lieutenant colonel raeburn is leading operational study of the iraq war for the u.s. army. is also studying for his ph.d at texas a&m university, is ph.d the british express in iraq which i think was worse than the american express in iraq. and we are really pleased to have both of you here so welcome to both the. colonel mansoor will give his presentation at the podium now. thank you. >> thank you, peter, for that kind introduction, and thank you all for coming today. i really appreciate the new america foundation sponsoring this talk. i was not going to write this book. i retired from the military in 2008 and although i knew that it was a star to be told, i was going to let it take some time to digest and develop. and i was thinking of 10 to 20 us down the road i would write the history of the iraq war. but a couple years later in the summer of 20 and i was at a conference with a who's who of counterinsurgency in the united states, and we're talking about what to do in iraq. and, of course, the iraq war -- i'm sore, in afghanistan. of course, what did in afghanistan in 20

in iraq, whether you like it or , vitall, al qaeda, iran u.s. interests are at stake in iraq. so we need to do what we can -- outfitting u.s. personell. >> let them kill each other. i'm sorry. if it means we're going to spend our treasure and more of our blood. we have already spent thousands of lives of american soldiers. we have done enough. and i'm so happy that you now can report to us that you are negotiate -- your negotiations to provide a residual american force in iraq was not successful because i am very happy we do not have a bunch of american troops in the middle of mess. we are not even capable of letting malaki know that we are holding you responsible for the murders in his own ranks. for the military that he commands to go into camp ashcro ft and camp liberty and murder unarmed refugees. this is a no-win situation for us. both sides seem to be evil. both sides, all the sides. one last question. i have got 30 seconds. who is financing? you talked about 100 trucks. this equipment costs money. bullets even cost money. ak-47 and rockets cost money. who is paying for a

iraq. it was no way that can solve the problem. and all the surge did was create decent for the orderly withdrawal u.s. forces from iraq. it's all designed to do. may be the way it turned out, perhaps. we'll see. this goes to the perspective of two presidents. george bush looked on iraq as his model would have been south korea for u.s. forces. 60 years on is still there. helping countries stablize after a difficult war. south korea wasn't south korea for a several decades. it only became several decades after the end of the korean war. president bush wasn't able to see it through to the end. president obama was elected on antiwar platform. his vision of iraq, in my view, was more of that of vietnam. unfortunately removing u.s. forces in my view remove the dpliew that holding security situation together. when you renew the glue, then the political dynamic we tamped down raised their ugly heads again. it has to do a lot with how we hands the election of 2010. the situation unfortunately, is spiraling downhill. it remains to be seen what is the future end of the war in iraq. that's it. here i am watching general petraeus'

iraq and we aren't going back. although we no longer have boots on the ground, however, the u.s. maintains a huge stake in iraq's security and i think we should continue to provide assistance to the iraqi military in the fight against iciss. but we should recognize that the current situation in an bar cannot be resolved through military means alone. an all out assault by fallujah on the iraqi security forces will play in the hand of isis that they have been victimized by prime minister ma la ki's government. the government must take a page out of our play book in the iraq war and moderate sunni fighters in the fight. vice president biden discussed this with malaki trying to get him to incorporate the isis in the security forces and compensate those injured or killed in battle. by taking these steps, i'm hopeful he'll be able to bridge the gulf in iraq. in an bar also linked to larger regional dynamics. we saw how al qaeda in iraq expanded the franchise to syria and we see knowledge of that war spilling back to iraq. it's strengthened isis and served as a vehicle for thousands of f

iraq. mr. mcgurk also provided an update on the u.s. response earths in the us -- efforts specifically in the cities of fallujah and ramadi. al-qaeda's central leadership this week announced it was cutting ties with the islamic state of iraq. >> this hearing will come to order. this morning we consider al-qaeda's resurgence in iraq, an unfortunate reality is that al-qaeda in iraq -- now known as the islamic state of iraq and the levant or isis as you see it in the papers -- is growing steadily in size, it's growing steadily in power and influence, and its militant ranks have blossomed. last summer isis carried out attacks on two different prisons in iraq, and in those attacks freed hundreds of experienced al-qaeda fighters and leaders. the group is now able to carry out approximately 40 mass casualty attacks every month. multiple car bombings struck the capital this morning. the nearly 9,000 deaths in iraq last year made it the bloodiest since u.s. forces departed in 2011. the civil war many neighboring syria only -- in neighboring syria

iraq. some may argue that the lack of an enduring u.s. troop presence in iraq has contributed to the resurgence of violence, especially sunni terrorism related to al qaeda. let's be honest, the dire security situation in anbar province is much more about iraqi politics than it is about the united states. in any case, the direct use of u.s. military force in iraq is virtually unthinkable at this point. .. >> to defeat al-qaeda, the iraqi government must take a page out of our playbook from the iraq war and enlist moderate sunni tribes in the fight. i understand that vice president biden recently discussed this issue with prime minister maliki, encouraging him to incorporate tribal militia's fighting iais into iraqi security forces and to compensate those can killed and injured in battle. i am hopeful that maliki can begin to bridge the widening sectarian gulf in iraq. the deterioration of iraq's control over anbar is also linked to larger regional dynamics. we saw how al-qaeda in iraq expanded its franchise into syria, and we now see violen

