>> in northern iraq. there are kurds in turkey. well outside of northern iraq. there was a kurdish rebellion and insurgency. some of the rebels partnered with iran. saddam's decision was to deal with the security threat that he faced with genocide. so he made no discrimination between soldiers and nonsoldiers. rounded people up in mass. a number of villages were targeted with these terrible poisons which literally made the sort of skin peel and singe. the most ghastly form of death. >> peter did something that not many have ever done, work for a senate committee. >> he did a couple of things. one, he decided that -- we weren't going to intervene to stop saddam. that was not an option. iran was the main enemy in the neighborhood. peter understandably came to the conclusion that giving a man who was gassing his own people american farm credits and manufacturing credits was probably not a desirable way to send a signal that gassing your own people is a bad thing to do. what he did is drafted a -- economic sanctions. quite a mild sanction when you think of the toll

a -- there's kurd populations in northeastern syria in eastern turkey and western iran and in northern iraq. these issues are all intertwined. so right now we're in the business of sharing intelligence, sharing information. building partner capacity where we can and, you know, having the threat, the credible threat of military capability to undergird our diplomatic and economic efforts. >> sure. what i would just add to that is based on comments that have been made from my colleagues in their previous questioning as it related to what happened in libya and maybe the concerns regarding the war powers act and how we proceeded in that action. of all the conflicts that we have dealt with over the past years that the one lesson learned is end game and that there needs to be a clear defining of the mission on behalf of our troops, our military families, but also, you know, americans. so it's my hope in echoing the sentiments of my colleagues that as we move through this as you continue to share information with us, as we act in our congressional oversight role that there will be clear lines of co

just remember that the distance from the united arab emirates to northern iraq is as far as from israel maybe even longer so. this kind of a landing rights would be helpful only in case of attacking targets three thousand yuan another. covertly aid might be but again it's problematic or might be given by a judge which on the north side of the rain and border they have good relations with israel trouble is that to get from israel to observers and you have to overfly turkey and at the moment i don't see with the current relations between israel and turkey i don't see the turks giving any in aid if we look across the border with syria and why it's serious so important for western nations could it be that it's the last obstacle before an invasion of iran that is a tough one why syria is important. is it important i mean to to the west and the state i don't see any good any western country in the intervening in syria as they did in libya and yet there is so much attention and focus on syria and particularly army president bashar assad's handling of the situation so how do you explain that wh

you probably know this having served there, but it runs from northern saudi arabia through western iraq and up into syria, and there are, you know, there is assistance being provided on the basis of tribal relationships. flowing into syria. it's another one of the complications i mentioned, but we haven't seen any kind of backwash coming back the other way. >> okay. thank you very much. thank you, chairman. i yield back. >> thank you, mr. gibson. as we conclude, mr. secretary, thank you for being here, thank you for your service. chairman dempsen, thank you again for your service and compliment to our troops, military families and veterans. we shall be adjourned. >>> the house and senate are in session today. senators working on a couple of bills one that deals with the violence against women act and another one with the postal service overhaul. they'll take procedural votes on that bill in about an hour, two hours from now i should say, and we'll have coverage for that on c-span2. the senate always on c-span2. house today working its way through a small business buy providing a one-tim

. >> sreenivasan: bombers struck today across central and northern iraq killing at least 30 people. the bombs went off in baghdad and the cities of kirkuk, samarra, baqouba, dibis and taji. mortar fire hit two other cities. the rapid fire explosions unfolded over an hour and 15 minutes, wounding nearly 100 people. half of the bombs hit security forces and government officials. there was no immediate claim of responsibility. in afghanistan, president hamid karzai denounced photos showing u.s. soldiers posing with the corpses of insurgents. they were publishein yesterday's os angelesimes". karzai cald the imag disgusting. he said they underscore the need for foreign forces to speed their withdrawal. india successfully launched a new ballistic missile today-- capable of reaching beijing and other cities in china, its long- time antagonist. the missile was test-fired from wheeler island, off the indian east coast. it has a range of 3,100 miles and is capable of carrying nuclear weapons. the u.s. had condemned last week's missile test by north korea, but white house spokesman jay carney

iraq. they have a piece of this as well in the western border. lee met with the president from the region, and they have a huge interest reaching and in northern are iraq. these issues are all intertwined. right now we are in the business of sharing information, at building partner capacity where we can, and having a credible threat to guard our diplomatic efforts. >> as it related to what happened in libya, and maybe the concerns regarding the war powers act and how we proceeded in that action that of all the conflicts we have dealt with over the past years the one lesson learned is the endgame. also, americans. it is my hope in echoing the sentiments of my colleagues that as we move through you continue to share information with us, that there will be clear lines of communication on behalf of the military families in the american people. >> i appreciate that concern. we are unified with regards to not proceeding with any kind of military action unless there is clear objective. how long will it take, and ultimately, to we have the legal authority to accomplish what we're being asked to accomplish? that would involve very close consultations with

