year in afghanistan. i'd like to thank the san francisco fleet week association, lewis loeven, specifically, major general myat, always a mentor, former secretary of state schultz and mrs. schultz, mrs. perry, honored to be in your presence. the uss makin island, chief of the fairest city in the world, san francisco, and he esteemed professionals. this is nice, i'm going to move south of here and take you to afghanistan. as you know we have marines, soldiers, sailors in afghanistan currently, but i'm going to bring you to when i was there during 2010 and 2011 after the president decided to surge the forces. first marine decision, first marine expeditionary force forward entered southwest afghanistan during 2009. we arrived in 2010 so it was a bit more stable. and we went straight to helman and nimruz province. very complex dynamic environment that we were operating in but before i begin it talk to you about the operational picture, i just want to give you a snapshot of afghanistan. when we got there i want to set the frame here so you understand what we're dealing with. afghan

prepare it leave afghanistan and about the fight for al qaeda, let's gooutfront. good evening, i'm erin burnett live in afghanistan for a special edition of of "outfront." i want to welcome our viewers from around the world. thanks for joining us. a sobering reminder of how america's war is still not won. we still do not have a secure afghanistan. today, just hours after i wrapped up an interview with the secretary of defense leon panetta in kandahar at an american base, there was a a brazen attack just outside the bias. the suicide bomber struck, the taliban took responsibility. an american soldier has within killed. two afghan soldiers were killed. americans and afghans were wounded in this attack today. a taliban spokesman not only claimed responsibility for the attack but praised the quote unquote brave taliban fighter who carried it out. also, here in kabul, secretary panetta met with karzai and invited him it meet with president obama next month. the key question for the leaders is where do things now stand and what's next? 11 years, two months and six days. >> we will not ti

." >>> continued violence in afghanistan has cast a shadow over plans for the country to take over it's own security in 2013. the pentagon insists things are back on track. and uses phrase dramatically improved to describe the situation in a new report. we have a report from our bureau in bangkok. >> the u.s. department of defense has released its latest report on the on going battle with taliban in afghanistan. progress has been made, but much remains to be done. pressing issue, how to best train afghan forces to maintain security. the report released to the u.s. congress on monday. a key claim is that 76% of the country's population lives in areas where afghan police and troops maintain the leading role in security. it also states that attacks by the taliban rose by 1% for the period of april to september, known as the afghan fighting season. the pentagon says increased violence centered on rural areas and security in cities dramatically improved during the same period. since the start of the year, attacks fell 22% in kabul, 62% in kandahar, and 88% in mazhar-i-sharif. compares with 2

afghanistan." it's about 20 minutes. >> we are back live at the national book festival here in washington, d.c. this is day one of two days of coverage. the book festival has now expanded to two days, and booktv will be live both days. if you want to see our full schedule go to booktv.org. we are pleased now to be joined here on our booktv set with rajiv chandrasekeran, an associate editor at the "washington post," and most recently the author of this book, "little america," about the war in afghanistan. wicked the term little america come from? >> little america came from this remarkable project in the 1950s, led by teams of american engineers to develop parts of southern afghanistan to dig irrigation canals, build dams. in the very same terrain the current troops urge unfolded in. back then, these american engineers decided to build a model town for themselves right smack dab in the middle of the desert into helmand province. it was eight square blocks, four blocks by two blocks. instead of traditional afghan homes, big tall walls around, they built suburban style american ho

outfront" starts right now. >>> "outfront" next, violence in afghanistan. today, a horrible act of violence. an american soldier was killed here after a suicide attack. it happened at a base in kandahar, just a couple of hours after i visited the base with the u.s. defense secretary, leon panetta, and it's a sad reminder of how safe this country remains after 11 years of war. i'll ask the defense secretary about what's next here, as american troops prepare to leave afghanistan and about the fight for al qaeda. let's go "outfront." >>> good evening. i'm erin burnett live in kabul, afghanistan, tonight for a special edition of "outfront," as we focus on the future of afghanistan. i want to welcome our viewers in the united states tonight, as well as around the world. thanks for joining us. tonight, violence rocks afghanistan. a sobering reminder of how america's longest war is still not won. we still do not have a secure afghanistan. today, just hours after i wrapped up an interview with the secretary of defense, leon panetta, in kandahar at an american base, there was a brazen attac