u.s. troops to iraq because the maliki government two years ago didn't sign a status of forces agreement that would protect u.s. troops, bret. >> jennifer griffin live at the pentagon, thank you. >>> up next, a big decision for the keystone xl pipeline. we'll explain. >> first, here's what some of our fox affiliates across the country are covering tonight. fox 5 in new york with yankees great derek jeter addressing the media for the first time since he announced on facebook that this will be his last season. wsvn in miami with a recall of a popular snack item. nestle's is recalling hot pockets. it's part of a wider recall of 9 million pounds of beef products. >> and this is a live look at los angeles from fox 11, the big story there tonight, the $400 million powerball jackpot. that's a one-time cash payout of about $230 million, in case you were wondering. the drawing is tonight, 11:00 p.m. eastern time. >>> that's tonight's live look outside the beltway from "special report." we'll be right back. check it out. i can't believe your mom has a mom cave! today i have new campbell's chuy spicy ch

u.s. forces from iraq. he high point, 2,000 troops, and about 30 or 40,000 still there, all supposed to be out by the end of this year. there is a debate between the u.s. and afghan government how many will remain, if, in fact, any will remain after u.s. troops are out by the end of this year. as we await the defense secretary, chuck hagel, the retired u.s. nato supreme allied commander, general george jalwahn and watching and listening to what's going on. quickly on afghanistan. the afghan government of that immediate karzai, getting ready to leave, they don't want to sign this agreement that will allow any u.s. troops to stay, have immunity from their prosecution or whatever. they're putting all sorts of demands, release terror suspects from guantanamo. this is a big problem right now. i don't know how you feel about keeping any troops in afghanistan after the end of this year. >> i would keep as few as possible. >> you like that 3,000 number? >> 3,000 -- but to do what, is the issue. >> to train the afgha

about the situation in iraq. no u.s. forces in iraq at all, and we have seen what has happened there to -- because of it. they want to see that force of the numbers are somewhat unclear, 10,000 allied forces within afghanistan. they want to see that force right there to maintain the security situation after the combat troops "combat troops" leave at the end of this year. >> thank you. just one day after he is retiring sources say his wife plans to run for a seat. >> and the u.s. department of transportation penalizing ozian that airline, months after a jet crashed in photograph. that was in july of last year. the d.o.t. fined them $5,000 for failing to assist family members. three people were killed and dozens more were injured when the jet clip add sea wall while attempting to land, according to the department of transportation it took the airline up to five days to reach the family's of all 291 passengers. ukraine's interim mt. is expressing more fears. this as an interim government has been delayed until thursday. nick

next up, a focus on u.s. iraq relations. the ambassador to the u.s. talked about his country's current political climate and the relations with the u.s.. he spoke at american universities. it is an incredibly interesting time to be the ambassador here in the united states working on such an important set of issues. he is certainly the right person for the job. he previously was serving as the iraq ambassador to japan. corer to joining the commie lived in united kingdom for 29 years working in the i.t. sector. he held senior management positions inter-american -- into american companies. he played an active role in advocating for democracy and the rule of law and iraq during a period when iraq was under the dictatorship of saddam hussein. he is fluent in english and kurdish. he was born in baghdad. you can follow him on twitter. presiding over this event is our wonderful professor known to everyone not only here, but any sisent who has ever been to , knows professor site you'd -- professor sayid. as i tell them when i come back , he remains a rock star

u.s. in inviting iraq. >> the logistical and intelligence support of the french military was placed by francis hollande, inshoring up mali. >> translation: the operation was sucks cessful because -- successful because a decision was made and americans took part and europeans helped as well as americans. >> obama and francis hollande gave themselves credit in uniting to pressure ice syria, but concedes that the bashar al-assad has not fulfilled commitments. the u.s. expressed frustration with syria's resistance to a transitional government. only a political solution could end the fighting. >> obama finessed a reporter who asked if france replaced britain. >> i have two daughters. they are both gorgeous and wonderful. and i would never choose between them. and that is how i feel about my outstanding european partners much all of them are wonderful in their own ways. >> francis hollande said full trust with the u.s. has been returned following disclosures of american spying on french citizens. sanctions against iran would not be relaxed without a conclusive nuclear agreement. it was a warning to