silences its guns damascus has obviously been spared the destruction and violence that has iraq has some of the northern areas of syria but these stress of violence is still present in your daily life people have to think twice about where you park your car and they try not to do that in front of the government offices a police precinct a young people are looking for ways to avoid being dropped to get into the army the economy's getting harder and the cost of living is increasing jobs are scarce and many people here in damascus now saying that we can discuss political changes later on the first thing that should be done is to stop the violence so if you support a boycott reporting right moscow is calling for an immediate deployment of international monitors to syria it's all about fears of a renewed on a rest but everything with g. eight partners in washington russia's foreign minister accused some countries of being unwilling to help to bring the peace with the explanation is all she's got a chicken. the g eight ministers are meeting at a very important juncture is the fate of the u.n. and arab league

it's gone from damascus has office had been spared the destruction and violence that has iraq has some of the northern areas of syria but these tracks of violence is still present in your daily life people have to think twice about where you park your car and they try not to do that in front of the government offices or police precincts young people are looking for ways to go for it being drafted into the army the economy is getting harder and the cost of living is increasing jobs are scarce and maybe people here in damascus are now saying that we can discuss political changes later on the first thing that should be done is to stop violence sort of work reporting the turkey has hinted it may for an eight so i hope to protect its borders but softer a refugee camp on his territory came under fire from inside syria. political analyst a doctor though some are says syria has reasonable grounds to be worried about its neighbors. i think that the state is the most dangerous one is very close to syria of the very long border that is if you live there is in a crisis you know how. to to to make some form of heg

silence has its guns damascus has always been spared the destruction and violence that has iraq and some of the northern areas of syria but these trends of violence is still present in your daily lives people have to think twice about where you park your car and they try not to do that in front of the government offices or police precincts a young people are looking for ways to go more to being drafted into the army the economy is getting harder and the cost of living is increasing jobs are scarce and maybe people here in damascus now saying that we can discuss political changes later on the first thing that should be done is to stop violence russia says the un's most powerful body could send an observer mission to syria soon this friday that's after envoy kofi annan brief the security council about his ongoing peace efforts in the middle eastern country archie is going to joins us live from washington now i know what else came out of the council session while kofi annan reported to the united nations that he was encouraged by the cessation of hostilities in syria and urged the u.n. security council to

world news for you this hour making headlines in our world update in iraq a twin blasts rocked northern baghdad killing four people and injuring a dozen the first bomb exploded inside a minibus in the shia neighborhood seconds later a roadside bomb blew up a few meters away hitting another car two days ago al qaeda linked militants carried up a series of assaults across the capital leaving thirty people dead and one hundred wounded. let's get is try to find out why a passenger plane crashed in pakistan on friday killing all one hundred twenty seven on board have recovered the aircraft flight recorders from the charred wreckage boeing seven three seven burst into flames in fields near islamabad international airport during a landing attempt in a thunderstorm but then has been imposed on the head of the budget airline from leaving the country company and only recently restarted business after shutting down due to financial problems over ten years ago. over a million people in india diagnosed with cancer every year most of the drugs they need a currently imported and don't come cheap well

gone from damascus has all this had been spared the destruction and violence that has iraq has some of the northern areas of syria but these tracks of violence is still present in your daily life people have to think twice about where you park your car and they try not to do that in front of the government offices or police precincts a young people are looking for ways to avoid being drafted into the army the economy's getting harder because the living is increasing jobs are scarce and the people here in damascus now are saying that we can discuss political changes later on the first thing that should be done is to stop violence parties or some reporter reporting babel meantime russia's foreign minister is calling for an immediate deployment of international monitors to syria to help maintain the truce but a meeting with the g eight partners in washington sort of all for so accuse some countries of being unwilling to help bring peace he's got an extra kind of reports from the u.s. capitol. a lot of skepticism here in washington about kofi annan plan that the u.s. accepted the plan but it almost des

