this morning, mohamed showed up at ahmed wali karzai's estate and asked to speak to karzai. he walked in with a letter in hand and brought out a pistol. karzai came out of his bathroom apparently was shot in the chest and also in the head as you reported. so it's been reported that this person was basically a body guard for the karzai family and i think that's somewhat of an overstatement. one of the check points that his militia controlled, controlled the access to another karzai brother. so i don't think it was really a body guard. but the militia connection raises some issues. >> does that suggest some sort of internal feud or is it pure speculation. >> i think it's almost pure speculation. it could be feud. often times with many of these local militias there are a few. ahmed karzai himself had his own tribal militia known as the kandahar strike force. karzai was basically the manager of the president's affairs in the south, and he had many friends but he also had many enemies. as you mentioned the lead into this hour, into this segment, he was also alleged of having opiu

ahmad wali karzai was the most powerful player in kandahar. when we recently visited his compound, it was probably a day like today. he was the man to solve every problem. that created problems for him. >> this is for the big attacks, like suicide attacks. are two major suicide attacks on me -- on my office -- there were two major suicide attacks me -oe -- on my office. >> are they still happening? >> taliban pou >> he came under fire from his allies -- taliban. >> he came under fire from his allies, too. there are reports that you support the taliban. >> that is in the past. >> never he did, -- whatever he did, ahmad wali was the point man for the allied forces. >> for more on the power vacuum the assassination leaves, i am joined by david ignatius. thank you for joining us. with ahmad wali karzai gone, who will fill his shoes? >> we do not know yet. the key strong man in this area of kandahar has been ahmad wali karzai. he said that wali karzai, who has been such a problem for the u.s. and coalition -- a corrupt or lower, -- corrup warlord -

ahmad wali karzai was a controversial figure. in kandahar today, the walls of sight of his compound were closed. the president's half brother lived under the tightest security. only the closest could get close. without saying a word, he shot him twice. he welcomed president sarkozy of france. he said, this morning, my younger brother was murdered -- martyred. this is the life of afghan people. we have all suffered the same kind of pain. forgive me for not speaking with a smile today. ahmad wali karzai was said to be deeply involved with the heroin trade. the allegations strained relations with afghanistan's allies. in april, he told a bbc documentary crew about attempts on his life. >> are there still now? >> every day. >> drug traffickers? >> taliban. >> ahmad wali karzai came close to being charged with corruption. according to a u.s. official, he was too valuable. here in kabul, the have lost a strong man in the fight against the taliban in the south. >> for more on to de's assassination and the power vacuum believes, we have

yes the attacks on karzai is inner circle are designed to create panic and i think they will succeed in creating panic because those who have been loyal to the occupation and in turn loyal to the karzai government now have to contemplate a future without their sponsors without their protectors without their patrons without the nato us forces and i think it's designed these armed attacks these assassination attempts are designed to create panic and i think in all likelihood they are creating panic within the very heart the foundation of the cars like government and is the president because they capable of leading the country in the fight against the taliban without support do you think about how much power does he actually have. well i think even with nato support karzai has limited support there's large parts of the country very large parts that are not under nato karzai government control whatsoever and if they're under control at times it's fleeting so i think be in the the answer is clearly no the karzai government by itself cannot survive without the nato forces but the nato forc

>> people look at president karzai. they see a lot of similarities with his brother here in kandahar. this is a fragile coalition and the different interests. there is almost a cult of personality around them both. people are wondering how long hamid karzai can stay around if it is so easy to kill his brother. >> thank you for the update. just across the border in afghanistan, officials in pakistan say at least 40 people have been killed and dozens injured in suspected you estrone attacks. the strikes targeted the northwestern tribal belt close to the border. missiles hit a vehicle and a compound. hours later, in the south, another area was hit. the death toll could rise. moody's causing more turmoil in europe today. "just when you think the situation is under control, there comes the next blow. the rating agencies moody's has cut ireland's bonds to junk status and has warned a further downgrade. it has been a fallevolatile day. stocks rebounded after six days of losses. the whole euros own is jittery. the leaders are t