u.s. troop presence in iraq with the exception of a few marines inside the green zone at the new u.s. embassy. i looked at the bases we'd established there the airstrips we'dest tablied there the billions of dollars invested in military and logistical infrastructure, essentially, our pledge was to sack up our with thes and go home. i was troubled when i read that agreement. it was already signed on that november 17, when i read it, i contacted the white house and said, you're pulling everything out? and everything out of iraq with the exception of a few marines in the green zone near the u.s. embassy? giving away air bases? and the answer was, this is -- we wanted to clear the field so that the incoming president will have free rein and we hope and expect that we -- he will renegotiate a u.s. presence on these bases in iraq. now, i don't know the depth of the agreement that took us to that point on november 17, 2008, i just know what that agreement said and later on, of course or ba ma was already elected president, later on, he was inaugurated, january 20 the following year, 2009, he

that planning has been going on all along, and looming all over this, as the situation in iraq, remember the u.s. government failed to come to a similar agreement with the iraqi government, and now iraq certainly a mess there in terms of the security situation. dell. >> and mike, to be clear, are we talking about all u.s. troops withdrawn, or will there be some left behind. >> that's exactly what is at issue. the united states called it the zero option, having no troops pes 2014. the role of those troops would be training, advising and going after the ream innocence of core al quaida. that's the description the white house put, but the future, whether they will be in afghanistan still is very much an open question. now. is there aceps congress will back this? >> they have roundly criticized for failing to reach a similar agreement. they are calling on the president to reach an agreement in afghanistan to stabilize the security situation after those combat troops are gone. he hopes they will lead. the other will be located outside detroit. you might recall that you can follow all of this and our

u.s. of who have deep ties back into iraq and with us.there's a lot that if your constituent is tell you something they're seeing and you can let us know, we can work those problems. >> thank you. i yield back. thank you, sir. >> thank you, mr. vargas. the chair recognizes mr. owe hoe for phi minutes. >> thank you -- five minutes. >> thank you, mr. chairman. mr. mcgurk, thank you for your testimony. i feel like you've been sitting there for a long time, you might need to get up and stretch. but i appreciate your endurance. what are our military assets and and -- in iraq, and are they purely advisory? if so, how many? can you divulge that? >> we have under our embassy, under the chief of mission and ambassador beacroft, the office of security cooperation which works closely with the iraqi military, the numbers ebb bo -- ebb and flow, but it's about a hundred personnel. a very small contingent of half a dozen or so of our special operators who train some of the higher-end special operators as a training component. but that's all done under

about democracy in iraq and foreign policy of the government and the embassy to give you a perspective of what democracyng to cement and strengthen our bilateral relationship between the u.s iraq. as a country, the size of it is not that big. the geography, it is in the heart of the middle east, the heart of the old land where civilization started from. the relation to the fault lines of arabs versus non-arabs, the energy lines, the secretary of lines, andectarian , it is wheretly maybe the various civilizations of iraq, civilizations of humanity either started from or were in interaction with. it is one of those countries in which it has constantly been inhabited by human civilizations. it has never been deserted or anything like that. the country is divided into 18 provinces. primarily land with one port in the south. flavor of theou a various civilizations with occupied iraq for the last few babylonians,s, the the persians, the ottomans and modern iraq. coexisted in the same geography more or less. they lived in which it was not occupied by an army from invaders. then it was reoccupied or taken back. it is the same evolution process of the same land. that is a key diff

u.s. led invasion of iraq this comes of course just months after anna say weeks indicated mogul's cell phone had been targeted spoke with obama by phone just last july about allegations that the u.s. was conducting surveillance on its european allies and in that call she made it clear that if the information about the u.s. having monitored her phone were true it would be completely unacceptable now in response to the revelation chancellor schroeder had this to say quote back then i would never have entertained the idea that the u.s. secret services would be listening in on me but now this comes as no surprise. and now we turn to two different hearings that took place in congress this morning the house intelligence committee heard testimony from the director of national intelligence james clapper on his annual worldwide threat report this follows a senate hearing on the same topic that took place last week also on the held the house judiciary committee examined recommendations to reform the foreign intelligence surveillance act artie's sam sachs is on capitol hill and has more the house intel

u.s. military there. especially because we don't have anything in iraq. >> u.s. officials have been warning for weeks that time to reach agreement is running out, but in december, a republican lawmaker criticized some administration officials for not knowing the cost or american death toll in afghanistan. >> we don't know what the cost is, and we don't even know how many killed and wounded there are, and we're supposed to believe that you fellows have a plan that's going to end up in a positive way in afghanistan? holy cow. >> on this day at a news conference with french president hollande, mr. obama was asked about another possible challenge, a businessman to cay hahn last week. he warned them not to jump the gun on sapgzs. >> i can tell you that they do so at their own peril right now because we will come down on them like a ton of bricks. you know, with respect to the sanctions we control. >> mr. obama said existing sanctions have brought arraiira the bargaining table. he's trying to get new sapgzs to undermine the agreement to open the nuclear program with an