years ago i was at a congressional delegation of female members to afghanistan on mother's day to visit with our troops and meet with afghan women, and i continued to participate in this trip ever since. on that first trip, in the southwestern region of afghanistan and i met the women of the village they worked with. like much of afghanistan, this area is rural and impoverished. the women we met had the same aspirations of women across the globe. they seek to send their children to school and learn a trade in order to support themselves and their family. during that first visit in 2008, the school head master told us stories of how acid was thrown into the faces of serve female students who attended the school. these young girls overcame enormous challenges in coming to school every day. but their desire to learn surmounted the obstacles they faced, and there, just like at home, we heard these young girls talk of being doctors and teachers and anything else they could dream of. each year we have continued to visit the women and their message remains clear and consistent. they need secur

flown out of afghanistan according to airport personnel most of it's headed to dubai which has long been considered a haven for laundered money for more on this we can now across to kabul and speed dial sultanzoy a political analyst a former afghan m.p. a pleasure to see you today thanks for coming on for years suitcases of cash in western currencies have been taken by people out of afghanistan we're talking several billion dollars annually now it seems gold is also on the way out apparently perhaps illegally it all seems a bit murky can you just try and clear it out for us what exactly is going on with afghanistan's gold. this. well actually when the dollar was fleeing. government of afghanistan and the us and others were paying attention to that and naturally when you're trying to stem. from flowing away there would be other ways of doing it and they actually called as a is being used not only in lieu of dollars leaving afghanistan but also it's a very very interesting change for money launderers for drug smugglers and also there's. another angle to this which would be the dumping

professor gets his economic forecast for the next year. then the end gain on the war in afghanistan and the editor -- editor-in-chief of nip review of -- -- mit review. host: we heard overnight president obama is cutting short his vacation to hawaii. he is returning to deal with economic matters, the fiscal cliff. if his death has been quietly talking with senate democrats are the christmas holiday to come up with a planned to avert or prevent the cliff. in the meantime, the senate does plan a session tomorrow. perhaps we will hear more about an agreement before the new year's deadline. the house is due tomorrow as well. we do not have an agenda and there. with the fiscal cliffhanging out there heading into the year 2013, do you have optimism or pessimism heading into the new ? you can also send in your comment via twitter, a post a comment on facebook, or write us an e-mail. the theme of optimism or lack of it is prevalent in the papers. wednesday with congress and the president heading back to washington. here is a headline on "usa today." in the wall street journal -- if the in "

go from afghanistan to russia through their territory. because there is no point in denying that them so they admit that yes drugs go through their countries probably most of the drugs go through to them which is understandable given a fifteen hundred kilometer border with afghanistan but actually all those countries are involved in transit in drugs to russia because living standards are higher here so the market is in russia the distribution market is here in russia yes this probably makes your work much more difficult because countries like to stay in are not fighting drugs as intensely i would think but about him. we have a good working relationship with them by the way to morrow will open a conference for the chiefs of c.i. a sent in a cause occasion says so number one we closely cooperate and number two it's a list that we provide technical and financial assistance to agencies. on. the two thousand and twelve world drug report says opium production is once against the up in afghanistan the world's biggest opium cultivation and no matter what measures are taken by the government t

plan add up? >> and a daring rescue in afghanistan claimed the life of an american navy s.e.a.l. as we prepare to go to afghanistan, we take a closer look at the american troop presence and how many americans will stay. >>> and offfield violence leads to the death of two nfl players. why the violence on the field, though, is a much more important issue. let's go "out front." >> good evening, everyone. i'm erin burnett. "outfront" tonight, cliff, slope, grand canyon. i don't know, martian cave, jupiter like storm. is the fiscal cliff really a fiscal slope. a downward spiral to something much worse. the possibility of going off the cliff is just 22 days away, and it sounds pretty ominous, but it could be a walk in the part compared with what could happen if lawmakers don't take a closer look at our bigger debt picture and soon. because what they're talking about is peanuts. president obama was in michigan today pushing his fiscal cliff plan. he made the solution sound so simple. >> when you put it all together, what you need is a package that keeps taxes where they are for middle class f

