on march 20th taliban gunman shot nine civilians dead including two girls. on march 26th, an attack where two police officers and five taliban were killed in the gun battle. three days later fighters targeted a building used by an american aid group. a girl was killed by the suicide-bomber, security forces killed the four gunmen. saturday's attack was on the election commission hq close to the highway to the east of the city. the taliban seems to be doing all it can to scare voters away from the polling stations in next week's presidential vote. >> as we get close to the afghan elections which is very important in afghanistan, we do understand that there are enemies who would launch attacks like we have so far in the past few days. but it would not deter us from our commitment. >> reporter: an election member said taliban fighters fired ten rocket grenades towards the compound. in his final address president karzai said u.s. soldiers must leave afghanistan at the end of the year. he said afghan forces are ready to protect the whole country on their own. he s

taliban today. the taliban's fighters - how dangerous is their force now, and does the world have reason to fear the taliban today. a rare view in a documentary you'll only see an al jazeera. consider this: the news of the day plus so much more. >> we begin with the government shutdown. >> answers to the questions no one else will ask. >> it seems like they can't agree to anything in washington no matter what. >> antonio mora, award winning and hard hitting. >> we've heard you talk about the history of suicide in your family. >> there's no status quo, just the bottom line. >> but, what about buying shares in a professional athlete? real perspective, consider this on al jazeera america >> the ukraine crisis as tensions esalate >> russia for all inents and purposes showing no signs of backing down. >> crimea's vote rejected by the west... >> here in crimea, a lot of them say the west should just butt out... >> new santions looming >> mr. ambassador will those sanctions work? >> things could easily get

taliban today. the taliban's fighters - how dangerous is their force now, and does the world have reason to fear the taliban today. a rare view in a documentary you'll only see an al jazeera. >> these protestors have decided that today they will be arrested >> these people have chased a president from power, they've torn down a state... >> what's clear is that people don't just need protection, they need assistance. >> is it a new sign of trouble. taliban suicide bombers stormed a police station in eastern afghanistan killing at least 10 police officers. this assault comes in a wave of increased taliban violence intended to disrupt the upcoming presidential elections there. taliban's strength in afghanistan has been rising since 2005. they control large parts of the county. al jazeera's "faultline" gained access to a group of taliban fighters, and got a rare glimpse inside the insurgency. >> as u.s. forces prepare to pull out of afghanistan after 12 long years, al jazeera's "faultline"s travelled th

create a huge trouble for the taliban. that, as long as the alabama remains hopeful for victory, they will not make peace. why would they make peace? a need for the treaty to be signed. there needs to be a strong and clear and consistent commitment from the international community. reduce the hope of the taliban for any potential victory. the future government has to be a broad-based coalition government. again, what we need to do is we need to get peace and negotiations. from a position to make as, we have lot of concessions. considering the amount of , weifice that we have made can't afford to make concessions. i pray for a smooth transition. that, i ame achieved confident that afghanistan will be on a path to long-term stability. two, allo to round endorsejor candidates this bilateral security agreement. american forces to remain in afghanistan after the mission is formally ended at the end of this year. that may seem like a technicality, it was the failure to get a similar arrangement with iraq that led to the departur

is the taliban growing stronger? a shocking report outlines how a control of our power grid could can plunge our country into darkness, weeks if not months. here's more on what's ahead. >> and a legal referendum has taken place at the barrel of aokalashknikof. >> signing with the european union. >> all parties should refrain from provocative action he. >> there are over 200 families that are grieving and they want answers. >> nine people have been killed on a daring attack on kabul's most luxurious hotel. >> when electricity break down we break down everywhere else. >> what's important is to share modes of attack and times of attack so we is can protect ourselves as modes of society. >> we begin with the crisis in ukraine and the growing confrontation over economic sanctions with the u.s. and the european union on one side and russia on the other. friday saw dueling signing ceremonies. while russian troops continued to confront ukrainian forces in crimea. and can ufng mo, vladimir putin, to russian are russia few hou