u.s. interest in iraq, established a long-term predictable relationship. it is exploring mutual interests and threats and opportunities in the united states. also, you have the strategic partnership between the two countries that was signed back in 2008. military, security, culture, energy, transportation and so on. what you have here in the united states, which some people have been calling the iraq [indiscernible] does not apply in iraq. here in the united states, especially after the triple draw in 2011, people are discussing if it can possibly be enough for us to have a strong relationship with. and security threats in the region have highlighted that important. the corporation in relation to energy has proven that it is profitable. it is advisable. it is mutually beneficial to have that strong relationship. iraqis are eager to purchase most of u.s. transportation sector and health care. i am clear as an ambassador that the relationship has to go beyond from the vice president to the minister or the president to the minister. it has to be more institut

u.s. presence in iraq on the way out.w from the memoirs the war in iraq never caught his interest. the president in perpetual aloof mode has turned over the prickly job of dealing with malaki to joe biden. one can only imagine the telephone calls. and drop offs begins with arthritis pain... and a choice. take up to 6 tylenol in a day or just 2 aleve for all day relief. all aboard. ♪ ♪ ♪ >>> that does it for us. you can follow us on twitter. >> see you back here at 9:00 a.m. have a good day everybody. >>> a newly wed claims to be a member of a satanic cult. a live report coming up. >>> what is just as much a threat to the u.s. as terrorism or weapons of mass destruction? >>> another obamacare delay raising questions about the unilateral changes to the signature legislation. business as usual? or presidential power grab? >>> and the sleep walker statue stumbles on

u.s. military used in iraq and afghanistan to torch everything from batteries to body parts. this week those veterans including army combat medic will thompson may get some answers. >> will thompson was often the life of the party while stationed in iraq in 2004. today at age 43, he is an outpatient at fairfax hospital in virginia. the recipient of a double lung transplant. struggling to stay alive. >> i want to live as long as i can. and if this mask can give me a couple more years, that is what i want to do. >> he says the issue began during his second iraqi deployment near camp victory in 2009. his wife suzanne. >> we did notice a couple times when i was skyping with him, why are you coughing sop much. >> thompson was initially diagnosed with pneumonia but once back home in west virginia with his wife an their two children, he saw his own doctor. >> he said this was way worse than pneumonia, your lungs look like an 80-year-old smoker, coal miner. >> by the spring of 2010 doctors at walter reid diagnosed thompson with severe pulmonary fibrosis. the biopsy revealed tie trann

u.s. troops in iraq to speak of now, that is weighing heavily on the minds of the folks in the obama administrationu may say that the great strategic blunder of the bush administration is putting the troops into iraq. you might say the great strategic blunder of the obama administration is to pull the troops out of iraq. >> elliot ackerman, no easy answers. thanks for joining us. >> thank you. >> now to egypt where our three al jazeera colleagues are being detained. they made their first appearance in cairo courtroom. peter greste, baher mohamed, mohamed fahmy pled not guilty. the trial was adjourned until march 5th. al jazeera says the charges are false and is demanding the immediate release of its staff. our tom ackerman reports. >> cameras were barred inside the courtroom at the cairo police academy where the trial of the al jazeera journalists was convened. baher mohamed, mohamed fahmy and peter greste, three pled not guilty. >> we demanded their release and a chance to interrogate prosecution witnesses. >> the three are among 20 defendants, eight of whom are present, the rest charged in absent

u.s. homeland, the british, and other organizations. second, i think what we saw in iraq recently is pulling forces out means it's much more difficult to influence what is going on. we have seen a resurgence of al qaeda activity, both in iraq and ofia with the withdrawal u.s. forces. i think what that leads to in this context is the potential for resurgence of some of these groups down the line if the u.s. indeed hold out. residual force be enough to influence the future outcome? >> i think it would. it's a small number, but as we saw when the soviets left didanistan entirely, they continue to keep a clandestine presence there and provide assistance, so i think it's possible to influence what is going on in afghanistan is a much lighter presence. you can conduct strikes against taliban and al qaeda targets -- you can do a range of things, but if you do not have forces there, you can do very little. >> thanks very much. dozens of students have been killed in an attack on a school in nigeria by suspected members of an islamist group. reports say the gunman entered the schoo

iraq. the fact the u.s. its troops out of iraq because of no security deal means it's not an idle threat in afghanistan. barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington. >>> time here on gmt to catch up on the world of business. aaron is with us. aaron, your top story. >> have you ever had a bank statement delivered inside a magazine, david? >> no. >> i'm sure. let me explain. hello there. we have heard a lot about dodgey bankers, but this story could be right out of a bond film. u.s. officials released a report describing the cloak and dagger tactics used by one of switzerland's largest banks to entice all americans to put their money in swiss bank accounts and held avoid tax. between 2001 and 2008 a band of credit suisse bankers, they boarded planes and headed en masse to the united states on tourist visas. once in america it was time to woo possible clients. trips to miami, golf tournaments and high society cocktail party was part of the course. it was here that "sports illustrated" magazines were used to hand o

