> simon wood is live for us in london. now, simon, how much of a hard task is the prime minister facing trying to persuade his donors to support his country given he doesn't even have a cabinet yet. >>reporter: exactly. i think what the international community, the donor community in particular are wanting to hear from him are specifics of what he's going to do to produce a stable government. what he's going to do to combat corruption and secure the security of afghanistan given that within a few weeks, nato is massively downsizing its military operation there and handing it over to the afghans. to discuss some of the concerns that civil society campaigners have, i'm joined by a campaigner for women's access to legal rights and to the law. to what extent are people like you concerned that the international community is going to walk away and forget about afghanistan? >> thank

and meet kabul's kid who is hoping to inspire millions of people across his country, with martial arts. >> . >> hello there, thank you for joining us. the u.s. central intelligence agency has been accused of misleading the country over it's use of torture. the claim is made in this report that the u.s. net intelligent committee, which investigated the cia so called enhanced interrogation program, after the 9/11 attacks. now it concluded that the cia use of torture was not an effective means of acquiring spell jens and that harsh methods competely failed to prevent attacks. it also says the interrogations were brutal and far worse than the cia publicly claimed with prisoners subjected to water boards sleep deprivation and so called wallings where they were slammed against the wall. the report also accused the c.i.a. of the oversight, by deliberately giving inaccurate and incomplete information. in order, the then president was mislead about the c.i.a.'s use of torture theirs the committee, which wrote that report. >> the c.i.a.'s actions a decade ago are a stain on our value and on our

we are in kabul. >> the target of that taliban attack, the kabul bank, the bank that pays the salaries of the police, the army and government workers here. eyewitnesses say that the bank was full of government workers collecting their pay when it was attacked. security guards at the bank say the attack happened very quickly and that fire fights with afghan special forces and the afghan army went on for several hours as they tried to dislodge fighters from the bank, a three story building. this is the latest in a series of taliban attacks, both here in the afghan capital and across afghanistan. this is just two weeks before nato's official combat mission ends. for the last few months, nato forces have been drawing from around the country, they left he willman province in october, so no nato forces down there. the afghan security forces very much on their own, without the support they used to get for logistickical support, and air support. it is just two weeks before nato forces completely pull out, a small force will remain, about 13,000 nato soldiers will remain to train and assess afg

and it's about kabul and islamabad, but also about new delhi. i think the prime minister somed ask india to take time to think about their counterparts as well. >> the military budget to pakistan has been falling. america has given over a billion dollars in 2013 to pakistan. isn't there more leverage that the u.s. has? >> i hope there is more leverage today that they -- now that the pakistani government has had to deal with it. counterterrorism cooperation between the united states and pakistan enhances pakistani sovereignty. it does not finish it. today ought to be proof of that. >> you are watching bbc world news america. still to come, greens can't decide on a new president, getting more high-tech -- more heartache to a country that has done their share of turbulence. known their share of turbulence. has marked the third anniversary of the former leader, kim jong-il. nation paid tribute. in formation they step forward with flowers to remember kim jong-il, who statue was on the right alongside the statue of north korea's first later. noon in t

a group of french soldiers held a ceremony in kabul handing responsibility to a turkish unit.ks will be among 13,000 soldiers who remain in place to support afghan forces. the war has cost tens of thousands of lives and a trillion dollars has been spent, but the fighting continues across the country. as jennifer glasse reports from the capitol kabul. >> reporter: in 2007, this province was filled with taliban fighters. nato had already been in the country six years. the fledgling afghan national army joined british patrols. nato troops walked a delicate line in a country suspicious of strangers. >> you have to go in aggressively because there could be enemy in there, but we have to reassure the locals that we are not there to harm them. >> reporter: another part of the mission was to get rid of opium poppy crops, but it is now bigger than ever. training of the afghan military place became a mayor focus for nato in 2010, and while there are about 370,000 forces they are struggling against a resurgent taliban. nearly 3500 nato forces have been killed sne united nations has only

kabul. >> the u.s. has transferred 10 detainees from the guantanamo bay to afghanistan. president obama has been working to reduce the number of detai detainees, 132 still remain. a tunisian man who spent 13 years locked up at guantanamo bay is now at home. >> i've learned a lot from my experience in guantanamo. i was surrounded by lies. every was lying. from lawyers to interrogators to guards. we later became hard wired not to believe anyone. i no longer believe anyone unless i see it with my own eyes. i did not believe i would be coming here until i landed and left the plane. i suspected they may change their minds at any point while i was in board. as a muslim i have a deep faith in god. i have served 13 years in guantanamo for better and for worse. >> well, cuba's president said that his country faces a long and difficult struggle before the u.s. lifted it's economic embargo. raul castro addressed parliament. let's across to cuba where gabriel is standing by for our in havana. it's suggested that the road to restoring relations between cuba and the u.s. may not be a