al qaeda did that, this goes -- al qaeda never did that. this goes back to small differences between al qaeda and isis' ideology. isis believes itself to be the state, which means it must have the infrastructure to be the source of authority and colors population on the ground to recognize its authority. al qaeda was, is the small covert and guard and its vision was to always empower and facilitate the local movements. but coming back to what isis is doing, it is trying, particularly in europe, to create a sentiment where there is distrust among muslims and non-muslims, where muslims have to choose whether they're going to identify as a muslim or not. i think the fact that we are seeing attacks on mosques in response to isis-directed and inspired attacks is a worrisome sign, especially as it is coming over here. the counter messaging -- there is a lot the obama administration could have done in terms of counter messaging. islamic state life in mosul was terrible. it was nothing like what they had experienced and they had been living under t

they've asked for support and al qaeda says yes. al qaeda moves in. an then the united states delivers bombs. and that is why there is some support now on the ground for al qaeda because it's the only group that has fought in their defense. it is actively transforming what is happening on the ground. and it is a problem for the united states that we're not fighting government to government but we're fighting it with guns. it's a problem for the united states that we are only focused on the leadership cells because al qaeda has regenerated leadership. i'm sure we'll kill baghdad di, f he's -- baghdadi if he's not already dead. there's an idea that if you can knock one off the line another will rise in its place. the core power of the ideology, why understanding the ideology is so important but fighting it actually doesn't get us anywhere is that the ideology provides he theo military doctrine that enables these groups persist and it's why if we defeat isis derek feet al qaeda, we'll still have a group rise up because the ideology persists and the condi

i keep mentioning al qaeda because we should not dismiss al qaeda from the equation. al qaeda has always had a major presence in spain. remember 2004, al qaeda carried out multiple attacks in madrid against trains. 91 killed. 1,800 injured. the reality it seems to me that vehicles and vans have become a weapon of choice not only for al qaeda and isis but even for radicalized individuals. they are easy weapons to use and available. had the truck basically been filled with gas canisters, this could have basically -- basically hundreds of people could have been killed and injured in barcelona. >> it is fascinating that as isis is being squeezed out of its physical territory around europe, you see isis inspired if not isis-executed attacks. we don't know which this is. how concerned are you about how easy it is to get a truck in a major metropolitan area in europe and maybe have no connection whatsoever to syria or iraq but be able to carry this out? t the. >> absolutely, christine. thank you for the question. as isis loses big and iraq and syria -- in iraq and syria, isi

to lou continuously steady in montana and florida and a very shady character connected with the al qaedapy is in wanted to believe that he wanted to blow up the dam. it is hundreds of thousands of farm land and eight bridges. right before err 9/11 the ninth door tenth of september his house blood on his property. federal agents picked him up on the 19th of september and they put him in custody and they charge to march 28 and then they captured abu zubaydah and then he disappears i had investigators look all over he disappears until 2004 then he is interviewed in the of middle east and saw him in his prison in jordan but before i get a second interview three weeks before the first time he was on the pakistan the afghan border. so there is a lot of suspicion but what confronted these people's biography is that is where they got confusion. >> he is being held but he had a shady past as well so the charges of the other one. >> e was not a good guy he forged documents with the jihadi training camps and was of master forgery. john captured him from cia custody to put him into custody at guanta

he was a poster child for al qaeda. the old videotapes of al qaeda he is saying fiery speeches, training with the mujahedin and he said when i was in jail i learned a lot and you will be proud of me. i learned about this, learned about that but now i see forged by steel, i am ready to march with the mujahedin. bin laden wanted only two people to come and join him. his wife, a phd older than him and only has one son. his wife wasn't just a wife. she was his advisor. she was his wordsmith. he wanted her -- she missed his wife after being in jail in iraq for 7 or 8 years, wanted her to come and threatened his commander if you don't bring her here i will myself bring her here. this guy lost his mind, what do you mean? then you know why. he wanted her to basically work on his statement on the anniversary of the 10th anniversary of 9/11. wanted her to tell him what to say. when they could not bring her to him he was convinced finally and sent her a letter, the 10th anniversary is coming and you know how important this is. his

, but a haven for al qaeda, who had a base. one of the worst things that obama did was to withdraw american forces from the rack. his general said we need 20,000 troops. to retreat from the middle east. it was his policyto retreat from the middle east. he blamed the united states as a problem. into that vacuum, isis poured , if there had been 20,000 american troops, isis would've been stuffed at birth and 500,000 people would be alive and 20 million refugees were created because of obama's policies in the middle east.