u.s. invasion in iraq.eally think the iran deal is something that the saudis are extremely nervous about, not just that possibly that could give iran some lee way to develop its nuclear program if the curbs airport tight enough but also iran's growing influence in the region. when you look across the region, it particularly what's going on with syria right now, a lot of people see this as a proxy war between saudi arabia and iran. and that's why saudi arabia has been supporting a lot of opposition, sending arms to the rebels, and this is one of the things that the u.s. will be discussing. i think there's a lot of fence-mending on this trip to be done, wolf. >> the president in his second visit to saudi arabia. you're correct. the saudis are very upset, not only about the interim nuclear deal with iran. they're upset about the u.s. posture in sear yeah. they hated the fact that the administration seemed to abandon president mubarak in egypt during the arab spring, thought that was a major disaster. there is

>> you remember what happened a couple years ago in iraq, all u.s. esidual force left in. we see what's happening in iraq, obviously, right now. a real, real disaster unfolding there. all right, thanks very much, barbara starr at the pentagon. >>> a new congressional report sheds some light on the economic impact of obamacare. so what does it mean for all of us? we're going to get details from one of the president's top economic advisers. there he is, gene sperling. he's standing by live at the white house. we'll discuss right after this. welcome back. how is everything? there's nothing like being your own boss! and my customers are really liking your flat rate shipping. fedex one rate. really makes my life easier. maybe a promotion is in order. good news. i got a new title. and a raise? management couldn't make that happen. [ male announcer ] introducing fedex one rate. simple, flat rate shipping with the reliability of fedex. afghanistan, in 2009. orbiting the moon in 1971. [ male announcer ] once it's earned, usaa auto insurance is often handed dow

u.s. troops officially left iraq, chaos has overtaken that country.'s an al qaeda-led insurgency happening in iraq and the situation has recently gone from bad to worse, with militant groups taking charge of major cities, including fallujah. the death toll has climbed to its highest level since 2006-2007 when fighting between sunnis and shiites left tens of thousands dead. earlier today, there was a hearing focused on both al qaeda's resurgence in iraq and the threat to the entire region. congressman adam smith from washington state is the ranking democrat on that committee and joins me live now. congressman, in simple terms here, is the war in iraq -- is it as far from over as it was a decade ago? >> well, it's a different struggle. the war a decade ago was about saddam hussein and our conflict with him. now you have an al qaeda presence there. and it's not just iraq. we're seeing the same thing in syria, in libya, in egypt. you know, radical extremist groups, violent extremist groups affiliating themselves with al qaeda are spreading. and a lot of t

u.s. pulling out of iraq, afghanistan, and the war weariness, plus the fact that we did not go into syria, will it be seen as americans not really - not a serious threat. obviously that's a concern. ize ironic that the president would be the first to support sanctions. yet he was the president that largely was the last person to favour strong economic sanctions by the congress. it's objectively clear here that the barack obama administration went kicking and screaming into more sanctions which ultimately led iran to the negotiating table. be that as it may, there's no doubt that the president has not in any way, shape or form prepared the american people for what may be the consequences of a failure if the negotiations do not succeed. while all of us, everybody wishes to see, wished that there would be an empirically iron clad agreement. what happens if it falls apart. >> the president threatened to veto sanctions against iran, which a lot in the senate support, because he thinks the talks would fall apart if this happened. by saying that, by taking a strong position against the senate, di

iraq. but the fact the u.s. ull all its troops out of iraq because of no security deal means it's not an idle threat in afghanistan. barbara plett usher, bbc news washington. >>> at least 13 people have been killed during weeks of protests in the country. it started when students took to the streets angered by venezuela's high crime rate and economic problems. the government blames the shortages on sob tours and what it calls profit hungry corrupt businessmen. stay with us on "bbc world news." still to come, we look ahead to the second biggest elections in the world. the economy and immigration will be key issues in the battle for the european parliament. 3 million lines of code, 40,000 sets of eyes, or a million sleepless nights. whether it's building the world's most advanced satellite, the space station, or the next leap in unmanned systems. at boeing, one thing never changes. our passion to make it real. ♪ [ male announcer ] the rhythm of life. [ whistle blowing ] where do you hear that beat? campbell's healt

u.s. led invasion of iraq propelled the movement, best political and militia to prominent. he helped bring the prime minister to power, now he opposes him. >> the government came to father that shuts off opposition, the government keep a monopoly over everything. it doesn't even listen to the voice of the leaders or the voice of the partners and their complaints. we are not interested in their feats of power, we only care to offer them guidance, and to keep them away from mistakes. >> still, he has many supporters who hold seats of power, and threaten governments. which and in the western province, several soldiers were killed in an attack on army barracks. the army has been attempted to push back gunman, which the government says is linked to al quaida. local tribesman have controlled the area, now a group with those tribal elders is said to be behind the latest violence. and along with all this, in just two months, iraq is scheduled to hold elections with little political stability and evenless security. al jazeera. amateur footage captured the devastation moments after t