in return we expected them to turn against the taliban. all we want to do was tell us to among them was the taliban. since everyone is wearing civilian clothes and we don't speak postern we have no idea who among you is about to shoot me. if you help me in point out the mafia is among you all take care of them for you. he had something called tribal loyalty. look at this picture. this is a place called god's ago that was 500 meters outside of the united states battalion base. for four years the italians rotated through the basin tried to say what do you want? we will help you. occasionally sniper shots. there were never able to persuade the people. so about a year-and-a-half ago the american battalion commander who was really kind spirited set out common and help the. as we were driving in hear the kids. they're about 12, 13 years of age coming out on the road as fast as we were going in like the size of those rocks. the low. and it ended up in a big ambush that the tribe said. and during the ambush aid afghan soldiers were killed. i hope

the taliban shot them dead in 2008 and blew up their home which is now being rebuilt. he feels uneasy. >> this peace deal will only be successful if all the stake holders are onboard, including those affected. the safety of the people who joined hands in out of thing the taliban must be assured at all costs. >> like so many in pakistan, he fears the government won't be able to give enough protection and the taliban can't be trusted. aljazeera, pakistan. >> a suicide bomber killed at least 12 people in iraq at a cafe in baghdad wednesday night as customers were watching a football match. forty were injured in the attack, targeting a shia neighborhood. it broth the death toll to 46 across the country. >> syrian troops have closed to border crossing with lebanon close to where they've fought rebels. 12 have been killed during the battles in and around the syrian village just across the lebanese region. hundreds of fighters have been fleeing into lebanon vias contracting before it was closed. bashar al assad's forces have been heavily shelling the area after capturing yabr

it is an issue for them but to the extent that the ttp pakistan taliban -- pakistani taliban are being able to find safe haven on the afghan side of the border i think it must be clear that moves by the pakistani authorities probably coordinated to control the ability of afghan taliban and the economy network to operate on the pakistani side of the border it would be reasonable to expect those moves to be reciprocated by the afghan authorities to the benefit of both countries and it's precisely that line of logic that we are seeking to persuade the pakistanis of indeed to think that we are making progress and it is clear that important parts of the pakistani security alternatives are now seeing the insurgent terrorist threat to the pakistani state is a bigger strategic threat than the traditional, traditionally viewed a threat from within. >> we visited both pakistan and afghanistan in the end of november last year and some of this discussion came up with the people there. we saw a tax by the pakistanis themselves. various people negotiated the pakistani taliban and we have seen that u

should never gotten involved in a war against taliban the taliban is there it will not be seen it's clearly come out ahead in this war president karzai who was installed by the united states in afghanistan in self said that the only thing the united states has achieved in afghanistan is the kill civilians it is a barrier to the new assistant one trillion dollars andras words the longest war in american history. three men have nearly four thousand americans and die thousands of limb that. are tens of thousands of afghans to die and the u.s. cannot point to anything that it's a cheap war and of course they bring in our special coverage of the i'm going to election through the next week he'll announce international. the people of afghanistan head to the polls for the third time since the fall of the taliban but both paved the way for the principles of our democratic friends our. currency especially let me. react to situations i have read the reports so please know i will leave them to the state department to comment on your play of the month so that it is. a car is on the docket. no more wease

and the taliban have come back bigger and stronger it seems. to us off forced to you know talk with them. the taliban has vowed to disrupt the presidential election g to take place next saturday where keeping track called the developments in afghanistan and all the bringing you special coverage there on the next week here on our team to national keep up again as they head to the polls for the very heart of the taliban will be told the police. her democratic power. i don't see. up next on also internationally is breaking the side with host of the mountain but if you're watching us in the u.k. prepared to go on the ground with action right down see. the. nurse there on the world. nato. not say sorry the people of afghanistan head to the polls for the first time since the fall of the polygon but will this boat keep the way for the concept of our democratic transfer of power. in our new national with me. paying for the projects with this label. going to the specs a deal. the third produces. again this was producer splotch of the business but the wo

and the taliban have come back bigger and stronger it seems. to us off forced to you know talk with them. about that while the taliban has vowed to disrupt the presidential election due to take place next saturday we're keeping track all the developments in afghanistan and we'll be bringing you special coverage throughout next week here on r t international the people of afghanistan head to the polls for the first time since the fall of the taliban but the elders told the police the please don't help our democratic friends of ours. please let me. be interviewed. throughout. speak your language. programs in documentaries in arabic it's all here on. the world talks of the ip interview intriguing story to tell you. are a big find out me visit arabic don't call. russia has no intention of moving into mainland ukraine foreign minister sergey lavrov reiterated that amid a barrage of accusations over an alleged russian military buildup on the border now speaking to the russian media he also described the in the workings of the u.n. in the lead up to a