>> see, we forget that the islamic state basically was a branch of al-qaeda that used to be al-qaedan iraq. so when it comes to the message, it's the same message of osama bin laden. they differ at what stage they are in their plan. are they in stage two, where they just need to create chaos and manage that chaos? or they are in stage three establishing a caliphate. isis decided that they are in stage three and established a caliphate and prepare a final confrontation with the west. but today, as you mentioned, we see isis dwindling. we see that terrorist organization, with all their bravado, losing their territory and going back from a protostate to an underground terrorist organization. i think most of the people who joined isis, most of the people but they're still believers in what bin laden started back in the early '90s. so i am not-- i won't be greatly surprised to see some kind of a merger between these two organizations under the flag of the message of osama bin laden. and i think his son hamza, today, is trying to be the person who claims-- >> warner: the next bin laden >>

they are the fifth generation of al qaeda. al qaeda started in 1988. end of the the afghan insurgency war. it was done in order to stoke the passion of americans to simulation -- civilization. many believe that islam as a body was divided. that i live in the trenches. i have bled with soldiers. i have seen -- [laughter] >> you have to have the goat for the wedding. i shot the gun in the air when it was time for them to get married. there are important things man. putting that into perspective of the counterterrorism and intelligence of everything that has happened since 9/11, of which i was also a witness, victim, and rescue her. i know what these people are doing. i have been working with them since 1988. nonstop. now my job is to explain it to you. isis is a manifestation of the .nvasion of iraq in 2003 in manifested because the government of iraq kicked up out of iraq. we cannot stay there when they forced us out. they came about through their own passion. america did not do it. except for the fact that we invaded iraq in 2003. the problem is being

they can't be separated from al qaeda. they are jihadist or less. his son committed a suicide attack in july, and he is a jihadist ideologue. he is not someone we should negotiate with. this is something the obama administration tried. it didn't work because we don't have partners in the senior taliban. >> bret: this is a change for president trump who as a candidate tweeted a number of things. "let's get out of afghanistan. our troops are being killed by the afghans. we trained and we waste billions." "don't allow very stupid leaders to sign a deal that keeps us in afghanistan through 2024. "this has been his mantra. is it tough? >> it's one of the reasons why he won because i think after 16 years, when he announced he was running, america had begun to think we had lost the war. it's unfortunate and it's awful but it was the soviet union's graveyard and people were concerned it was becoming slowly america's graveyard. we lost an enormous amount of great men and women in that battle. we are still there. we still don't seem to want to defeat the isla

there is a competition between the remains of the islamic state and al qaeda which is causing al qaeda to pick up its game. al qaeda is very much on the rise, i believe. the washington institute just led a research and produced a volume edited by my colleagues zellen on how al qaeda has , survived the arab spring and al qaeda has also begun to reintroduce the magazine "inspire" a shorter version is very specifically on people who carry out attacks and how you can do the same. and i think we need to, as roos said not be so caught up in one , part of the threat that we don't see the others. the al qaeda threat is very , very serious. looknk it is important to at the report that talks about the spectrum of inspired, enabled, and directed plots. when it comes to those who are inspired and loan offenders, they write that these are individual attackers possibly but not necessarily being helped by family and friends as accomplices. they are inspired by jihadist propaganda messaging but not necessarily instructions from -- not necessarily receiving instructions or direction from any particular