the part of governments. >> one of the reasons we're in so much trouble in afghanistan is because we went well beyond our mission. we accomplished the mission, but we took our eye off the ball when we intervened, invaded iraq and occupied iraq. and now twelve years later we're not sure what our mission is. >> the iraq war cost more than the war in vietnam, for example, and we spend trillions of dollars once all the, the needs of veterans and service members, over two million who were deployed to iraq and afghanistan since 9/11, are met in perpetuity and their families. and so, so it's an incredibly costly thing. >> and a major milestone for the u.s. effort in afghanistan, the war is now entering its twelfth year, making it the longest running war in our nation's history. >> now as the wars in iraq and afghanistan come to a close, a frail economic climate at home has left many americans wanting to keep the troops home for good. >> the pentagon came out with new defense guidance in january 2012, which reflected the obama administration's understanding that budgets were going to be cons

afghanistan. the u.s. contractor is killed. plus -- india's prime minister appeals for calm after a second day of violent street protests. plus, bringing life to the desert. qatar brings ca hopes for those struggling to grow their own food. syria's president bashar al- assad says his government will do whatever it can to end the crisis in syria. his comments on state tv followed a meeting of the u.n. peace envoy to syria lakdar brahimi. he also says he is cooperating with lakdar brahimi, who is on a two-day visit. it coincides with a missile strike. scores of civilians killed in the attack. in the northern city of aleppo rebel fighters say they captured a military base. russia's foreign minister says he received guarantees from president assad he will not use chemical weapons against rebels. >> i met president assad and we exchanged views on the next steps that can be taken to move forward. the president spoke of his viewpoint and i told of what i gathered from my many meetings i of that indifference cities and with various officials in the region and outside the region. we also dis

strategy in afghanistan next. well with. science technology innovation all the moves developments from around russia we've got the future covered. download the official publication to self choose your language stream quality and enjoy your favorites from alzheimer's l.t.v. is not required to watch on t.v. all you need is your mobile device to watch on t.v. any time and. look. live. play. live. cut. plentiful and free accreditation free plans for judges free to make amends free. free studio type free. download free broadcast plug in video for your media projects a free media oh god r t dot com. so guys as we already mentioned today marks the one year since obama commemorated the formal and the u.s. mission in iraq but stability in the country is still a long road ahead while we have one eye on iraq another i need to fix on afghanistan america's longest war in which two thousand americans and countless afghans have already died but progress in the country is yet to be seen point that afghan president hamid karzai blames in part on the united states check out what he had to say just last

for christmas to brave forces in afghanistan. to the families will be missing them and the servicemen and women around the world you are always in our thoughts. we owe you a deep debt of gratitude and we send our heartfelt thanks at christmastime. this morning i have meetings with colleagues and others an addition to my dealings in this house i shall of further such meetings later today. >> can i thank my right honorable friend force, to that which he wishes a merry christmas to our service families who are on deployment and their families as well. could my right honorable friend also told what progress is being made by -- [inaudible] especially those who serve on -- [inaudible] >> i thank my honorable friend. on this issue which is gone for very long time, i'm delighted to be able to tell the house that we have reached a resolution. i ask sir john to conduct a review, to look specifically at what most important cases. he's completed his work and i thank them for what he has done. more details will come from the ministry of defence in the new year, including how veterans ca