world updated exactly ninety minutes past the hour here in the russian capital in iraq a twin blasts rocked a northern baghdad killing four people and injuring a dozen the first bomb exploded inside a mini bar salute sheerly it was weak seconds later a roadside bomb blew up or feel it as a way hitting another car two days ago al qaeda linked militants carried out the series of assaults across the capital leaving thirty people dead and nearly one hundred wounded. foreign protesters being found shot dead after overnight clashes with security forces reported the man had also been beaten by right police ahead of the controversial bahrain grand prix on friday tens of thousands took part in anti regime protests against the sunday ruling elite and demanded reforms activists a promise to mark this weekend's race with days of range. also in the world update investigators trying to find out why a passenger plane crashed in pakistan on friday killing all one hundred twenty seven on board and recovered the aircraft flight recorders from the charred wreckage of boeing seven three seven burst into flames and fields

twenty minutes past the hour here in moscow let's start with iraq for the arts the world of twenty six rocked northern baghdad killing four and injuring a dozen the first bomb exploded inside a minibus in the shia neighborhood seconds later a roadside bomb blew up just a few meters away two days ago al qaeda linked militants carried out a series of assaults across the capital leaving thirty dead and nearly one hundred wounded. brain protester has been found a shot dead after overnight clashes with security forces in support of the man and also being beaten by riot police the head of the controversial bahrain grand prix on friday tens of thousands took part in anti regime protests against the sunni ruling elite and demanded reforms activists have promised to mark this weekend's race with quote days of rage. investigators are trying to find out why a passenger plane crashed in pakistan on friday killing all one hundred twenty seven on board have now work up with the aircraft's flight recorders from the wreckage the boeing seven hundred thirty seven burst into flames and fields near as lombards internati

art and let's start with iraq on the arts he world update here in the country of twin blasts rocked northern baghdad killing four injuring a dozen the first bomb exploded inside a minibus and there in a shia neighborhood seconds later a roadside bomb blew up a few meters away hitting another car but two days ago al qaeda linked militants carried out a series of assaults across the capital leaving thirty dead nearly one hundred wounded. a bahrain protester has been found shot dead after overnight clashes with security forces reported the man had also been beaten by riot police ahead of the controversial bahrain grand prix on friday tens of thousands took part in and see regime protests against the sunni ruling elite and demanded reforms activists have promised to knock this weekend's race with quote days of. pakistan has launched an investigation into the cause of a crash that killed all one hundred twenty seven people on board friday but the head of the airline has also been banned from leaving the country the plane crashed while attempting to land during a thunderstorm miles from its destin

iraq this morning. nine people died in three blasts in the northern city of kirkuk. at the same time a sears of explosions in baghdad killed at least six. more than 30 were in juried in the attacks. nobody is claiming responsibility yet for those bombings. >>> this morning fans are paying tribute to television pioneer dick clark. tl entertain management lelkd died yesterday morning at los angeles hospital. the 82-year-old suffered a massive heart attack. he started as a teen on radio and later became host of "american bandstand." it crossed color barriers by show casing musicians. he created "new year's rockin' eve." ryan secret parades him after hosting ""american idol."" he taught me how to do television. i studied him as a kid and had the opportunity to work with him. i'm sad and i'm grateful for what he's given all of us and certainly what he's given me. >> redskins owner dan schneider was chairman of dick clark productions. schneider said in a statement, quote, he was just as personable and warm in person as he was on television. he was in every sense of the wor

. >> we're on top of breaking news out of iraq where more than a dozen people have been killed in a series of explosions. nine people were killed in the northern city of kirkuk. at the same time a series of explosions in baghdad killed more than six people. 30 were injured in the attacks. no one is claiming responsibility for the bombings yet. >>> a major milestone in india in an attempt to become a nuclear super power. >> now, one, two, three, four -- >> that country says it has successfully test launched a missile that could strike beijing and shanghai. china already has missiles that can hit anywhere in india. india also says it has missiles for security purposes only. >>> three secret service agents are without a job this morning amid a growing prostitution scandal. one was allowed to retire and one was removed with cause and that means that agent could help with the help of a lawyer. the others quit. they're accused of bringing as many as 20 prostitutes in colombia while preparing for their t president's arrival. ten others are also believed to have been involved. >>> employees rocked by a spending scandal are reporting more cases of wast

iraq let's get to the r.t. world of some other global news a refund of twenty closure northern baghdad killing at least three and injuring a gazan it comes just two days after al-qaeda linked militants carried out a series of assaults across the capital of those attacks left at least thirty dead and nearly one hundred wounded. five suspected militants were found with ten tons of explosives have been arrested in kabul security officials in afghanistan say that the men were plotting to assassinate the country's vice president the news comes less than a week after the taliban gunmen carried out an eighteen hour assault on the capital's diplomatic district during which or thirty six militants were killed. why well it is now our time for the latest edition of our russia close up series of today we're heading off to the country's very remote and very chilly north. northern russia is known for its vast tundra and certainly it's harsh climate though a tiny population that lives in this area remains completely cut off from the rest of the country frankly they don't seem too bothered about it off to greet them as artie's