even as then the deputy leader of the al qaeda, current leader of al qaeda was on the run from perhaps the greatest onslaught against the terrorist in history, operation enduring freedom. nonetheless, he had the time to write this statement to resurrect al qaeda and carry on the struggle. the only problem was, it completely fell on deaf ear. the phenomena of lone wolf terrorism did not materialize until over a decade later with the rise of isis. then we have the statements of mohammad abnani, the late deputy commander, a senior official, operational planner, prop beganed -- >> if you're not able to find a bullet, single out an american or the allies, smash his head with a rock or slaughter him with a knife or run him over from your car, or throw him from a high place or choke him or poison him. it's precisely isis' revolutionly use of social media that's transformed the nature of terrorism in a remarkably short span of time, but also empowered this group. in less than three years to become one of the most challenging threats we face and one of the most, i would argue, as we'll see, dur

these are the fifth generations of al qaeda. al qaeda started in 1988. that was at the end of the afghan insurgency war. it was done in order to stoke the passion of americans to [indiscernible] -- islamist, is homophobic who believe that islam is a body was divided. we all know, certainly i know. i lived in the trenches. i have blood with soldiers. i have seen them married off. i have bought a goat. i have seen -- you have to have the goat for the wedding, man. i shot in the air when it was time for them to get married. these are important things, man. and, putting that into the perspective of the counterterrorism monday continuum of everything that has happened since 9/11, of which i was also a witness, victim, and rescue her. i know with these people are doing. i have been working on this mission since 1988 nonstop. now my job is to explain it to you. a manifestation of the invasion of iraq in 2003. it manifested itself because the government of iraq it best out of iraq. we could not stay there when they force us out. they came about through their own

in the decade after 9/11, al-qaeda plots were relatively sophisticated, planned over many months.f command, networks to penetrate, communications to intercept. so is a shift in counter—terror tactics today required to combat emerging threat across europe? translation: it's important to tackle the threat at all stages, from the process of catching new recruits to islamic state, dealing with self—starters who are attracted to the propaganda, and police techniques to detect and dismantle these extremist groups at an early stage. security sources here in the uk have told newsnight that when intelligence does not meet the threshold for terrorist prosecutions, then they look for evidence of lesser crimes. arrests are then made to disrupt networks and plots. a lot of people, myself included, would like to see the authorities being far more disruptive in terms of arrests and prosecutions of people who are engaging with this material, who are engaging with spreading terrorist content, who are looking at that content and disseminating it online. there needs to be a much tougher and proactiv

you know everything's going to pin down al qaeda but we got to stop al qaeda that's the excuse we're given what is right is role in the yemen civil war what have you found in your research you know how is the civil war i guess a part of what are they doing over there so al qaeda in the arabian peninsula is obviously the islamist militant group and they are mainly focusing on yemen and saudi arabia now these two regional offshoots first came together in two thousand and nine but since the civil war began in two thousand and eleven they have really . spread in the southern part of the country due to all of the infighting taking place in the north so there's a vacuum in the south they've completely taken over that area that's where this fight is going on and of course all of the fighting in the north is between the who the rebels who are backing the former ousted president ali abdullah saleh who was ousted in two thousand and eleven and they are fighting against the saudi led coalition including the americans who are backing the internationally recognized president. now he his term ende

this in the west, in the name of al qaeda.y called on al qaeda supporter to use the simplest and most available peppery that most people have access to, which is a car or a truck. that was al qaeda magazine in the fall of twen repurposing a ford truck ad to tell their followers to use vehicles, cars and truck to drive into crowds of people to help al qaeda accomplish their terroristic objectives. al al qaeda, isis also promoted this type of attack and it's been used a lot in recent years, particularly in europe. there have been a lot of instances of al qaeda and isis inspired terrorist to use truck to try to kill people on the street. the worst incident is what happened in nice last year, killing 86 people. this attack this year by a nazi sympathizer killed a 32-year-old woman, injured dozens of others. this was an al qaeda vehicle style attack, a man plowing into a crowd of people using his car. but because of the type of gathering this was, because of what we know about the perpetrator, there's also something very home grown