u.s. interest ae find them. in iraq whether you like it or not, orioles, iran, al qaeda, the various interest are at stake in iraq do we need to do what we can -- >> let them kill each other, i'm sorry. if it means that we are going to end our treasure and more of our blood, we've already spent thousands of lives of american soldiers. we have done enough. and i'm so happy that you now can report to us that fewer negotiations to provide a residual american military force in iraq was not successful. i'm very happy that we don't have a bunch of american troops in that mess. we are holding him responsible for the murders in his own ranks, for the military that he commands to go into the camp and camp liberty and murder unarmed refugees. this is a no-win situation for us. both sides seem to be evil and both sides are off. one must question. i have 30 seconds. who is financing? we talked about 100 trucks and all of this equipment costs money. the bullets even cost money. ak-47s cost money, rockets cost money. who is paying fo

u.s. troops are out of iraq.re is a new reality for all defense on tractors. >> we are definitely facing a different environment than the years when we were fighting two wars. we continue to grow internationally, which is a very important market for us. that will be the area we will be focused on. >> 20% of total corporate revenue, that is the target for international sales as i understand it. you were at 17% in 2013. can you get to 20% this year? >> we will in the next few years. we are on a path to achieve that. >> let's talk about a couple of specific or grams, including the f 35 program, the biggest weapons program and a huge program for lockheed martin. it is showing signs of progress in the last little bit. what is your sense of where it is and how comfortable are you with the f-35 versus a year ago? complex a very development program and a unique capability for the u.s. government and for partners around the world. it brings fifth generation capabilities that are very much needed. because of that, it is a

u.s. pulled all its troops out of iraq three years ago after failing to sign a similar security deal. security conditions in the country have deteriorated drastically since then. many people fear the same thing could happen in afghanistan. >>> people living in syria's most populous city have seen their streets collapse into battlegrounds. government troops control most -- much of western aleppo, and rebels control the east. civilians are caught in the middle, living with the daily threat of bullets and bombs. journalist kenji goto is there and has this report for us. >> reporter: this is aleppo. the largest city in syria. where more than 2 million people live. severe fighting has turned this ancient city into rubble and debris. a burrow bomb has just been dropped in the middle of a rebel-controlled area. i can see a huge crater in the road. the bomb has ripped apart surrounding residential buildings. children are terrified. many are crying. people who live here tell me the government forces started dropping them about three months ago. they are made by packing barrels with explosives

u.s. was considering broughting from iraq, that a zero option wasn't possible.hat this boils down is to immunity from prosecution, for american troops and contractors that's guaranteed in the security agreement. so they say ifs then't signed then they have no choice but to pull out the troops. and i can tell you that some members are very unhappy with even the possibility of zero option, many people in the military fear what would happen in afghanistan. if they did, in fact, take that step. but the american public would probably be behind it, in the latest poll 66% of americans said the war in afghanistan was north worth fighting. >> patty, thank you. >> warnings of a possible financial collapse, as a continuing sense of crisis in ukraine, and the delays are not happening. parliament has given itself until thursday to form a new government. until that happens there can be no deals on international financial support. but, diplomatic negotiation have been picking up the pace. e.u. foreign policy chief was in the capitol to offer support. the u.s. kip lo mates are

u.s. troops remained in iraq for decades.t's not the president's decision. >> reporter: after giving that deadline at the end of last year for karzai to sign the agreement. they are not giving a deadline anymore, they say that he has to sign it within weeks, not the months that karzai has asked for. >> mike viqueira is at the white house for us. >>> journalists around the world are showing support for our al gentleman rear a colleagues detained in egypt. dozens marches to the embassy. taping their mouths shut as you can see here and held up signs in support of correspondent peter and the other al jazerra journalists arrested in egypt. this afternoon al jazerra white house correspondent asked the white house how it was handling the media crack down. >> we have expressed these concerns directly to the government of egypt in answer to your question and we have strongly urged the government to drop these charges and release those journalists and academics who have been detained. >> they were detained in late december. they are ac

look at about the calculations in strategy i have to go back to iraq afghanistan libya and that's all recklessness in my opinion you know the u.s. policy resembles those of what the caricature of those western movies where they put the drunken cowboys coming to town and shoot the place up just because they can . we made a perfect target to go after. and we really got caught in the politics of the the left vs right the left trying to go after george bush and his policies unfortunately we were we were a victim of those kind of plate tectonics grinding against each other but do you feel betrayed by your own government that's why i'm asking having you know building your business based on the merits winning competitively bid contracts performing well doing one hundred thousand missions with no one on earth care killed or injured and then having it trashed because of politics yet it's you don't want to go through that again. hello and welcome to this week's r.t.e. sports show another twenty six action packed minutes of sport from russia and around the world with me kate partridge and here's a taste of what's to come. very didn't triu