president hamid karzai announced. ahmed wali karzai was a tribal council leader and considered the most powerful man in southern afghanistan. the attack stunned the city that has been hit by a series of targeted assassinations. this is the place, headquarters in kandahar city. just moments ago word of the shooting came through as the police chief was wrapping up his interview with us and he rushed out to take charge. general abdul raziq told us that security was improving in the city when his two cell phones lit up at once. karzai's death leaves a large power vacuum behind. he's a skilled mediator of tribal disputes but over the years there were persistent reports not just of corruption but also ties to the drug trade. last year in an interview with cbs news, he dismissed those allegations. >> i never profited from any drugs. i never been part of any drug activity and this is all politics. >> reporter: who are your enemies? >> my enemies are the enemies of afghanistan. >> reporter: if the question is just which enemy

he was hamid karzai's half brother and ran the crucial southern provinces of afghanistan for karzai. his death has been described as a huge setback for karzai and for the international coalition that is trying to support the karzai government in kabul. let's try to understand why he was such a crucial figure. it provides a window into understanding the future of afghanistan. ahmed walid karzai was ruthless with tribes that would not support his brother, cutting them off from any aid and military assistance. in addition, he gave the american and british forces in afghanistan information on hostile tribes, provided crucial intelligence on key groups and militants. he was also the first afghan leader to begin talking with the taliban about cease-fires and their entry into government. in other words, he was a practical deal maker. now, he was famous in the west or notorious for the corruption that surrounded him. but corruption surrounded all of the billions of dollars in american and western military aid and spending being brought into afghanistan. everyone in afghanistan was corrupt. a

there has been condemnation of the killing of the half-brother of president karzai. ahmed wali karzai was regarded as one of the most powerful politicians in the south of the country. his death has raised fears about instead -- instability. we have a report from the afghan capital. >> he described himself as the most powerful man in southern afghanistan. few disagreed. ahmed wali karzai was a controversial figure. he said he added spice to afghan life. the roads to his compound were closed. the president's half brother lived under tight security. only the most trusted could get close. his head a personal protection arose little suspicion when he entered the room without saying a word. he shot him twice. hamid karzai paused as he welcomed president nicolas sarkozy of france. >> this morning my younger brother was martyred in his house. this is the life of the afghan people. we have all suffered the same kind of pain. forgive me for not speaking with a smile today. wali karzai was said to be involved with terror -- he had many other enemies besides. >> i have done noth

karzai's death.lready questions are being raised on the manner in which he was killed and who could have carried it out. ahmad wali karzai was seen by many as someone who could come to the taliban, especially in a part of the country were the work really influential. it was the reason that nato chose him as a close ally, overlooking the serious allegations against senator by the end of the year, thousands of troops would have left afghanistan, handing over security to afghan forces. this killing leaves a vacuum in the south and comes at a really sensitive time. bbc news, kabul. >> now to a very different story from the war zone in afghanistan. the request of one u.s. marine grabbed worldwide attention when he asked a famous hollywood actress to accompany him to the marine corps ball. now he has the date of a lifetime. here is the story. >> never mind different worlds, these two and have it different planets. his is a dusty checkpoint in afghanistan. hers, the glamour of hollywood. scott maurine to da

off with well he karzai a major afghan drug kingpin but the karzai brothers was still a force the u.s. could rely on in the country how serious a blow to washington is this assassination. it's more than a blip it's a big deal he was a power broker provided a lot of stability here the hart office which of course is one of the key provinces in afghanistan. a place where o.b.l. was growing where a lot of people live so his presence will be missed. what about his demise will that have a significant effect on the massive drug trafficking trade from the country his absence will not affect the drug trafficking there is plenty of other people who are going to step in and. fill in the gaps. since has more to do with. his role. as a conduit to the taliban itself he was actually very political you know. the u.s. and the cia as somebody who could. represent their interests in negotiations with the taliban and he was considered a very very tough negotiator for the united states he was someone who represented u.s. policies rather. policies and so this is a very big coup for the taliban they will ha