there is a competition between the remains of the islamic state and al-qaeda, which is causing al-qaeda to try and pick up its game. al-qaeda is very much, i believe, on the rise. the washington institute just led a research and produced a volume edited by my colleague on how al-qaeda has survived the rise of the islamic state and al-qaeda has also now begun to reintroduce the magazine inspire, a shorter version called inspire guide very specifically on people who succeeded in carrying out attacks, including lone offender attacks including how you can do the same and we need to not be so caught up in one part of the threat that we don't see the others. the al-qaeda threat is very, very serious. it is important to look at the recent report which talked about that spectrum of inspired, enabled and directed plots and when it comes to those who are inspired and are lone offenders, they write that these are individual attackers, possibly but not necessarily being helped by family and/or friends as accomplices. they are inspired by gee had messaging but not receiving messaging or instruction

foreign policy that has actually led to the spread of al qaeda just like it has in other places where you know terrorism has spread especially in iraq for example by ramping up all of the violence and the indiscriminate bombings by the saudis against innocent yemeni civilians were really the united states is really allowing al qaeda to spread no because everyone is going to be one of the old destroyed is going to look to the west organizational going to fly in for not only protection and also right there all those old tree that comes with it how did you want to get the people that bombed your house or joined us you know it's very easy to make those tartars when you're called to the war and there's no more talk about a lot of yeah i knew you needed to manage terry in crisis and i'm really glad you guys are highlighting on this or this on your show because i think it's a very underreported war and american citizens aren't even aware of the fact that it's their tax dollars that are really supporting this completely useless war where there really doesn't seem to be any end in sight and it

we were the object of al qaeda's largest effort.why is it that france is producing something ices fighters and this is the other thing that i wish they would understand even though we have this here. couple things are really different. it cannot be compared to france for the uk. experiencing this has had colonial histories of oppression. they came here as professionals. and so the very earliest that they came here. when immigration the american muslim community is more likely to sue. it is just is just the history of the organization. and what concerns me is the anti- muslim era. these organizations have allowed americans to politically mobilize. so we don't very quickly understand what has been up the force of american resilience. we might find ourselves sooner or later that our european allies come from. why had we not been the object of the massive attack. it doesn't undo the sources of that. just to say a couple of things we haven't been subject to ices attacks but we haven't been subject to that. those are two different things.

were they inspired by isis oral al qaeda or are they actually connected? you're actually doing some of that work for at least the beginning stages to find out who we think this is and what happened. >> sure. so we do have a name. and we're holding that name back for one reason. we don't know if that's the person that rented this truck. we know that the truck is from a rental company. we don't know if it's the same person who then carried out the attack. we do know that somebody is in custody right now in what the pan spanish authorities say is an arrest tied to this terror attack. we're just trying to figure out all these players. are we talking the same person or several people. so we're trying to get that put together. we know that they're look the a social media accounts because that's one of the first things that's looked at. his facebook page or one of the facebook pages has already been taken down. so they're analyzing that. we're analyzing that to try to see has this person posted radical messages recently or in the past. sometimes somebody leaves b

is it obliterating al qaeda and isis or is it just getting the taliban to the negotiating table? >> the word against isis is clear and the president has been clear, we will do fight isis and eliminate their capability to organize, raise financing, to plan new recruits to their fight to carry out terrorism acts roth world. that fight is progressing well. were well on our way to the feeding isis. we have taken the caliphate from them in iraq. over 70% of the territory has been recovered. none has been lost back to those forces. most 2 million displaced iraqi people have returned to their homes. in the fight in syria where the process of liberating raqqa which is there self designated capital. that liberation is going well. it's our expectation that we will defeat isis and syria and iraq. then our effort is global to make sure that isis does not reemerge elsewhere. all terrorist organizations have somewhat different objectives. whether it's isis, al qaeda, the tell banner others, our objective is to deny any terrorist organization any territory with which they can organize, raise fi