, was >>> issue three afghanistan. angst. >> afghanistan. the longest war in american history. 11 years. the stats. current force, 66,000 u.s. troops now in afghanistan. force draw-down guidelines. gradually. through all of next year, and all of the following year. that's 2013 and 2014. residual force projection after december 2014, 10,000. to 15,000. u.s. troops beginning january 2015. in the last five years, the number of u.s. generals that have led the u.s. and nato forces in afghanistan is five. five years. five generals. in fact, since the american invasion of afghanistan, in late 2001, 11 years ago, the number of generals that have commanded u.s. and nato is over twice as many generals as years. over 22 generals. the dollar cost of the afghanistan war to the u.s. taxpayer, over half a trillion dollars. $641billion by the end of 2013. okay, the worst toll. the human toll. to date, americans killed in afghanistan, 2,156. americans injured or mentally ill, 18,109. suicides, nearly one a day. and in 2012, more active duty military kill themselves than were killed an afghan battlefield

strategy in afghanistan next. play. please. please. please. please. please. please please. please. play. olympos. her mother lives. in. the speech. her. mother will. pluck. solomon good luck. good luck. just see my mother and look at. her. little mother i know i'm a little. sis live. live . the. mood to be soo much brighter if you move on someone from feinstein freshened so. nice for instance on t.v. don't come. very late. to. so guys as we already mentioned today marks the one year since obama commemorated the formal end of the u.s. mission in iraq but stability in the country is still a long road ahead but well we have one eye on iraq another i need to fix on afghanistan america's longest war in which two thousand americans and countless afghans have already died but progress in the country is yet to be seen point that afghan president hamid karzai blames in part on the united states check out what he had to say just last week. for a number of years ago a growing perception of the kind of stuff. that. it is significant portal it's accused of in afghanistan it's caused by the we.

have done a lot of work in afghanistan and here i have a next story to look at what's happening in afghanistan since we went there to help the people of afghanistan the bank boss that nearly took down afghanistan so there's a report out by the independent joint anti-corruption monitoring and evaluation committee that sounds like one of these out of poverty buried sort of groups they released a report on the collapse of khalil bank and the report found more than ninety two percent of the banks loan book or eight hundred sixty one million dollars was extended to nineteen related individuals and businesses which ultimately benefited twelve people the remaining seventy four million dollars was extended to legitimate customers in loans so it makes sense that here you have you know a country which has been invaded and then all these think tanks and poverty baron sent there to tell them how to run their business then you see ninety two percent of the loans go to twelve guys you saw that in ireland you saw that in iceland use see that probably here in the united states. and the u.k. is the

hit a military base in afghanistan. the incident took place shortly after a visit by the u.s. defense secretary. our bureau in bangkok has the details. >> reporter: the bombing took place on thursday at a u.s. military facility in the south of the country. reuters says one american service member was killed and three others were wounded. a suicide bomber rammed a car filled with explosives into an armored vehicle near the perimeter of kandahar airfield. the attack took place less than three hours after u.s. defense secretary leon panetta left the facility. it is unclear if the incident is connected with the visit. panetta met with afghan president hamid karzai on thursday. the u.s. defense secretary is visiting the country to map out its future, following the withdraw of nato-led combat troops by the end of 2014. rising death tolls are reminders of the instability of the country ahead of the planned transfer of security to the afghan government. we have another story from afghanistan. the country has high hopes for the future of its railway system. currently there is only a s

prospects for afghanistan as the u.s. prepares to withdraw troops by 2014 and as he leaves his post as u.s. special envoy to the region. >> woodruff: that's all ahead on tonight's "newshour." >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... >> this program was made possible by the corpation for public broaasting. andy coribuons youpbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: violence continued across syria today as the united states welcomed a russian admission that syria's rebels may succeed in overthrowing president bashar al-assad. syrian state television showed >> woodruff: for more on all of this we turn to vitaly churkin, russia's ambassador to the united nations. thank you for joining us. let me begin by asking you about the comment today made by your deputy foreign minister mr. bog don november. he said today "it is impossible to exclude a victory of the syrian opposition." how would you describe the situation in syria? >> well, you know i think he went on saying that the s

brave armed forces in afghanistan. it to their families who will be missing them, and to the servicemen and women around the world -- you are always in our thoughts. we owe you a deep debt of gratitude and sinew our -- and our heartfelt thanks at christmastime. i have meetings, and in addition to my duties i shall have further such meetings later today. >> thank you, mr. speaker. thanks my right honorable friend for comments about wishing a merry christmas to our service families under deployment -- service members under diplomat and their families. could my friend also tell me what progress has been made to remove the metals -- give the metals, especially those who served in arctic convoys, for their bravery? >> here, here. >> i thank my friend. on the issue of medals, which is gone on for a very long time, i am delighted to tell the house we have reached a resolution to conduct a review -- not just into medals in general, but to look at one of the most important cases. he has completed his work and i thank him for what he has done. more details will come from the minister o