ahmed wali karzai was accused by the u.s. and local afghans of being involved in the drug trade and other illegal activities. president karzai spoke to reporters about two hours after the shooting, saying only that quote, this is the life of the afghan people, this sorrow is in every afghan home. >>> high above earth, a final walk in space. these are live pictures that we are bringing to all of you. two crew members of the international space station, you see it here, venturing out on the last space walk of nasa's space shuttle era. absolutely breathtaking. the two floated over the yucatan peninsula. take a look at these live pictures. their job today is to recover a broken pump and stow it in the cargo bay of shuttle "atlantis" which docked with the space station on sunday. the space walk was scheduled to last about six hours. the "atlantis" mission is the last of the 30-year shuttle program. "atlantis" due to return to earth on july 21st. >>> on the afghan battlefield, it was an act above and beyond the call of duty. army r

to support the karzai government in kabul. let's try to understand why he was such a crucial figure. it provides a window into understanding the future of afghanistan. amid wally carsi karzai was rut with troops not supporting his brother, cutting them off from any aid. he gave the american and brid tisch forces information on hostile tribes, provided crucial intelligence on key groups and militants. he was the first afghan leader to begin talking with the taliban about ceasefires and their entry in the government. in other words, he was a practical deal maker. now, he was famous in the west or notorious for the corruption that surrounded him. but corruption surrounded all of the billions of dollars in american and western military aid and spending being brought into afghanistan. everyone in afghanistan was corrupt. amid karzai was an ally and effective deal maker. a journalist recalls he was a wheeler dealer in the classic afghan mode. but if tefs a rogue, he was a loveable rogue who charmed you, one way of doing political bu

a good while the karzai of major afghan drug kingpin the karzai brothers still thought the u.s. could rely on in the country how serious a blow to washington is this assassination. it's more of a blip it's a big deal he was a power broker provided a lot of stability here the heart of which of course is one of the key provinces didn't it out. of place we are. where a lot of people that saw his presence will be better. what about his demise will that have a significant effect on the massive drug trafficking side from the country his absence will not affect the drug trafficking it's not to bother people who are going to. fill in the gaps. so it's has more to do with. his role. as a conduit. so he was actually very political you were. there you were the c.e.o.'s who. represent your interests to go. with the taliban and he was considered a very very tough negotiator for the united states he was someone who represented. afghan policy so this is a very big coup for the child to. have to deal with with his hardline for a while when it's not the first time the taliban's targeted either o

speaker we remain committed to the objective shared by president hamid karzai that the afghans should assume lead reform stability across the country as a whole by the end of 2015. last month president obama announced that the u.s. would withdraw 10,000 forces from afghanistan by the end of this year and will complete the removal of the u.s. surge by the end of the summer next year. at the time of the u.s. surge the u.k. increased its core force by an extra 500. for our part i have already said we will withdraw 426 uk military personnel by february of 2012 and today i imagine the u.k. will reduce its force levels by a further 500 from 9,500 to 9,000 by the end of 2012. this decision has been agreed by the national security council on the advice of our military commanders. these reductions reflect the progress being made in building up the a and s f. is worth noting for every u.s. soldier who leaves that the surge is removed to afghans -- two afghans will take their place. this is the start of a process that will ensure by the end of 2014 there will not be anything like a number of bri

karzai was linked to drug trafficking and said to be a cia informant. karzai always denied both of those claims. >>> well, this is a first in space. during the last shuttle mission, it is the first time space station astronauts are walking outside while the visiting shuttle squad stays indoors, because "atlantis" has a small crew. all four shuttle astronauts will be busy with some other stuff. the space walkers hope to retrieve a broken cooling pump and bring it back to earth. >>> well, president obama will award the medal of honor today to sergeant first class leroy arthur petri. he is only the second medal of honor recipient to make it out of afghanistan alive. the army ranger took a bullet through both legs during a firefight. he still managed to fling an enemy grenade away from two other rangers -- from the other rangers. the grenade exploded taking off petri's right hand. >>> well, it is the scandal rocking one of the most powerful media empires in the world and it is getting bigger and even uglier today. two more of rupert murdoch's newspapers in

brother of president hamid karzai has been assassinated in his own home and come initial. suggests that while he cuz i was shot dead by one of his own bodyguards the taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack that they called the group's biggest achievement in ten years because i had of the kandahar province a volatile region on the border with pakistan and was considered. a u.s. vital ally indeed against the war on terrorism in the region is often accused of media reports of a links with afghanistan's massive illegal drug trade major league by washington so by this know the dependent journalist north jere van dyke he indeed was held for forty five days by the taliban in two thousand and eight jerry very good to have you on the program thanks for taking the time to be with us and eight said isn't it that whoever controls kandahar controls afghanistan how serious a blow than is his death to the country i think it's a very serious blow for two reasons number one of course well the cars i was the younger brother of the president of the country and seen by many as a pos