the region was controlled by taliban fighters. it's hoped the once busy ski resort will make a comeback. >> fun like this was unthinkable five years ago. this is swat valley, once under the rule of the taliban. this is the country's only commercial ski resort destroyed by taliban fighters. it's gradually being revived into a symbol of formality, with a rickety chair life and hopes for a future. taliban has been driven out in an offensive in 2009. they believe the valley is secure, and plans are in place for the army to hand over the organization of this snow festival to civilians. the commanding officer accepts the taliban is a threat, he says it will never return. >> it has the capacity and intention to profit in a short time, create trouble and go back into their safe havens in afghanistan. i can assure you we will never let this delete materialize in the valley. >> and so what you see here is a glimpse of what it could be like in swat valley. >> pakistan's military is trying to convince people that the situation with security i

and the taliban have come back bigger and stronger it seems. forced to you know talk with them. well the taliban has vowed to disrupt the presidential election due to take place next saturday we're keeping track of the developments in afghanistan and we'll be bringing you special coverage throughout next week here on our international. the people of afghanistan head to the polls for the third time since the fall of the taliban but a little bit of both the blame for the birth of our democratic friends. the army especially let me. lead. the. lead. lead it was a problem very hard to take on the lips against. a club that has sex with the perfect their. lives to live. lists lists lists lists lists about. a. thanks for staying with us russia has no intention of moving into mainland ukraine foreign minister sergei lavrov reiterated that amid a barrage of accusations over an alleged russian military buildup on the border speaking to the russian media he also described the inner workings of the u.n. in the lead up to a resolution against moscow. the for

how do we know they are taliban? this is an area with all sorts of criminal elements. >> i'm asking you if you are clear that this is something that shouldn't happen in order to remedy that it's important to establish a baseline. if the baseline is it was reported that we have no evidence i would just like one or two more sentences how you satisfy the negative. if the study did happen and you have to put a stop to it. >> i think the problem is this. this was reported to have happened in an area which we do not control. there is no british presence on the ground. echoes of the reports we received we took this up with the afghan authorities. it was investigated and their conclusion was that they couldn't be sure. it was incomplete. >> so it would have been no improvement but that is not as much as saying it didn't happen. >> we focused instead -- to be honest afghanistan is not britain or scotland. we are talking about a much more confused situation on the ground at the local level and we have focused on getting the in

it shows that the taliban is still strong. five years ago, i would have predicted it would not have been this strong. i hoped and thought we would have been in a better place in terms of having weakened the taliban. the good news is they are still fighting. they have taken those casualties and held together. they have continued to be able to recruit and take the fight to the enemy. last point, they have been able to continue to recruit . you had not imagined five years ago that the taliban would be strong, none of us could imagine could be this strong and able to conduct core level operations. this is a reason that the afghan people are so proud of the army. , you know all the candidates. i was honored to meet with several of them with you a couple weeks ago. could you please help us understand the choice that is now before the afghan better on voter on-- the afghan saturday. and what the choice might signify in terms of who the afghans would like to see replace president karzai after his 12 years in leadership. >> thank you.

a second taliban attack in the afghan capitol in 24 hours.our attackers were killed ahead of presidential elections next week. the aftershocks from last night's earthquake continue in southern california. more than 100 so far. the 5.1 magnitude quake after 9:00 p.m., at the epi center about 20 miles outside los angeles. t more than two dozen homes have been declared unsafe. secretary of state john kerry will meet with his russian counterpart in france tomorrow to discuss ukraine after putin putin called mr. obama saying russia has no intention of invading eastern ukraine. in the race to lead ukraine, it's squaring up to be between a former chocolate maker and a previous prime minister jailed for years allegedly for political pay back. who is going to lead the country to stability? >> the two frontrunners have joined forces. local heady weight boxer forfeited to his political partner to one of the most respected figuring in ukrainian politics. the may 25th vote takes place in a country both describe as under russian occupation. in a climate of

plus a second taliban attack in just 24 hours.our attackers were killed in kabul head of presidential elections next week. and in just a few moments a moment of silence for the victims of last week's tragic mudslide. it was at 10:37 p.m. when a hillside gave away, claiming 17 lives. >>> students in university of south florida are making musk without using instruments. technology is changing the way we listen to and create musk. >> reporter: the sound, the smoke, the spotlight. everything about the university of south florida band may sound traditional at first. there is a question, where are the instruments? >> they're just sitting out there with their ipads, it's amazing. >> reporter: the idea of making musk on a ta music on a tablet p four years ago. >> this is something that musk teachers should know how to do. >> with more and more classrooms outfitted with tablets, tablets can be the prelude to a pricey instrument. >> if you level the playing field everyone can play. >> professors and students make up the quartet, and practic