fourteen of the u.s. military prepares to pack up and ship out of afghanistan several big franchises are looking at the country as an investment opportunity we'll tell you about the efforts to commercialize kabul. it's thursday december thirteenth four pm in washington d.c. i'm christine for example and you're watching our t.v. while we are winding down two thousand and twelve and you know what that means lots of looks back at the last twelve months the best dogs worst most significant events and people of the year well here it are to you we decided to put together a list of our own of the most influential people of the year our intrepid producers put together a longer list of about twenty three people and every member of our news team chose their top five finalist was compiled from the winners and losers so here is our top five most influential people of the year or five german chancellor angela merkel not only is she the first woman to hold the top german political post she's also consider the de facto leader of the e.u. an organization that holds the economic fate of many countrie

strategy in afghanistan next. well. science technology innovation all the latest developments from around russia we've got the future of coverage. admission and free accreditation three. three. three. three. three. three blood. free media. dot com. good laboratory. was able to build. an amount anything tim's mission to teach me. about humans and. this is why you should care only. so guys as we already mentioned today marks the one year since obama commemorated the formal and the u.s. mission in iraq but stability in the country is still a long road ahead but while we have one eye on iraq another idea is to fix on afghanistan america's longest war and which two thousand americans and countless afghans have already died but progress in the country is yet to be seen point that afghan president hamid karzai blames in part on the united states check out what he had to say just last week. for a number of years. a growing perception of kind of stuff. that is significant part of the of in afghanistan it's called sed by the way. the united states and some of its allies. promoted to. get sta

u.k. reveals the war in afghanistan has cost more than seven hundred billion times but that figure expected to rise before british troops are withdrawn. alone a very good evening chief you've just joined us here in moscow my name's kevin zero in coming to you from the r.t. new center but i'm a poet and slammed america's human rights record citing indefinite detention and sanctioned torture in overseas presence while speaking to journalists the president defended moscow's response to the washington's decision to sanction russian officials. listen to what president putin at a sec. the president slammed the monied ski act passed recently by american lawmakers saying that it's a continuation of a series of anti russian laws like the jacks and then it act which was abolished recently and putin says that the us as a country which is still uses prisons like i will agree with one time all were good relations of human rights have been on a daily basis has no rights to criticize the human rights situation in russia at your. our u.s. partners and their lawmakers say they are concerned about h

base in afghanistan. the incident took place shortly after aisisit by the u.s. defense secretary. our bangkok has the details. >> reporter: the bombing took place on thursday at a u.s. military facility in the south of the country. reuters says one american service e e e e e e e e e e e e. a suicide bomber rammed a car filled with explosives into an armored vehicle near the perimeter of kandahar airfield. the attack took place less than three hours after u.s. defense secretary leon panetta left the facility. it is unclear if the incident is connected with the visit. panetta met with afghan president hamid karzai on thursday.e e e e e e e e e e e visiting the country to map out its future, following the withdraw of nato-led combat troops by the d d d d d d d d d rising death tolls are reminders of the instability of the country ahead of the planned transfer of security to the afghan government. we havavavavafafafafafafafafafaa the country has high hopes for the future of its railway system. currently there is only a singl. t the are post-war reconstruction by a a network linking afghan

afghanistan next. it is me. it's. nice. to. see. you know sometimes you see a story and it seems so you think you understand it and then you glimpse something else you hear or see some other part of it and realize that everything you thought you knew you don't know i'm tom harpur welcome to the big picture. the most influential science technology innovation hall the list i'm elements from around russia we've dumped a huge earth covered. so guys as we already mentioned today marks the one year since obama commemorated the formal end of the u.s. mission in iraq but stability in the country is still a long road ahead but while we have one eye on iraq another idea is a fix on afghanistan america's longest war in which two thousand americans and countless afghans have already died but progress in the country is yet to be seen point that afghan president hamid karzai blames in part on the united states check out what he had to say just last week. for a number of years. a girly perception the kind of stuff. that. it is significant portal it's accused of in afghanistan it's caused by do we. kno