u.s. has spent more than $200 billion in contractors in iraq and afghanistan. last summer, when there were 65,000 u.s. troops still in afghanistan, there were 108,000 contractors. that is one and a half contractors for every soldier. joining they now is william cohen, the former u.s. secretary of defense under bill clinton. it's good to have you on the program. thanks for your time. >> good to be with you, tony. >> people will read the headline, see the report that says secretary hagel is calling for scaling the u.s. army to its lowest level since before world war ii. putting secretary hagel said remarks aside for a moment, should they be concerned that that kind of cut leaves the u.s. vulnerable here and abroad? >> well, we need to be concerned always in terms have whenever you reduce the military size, they're going to be some increase in risk. that's just the nature of the situation. i think clearly that we're living in an age of austerity, that perhaps the greatest threat to national security is the size of our national debt, which continues to grow at a hal

the united states than we ever saw back in the days when al qaeda was at its strongest in iraq, wolf. >> and u.sficials are very concerned some of those foreign fighters will leave syria. some already have. go to europe, come back to the united states, even, and engage in terrorists acts here. a breeding ground for international terrorism. arwa damon and crew doing exceptionally courageous work for us. thank you very much. >>> up next, president obama's take on syria and the administration's efforts to try to end the fighting. i'll discuss that and more with the "crossfire" co hosts. se cupp and van jones. you stopped by the house? uh-huh. yea. alright, whenever you get your stuff, run upstairs, get cleaned up for dinner. you leave the house in good shape? yea. yea, of course. ♪ [ sportscaster talking on tv ] last-second field go-- yea, sure ya did. [ male announcer ] introducing at&t digital life. personalized home security and automation. get professionally monitored security for just $29.99 a month. with limited availability in select markets. ♪ yeah... try new alka seltzer fruit chews. they

u.s. it is 5 per 100,000, and in iraq it's 22, a country ravaged by law. inflation reached 64%. the highest, and one of the highest rates in the world. the response was to seize the largest train of stores and force it to cut prices. opponents say the government's persecution of the private sector is to blame or shortage of foods and goods. a large number of jobs is in the government, causing further financial burden. we turn now to john terrett. >> venezuela has the largest oil observe. the saudi king dom's gdp, potential for growth is double that of its fell opeck member. why isn't venezuela cashing in? oil production in venezuela is about 2.5 million barrels per day. in saudi it's about 9.7 million, three times more. new production facilities cost billions to bring online and venezuela has issues that the saudis don't place. saudis can afford it, they can't. 800,000 of venezuela oil a day or consumed domestically at highly subsidised prices, as low as a penny. you can fill up your car for the same as a candy bar here. the deposit in caracas is unable to turn a profit. as part

u.s. national security interests. keeping troops in iraqoops in afghanistan has put an enormous burden on those service members, on their family. when you step back and look at afghanistan today, you look at hamid karzai who is doing everybody possible to destroy relations with the u.s.,ic not explain to anyone why we'd keep another u.s. service member in there and allow them to be threatened longer than is absolutely possible. >> then let me ask you, why the tough talk? why on syria, for example, why the tough talk -- >> i'll tell you why. i was sitting there that day. >> if there's no military presence implied behind it. why not wash our hands completely of it and say, we're not touching syria? >> sure. if you're speaking about the red line, it was to deter assad from using it that day. >> it was assad must go. >> right. and that's still our position. that is the united states' position. that doesn't mean we will drop bombs on you the minute we feel like it. >> what does it mean? >> it means diplomatic, humanitarian support, diplomatic pr

u.s. military is pulled out of iraq and on the way out of afghanistan and people in the united states we are war weary, do you think that the american people would get behind those actions? >> i think so. there is a strategic interest in making sure there is a stable peace in that part of the world and having a moral interest. there is down sizing going on with the budgets and military structures on both sides of the atlantic, but if the agreement were in place, if there were a u.n. mandate and nato invited in to assist, there would be a willingness on both sides of the atlantic to assist in implementing that agreement. >> how about financially, most of them in austerity mode after the recession? >> that is true. as a result of the debt crisis and recession, the defense budgets are cut on both sides of the atlantic and counter veiling trends. here in the u.s. we saw congress providing relief from the sequestration for the department of defense and in poland they are increasing their defense budget and in germany they are looking to grow in the peace keeping operations and there are trends. >