as brother and his inner circle shows that the edifice of the karzai regime necessary at least to give afghan face to the nato occupation that itself is now crumbling and attacks these assassination attempts are designed to create panic and i think in all likelihood they are creating panic within the very heart the foundation of the karzai government the u.s. is losing grown steadily it's spending one hundred twenty billion dollars a year that's an increasing amount from the treasury that's already drained based on huge budget deficits here the number of casualties on the afghan and american side is is increasing not decreasing and yet they're no closer to victory in fact they're losing control of the country and the government that they sponsor is is in fact in danger of crumbling i would say the u.s. hasn't gained anything i think the u.s. is losing ground and spite of what david petraeus and the obama administration say this is a bad situation possibly a catastrophe for the united states. the u.s. has been carrying out a mad drone strikes in pakistan for years but now one of the mas

in a separate incident one of president karzai top advisers was also gunned down u.s. anti-war activist brian becker thinks the coalition may be losing routed afghanistan while the number of casualties rise. they can't win by staying in fact their presence is becoming the main catalyst for the armed insurgency not only the taliban but maybe one hundred forty armed groups and they can't leave either because if they leave there will be a perception that the us and nato were defeated by an armed insurgency but this dilemma must be solved some way so ultimately the united states cannot prevail the assassination of karzai as brother and his inner circle shows that the edifice of the karzai regime necessary at least to give an afghan face to the nato occupation that itself is now crumbling these armed attacks these assassination attempts are designed to create panic and i think in all likelihood they are creating panic within the very heart the foundation of the karzai government the u.s. is losing grown steadily it's spending one hundred twenty billion dollars a year that's

this is the second funeral karzai has attended in less than a week. his half brother was killed last week in southern afghanistan. >>> general david petraeus handed over command of american and coalition forces in afghanistan to general john allen this. is video of the handover ceremony in kabul today. petraeus steps down after one year in charge of the more than 140,000 international troops in the country. he's retiring from the army to become director of the cia. general allen will oversee the drawdown. u.s. forces that started earlier in the month. and nelson mandela is celebrating his 93rd birthday today and he got a special gift. ♪ happy birthday ♪ >> earlier today, students in south africa sang a special version of "happy birth day" before starting this their is lessons. people are being called on to mark the day with 67 minutes of volunteer work. each minute represents a remember of his public service. >>> well, a mostly sunny monday compared to a mostly cloudy sunday morning we do have some patchy fog there. at least temperatures are coming up

it is a message and we may look maybe perhaps to see karzai flee. he has no credibility he is not a leader of afghanistan he is america's in has been for over ten years ok characters ask a retired u.s. air force lieutenant colonel many thanks for speaking to us thank you for having me . now meanwhile there is a change at the top for nato in afghanistan with general david petraeus leaving to take over as director of the cia he's being replaced by general john allen who see the gradual chance for sponsibility for security from nato troops to local forces but as jason what lab reports there's concern afghan forces are too divided illiquid and lacking in training to fend off the taliban and their reign. there's confusion on the faces of the afghan army soldiers as a firefight unfolds on the other side of the wall lucky for them this is the kabul military training center in the bullets being fired blanks the men here halfway through a ten week program and the officers don't cut the many slack when it's over the be deployed eastern province one of afghani

ahmed wali karzai's own body guard shot him.ked to drug dealing, something he denied but one u.s. diplomatic cable that turned up on wikileaks said he was widely known to be corrupt and a big narcotics trafficker. >>> a sealed jail house video of casey anthony considered highly inflammatory shows her reacting to news reports that a child's body had been found near her parents' home. an "orlando sentinel" article says she doubles over and starts to hyperventilate. a judge sealed the video two years ago saying it could ruin anthony's chances at a fair trial. >>> the clapp is getting harder to treat. scientists discovered a gonorrhea superbug in japan resistant to all forms of antibiotics used to treat the std. doctors say the bug is mutating to survive the medicine. they say it's too early to tell if it's become widespread. >>> a best selling presidential historian who appeared on cnn is accused of trying to steal millions of dollars wort of artifacts. this is barry landau showing off historical arti facts. he's now an accused thi