cliff. does the plan add up? >>> daring rescue in afghanistan claims the life of an american navy s.e.a.l. as we prepare to go to afghanistan, we take a closer look at the american troop presence and how many americans will stay. >>> and off field violence leads to the death of two nfl violence. why the violence on the field is much more important issue. let's go out front. >>> jup testify-like storm. is it a slope? a downward spiral towards something much worse? the possibility is just 22 days away and sounds ominous but it could be a walk in the park compared with what could happen if lawmakers don't take a closer look at our bigger debt picture and soon. because what they're talking about is peanuts. president obama was in michigan today pushing the fiscal cliff plan and you know what? he made the solution sound so simple. >> when you put it altogether what you need is a package that keeps taxes where they are for middle class families, we make some tough spending cuts on things we don't need and ask the wealthiest americans to pay a slightly higher tax rate. >> not so fast, mr

government to provide as security. in afghanistan, we've got a questionable partner in the karzai government. that has been difficult. we have a less than credible partner in the congolese government. in afghanistan, we have gone through these stabilization operations as an alternative way to provide security at the local level with the villages, communities, whereby we have been providing some arms and training to the local population there so that they can provide their own security. obviously, the karzai government has been opposed to that. are there any opportunities for any alternative strategies, given the nature of the in theese government any d drc, mr. affleck? >> i will yield to an expert fellow panelist year, but one of the -- the basic issue, and one that will go a long way and that i alluded to earlier, climbing some influence to president -- are applying some influence to president kabila so that payment is made to his troops. if there was one stroke of automatically improve people's lives, that would do it. that would take a wholesale step towards improving the secu

constitution so divisive? we will talk about that. >> the fate of children in afghanistan as nato troops prepare to withdraw. >> stay with us. >> welcome back, everyone. each faces a tense weekend. voting begins on a controversial constitution supported by president mohamed morsi. it has deeply divided the country. >> opposition groups are urging supporters to vote against it. morsi oppose the muslim brotherhood is calling on egyptians to support the document. -- morsi's muslim brotherhood is calling the egyptians to support the document. >> opponents said the document does not do enough to protect women and minorities. the leading activist has asked egypt's president to delay the referendum. >> it is shaping up to be a pivotal moment for the country which has witnessed daily violence in the run-up to the referendum. >> we want to get a closer look at some of the most disputed articles of the new constitution. >> if adopted, the new constitution would change little for the egyptian president. he would remain at the center of egypt pose a political system as its commander in chief. one th

capture the rare and illusive snow leopard. in one very unlikely place. the mountains of afghanistan. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," december 5th, 2012. >> and good evening, i'm cynthia mcfadden. we begin with breaking news in the increasingly strange case of american software multimillionaire john mcafee. wanted for questioning in the central american country of belize for his neighbor's mysterious murder. tonight, in guatemala, he was arrested for entering the country illegally. the same place where earl-year-old today, our team tracked him down for this exclusive interview. here's abc's matt gutman from g guatemala city. >> reporter: it is the latest in the bizarre tale of john mcafee. the software tycoon who's been on the lam for three weeks in a cat and mouse game with authorities in belize. tonight, mcafee was arrested by immigration authorities in guatemala's capital. how have you been? >> really good since i got here. >> reporter: just hours earlier, he sat down with

afghanistan commander lieutenant colonel j. b. vowell said he was cautiously optimistic on afghanistan's future. his remarks came at a discussion hosted by the institute for the study of war. he commanded task force no slack in afghanistan in 2010 and 2011. task force no slack is an army infantry battalion whose primary mission is counterinsurgency. this is an hour and 15 minutes. >> ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much -- [applause] it is a great pleasure to to host you at the army navy club here in washington, d.c., and it is a great pleasure to have with us today some of our real national treasures. and certainly lieutenant colonel, promotable trantor is among them -- j. b. vowell is among them. the tenant colonel vowell commander province called task force no slack which i think is really a phenomenal italian name, and also think it was a phenomenal italian -- [inaudible] in some of those difficult -- and one of the most difficult environments. lieutenant colonel vowell ripeness at stanford university doing his work college fellowship. [inaudible] >> cooperation sp