u.s. military is pulled out of iraq, fully on its way out of afghanistan, that people in the united states are very war-weary, do you think the american people could get behind such an action? >> i think so antonio. i think the u.s. and its western allies have a strategic interest. making sure there's straibility in the world and a moral role, there is downsizing in terms of budgets and military structures on both sides of the atlantic. but i think if the agreement were in place, if there were a u.n. mandate and if nato were invited in to assist, in that type of agreement. >> how about financially because most nato governments are still in austerity mode after the recession. >> yeah, that's certainly true. as a result of the insolvent debt crisis, you are seeing budgets cut on both sides of the atlantic again. but countervailing trends, we saw congress provide relief from sequestration. and poland are actually increasing the defense budget. peace keeping operations, i think there are countervailing trends and i think the allies would be willing and able to make that kind of commitment. >>

u.s. leaders failed to sign a similar deal in iraq, and three years ago all of their troops pulled out. the security situation there has only gotten worse. >>> two british converts to islam have been sentenced to prison for hacking a british soldier to death in broad daylight in london. the two men of african descent attacked the 25-year-old soldier as he was walking back to his barracks in southeast london in may of last year. a london court on wednesday sentenced one of the men, age 29, to life in prison. his 22-year-old accomplice will serve a minimum of 45 years. the judge said the men had become radicalized. he said they decided to murder a soldier in a way to generate maximum media coverage as a way to advance their extremist cause. in a video broadcast repeatedly around the world, one of the men shouts that the soldier was murdered because muslims are being killed by british soldiers every day. >>> japan is not bundling on protecting their farm products during free trade talks in singapore, but they're giving something else, more time. ramine mellegard from the business team has

after the two experiences in iraq and afghanistan, i have seen no appetite to get boots on the ground and get involved in other major land wars. it will require a major threat to u.s given the appetite for that experience after iraq and afghanistan. if there is a crisis like that to develop, you mobilize and you get the job done. >> wolf blitzer, we never miss you. each and every day on "the situation room." thank you. very, very much. coming up, did you hear the national anthem over the weekend? the singer's unique style is getting a lot of backlash today. you can judge for yourself. my dad has aor afib.brillation, he has the most common kind... ...it's not caused by a heart valve problem. dad, it says your afib puts you at 5 times greater risk of a stroke. that's why i take my warfarin every day. but it looks like maybe we should ask your doctor about pradaxa. in a clinical trial, pradaxa® (dabigatran etexilate mesylate)... ...was proven superior to warfarin at reducing the risk of stroke. and unlike warfarin, with no regular blood tests or dietary restrictions. hey thanks for calling my doctor. sure. pradaxa is not for people with artificial heart valves. don't

iraq. it is hard to say if it is activist because you have the insurgents or the islamic extremists that don't like the u.s. military of their soil but we have seen opposition from politicians as well. we did not leave of large presence in iraq because of the government is opposed and afghanistan is up in the year. reduce the opposition not just in asia where my book focuses but it is all corners of the world. >> host: are their locations even the government would like us to leave? >> guest: national governments? all lots of times when uc receives change -- a regime change like after a revolution u.s. forces have to leave but today it is not as direct. with ecuador 2007 / 2008, the u.s. bases were a major issue in politics. of there you do see certain elements wanting the bases to leave. they can play a the nationalist card with sovereignty from the standpoint of domestic government if i were to flip it around a fisheye views rather base in the united states and some state happens an accident or crime there would be an outcry. we have military bases all over but of course, there could be opposition even to

u.s. failed to reach a security agreement that would grant american troops immunity today al qaeda has taken back he areas in iraq and as america's longest war nears its and afghans and their neighbors are nervous about the resurgence and the regions as well pakistani officials have said they're concerned about the afghan military is ability to stand up to the taliban and other fundamentalist groups. many republicans on capitol hill say the u.s. needs to keep special forces and drone bases the end of the country to continue america's own fight against the terrorist so after billions of u.s. dollars poured into propping up afghanistan to fight the taliban what if they're not ready to stand up for themselves. the first amendment of the constitution clearly establishes a separation between church and state calls or shall make make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise their up but should this apply to the military to the military religious freedom foundation has collected accounts from service members who say were lived in has been forced on them and mandatory military train

u.s. is probably the single most important player in iraq today. rights watch certainly hopes that the u.s. military is going to be prepared to take the evidence and the testimonies in these reports to their iraqi counterparts and say this has to stop. not the least because the brutal tactics are fueling the up rising in the anbar province that we have read so much about. >> miny, thank you. now to the surprising new study on aspirin. it's from the national institute of health it says it can reduce the risk of ovarian cancer taken once a day it can cut the risk by 20%, this year upwards of 20,000 women will be diagnosed with the disease, more than 14,000 well will die from it. joying me now is a doctor from new york see. glad to see you. >> you too, john. >> can you tell us how it works. >> it's an exciting develop. it helps with inning flam space that can predispiece you to various diseases, heart disease, cancer, the idea is that maybe by taking aspirin daily you decrease the inflammation and might prevent your risk or decrease your risk of develo