suggest karzai was shot down by one of his own bodyguards the taliban has claimed responsibility and described it as one of its biggest achievements karzai headed the kandahar province a volatile region on the border with pakistan he was often accused in the media reports of having links to afghanistan's massive illegal drugs trade talk to me a political analyst from kabul says the killing is a blow to the u.s. . the past couple of years say he he confirmed that he had a good level relationship with there and there are contracts then american officials because of this i think that americans lost one of their important members of our troops out at the same day. he was accused of being involved in corruption and drag trafficking and then because of this many believe that a now well seeker for another person to replace him. two years ago we spoke to karzai about how he sees the allegations against him because it is a drug in augustine's but did never in the last seven years nor we challenge. that community if you try to enjoy every one to prove to the video section of our website where

ahmed wali karzai was shot. what do we know about this? this was a man with enemies. >> reporter: what we've learned is that the taliban is taking responsibility for the killing of ahmed wali karzai, a very controversial figure in afghanistan, alleged to have tie to the opium trade, alleged to have been on the payroll of the cia, and he is alleged to have ties to numerous other elicit activities. >> he's actually, i think some people would certainly get the impression anyway that he was a guy who played all sides off against the middle, the cia, the world of drugs, in which he was deeply involved in the taliban themselves, so why did they kill him now, do we know? >> so far they have not, why they would kill him, although they called it one of their greate greatest victories in a decade long war against the u.s. and nato forces in afghanistan. why they would want to kill somebody allegedly involved in the opium trade remains to be seen. however, having played all sides he's certain to have made a number of enemi

knowing president hamid karzai and i do i know he wouldn't agree to an afghanistan that was miles away from the sort of human rights development he wants to see progress but we have to have a hierarchy and the hierarchy of needs from the u.k.'s point of view is to focus on security and the capacity the afghan government has to secure its own country. other things have to take place behind them. >> mr. john woodcock? >> guaranteeing that this will be ordered, is that right? >> we haveade announcements about chinooks being ordered and we will stick to those announcements. >> mary mccloud. >> peace and stability in afghanistan helped by leaving an entire lting legacy and i welcome the officer -- in school. also agree with me that it is important for education for all especially young girls. >> i do agree. if you want to see a long-term stable afghanistan that canno be possible by excluding half of the population from being educated. if you look right across north africa and the middle east, permanent education of women is not just important for human-rights but also economic development a

the karzai administration. the taliban has claimed responsibility. >>> the justice department has issued new gun shop rules for the four southwestern border states requiring dealers to alert the federal government to frequent buyers of high-powered rifles. it's part of an effort to stem the illicit flow of weapons into mexico. >>> two people were gored this morning, on the sixth day of spain's failous running of the bulls in pamplona. officials say one person suffered a horn injury to the back, while another was hit in the shoulder. >>> and a possible curve ball for the fan who caught derek jeter's 3,000th career hit. and then graciously gave him back the ball. "the new york times" reports that christian lopez may have 0 to pay tax on the value of his reward. four tickets to the yankees game for the rest of the season. an early look at wall street for the rest of the day. the dow opened at 12,505 after falling yesterday. the s&p tumbled 24 points. the nasdaq sank 57. in tokyo the nikkei dropped 143 points, whil

in the balance of thirty three million or so in pakistan they hate karzai even though he's a pashtun he is seen as a traitor his family is inextricably intertwined with much of the corruption and narcotics trafficking that is going on in afghanistan remember that under the taliban the narcotics trafficking was ten percent of what it is today so this is more like a mafia hit then it's a little bit and then that's that's a nation of a supported public figure you have a disses this is personal the pashtun want karzai and his family out ok so what does obama does the second letter what does obama want out of pakistan just now threatening to withdraw up to the eight hundred million dollars in military aid what's he trying to get out of them but i'm not sure he's the one who's driving it as much as it is probably of secretary of state clinton. who they are hoping that they can intimidate the pakistani government to cooperate more closely with us against elements inside their own country and afghanistan it's absurd pakistan has no interest in doing that most of the people that we're fightin