the staggering cost of its involvement in the war in afghanistan more than seventeen billion pounds and as britain prepares to withdraw its troops the defense secretary there says the final price tag could be around twenty billion of this as the country continues with domestic public spending cuts and efforts to reduce its budget deficit will live now to our tea party boy she joins us from london with more on this so polly with austerity at home the u.k. government still finds money for wars. indeed yes seventeen billion pounds the british government has just revealed that that's been the cost of that so far eleven year war in afghanistan now it was a very deal at the same time as a clear timetable was announced for troop withdrawal from the region we're going to have u.k. troops slashed by about a half by the end of next year down to five thousand two hundred and then another large chunks of troops are leaving by the end of twenty fourteen but it's those seventeen billion pounds that are being spent that have been spent on it for the war on top of the existing defense budget which

paying tribute to the troops in afghanistan who continued to show a huge courage and bravery. it is particularly important at this time of year to remember that and their families, many of whom will be separated from them. their families are in all our thoughts. i also want to welcome the government announcement today on reducing the number of troops in afghanistan during 2013. we await the defense secretary's statement -- can the prime minister tell the house how many troops and civilians will be left with in afghanistan after the 2014 deadline, and whether they will be there under afghan- led command? >> i join the leader of the opposition in welcoming what our troops do. on afghanistan, we have to decisions to make. first of all, the decision about the drawdown between now and the end of 2013, and what the defense secretary would announce is because of the success of our forces and the afghan national security forces and the fact that we are moving from a man during a battalion level to mentoring at a grade level by the end of 2013, will be able to see troops come home in two ste

beyond twenty fourteen while the u.s. military prepares to pack up and ship out of afghanistan several big franchises are looking at the country as an investment opportunity we'll tell you about the efforts to commercialize kabul. and gun owners across the country are cheering a major court ruling the right to bear arms in public has been up held in illinois this locked and loaded issue always brings out the heated debate on both sides will show you what the media has to say about it. good evening it's thursday december thirteenth eight pm in washington d.c. i'm christine for is now and watching our team. well we are winding down two thousand and twelve and you know about means lots of looks back at the last twelve months best of the worst of and most significant events and people of the year we're at r.t. america decided to put together a list of our own of the most influential people of the year our intrepid producers put together a longer list of twenty three people and every member of our news team chose their top five so our final list was compiled from the winners so here is our

when we were told today that the defense secretary was in afghanistan. even though they said it is a surprise, it is not that much of a surprise in the larger sense because it's december, and defense secretaries and even sometimes presidents tend to make their way to visit the troops in harm's way around christmas time. just about every year. we can see the pattern, because it's been 11 years in a row now that we have had troops in harm's way during the holidays, as americans have been fighting wars abroad for more than a decade now. given that, it is a nice tradition i think that we send over some top level civilians in december or any time both to visit the troops, but also importantly, to bring the national media with them, to bring national media attention to where they are going. it's a rather good use of a photo op and a publicity stunt to drag the press corps that typically only follows high level politicians to drag the press corps into a war they might not be talking about. we see this every holiday season. we get these images of the secretary today talking to the troops, an

to hear about the solution to america's strategy in afghanistan next. you. know. you. look. so guys as we already mentioned today marks the one year since obama commemorated the formal and the u.s. mission in iraq but stability in the country is still a long road ahead while we have one eye on iraq another i need to fix on afghanistan america's longest war in which two thousand americans and countless afghans have already died but progress in the country is yet to be seen point that afghan president hamid karzai blames in part on the united states check out what he had to say just last week. for a number of years ago it threw the perception the kind of stuff. that that is significant part of it's accused of in afghanistan it's caused by the way we. the united states and some of its allies. promoted and lawlessness enough got to start by spreading corruption in afghanistan by. employing private security firms who became a no on their own do is a very strong perception that the some of that insecurity is into instantaneous. so here to talk about america's strategy in afghanistan and w