iraq. iraqi officials say at least three bombs exploded in the iraqi capital of baghdad earlier today. there were also attacks in several northern cities. at least 23 people were killed and over 70 wounded. >>> india says it has successfully test-launched a new long-range ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. >> three, two, one. >> the missile was launched from india's east coast this morning. indian officials say it has a range of 3,100 miles, long enough to strike the chinese cities of beijing and shanghai. >>> this morning u.s. forces in afghanistan are taking extra security precautions following the latest photo scandal involving american troops. published photos appear to show u.s. soldiers posing with the remains of suspected afghan insurgents. u.s. officials quickly condemned the behavior. david martin reports. >> reporter: they are literally the pictures the pentagon didn't want you to see. american soldiers posing with dismembered remains of enemy suicide bombers, published by "the los angeles times" despite pleas from secretary director panetta. >> we urged "the lau times" not to run those photos. th

. >>> in iraq today, more than 30 people are dead, more than 100 hurt in a series of blasts across baghdad and some of its northern cities. officials say extremists launched more than 20 attacks in just an hour and 15 minutes. they say the attacks resemble those carried out by al qaeda. >>> back in the u.s., a somber ceremony in the u.s. today marks the 17th anniversary of the oklahoma city bombing. back in 1995, an explosive truck blew up in front of the building. two men were convicted for the attack. >>> another tragedy also being remembered today, 19 years ago government agencies ended a 51-day siege at the branch davidian compound in texas in '93. it resulted in the deaths of four federal agents and six cult followers, including its leader, david koresh. >>> a secret service prostitution scandal predicts more people will be hired. congressman peter king of new york says he sees more dismissals coming sooner rather than later. his comments come after the forced ouster of three agents yesterday. 11 agents were sent home in all. they were in colombia ahead of the president's summit last weekend. the government h

northern africa and southwestern asia, turkey is one of the most strategically located countries in the world. americans learned why when turkey did not allow the u.s. access to invade neighboring iraqdespite nato membership and an offer of $6 billion. but turkey was torn, as they are on many other issues. are they european or asian? are they secular or islamist? are they democratic or authoritarian? are they urban or rural? here we explore the regional geography of turkey and its largest city. half european, half asian, istanbul is the cultural and commercial heart of turkey. it's a city of great contrasts. the traditional shops in the grand bazaar. and modern, spacious shopping centers with fashionable boutiques. but for thousands of people, marginal street trade is the only source of income. the poorest among them have built shelters at the edge of the city. the wealthy live on the waterfront in stately apartment buildings. many have jobs in the modern offices of turkish and multinational companies. politics, religion, ethnicity, migration, economics: istanbul, with nearly ten million people, is facing multiple challenges. the city's unique location provides the first clue as to

iraq, a series of deadly blast across the country, killing more than 35 people. in baghdad, at least five separate attacks targeted mainly shi'ite neighborhoods. the biggest explosion was in the northern city of kirkuk. imagine having acid thrown in your face by your husband or your son in law. the pain and this figuration are simply unimaginable. but that is what happens in pakistan to hundreds of women every year. the government is trying to clamp down on these brutal assaults, but many of the man get off scot-free. i warn you, there are distressing images in this story. >> she has been scarred for life. burns on 15% of her body. her name is shama, meaning candle. like many other pakistani women, she says her husband does stir in acid. she was too proud of her beauty, he said. >> i feel pain of what i was and what i have become. all the colors have gone from my life. i feel i am a living corpse. >> shama is one of the newest arrivals in the burns unit of this dilapidated hospital. the doctors try to relieve her pain, but cannot ease her despair. >> i cannot say anything about the future. maybe i won't be alive. i will try to get back to how i was. i have to work to build a future fo

bombing and invasion of iraq, the rebel camps in darfur, mass killing in southern sudan and insurgency in northern yemen. in san francisco where she was raised, her mother was a documentary filmmaker. her works, among other things, dealt with the tangent and military service of japanese- americans in world war ii. her father, here tonight, has a fascinating background. he is a retired postal worker and at one point was a reporter for ramparts magazine. she studied classical arabic at berkeley. and later at the american university in cairo. she has worked out of the rome bureau of cnn and beijin as a freelance editor and camerawoman, covering everything -- the seize of chechnya, the earthquake in turkey in 1999. to her left, c.j. chivers of "the new york times." he is the war correspondent's war correspondent. he is known for his courage, resourcefulness on the battlefield, knowledge of tactics and strategy and finally for his expertise in weaponry, in particular, ubiquitous ak47 about which he has written a definitive biography. a fascinating and a portable called simply, -- book called simply, "t