for example, al qaeda is a terrorist organization, you would agree? isis is a terrorist organization, you would agree? hezbollah is a terrorist organization, you would agree? >> no. charlie: they are on the terrorist list. >> they are on the united states list. charlie: and others. >> let's apply the yardstick. let's take the united nations as an acceptable mechanism and acceptable machinery to define for you who is a terrorist and who is not. at least accept something multilateral. we cannot accept the united states being the prosecutor, judge, jury, executioner, everything rolled into one. we can apply various yardsticks. but one would be to see who is on the list of terrorist states in the security council. the united states is a permanent member. we have no role in the security council. the security council considers al qaeda and the taliban as terrorist organizations. charlie: and so does iran. >> yes. but fortunately -- unfortunately, u.s. allies were two of three states which recognized taliban. only three states recognized taliban before the u

we were the object of al qaeda's largest effort. why is it that france is producing so many isis fighters but we aren't? this is the other thing i wish the trump administration would perhaps understand that i think that even though we have islama-phobia here a couple things are really different. the nature of immigration of muslims in the united states is not -- cannot be compared to france or the u.k. many of the countries, germany is an exception, experiencing this have had colonial histories of oppression with the groups that are conducting terrorism. muslims have come here not through a relationship of colonialism but they came here as professionals and so the very earliest muslim communities came here as engineers, they came as doctors. when immigration liberalized in the 1970's some of those communities began to change. they have been much more likely to sue and much more likely to organize through political action communities like care. what concerns me in this antimuslim era fostered by president trump is that these organiza

do you believe saudi arabia supports al qaeda?o you believe saudi arabia supports aldosterone -- al-nusra? do you believe saudi arabia supports isis? javad sharif: i believe a lot of saudi money went to support these organizations. some of them are children of saudi arabia intelligence services. we know al qaeda, when it engaged the soviets, was a child of saudi intelligence services. government, which was sponsoring al qaeda, was only recognized by three states. two of them were saudi arabia and the united arab emirates. charlie: the other was pakistan. javad sharif: well, that's a neighbor. as a neighbor, they have a problem. but for saudi arabia and united arab emirates, staying for -- far behind and far away from the actual scene, because iran is a neighborhood -- iran is a neighbor, pakistan is a neighbor, some of the other countries in the former soviet union are neighbors, but saudi arabia and united arab emirates are not even close. but they support it. they recognize the government. the money -- and it's clear. ask any in

do you believe that saudi arabia supports al-qaeda. do you believe saudi arabia s upports, take one, supports which has new names now. do you believe saudi arabia supports isis? >> i believe that a lot of saudi money -- >> rose: not by the government. >> in fact some of them are in c harge oaf saudi intelligent services we know al-qaeda when they engaged the soviets was a child of saudi intelligence services. taliban will recognize, the taliban government which was sponsored al-qaeda was only recognized by three states. two of them were united states and even ruts. >> rose: the other was pakistan you said. >> that's a neighbor. i don't want to deal with them because they have their own because as a neighbor they have a problem. but for saudi arabia and the united arab emirates because s taying far away because pakistan isn't able and some other countries in the former soviet union are neighbors. but saudi arabia and united emirates are not even close but they support it. they recognize it. the money, and it's clear, just ask any intell

some stable situation presumably where afghanistan will not be a base for a die ashore for a for al qaeda we don't know what that looks like or how that's going to be going for but i do think he said no we're not we're not that you know but but but no but i don't even think again this was billed as a strategy speech i didn't hear a strategy here but i heard a bunch of tactics including loosening the rule rules of engagement putting in more forces but not saying how many and all this sort of thing to what end now maybe if you give us this enough wiggle room to say things have stabilized now let's get out of here that would be the best possible interpretation but the other interpretation is we will simply dig in for as long as possible and i have not optimistic and i think you also have to put it as he alluded to at the beginning of his speech how much of this reflects his internal domestic problems obviously the first part of the speech was all about charlottesville right although he didn't say so he's trying to say i'm very presidential now i'm walking this back all you establishment type