. >> taliban announce in pakistans cease-fire because it wants to revive peace talks. as the oscars approach why stuntmen feel they're not getting enough recognition for being blown up, beaten up, and knocked down. >> in just an hour from now the u.n. security council is meeting to discuss the escalating crisis in ukraine. this is just hours after the russian president is given permission to put troops in ukraine. vladimir putin warns of a threat for russians in the area. we're going to be going live to the capitol where we'll speak to rory in moscow, but first let's go to our diplomatic editor james bays. james, round two at the united nations. what are the expectations regarding the latest development? >> i think the expectations are pretty low. closed door meetings starting in an hour's time, and i think most people assume that it will be pretty similar to the meeting that took place 24 hours ago, but in an even more charged atmosphere. i think behind those closed doors you'll have denunciation of russian by western nations. you'll have russia fighting back. afterwa

the region controlled by taliban fighters. andrew simmonds hoped that the busy ski resort would make a comeback. >> fun like this would have been unthinkable less than five years ago. this is swat valley, once under the rule of pakistan's taliban. this was the country's only commercial ski resort destroyed by fighters. it's gradually being revived into a symbol of normality, with a rickety chair lift and hopes for a peaceful future. for now it's under army guard. the pakistan military driving the taliban out in a major offense if, beliefs the valley is secure. plans are in place for the army to hand over the organization to civilians next year. while the commanding officer accepts the taliban is a threat, he says it will never return. >> it has the capacity and intention to create trouble and go back into their safe havens in afghanistan. i can assure you we will never let the threat materialize in the valley. this is a message i want to give across. >> what you are seeing is a glimpse of what it could be like in swat valley.

on march 20th taliban gunmen shot 20 people dead including two girls on march 12th. in another attack five were killed. three days later a girl was killed by a suicide-bomber. four gunmen were killed. the taliban seems to be doing all it can to scare people away from the polling stations in next week's vote. >> this is a very political event in afghanistan, we do believe and understand that there are enemies who would launch attacks like they have so far in the past few days. but they will not deter us from our commitments. >> reporter: in his time address to afghanistan's parliament on march 15th president karzai said u.s. soldiers must leave afghanistan at the end of the year. he said afghan forces are ready to protect the whole country on their own. he said afghanistan does not need u.s. military trainers to remain after american troops go home. with under a week before the vote for a new afghan leader the country's security forces are struggling to cope. al jazeera. >> now that miss magazine haitian jetliner chinese ships picked up debris in a new search area but

between 11 and 15% of those actually support taliban ideology. we don't have the al qaeda call but i think it would be much lower. >> that case of the whole is that most people do not want to go back to the dark days they want to go forward it is not like america it is not jeffersonian democracy but they can be representative government and they can be a good allies. >> i believe that. >> from the american people point to view trying to build a consensus abroad to let with minimum of help from us because the goal is not to control afghanistan and the to drive us out of the region and? but that is the plant. >> to drive us out to leave that in their hands with that economic chaos is unimaginable. do you agree? >> from the economic perspective the debt is states has a great interest to make sure that part of the world is stable. >> you could make that argument very easily. >> if you want to deterred the iranians if we abandoned afghanistan that is the worst possible signal about our resolve regarding national security matters and they will be one o

it certainly got rid of the immediate taliban presence. in the capital surroundings, on , areround in the province we getting a big picture? are we asking the right questions? scoped in aot yet terms of reference for any future review of the campaign. this would be a matter to be discovered. >> do you think that we will be what happened in the 2006 and how we got involved? >> can i suggest that perhaps the committee might like to make recommendations about what it thinks should be covered in a postcampaign review? i am sure such recommendations would be very much welcome. >> thank you. iswhy did you think it effective to learn lessons of the second-place and mechanism for learning lessons as you go along? >> i don't. we have mechanisms as we go shir --oth berry lessons, andrt more medium-term lesson learning from the campaign. i thought the question now is being asked was whether we have a plan for a more strategic review of the big strategic decision that took place in the campaign. and my answer to that is that no decisions have been mad

and the taliban have come back bigger and stronger it seems. the u.s. off forced to you know talk with them for the first democratic presidential election is due to take place next saturday cruel in the crew in kabul is tracking the developments and we'll be bringing you special coverage throughout the next week right here on our two international. the people of afghanistan head to the polls for the third time for the fall of the taliban but a little bit of both pave the way for the birth of our democratic friends our. national let me. while looking for cash no matter the cost china's president tours europe e.u. officials to discuss business and investment opportunities in the house but human rights talk on the shelf plus. the beautiful face of. the region's chief prosecutor is creating an international stir not least because she's tough on criminals but as well that and much more after a break. in the future this month we shake it took a bit internal heat as moscow's firefighters put three spaces. in the communication is key and following the

the taliban has people trapped inside the building. also ukraine's crisis now the two countries are stepping out of timetable to avoid contact. >>> the hunt for the missing malaysian airline, plus? >> reporter: in washington state the governor has asked for a moment of silence to mark the one-week anniversary of the devastating landslide. >> taliban fighters are attacking the afghan election commission pound in kabul, this is the fourth attack in eight days and we're just a week out from a presidential election as well. they believe the airport may be targeted next. we have the details. >> reporter: under a week until presidential election the taliban attacks again. the target this time, the headquarters of the independent election commission in kabul, at least four fighters were disguised as women when they entered the election building. afghan special forces and police reinforcements took their position. >> forces have come to my house. i had three guards, two outside and one inside. i don't know what is happening right now. the atta

a second taliban attack in afghan stan in as many days one week before presidential e elections. why mental illness, homelessness and incarceration have become a troubling cycle of despair. ♪ new talks are set from hours now over the crisis in ukraine. while russia says it has no intention of invading eastern ukraine, the u.s. wants russia to follow troops from the border. president obama is not that message to president vladimir putin. >> john kerry made a detour on his way home from the middle east. he rerouted his plane to paris to meet his russian counterpart tomorrow for talks on ukraine. in crimea, residents have changed their clocks to sink up with moscow. people took to the street to celebrate that change. it's a symbolic move by russia to show it's in control of crimea. >> candidates are putting themselves forward. shevchenko is hoping to return to power. she will be facing peroshinko. a breakdown on the presidential candidates >> reporter: interesting development in ukraine's presidential election process. the former heavy weight boxer who was the frontrunner for presid

the taliban banned schools teaching any subject, including religion.eachers believe they'll find a solution. part of the identity of the islamic state. >> international scientists and world leaders are meeting in japan to discuss climate change. also a report from the united nations which says future extreme flooding and drought could lead to conflict and damage the economy. week-long talks will lay to mitigate global warm k. >> a laboratory in alaska is trying to help with that. scientists are exploring perma frost. >> how deep are we new? >> we are 60 feet below the surface. >> through frozen ground, tunnelled back in time to where the earth warmed up. the ceiling bristles and along the walls the bones of bison. once this part of alaska was a fertile plain before the glaziers rolled in, tens of thousands of years ago. >> we have a big ice sludge on the left and over here. >> other scientists see fossil, soil and ice. kevin studies engineering issues with the united states military and how to plan for the effects of the perma frost. >> what was temper

major year operations around taliban strongholds for the ceasefire was announced. some say the militants are trying to buy time to regroup. cheery faces intense pressure both at home and abroad across the border in afghanistan most foreign combat troops are due to leave later this year so the stability of pakistan has implications for security across the region ay ay ay ay. south korean foreign minister yang mills said has made use of a united nations forum to criticize japan's handling of the so called comfort women issue do you say you knew a special rights issue. on rez old problem steel haunting us today. ewan was speaking before the un human rights council. he criticized japan's political leaders saying they are attempting to re examine the background of a nineteen ninety three statement he said that a high ranking government official has recently labelled the comfort women issue of fabrication. he said such an attitude is in his words on an affront to humanity and that disregards history. this team again mentioned was issued in nineteen eighty three by japan'

it follows a taliban assault on a luxury hotel and an attack on the building. all connected to the taliban's promise to do its best to disrupt presidential elections on april the 5th. >> another body has been found after the mudslide in the united states a week ago. 18 people are thought to have died in the disaster in washington state. that number is expected to rise. 90 people are listed as missing. emergency teams are searching through waste-deep mud near oso. >> russ cue workers say -- rescue workers say their primary mission it to find people alive in the mountain of mud. it's been seven days, and the chances of finding people are increasingly unlikely. this mission is likely to turn soon into a recovering mission and identification has become a problem. medical workers are not releasing new numbers of dead until they have identified those people, and you can imagine the difficulty of doing that when these victims have been inside ohms crushed by -- homes crushed by a sea of mud. family members are having difficulty identifying some victims, it presented p

the taliban get through the security at kabul. >> finding the missing airliner. planes from the u.s. and new zealand join the search for objects spotted on satellite. >> thailand's constitutional court ruled that last month's general election was invalid. the vote was unconstitutional because elections were not held. opposition supporters prevented candidates registering in these areas. the government was called on to step down. their campaign started in november over plans for a new amnesty law. the bill could have allowed former prime minister thaksin shinawatra to return without punishment. he's the brother of current leader yingluck shinawatra. by november there were demonstrations by pro and ain't-government protesters. that month elections were held, but the protesters boycotted them. there were thouses of demonstrations outside polling stations. zeina khodr joins us from outside bangkok. how has the court come to this decision? >> the constitutional court ruled that the election was invalid, unconstitutional because according to them it was not held across

the taliban claimed responsibility. the fact that it happened in the center of jillala bad in district one. which is next to the governor's house shows how serious a breach of security this was. the timing was significant. afghans go to the polls to vote for the president. many people are concerned that security could cause them to be delayed for some time. candidates have to try to campaign in public, pushing for votes in an atmosphere of risk. the taliban said openly they'll target anybody that has anything to do with the elections, including security forces. >> ukraine is preparing to move the soldiers and family on rns. >> pro-russian forces took over the navy base. >> ukraine is to appeal to the u.n. to take necessary measures for the withdrawal of troops from crimea, and prepare conditions for the relocation of ukrainian troops, bases and subdivisions. >> president obama says the u.s. will not take military action against russia over its take over of crimea. there was an angry exchange of words between the u.s. an

only seven percent of afghans support a taliban return to power.ow is it that a large majority of the afghan people think that conditions in afghanistan are improving when most americans do not? unfortunately, the american people rarely read about positive developments in afghanistan. instead, the media focuses almost exclusively on negative incidents, depriving the american people of the sense of accomplishment that they would receive if they were provided a balanced view. as a result, our troops have not received the recognition for the positive changes in afghanistan for which they and their families have sacrificed so much. the positive developments are not the whole story to him of course. real and daunting challenges lie ahead. taliban terrorists act will continues and be the focus of the media. the improving afghan military has proven his willingness to fight but is still in the early stages of building the support functions such as logistics and maintenance and intelligence and air power that are necessary for combat troops to do their jobs

the west should have gotten involved in a war against taliban the taliban is there it will not be seen it's clearly come out ahead in this war president karzai who was installed going to the united states and then in self said that the only thing the united states is achieved in afghanistan is to kill civilians it isn't their hundred feet the us is twenty one trillion dollars on this words the longest war in american history and the three now have new four thousand americans die thousands and looted. tens of thousands of afghans to die and need us cannot point to anything but it's a cheat from this war the people of afghanistan head to the polls for the third. of the taleban will this vote pave the way for the terms of our democratic our. national but. it's right out in time it is possible moscow time it's r.t. international an increasing number of southeast ukrainians are making it clear they won't put up with the disarray the country has been thrown into under the self-proclaimed government it came to power of course after a western backed coup in kiev at the end of february but it a

the taliban will be back in control. with all the implications that has for our security we will have no influence over those of comes. >> we know that david cameron as read your book. less likely that the -- president obama has read your book, unfortunately. what is your overall assessment of obama's handling of the war in afghanistan? >> well, i think it has been rather confused. he came in, if you remember, the first nine months of his presidency. he had a very their review of the afghan program. and as a result of that he signed the to the counterinsurgency strategy devised by general patraeus and crystal and the american army. but within months of having signed up to that the changes mind. and one of the -- this is where i find it rather difficult. if his heart was not in the afghan mission at the start then why sign up to the counterinsurgency? and so my concern now, what is going to happen when combat operations if wind down by the end of this year? and i can see a lot of trouble ahead. >> david as wrong with the

should never gotten involved in a war against taliban. taliban is there or will not be. clearly come out ahead in this war president karzai who was and still going to the united states and. himself said that the only thing the united states is achieved in afghanistan is that kills civilians it is a bit hard to see the u.s. is one trillion dollars on this words the longest war in history. three men have you had four thousand americans die thousands and. tens of thousands of afghans. and the u.s. can have anything. from this war. we're following the developments in afghanistan and we'll be bringing you the latest on the country's upcoming presidential election stay with us he went out into. the polls for the. little old lady. of our democratic are. you my thing the united nations is a place where any country can speak its mind without being pressured by more powerful members however in an interview to the russian media become trees foreign minister has shed light on some murky growing zone and he is going with more on what sergei lavrov who previously enjoyed a bright care

but the taliban are very concerned.een a tacks in kabuls and especially in the hotel area own areas. they want to sabotage this election and been putting online, articles where they are saying look at egypt. muslim brotherhood won the election and military took over. you'll never be allowed to rule. it's not true because abdullah abdullah and others are saying we can stabilize the country and make a deal with the americans and we can transition to a better place. >> i can tell you, all of these damning things being thrown around about the united states role in this and the way they prop up that 10% mentality -- we close our eyes but it's hard to find alternatives. local institutions are not always up to snuff. i was on the team that richard holbrook led, i can tell you everyone hoped more money to these government institutions on the afghan side would mean more capacity. it doesn't work that way. >> at the same time, when we promote democracy, the idea we want to bring democracy and freedom and liberate women and other

their own taliban to come in support of the afghan taliban to disrupt the elections are you running for the presidency if elected how do you propose to stop attacks such as this. i think these attacks are just that the outcome of a much bigger problem these are these are not these are the symptoms i think. we have should have a comprehensive regional approach it's not just nato that should be doing this i think from russia although it to india china iran the. whole region should get involved in this this region needs is stability for all of us and we will have a comprehensive approach towards peace in the region and we will. highlight the alternatives for the region will be prosperity economic growth and pakistan and india need ron and russia and other neighbors should all come on board and join us because this is this extremism in these kinds of ends and stable conditions cannot be confined to the to afghanistan within the afghan borders it will go and hurt everybody including russia including central asia including china and iran and pakistan is hurting already so we need to recal

and seven taliban suicide bombers backed by gun many attacked a police station in eastern afghanistan. at least 10 officers and one civilian have been killed in jalalabad. more than 14 others and a police officer and a journalist have been injured. it's the latest violence in the run-up to elections next month. >> jane ferguson sent us this update. >> the attack started as a dawn raid at 5:30am, local time in afghanistan. a huge car bomb exploded at the gates of a police haurtion in the center of jalalabad city. after that attackers ran into the police station, and that's when the siege began. the rapid response unit from the intelligence services to the national army and police were on the scene. this went on for over four hours. the taliban claimed responsibility for the atab, and the fact that it -- attack, ande center of jalalabad in the police headquarters. that is next to the governor's house shows how serious a breach of security this was. the timing is extremely significant. in just over two weeks afghans go to the polls to vet for the new president. many are concerned that se

he is the new police chief, and it is thick with thieves and taliban.ver 100 of his men raced to the mountains in dawn. the general are after two specific criminal bosses. armed men here often kidnap local force ransom and rob vehicles. but these days they can be hired by candidates to tamper with voting boxes and threaten officials. >> irresponsible armed men stuff boxes in favor of some candidates and these operations that we're carrying out to stop these people from elections fraud or to top their threats on election sites. >> reporter: they are led to this tiny village, but the men have fled leaving just frightened women answering the police's questions. some men are arrested nearby, but the showdown with criminal leaders does not take place. this landscape offers a refugee for those on the run. so they send a message loud enough for them to hear. >> this is as much about a show of power as it is about arresting. but i the police come in and let any ban kids know--bandits know that they are here. it is all about footprints for these men. it is in an

the taliban gesture of a ceasefire. the attacks continued. there was another attack this morning. the taliban said it wasn't behind that attack as well. >> the hong kong court delivered its verdict in a money laundering case. the hairdresser turned tycoon has been found guilty. he was accused of knowingly channelling $93 million through bank accounts from 2001 to 2007. cig gleeson has more. >> he appeared at the magistrates court looking agitated as he pushed aside journalists in his 54th appearance since the case began in april. he began his career as a hairdresser and amassed a fortune through coal and fertiliser investments. he was a high roller at the kaz eachos and a shareholder in a casino not far from here in hong kong. he came to public prominence in 2009. shortly after his company bihl bought birmingham football club , birmingham was relegated from the premier league. mr young was charged in 2011, and his company delisted. he resigned as chairman the the company was relisted and the value of the company and own

, but is the taliban capable of enforcing a cease-fire on the ground? >> well, they have instructed the various groups to abide by the cease-fire. in fact, after the issuance of that statement another group led by the taliban, a statement saying they would abide by the agreement, it must be remembered that it was the group that took responsibility for the killing of 22 pakistani security forces personnel which led to basically the breakdown. it appears there is a consensus, and they have announced a cease-fire instructing their men to stop all activities against the security forces. >> in a roads side bomb no one was killed but minutes later another bomb hit police causing fatalities. well, this is the latest attack in a campaign that killed 40 polio workers since 2012. armed groups oppose pakistan's internationally vaccination program. they say it is a cover for western spying. attacks increased significantly after the ceo used the vaccination drive against osama bin laden. that has led to an increase in polio cases. >>> pakistan's former ambassador to

nine people have been killed in an attack carried out by the taliban in a hotel in the capitol and fourmen opened fire in central cabbel despite high security and afghan officials say the gunmen were able to sneak in weapons hidden in their socks and four foreigners from canada, india, new zeeland and pakistan are among those killed and jane ferguson has the latest from kabul. >> they made their way to the restaurant of the serena hotel after 9:00 on thursday night and opened fire on diners killing nine people including three women and two children. of the nine, four were foreigners and five afghans were injured including an m.p. attackers themselves were believed to carry small weapons they snuck in the hotel, the hotel is supposed to be the most secure in the country and it's a target because lots of diplomates and high-end officials do stay there but as a result security at the hotel was incredibly tight and part of a taliban attack being stepped up ahead of the presidential elections which are due in two weeks. taliban said they will continue attacks to disrupt anything to do with t

it shows that the taliban is still strong. five

the afghan swat teams cleared the buildings and killed the four taliban militants. in some ways, this is an indication of what the united states is leaving behind. the afghan security forces today did succeed, but on the other hand, the taliban is increasingly bold and increasingly carrying out more frequent attacks right here in the afghan capital. lester? >> richard engel in kabul. >>> more damage control today from new jersey governor chris christie who spoke today in las vegas, a day after again trying to put the george washington bridge scandal behind him. today he spoke of his own leadership. >> how do you get better? how do you make your people better? and so for me, i think, it's about me being a lot more questioning, about things that are going on. it's about sending very clear signals that certain conduct and actions are acceptable and certain are completely unacceptable. >> our political director chuck todd is following all this tonight. check? >> well, lester, it's been fascinating to watch christie over the last four days. let's put into context where c

there is a lot of wishful thinking going on about the taliban.you could imagine that elements of it might be in the political process, but they are a relatively small part of the equation. the single biggest wildcard here is whether the pakistanis will a serious military operation in north waziristan. and i think for the first time in a long time that may well happen. the number of people who have been killed in pakistan by the taliban has reached a point where the government has said, we are serious. i think i could change a lot for taliban if they no longer had a critical safe haven. obviously, they exist in afghanistan to summit -- to some degree. the window is closing to do this operation. that changes a lot of things for the taliban. >> before we get to your questions of the panel, i will ask one more to james. james -- whatink do you think, james, needs to happen going forward in terms of support for the afghan media? >> i think the biggest single thing is a clear strategy. there is not a strategy in this area. report inunched our 2012 and

the taliban claimed responsibility for the attack less than two weeks. they threatened to disrupt the upcoming presidential election with a campaign of bombings and assassinations just every week to give insurgents attacked a police station in the eastern city of jeddah about leaving ten officers dead. placed on the same day. four gunmen stormed the choice to remain hotel in kabul. nine civilians including two children die. election monitors were among the hotel's guests that time undeterred by the violence tens of thousands of afghans are registering to vote on the ankle the fifth. i must say there will be a real test of democracy in the country current president of the concert is not eligible to stand. says crews are looking for the missing malaysia airlines flight and they should three seventy state that they house policies of new objects placing in the indian ocean but they haven't been able to recover them yet the australian maritime safety authority says of the national center for the flight is wrapped up for the day. the australians save the dates