. >>> and developing in iraq almost 40 people now confirmed dead, another 100 hurt in a series of blasts across baghdad and some of the northern cities. officials say an extremist launched more than 20 attacks in just an hour and 15 minutes. they say these blasts resemble those carried out by al qaeda. >>> and the fallout continues over the gruesome photos published by the "los angeles times" yesterday. this morning, abc news is reporting the taliban is vowing revenge calling the images of u.s. soldiers posing with the remains of afghan fighters "inhumane." a statement from its editor, he defends his decision to print the photos despite pleas from the pentagon not to. saying at the end of the day, our job is to publish information that our readers need to make informed decisions. well, we are staying on top of all of these stories, we will continue to bring you the latest. laura? >> thank you very much. >>> today a san francisco judge will decide if the city attorney will be removed from the case against suspended sheriff ross mirkarimi. saying herera cannot work on the case because he represents the mayor. mirkarimi was suspe

northern california. with more and more veterans return interesting iraq and afghanistan, it is imperative the v.a. take action now to address the backlog in oakland. while i welcome the news that the entire staff at the facility will be retrained much more is needed. i call on the v.a. to implement a concrete plan to address the inaccuracies and delays at the oakland office. our regions and nation's veterans deserve no less. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise to discuss an important issue to young america. mr. higgins: access a forwardable education. young americans are graduating with a college degree but up to $100,000 in student loan debt. 37 million people have outstanding student loan debt, totaling over $1 trillion. 2/3 of the debt held by americans under the age of 30 is student loan debt. in 2007 a democratic congress cut the interest rate on stude

enforcing an unwanted -- to them, the northern alliance, who control the police, the army, and the intelligence. and i think the biggest mistake we made was in the rush to iraqliance. the historical enemies of the taliban and the southern pashtuns. that guaranteed the taliban's role in afghanistan was going to be as fighters, not playing a constructive role in the future of afghanistan. which i think many of them were willing to do at that point. that was the big mistake. and since 2006 on, we were doomed to fail because of that. >> ok. so we are where we are. and the question is, what do we do now? the easy simple thing, which i think joe probably would support, is just pull out. leave them to themselves. the same as the soviets, same as the british, and so on. is that the right answer or is there a better way to work through this? >> i think we need to try and negotiate a peace deal before we pull out. it looks like there could be an all-out civil war between the taliban and the afghan government. when the russians pulled out, the government healld on for the years before there was all-out war. i think that's a dream scenario now for president obama compar

. >>> developing all morning out of iraq today, almost 40 people are dead, another 100 hurt in a series of blasts across baghdad and some of the northernies. officials say extremists launched more than 20 attacks in just an hour and 15 minutes. they say these blasts resemble those carried out by al qaeda. now other big stories i'm keeping an eye on today include a missile launch by india and that cease-fire plan for syria. john and laura? >> thank you, marla. >>> it's 6:15 right now. murder trial of a former oakland raiders player ends in a miss trial. 44-year-old anthony wayne smith accused of killing a mechanic in 2008, a jury did not reach a verdict after nine days of deliberating. smith will remain in custody and will be retried. >>> marijuana smokers will not be allowed to light up in some east bay parks. the park board approving a ban on smoking pot after complaints people are lighting up near families. starting today, medical marijuana smokers are banned from smoking 1,000 feet of any east bay regional park. the ban includes picnic areas, camp sites, and swim beaches. >>> weeks after a federal raid in oakland's oaksterdam univer

iraq, you ain't seen nothing. the war between the states or the war of northern aggression, as you like to call it, boggles the mind. it was over 600,000 people killed. the equivalent of 3 million people killed today. >> wow. >> they had an army that was the equivalent of six oreven or eight million fighting this war. and as you said duringhe break, it was a war of slaughter and just mass slaughter where they would line up in rows, 60 or 100 yards apart, shoulder to shower, and fire almost point blank at each other. >> and you said you learned on the tour that robert e. lee was an extraordinary general, and we were commenting that it took lincoln so long to find a general who could beat lee because gra was the only one who was willing to just throw troops at him to be slaughtered. because lee would outmanoeuvre anyone who was put against them. >> had the union made a couple of mistakes, the war might have ended differently. but lincoln realized also that the north simply had the numbers. they had the people, the factories, they had everything. so it was a war of attrition, where essentially the union goal was to ki