another person who is often said to be v the intermit -- intermediary is, made karzai who lives in kandahar and wishbone intelligence indicated he is the man who helped to coordinate the overall network. that perhaps i think is the most complex issue of all. because we not only are fighting an enemy that is making hundreds of millions of dollars of of the drug trade but our allies are also making hundreds of dollars for millions of dollars of the drug trade every year so there is a perverse incentive to create stability in the region i do not want to bore you too much but the minutia of the criminal groups but to give you a brief talk about where they are coming down here, i will point* down in this area in southwestern afghanistan that is mostly criminal groups that call themselves taliban -- taliban this area is the core taliban if you get up into this area, you get into a group that is run by of a leader that has operated there since the early '80s, up into your and you're into the of a group run by a nasty character who many say got his start by throwing acid in women's faces when they

the same year 1977 he visited zero summit in london and kandahar he was an employee with unicef. the was accessible an incredibly dangerous because he knew how to work with the media and was sold and did not. he would never talk to me but his sympathy for the taliban, opposition for government but not the sectarian organization that the red mosque was closely affiliated because he knew sunni and shi'ite did not play well in the western media. >> i once pointed cleaning up is computer desk i said that is new. no. i have always had that. what about that? i pointed to the short fat cylinder fixed to the other side of the barrel. that is a grenade launcher a friend recently gave it to me. he showed me how it worked it will launch grenades over a wall of 1300 feet the perfect weapon if you were holed up inside a mosque. gazi after the female commandos took over the children's library. have a dozen new computers were brought in it manned by eight gazi technology disciples. this are deployed in taliban ambushes in afghanistan. response that bozell wanted to take islamabad back to anothe

according to an operator of an economic corporative in kandahar who appeared as a witness before the senate foreign relations committee earlier this year, corruption is so widespread, any interaction results in some sort of shake down. going down roadways requires paying a bribe at each police checkpoint. to pay your electricity bill, the need to go to eight different desks at two different buildings and have to pay bribes for your of the committee bills. i think this is really obstructing our purpose in afghanistan. -- our progress in afghanistan. . . i think that is what brought the taliban to power in 1994. my question is, if we do not work to clean up the corruption in the afghan government, we may not be able to win this war. what, if confirmed, can you do in terms of taking steps that would implement our new strategy there that would lead to more honest government and and the corruption that is plaguing the government? >> sir, i concur with what you have stated in terms of corruption. i think it has a corrosive effect that undermines the legitimacy of any government, particular

we have to add the blogger mer force base and two down in kandahar and that's it. and if we don't get a handle on it with boots on the ground, people competent enough to review these contracts, this is a criminal. it's criminal. you know, there is nobody that would operate like this in a private basis if we were spending private corporate dollars this wouldn't be happening. i think it's happening only because we are spending taxpayer dollars and people feel that it doesn't have to be audited to that degree. we are terribly sloppy in iraq and afghanistan and have got to tighten our act. what do you see as the greatest need in terms of getting some accountability on the ground? we can't continue to operate this way in terms of the contract going out without tight enough accountability standards and recognizable standards. i go on to jobs in iraq just from looking on to the job site ec substandard materials. i try to talk to the workers there. i had an iraqi interpreter with me and it turns out they are all from india. now, 60% unemployment in iraq, you know, why the

who is often said to be intermediaries is cars act, president cars act half-brother who lives in kandahar i was shown intelligence, u.s. and british intelligence documents that indicated that he was the man that helped coordinate this whole network. and that perhaps i think is the most complex issue of all, because we not only are fighting an enemy that's making hundreds of millions of dollars off the drug trade but our so-called allies in the region are also made hundreds of dollars -- millions of dollars off the drug trade every year. so there's a perverse incentive to create stability in the region. i don't want to bore all of you too much, but might minutia of the criminal of these groups, but just to give you a brief talk or they all act. down here, down in this area, in southwestern afghanistan, that's mostly criminal groups that call themselves taliban. these two provinces, that's mostly your core taliban. you get up into this area, you get into the haqqani group, which is run by a leader, he has operated there since the early '80s. you get up into here, and you're into the hig. ma

university, secular university in islamabad and in 1997 the same year he visited osama bin laden in kandahar with his father he also was an employee of unicef, said he had a foot in both worlds which made him accessible and incredibly dangerous because he knew how to work the media. he also knew what sold and what didn't. he never talked -- he would talk about his opposition to the government and sympathy to the taliban but never about the sympathy for the secretary organizations the red cross was affiliated with because he knew sunni skilling she has didn't play well in the media. so this is me once in ghazi's office. i pointed up something against his computer desk. that's knew i said. no, i've always had that. but what about that, i asked, pointing to the short cylinder fixed to the barrel. that's a grenade launcher. a friend gave it to me, ghazi said. he showed me how it worked able to launch grenades over a wall. in other words perfect weapon against an encroaching force if you are surrounded by high walls inside a mosque. ghazi overhauled his information after the female commandos took

in my discussions with the troops currently in the field in kandahar, they are pumped up about the opportunity that this commitment would be. i feel that only a small number of soldiers would sign up, but each one of them, if strategically placed in key afghan areas, will become vital assets to our effort and the success of president obama's campaign in afghanistan. and i really applaud the chairman and our ranking minority member for putting this in the bill. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from new jersey. >> i'm pleased to yield one minute to my friend and colleague to the gentleman from new york, mr. bishop. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. bishop: i thank the chairman for yielding. i rise to join my colleague, representative carol shea-porter, in urging our colleagues to ban burn areas in the war zone. we talked about the reckless disposal of hazardous waste in iraq and afghanistan and the devastating toll they are taking on the health of our service men and women. it's encouraging that the generals have taken seriously our concerns abo

on november 20, 2008, his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb near kandahar. andrew suffered injuries that left his paralyzed from the chest down. during the months andrew spent recovering in d.o.d. and v.a. hospitals his neighbors and friends in vermont worked together to complete an incredible project to modify his home to make it accessible to him upon his return. his kindergarten teacher and countless of individuals and company spent time, money and labor to make it possible for andrew to return to home with a new addition to his home, a living room, a bedroom, a bath and a bay for his new van. now andrew will have the resources he needs to focus on rebuilding his strength as he works to fulfill his new dream of becoming a teacher. he should know that all vermonters and all americans are with him in spirit as he continues on his courageous journey. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? mr. murphy: i ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr