, this is taliban country.hat country today is a powder keg. after decades of fighting,

>> reporter: taliban. for nearly 13 years u.s. nato soldiers have done battle with them with deadly consequences. a war that began in 2001 after osama bin laden and al-qaeda launched their attack on the united states. >> this is a different type of enemy than we're used to. their network is extensive. >> reporter: to understand the fundamentalists taliban it is important to look at what was happening before the taliban began. muslim war lords armed by the west, including the u.s. who fought against the soviet union in 1979. ten years later the soviets withdrew leaving a weak government in place. the war lords and the government were corrupt and violent, the rule-bound taliban seemed to offer a safer option to many afghans. >> what afghans will say, the taliban were, you know, not great people but they provided safety. our women weren't being kidnapped our boys weren't being kidnapped and held for ransom and extortion, but there was a basic safety. >> reporter: professor christine fair returned from the capitol of kabul earlier thi

the taliban of charkh were burying their dead. >> one of the two taliban fighters killed in an attack on a local afghan army base. a lot of inhabitants from this village in charkh have gathered today. >> they're here to pay their respects. they're here also to mourn, and also show that they are proud. >> the dead man's father was amongst the mourners. >> many of the dead fighter's comrades were there, including 17-year-old ehsanullah, who also took part in the attack. after the funeral was over, i followed him as he went to meet a friend. i asked him to tell me what motivates young men here to fight for a movement like the taliban >> from what i was told, the taliban in charkh are mostly recruited from the 40,000 people who live in the district. >> the taliban are feared across many parts of afghanistan - and especially outside predominantly pashtun regions. before they were toppled from power in 2001, and like other groups during afghanistan's civil war, they committed horrendous massacres against civilians. when they ruled afghanistan, they imposed an extreme interpretation of shari

while the taliban have freedom of movement, the base is well fortified >> the taliban can come in andire and harass and retreat. >> the afghan national army actually has to be there and actually has to try to create an environment over time that is going to allow the country to function. they are not going to come out of garrison to engage in hand to hand combat with these taliban guys. it would make no sense. >> the ana soldiers have started to fire mortar rounds. and the mortars are landing in the areas where we are. close to some of the other guys behind us and close to us also. >> the battle has been going on for more than an hour, and the ana soldiers under attack inside have received no support from other bases. the taliban had hoped this would be a victory, but it was becoming clear that they were facing far greater resistance than they had expected. >> the taliban soldiers that i'm together with have lost two men. and it looks like they are not as positive as they were before they started attacking the base. and for these fighters, it looks like the situation might be about to

while the taliban have freedom of movement, the base is well fortified >> the taliban can come in and fire and harass and retreat. >> the afghan national army actually has to be there and actually has to try to create an environment over time that is going to allow the country to function. they are not going to come out of garrison to engage in hand to hand combat with these taliban guys. it would make no sense. >> the ana soldiers have started to fire mortar rounds. and the mortars are landing in the areas where we are. close to some of the other guys behind us and close to us also. >> the battle has been going on for more than an hour, and the ana soldiers under attack inside have received no support from other bases. the taliban had hoped this would be a victory, but it was becoming clear that they were facing far greater resistance than they had expected. >> the taliban soldiers that i'm together with have lost two men. and it looks like they are not as positive as they were before they started attacking the base. and for these fighters, it looks like the situation might be about

, this is taliban country. that country today is a powder keg. after decades of fighting, outside forces and inter-tribal faceoffs, looking to the future about questions about what's next. as u.s. forces prepare to leave there is reason for hope. last week's presidential election defied prediction. 350,000 strong security presence was far less than feared. it was according to outside monitors a big win for democracy. and a setback to the taliban which had vowed to disrupt the vote. >> i mean if it's up to them, no elections at all. but we want the elections, we want somebody who will deal with the taliban, evolve that issue and then resolve that issue and then come out and vote. >> beyond the relatively smooth election, the limits on the taliban's power, as evidenced by fault lines documentary, this is taliban country, in which the group struggled against the better armed and better organized rch afghan national army army about. >> they don't fear any attacks from them and they move all around the city without

while the taliban have freedom of movement, the base is well fortified >> the taliban can come in and fire and harass and retreat. >> the afghan national army actually has to be there and actually has to try to create an environment over time that is going to allow the country to function. they are not going to come out of garrison to engage in hand to hand combat with these taliban guys. it would make no sense. >> the ana soldiers have started to fire mortar rounds. and the mortars are landing in the areas where we are. close to some of the other guys behind us and close to us also. >> the battle has been going on for more than an hour, and the ana soldiers under attack inside have received no support from other bases. the taliban had hoped this would be a victory, but it was becoming clear that they were facing far greater resistance than they had expected. >> the taliban soldiers that i'm together with have lost two men. and it looks like they are not as positive as they were before they started attacking the base. and for these fighters, it looks like the situation might be about

millions of afghans defy the taliban.uraging turnout for todd's presidential e elections. >>> a chinese ship hears picks. could they be from the missing malaysian jet liner's black boxes. >>> authorities shared new insight on what might have sparked the rampage at 40 hood. >> 40 years since the genocide in rwanda. some accusing french soldiers of a role in the massacre.

, the pakistan taliban. and, obviously, isi is controlled by the army, part of the army. so my question is, so are you saying that pakistan army is the right any? one. and, number two, whether they are the right enemy or not they are behind all the chaos, what's going on and what could happen again in afghanistan, like army wants afghanistan as their strategic partner or something like that? understanding all that, why does u.s. keep supporting army and having dialogue with the army and not the government? i mean, everybody knows it. i don't understand the reason. >> well, this is really also why i wrote the but because they're still a lot of debate inside the military, but particularly inside between parts of the american government, between the military, the military mostly know because the underground, they mostly know what's going on. when you talk to them they are actually the most frank. cia has its own opinion, and the diplomats tend to say no, no, no. there's no proof. they're not supporting the tali

pressure on the taliban. it has been a blow to them. these elections should also restore a sense of optimism among americans, and it should remind us why the u.s. went to war in afghanistan in the first place, and what's at stake for u.s. national security interests, and what could happen if we withdraw troops to quickly. unfortunately, american popular support for the war has dipped considerably. some of the latest polling shows it is below 20%. i think this is because of the western media bias for reporting on violence and bad news coming out of the country, but i think it's also the result of president karzai and his continuous criticism of american policies there despite the massive amount of assistance in blood and treasure the u.s. has spent there, but the white house has been reluctant to talk about the war and really spell out for the american people what is at stake, so i think all of these combined have led to the dismal view about afghanistan. the point is with these elections we have an opportunit

for when a taliban attack -- in a taliban attack, you will depend upon him and his fellow tribesmen to protect you. will he stand up to the taliban? something in his eyes tells you that he will. this was the scene one chilly february day in 2012 when i moved into the village in afghanistan's heavily-contested kunar province with about a dozen afghan tribal police and a dozen american soldiers led by special forces major jim gant, a decorated green beret who was then my fiance. the afghan police, like their commander, belonged to the fierce tribe, the most powerful in the area. the tribes were pashtuns, members of the large ethnic group with a population of about 40 million people living on either side of the afghanistan/pakistan border. the hut we lived in with the afghans had thick 20-foot walls. it literally means fortress, and it's no wonder that afghans since ancient times have built their homes like castles complete with guard towers. a land-locked country, afghanistan has long been a crossroads of civilizations, a highway of conquests. from persians in the sixth century b.c. to a

the taliban getting on opening. what is the overall sentiment to the elections. >> i had the is it the privilege of witnessing and being part of every election since 2002. the elections since 2004. what i witnessed when i went back is a tremendous level of excitement about the elections and more than what i have seen since the beginning much 2002. there's a sense that this is the first time that there's not an inevitable candidate and it will be a contested election in which photos will count. every conversation i had, was about the afghan election. it's all people riveted about, the debates on television and radio. they are watching the polls with scrutiny. a great deal of excitement and tremendous level of anxiety. there's a deep sense that this is an election that will determine afghanistan's fewer, and whether the peace will hold post 2014. the u.s. - there's a lot of attention to the troop numbers, and the bilateral security agreement. in afghanistan it's all about the elections. >> she brings up something inte

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

the taliban is weaker. where do you see the truth? >> in terms of election day there are reports from the rural areas. there's a high level of violence. that being said the taliban didn't launch major attacks in the city, and i don't think they did want to disrupt the selections. you never saw pressure on the campaigns, they never attacked in the big rallies. they used the high profile of the elections to attack foreigners in the capital. and continuing a general program of creating insecurity. >> the attack on the sareena hotel in kabul, and the attack on journalists, who i am sure you knew, the other day. >> what do you see happening, if you are looking at your crystal ball. what will happen? again. >> i think you'll see a relatively smooth transition with whoever wins. none of the candidates will upset - tip the boat. as my friend in kabul put it, they have a stake. the part of the country is elite and they have a stake. >> they'll be able to hold the taliban down. >> where we went a lot of areas are con

with just collapse, the support for taliban would collapse. >> what you said is for me the taliban was the news story at the time. when it began it would finally be answered. it's where my reporting life started and rose this great wave of islamism that has powered many of today's wars. story of the decade. >> yes. >> rose: so therefore where are you now, north africa. >> yes. and fortunately, it's spreading there in a pretty alarming way. that's where i live. this young man since the arab spring have rushed towards towards extremism and at least 1500 have gone off to fight the war. what happens when they come back. far more alarming is libya which really remind me of afghanistan in the 90's. different militias, somebody fighting each other for power, local power. and control with resources. al-qaeda's busy doing campaigns of assassinations and training fighters. these groups, really extremist islamist groups which is terrifying and has got a foot hold there in eastern libya. so yes very frightening because that's a state that's really probably going to take a decade to get a grip. >>

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 sacrifice that we have

of the taliban has gone after high profile legal targets. that is who they have wanted to strike at. they hope that would create a climate of fear. it is old-fashioned terrorism. or two things to get attention and create the sense of gloom and doom and despair. drive people out of the country and try to convince the international community that the project will not work. they had some limited success along the way. the afghan people said we are not buying that strategy. we are going to vote. host: this is the cover story of time magazine. vote and theant to taliban wants to stop them. what america leaves behind. with thedon't agree title. the taliban has not returned. they are despised by most of the people. they are not in control of any of the population centers. the title is wrong. there are fears of their return. there are pockets of the country where they are present. the notion that they are on the way back is demonstrably wrong and not good journalism. it suggests a climate of fear that we don't want to falsely contribute to. that is

troops is crucial to keeping taliban fighters from seizing power.we found the front line that the taliban is closer to the presidential candidate is closer than you might think. >> reporter: we were met by a taliban fighter who drove hea ad of us on a motorbike. >> i was taken to meet two of the commanders. it's obvious that they were planning something big. >> i've been told that we're going to take me to a place where they plan to attack early this morning. >> i'm sitting in the back of a motorbike driven by a taliban soldier. earlier this evening we heard the sound of the drones to be honest i feel quite nervous driving with an armed soldier. >> they took me to a safe house where a number of taliban fighters were checking their weapons. >> for the several days that i was with the taliban they only told me to stop filming once. but i was accusel acutely awarei would not be allowed to film them unless they wanted the world to see what they showed me. >> they have a media savvy. the fact that they use the media to establish their point of view and g

the taliban cast a long shadow over this election.the capital has enjoyed a series of attacks as the group carries out it's promise, and there will pockets where there will be no voting because of the taliban threat. >> does the threat of the attack put you off? >> i'm enthusiastic to vote. it does not put me off. you cannot let the taliban dictate. if it's up to them, no elections at all. well, we want the elections. we want someone to deal with the taliban, resolve that issue, and you have to come out and vote. >> turn out and a relatively corruption-free vote are what will help give this election legitimacy in the eyes of afghans. whoever wins will need to have plenty of that if they'll have any chance of face challenging issues in afghanistan. >> a reporter was killed while covering elections. she was killed instantly when the taliban fired on the car that she was in. her photographer is reportedly in stable condition. last month a journalist was killed along with eight others when the taliban attacked a luxury hotel in kabul. >>>

taliban. both the place. of our democratic our. margins consumer p.c.'s and i see it maybe in the country is the federal government simply saves property of the united states government. the united states. public has to realize you can't just buy. your own just throw it away. for instance belongs to the united states environmental protection agency and i found this on a dump site here here and wait. for news of the business when i have to should be able to collect these i believe that this should be responsible. for a bill to bring. to mexico. mental health property will sell to murder incorporated it also belongs to the washington metro transit authority to the properties of a dentist trades. and trademarks. it was a little bit. because it. was a. political movement it was possible. you're watching our t.v. tonight voting wraps up in afghanistan's presidential election with a reportedly good turnout despite an increase in taliban terror attacks leading up to the paul. tells its mobile phone giants it's time to hang up on squeezing travelers drawn by. ev

of the taliban has gone after high profile legal targets. that is who they have wanted to strike at. they hope that would create a climate of fear. it is old-fashioned terrorism. or two things to get attention and create the sense of gloom and doom and despair. drive people out of the country and try to convince the international community that the project will not work. they had some limited success along the way. the afghan people said we are not buying that strategy. we are going to vote. host: this is the cover story of time magazine. vote and theant to taliban wants to stop them. what america leaves behind. with thedon't agree title. the taliban has not returned. they are despised by most of the people. they are not in control of any of the population centers. the title is wrong. there are fears of their return. there are pockets of the country where they are present. the notion that they are on the way back is demonstrably wrong and not good journalism. it suggests a climate of fear that we don't want to falsely contribute to. that is

taliban. both. of our democratic. party but. now the european parliament has banned mobile roaming charges. you shouldn't have to pay forty five times more to send an e-mail to the country next door. but consumers may end up paying through the nose for other services find out why later in the program. and also coming up to buying malts a continues her siberian travels this time taking a spiritual journey with local heedless you see like by cow as a source of supernatural power. is the media leave us so we leave the baby. potions to cure. all your part of the physical. issues that no one is asking with to get that you deserve answers from. politics only on r t. technology innovation. developments around russia we've got the future covered. your friend post a photo from a vacation you can't. call it different. the boss repeats the same old joke of course you like. your ex-girlfriend still pens tear jerking poetry keep. nora. we post only what really matters. to your facebook. join me. in part and. commentary contribute and much mu

this week's "time" magazine cover story "return of the taliban" details the taliban's violent quest formarring afghanistan's drive towards democracy. here with us now is michael crowley. thanks so much for being on the show. >> thanks for having me. >> i was blown away by a quote that came out of this article. can't say i was surprised, but it does i think stick with you if you've been following this story. it says this. "afghanistan has been here before. in 1989 after the soviet union ended a decade-long occupation, the country went into a period of unstable and weak national governments that were unable to halt a civil war, fought mostly along ethnic lines. seven years later, the taliban an alliance of islamic clerics, students and former fighters against the soviet occupation, rolled into kabul. are we repeating this from 1989 with the removal of the soviet union? is the taliban going to fill the vacuum once again? is history repeating itself once again? >> well, that's the great concern. i don't think we're at that point yet, fortunately. and these elections that are an important st

of the taliban. hold the fate. of our democratic our. our let's move on to eastern ukraine where hundreds of people have been protesting in the city of donetsk demanding a referendum on their region's future rallies are also expected in neighboring areas. as the details. people have been taken to the streets with actually different slogans with many state to create tast against against ukraine's new authorities they have been saying that they don't recognize these people as legitimate power of their country and they are not treated to a bay they would and to obey their laws are people there have been asking for their right for self-determination and have been calling on the referendum to decide their future western countries policies and reactions towards the crisis are among other reasons for people in these ukrainian regions to be unhappy again in the city of donetsk another group of protesters has gathered in front of the german consulate to express their anger against what they say is germany's interference enter cranes internal affa

in a taliban attack on i guess time before the election. and this twelve year old boy was shot by the taliban and is now recovering in an emergency ward and haiti is a mother burning scraps of cardboard in a refugee camp in kabul to try and keep her children warm firewood being an affordable luxury. u.s. officials are known for glossing over the results of almost thirteen years of war in afghanistan but what does the u.s. have to show for afghanistan. we achieved our central goal which is or have come very close to achieving our central goal which is too. deep to pass a thing. to dismantle. the u.s. has to capacitate its some and only starters afghanistan is yet again becoming a magnet for extremists forces from across central asia where the groups have political rated rather than diminished since the u.s. presence there and so they're much more active they're much more influential today they've they've actually been created during the period that the united states was actually there. and so we actually created that that that more extremism

they are host of powerful actors that are not the taliban or interested in the taliban coming back to power in the kind of typical sense of retaking kabul and they are gained politicately from the changing of that regime. i think what is interesting about these characters who are anti-taliban and that is why they came to power because they fought them with the americans but there is a pragmitism to afghan politics and i hope we can talk about this but no -- animosity is to the core of who any strong afghanistan man. and i am sure we can talk about the decision and if someone cold me that would happen i would have laughed hard and for a long time. i think they are -- >> by the way, he is a ph.d from columbia. >> that is correct. he is an alumni of columbia. he was one of the most focal critics of warlords including the general who is now his running mate. i think what that tells us, to me, is about the agility and flexibility and dynamic quality of afghan politics. so looking at these characters is a different story than the taliban. they were fighting on behalf of the government throu

the other big topic is the taliban. we do not see a whole lot of taliban attacks. a lot thought it was a victory for of afghan forces. when you look at the future. how concerned are you that the taliban may come back to power and continue with a role in the country. >> there's a huge concern. many people in some provinces did not vote because of the taliban influence. it wasn't so much that they were worried about their own personal security, but the day after when everyone will see you go to the polling center and vote, and say "we saw what you did." we find that example to be illuminating in relation to the reach that the taliban has. and the fact that they are of the people, and that they were there before, and continue to be there regardless. and the less reach the u.s. forces have, the more influence the taliban is likely to have. is the approach for the afghan government to include the taliban in the government, trying to reach out and negotiate. >> we would hope for people process. >> that's a difficult subject for a lot of people. >> we hope for piece throu

well i think it's very difficult to know exactly where the pakistani taliban the boston the afghan taliban began because the area that they're into a series standings. it's at the border between the pakistani side and the outcome tyson barrie permeable and at times the have certainly complain that afghanistan is sheltering pakistani taliban. that certainly afghans have complained of pakistan sheltering. due to some of the afghan how i make him open the border and make pacts. so i think the negotiations is all depends on what the deal look like and that the question has always been led to the taliban who have been very clear that they do not want democracy would actually come out and accept that accepted kinds of rights for women that time. i mean talk about i was listening to alot of stitching. excuse me for saying this with messing up his selection. yesterday on acne me begin with k i think it would be not easy for them to back down for all of them some of them. you know it's not it's not in uniform i grew a very different factions within the taliban as well so. but i think that that the

soap they repel the taliban. with that code of honor in 2003 he learned to speak basic pashtun and formed his first alliance with an elderly tribal leader agree to and wiseman whose story is told in my book. he also discovered connections between the travel warriors in his own american tribe to value the honor of the battlefield. he realized the troops were -- to try as lived by that honor in that could help the united states defeat the taliban and often conflicted with the tribal ways. and also just as powerfully the strategy eventually was to allow the tribes to peacefully reintegrate. in october 2009 jim published one tribe at a time just as the obama administration was looking at the major review of strategy. the taliban had been gaining ground in the administration was desperately searching for ways to reverse the momentum. with other foreign troops and national security forces that make up most of the terrain. so to try the local security initiative communities that have traditionally secured and practice s

these are the top stories - yes to democracy, no to the taliban. afghans turn out in big numbers to choose a new president. >> plus, a ship looking for the missing malaysia airliner detects a signal in the indian ocean. >> and from london with the latest from europe - see you in court. ukraine threatens russia with legal action over a steep increase in gas prices. >> five years on from italy's earthquake. why much of a town is damaged. >> the artistic side of george w. bush, how he really sees russia's vladimir putin and other leaders around the world. >> despite all the threats from the taliban, afghanistan has carried out historic presidential elections. more than 7 million turn out to vote. that's 58% of the electorate, higher than in the united states. afghans had three main voices, abdullah abdullah, ashraf ghani ahmadzai, and zalmai rassoul. we probably won't know who has won for several weeks. as bernard smith reports, this is a proud day for many afghans. >> the queue started forming well before kabul's polling stations opened. despite the

. >> and the taliban is denying responsibility. if that is the case, that would mark the first insider attack on journalists. >> on your new dream house -- anya and her catholic -- and her canadian colleague were traveling in the east of the country. the convoy they were with was distributing balloting information and had unarmed escort. but armed officers had little chance to react when another policeman manning a checkpoint opened fire on the women. anja niedringhaus died at the scene. kathy gannon was taken to a nearby hospital. >> the wounded journalist is 60 years old and in critical condition. our surgical team is providing her with medical aid. fax cap the -- >> kathy gannon's injuries are likely not life-threatening, but for anja niedringhaus, it is too late. >> seeing and coping with that situation is a test you put yourself through. are you created for this? can you take it? that was the most important thing for me, and that is why i never quit. i have noticed i can take it. i can do it. anja niedringhaus had the goal of

is pervasive and the taliban are still waiting on insurgency you see catherine of r.t. afghanistan well at this time of looking forward it's a very opportune time to look back as well and not forget of course millions of afghans have been affected by the war during the past twelve years of u.s. led occupation. of those travel across afghanistan meeting the various people on a travels whose some of whose lives have been shattered totally by the twelve years of u.s. led occupation and she took some pictures as well for instance is a small snapshot this woman here she lost a daughter in a taliban attack on augustus just a week before the election then let's bring in this guy twelve year old guy shot by the taliban he's now recovering in hospital over it all turns out ok for him what you see here tells this is a mother who had to resort to burning scraps of cardboard in kabul refugee camp to keep her child warm there because firewood is just an affordable luxury just a small snapshot of life well whoever's job is going to be to sort the country out they're going to have to

it was aimed at dismantling the taliban and destroying al qaeda. mr bush kept 30,000 troops in afghanistan. by 2010 president obama increased the number to 98,000. two years ago he scaled back, and 38,000 american soldiers remain in that country. more than 2300 u.s. servicemen and women died in the afghan war. >> joining us to discuss the election is juan combe, our international affairs contributor and a professor. does it seem to you, this election, as successful as many are claiming tonight? >> it's a real success in the sense that you had a substantial turn out, bigger than the last presidential election, and the afghanistan army and security forces appear to have succeeded in preventing taliban attacks on any scale, so you have to consider that a success. >> do you consider it a clean election that some have pulled out, or is there concern of fraud and corruption in 2009. >> a clean election is tough to pull off. there's not proper sensises, lots of false inside floating around. how you monitor that is difficult. but i suppose that to some ext

it showed me how exhausted they were there with the taliban and. they help out of money or intimidation. i think if the afghan army can't get stronger, it would just collapse, the support would collapse. >> it was the most important news story of the time. it is where my reporting life had started and rose to this great wave of islamism that has powered many of today's wars, now the great dread, what happens when they come back but now far more alarming is libya. it reminds me of afghanistan in the 1990's. fighting each other for power, local power. al qaeda is busy and they're doing campaign assassinations, training freedom fighters. these extremist islamist groups are terrifying and they already have a foothold. that will probably take a decade. >> at least the government is still in charge. it is a frenzy of lawlessness. >> these women want to vote. clearly the taliban and did not stop. >> certainly not in the major population centers. the afghans really showed they wanted to vote. >> "the wrong enemy: america in afghanistan, 2001-2014." carlott

it showed me how exhausted they were there with the taliban and. ory help out of money intimidation. afghan -- i the think if the afghan army can get justger, it would collapse, the support would collapse. the most important news story of the time. it is where my reporting life had started and rose to this hast wave of islamism that powered many of today's wars, story of the decade. here are you now? north africa? their in areading pretty alarming way. tunisia is where i live. these young men since the arab spring have brushed towards extremism and at least 1500 have gone off to fight in the war in syria. whathe great dread, happens when they come back but now far more alarming is libya. it reminds me of afghanistan in the 1990's. fighting each other for power, local power. al qaeda is busy and they're ,oing campaign assassinations training freedom fighters. these extremist islamist groups are terrifying and they already .ave a foothold that will probably take a decade. >> at least the government is still in charge. it is a frenzy of lawlessness. v

it may even have to make deals with the taliban. >>> well, tony, speaking of the taliban, there wereot of threats of violence from the taliban in advance of this election, and we don't know all the details yet, but it looks like the electrics went fairly well, that there was relatively high participation and relatively low levels of corruption. can we fairly view that result as a reputiation of the taliban? >> as discussed, it's a different country. it's more urbanized. kabul has grown dramatically. with that said, the underlying ethnic conflicts and tensions are still there. don't forget, we use the afghan militia force, not the afghan army to defeat the taliban back in 2001. those issues are still there. let me say this very clearly. one of the unk sung heroes is the current commander there. he has taken one of the worst possible situations and has continued to make it work. the question now is it sustainable because underlying all of this are the economic interests of the afghan people. right now much of their economy is based on foreign aid and drugs. 30% of the economy is based

the isi and the taliban are the rock and the hardplace of pakistani. doll too much digging on either organization and you can get squeezed. our starting point this week is karachi. >> in a country where almost 70 people were killed in suicide bombings last year, another 199 were killed in drone strikes and there were 14,000 cases of murder, an attack on a single journalist who happened to survive might seem less than newsworthy. however, the shooting of hamid mir seems tied into those suicide bombings and drone strikes because those are the kinds of stories on extremism and what the government was doing about it that he was reporting on. >> hamid mir is arguably the most popular journalist in pakistan right now and has been. you could say the king of television journalism for the last decade in the country. he has a show on television called "capital t.v." and has been labeled a taliban sympathizer and a cia agent both for the kind of positions he has taken >> in the last few years, he took an independent line, accused security agencies of harassing lo

pressure on the taliban.