not to mention reconstituting al qaeda. >> absolutely.nd we have to still worry about al qaeda, it's not a creature only of the past. and we could well see moral guida strike -- al qaeda strike not only afghanistan but elsewhere as well coming up before long. greg: they could be working with isis. >> yes. greg: a couple of weeks ago was coordinated between the two. >> they have ability to hunger down and hide themselves, which is, of course, made a lot easier by pakistan's protection of some of these terrorist groups. you have a real problem on your happened when that is taking place. greg: i mention join military exercise. between u.s. and south korea, north korea continues to act belligerently. they may still be considering firing ballistic missiles toward guam, where is this heading? >> i think it is purpose to realize that -- important to realize there is more than one way to come against the united states with missiles. and press concentrates on the kind of missiles that used to covering going back for decade, which is let's say inte

what is al-qaeda calling on its followers to do exactly?ng to have them do is become, as you say, lone wolfs will try to derail trains like this. you know, there are well over 200 miles -- 200,000 miles of train track in the country. as well as passenger trains and much of that is in the location that we are in right now, which is a very remote location here in gary, indiana. what they've done is put out a how to guide for how to derail a train, in that issue of inspire magazine. you know that magazine very slickly done tells people how to commit various terrorist attacks. well, this month, the subject is trains and how to derail them. it's the use through the use of what they call a train derail tool. it's something that the railroad actually uses when someone's working on a track, they'll put this derail tool on in case the train somehow blows through and gets through the warning lights. it essentially will take the train right off the track. al-qaeda has tried to teach people how to make one of these devices out of cast concrete and rein

it involve small cells and of course it involves operations directed by isis and al qaeda. the fact is, this could be either a isis-directed or sae al qaeda directed operation or troubled souls. it tells me given the fact that spain has not really been prioritized by isis or al qaeda, this could be a small local cell that subscribes to the ideology of isis or al qaeda. >> if we know that this sort of vehicular murder is the m.o. of these, you know, terror groups, what needs to be done in these major pedestrian thoroughfares in places like las ramblas. fawaz, thank you so much. i just want to get now, we do have this eye-witness on the phone from barcelona who witnessed the attack there from barcelona. can you hear me? you're live on cnn. >> caller: yes, i can hear you. hello. >> are you safe? how are you doing? >> caller: i'm doing well, considering the circumstances. i'm definitely safe. i was super lucky, and i was barely three to four meters from the actual impact from the van that crashed into the people. but i managed to get away from there, and i managed to get home t

a hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists including isis and al qaeda. while trump refused to specify how many extra troops if any would be deployed he called to u.s. allies to increase their presence after trump's remarks u.s. deferent defense secretary james jim mattis indicated some sort of increase was on the cards saying in a statement several u.s. allies have also committed to increasing their troop numbers before he became president trump railed against obama's afghanistan policy and questioned why the u.s. was still in the country after more than a decade of war it seems like flip flopping on afghanistan is it so different to that of his predecessor who also promised to end the war initially pledging a total withdrawal only to later announced that about five and a half thousand troops would remain then eventually leaving eight and a half thousand soldiers there one thing is clear that after sixteen years of u.s. operations in afghanistan unfortunately there is still no end in sight to the conflict. live from washington next joining us and giving

this was the fifth generation of al qaeda. it was done in order to stoke the passion of americans to situation, bazaar, covert and the hard extremists -- the listeners who believe -- i know i lived in , i shot the gun in the air when it was time for the guys to get married. these are important things there. in perspective of the intelligence continue above everything that has happened since 9/11, which are a was a victim and rescue are, i know what these people are doing. i have been working with them since 1988 nonstop. now my job is to explain it to you. isis, a manifestation of the invasion of iraq in 2003 and nothing more come in manifested itself because the government of iraq -- we couldn't stay there when they force us out. they came about through their own sectarian passions. .bama didn't do it the problem is being solved. solution where we bomb the hell out of them. andything we see in mosul the denigration and dissolving was as as a caliphate -- when isisrs manifested itself in 2014 we have carried out 30 plus thousa

there's not that much al qaeda left in afghanistan. so when you hear the president in his own words, he seems the best defense is a strong offense. >> from now on victory will have a clear definition. attacking our enemies, obliterating isis, crushing al qaeda, preventing the taliban from taking over afghanistan, and stopping mass terror attacks geopp america before they e emergency. >> reporter: it matters how those additional troops, whether or not it's north or south of 4,000, are deployed. a bit of a hint from vice president pence in the interview with the "today" show. he said he'll be deployed at the battalion level. that gives you a sense you'll have forward deployed u.s. troops working alongside with afghans and importantly, and this is something they've asked for here at the pentagon, to be able to call in air strikes, have much more close air support. obviously, air strikes have ticked up in afghanistan, they're dramatically higher in 2017 versus 2016, but when you have them forward di death ployed, the theory is that embolde

a hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists, including isis in al qaeda would instantlyill just as happened before september 11. , america know, in 2011 withdrewnd mistakingly from iraq. as a result, our hard-won gains slipped back into the hands of terrorist enemies. our soldiers watched as cities werefought for and won occupied by a terrorist group called isis. created by leaving too soon gave safe haven for isis to spread, grow, recruit, and launch attacks. the mistake our leaders made in iraq. third and finally, i concluded issues we facety are immense. --ay, terrorist act did terrorist organizations are afghanistan and pakistan, highest in any region in the world. for its part, pakistan often gives safe havens to agents of chaos, violence, and terror. the threat is worse because pakistan and india are two tenser armed states whose relations threaten to spiral into conflict. it could happen. no one denies that we have inherited a challenging and troubling situation in afghanistan and south asia, but we do not have the luxury of going back in time and taking different

crush al qaeda, oblitrat isis. taliban -- obliterate isis. taliban, stop them from taking the territory. >> they control more than before the u.s. invasion. you know, clearly, clearly a big problem. thanks. >>> the president's speech on afghanistan started on a rather surprising note. he attempted to first address the visions here at home in the wake of the charlottesville attack. he did not specifically mention the violence in charlottesville but was clearly attempting to clean up some of the explosive comments with this reference to our military. >> the young men and women we send to fight our wars abroad deserve to return to a country that is not at war with itself at home, we cannot remain a force for peace in the world if we are not at peace with each other. as we send our bravest to defeat our enemies overseas, and we will always win, let us find the courage to heal our divisions within. >> president trump's handling of charlottesville a big focus for house speaker paul ryan during a cnn town hall. ryan said the president fell short. >>

so we haven't heard whether it's isis or al qaeda coming forward and taking credit for the attack. we know that for sure and spain has had to deal with this before. 192 dead, 2,000 injured in the 2004 madrid subway attack. it's not foreign to them. >> secretary tillerson also during those comments a few moments ago urged americans who might be in this part of spain especially to let your loved ones know that you are in fact safe. evan coleman is an msnbc terrorism analyst and also senior partner at flashpoint. evan, we just heard from tom there with regards to the chatter. what we're hearing, what we're not hearing. what, if anything, can you add to that? i know you've spent a fair amount of time in the dark web, so to speak. >> sure. so far we haven't seen any official claims of responsibility from isis, from al qaeda, from any other group. and the chatter going on right now, it's more along the lines of celebratory chatter by those and while it's fair to say that isis supporters are out there on these networks and saying this is a great thing, they're not getting any indication t

the majority of conservatives are behind going after isis and al qaeda. they were reminded about how deadly they are just last week in spain, and to somehow say that a bunch of people are revolting on the president. >> just to catch you up for one second. >> it is true some in his base, breitbart, we know steve bannon was not for this. >> breitbart's not his base. breitbart is not his base. the average person that calls into my show, this is a conservative talk show, overwhelmingly, probably 10 to 1 were in favor of the president and this is before he'd announced it when i said if the president says we're going to go into afghanistan, and if he says we're going to maybe have to use more troops, would you support him in that to attack isis and al qaeda. overwhelmingly, americans that voted for the president and some that didn't vote for him said they would support him in this because they understand the real threat to this country from isis. >> listen, afghanistan is not exactly a hot bed of isis and al qaeda is a remnant of what it was. the complexities o