afghanistan today is not the afghanistan or 15 or 20 or 30 years ago. those messages are incredibly powerful. their warlords and people who are in positions of power. they need to be replaced at the afghans themselves and not by the united states. they are not going to have the taliban come back. they are going to remake the society and the united states can see that. part of that is what we should be doing. are we going to stand in the way and the results would be more legit and turmoil. >> okay, now politics often has clichÉs in one of the big clichÉs that i've been hearing a lot especially with president trump's policy all wars end with peace talks. that's not my personal view by the way. the peace talks are the terms of surrender of one side or the other. there needs to be a process and i think there is nothing wrong. i don't think either one of you would disagree with that. how amenable you think they are to peace talks? just before you answer my question soon after the announcement of these second cease-fire secretary pompeo issued a statement i

the afghanistan today is not the afghanistan of 15 or 30 years ago. it still has the vestiges of a lot of that, and they are incredibly powerful. there are warlords, incredibly abusive people in positions of power. they need to be replaced, but by the afghans themselves, not the united states. those young people are not going to have the taliban come back. they will remake their society. united states can be a positive part of that, even more than we have been. that's what i believe we should be doing. or we can stand in the way and be morelt would bloodshed, turmoil, and a greater threat to the united states in the future. hasin: politics always cliches. one of the big cliches i have been hearing a lot, especially since president trump's policy end witho, all wars peace talks. that is not my personal view. wars end because they are won decisively. there are those that think there .eeds to be a peace process i think there is nothing wrong. i don't think either one of you disagree with that, that there can be at peace process. how amenable do you think

the afghanistan today is not the afghanistan of 15 or 30 years ago. of aill has the vestiges lot of that, and they are incredibly powerful. there are warlords, incredibly abusive people in positions of power. they need to be replaced. but by the afghans themselves, not the united states. those young people are not -- but those young people are not going to have the taliban come back, they will remake their society. united states can be a positive part of that, even more than we have been. that's what i believe we should be doing. are we going to stand in the way? the result will be more blood stride -- bloodshed. politics always has cliches, one of the big cliches i have been hearing a lot, especially since president trump's policy has been set, all ends war with eace -- all wars and --end with peace talks. do not agree, some wars and because they are one decisively --won decisively. but there does need to be a peace process, i don't think either of you disagree with that that there can be a peace process. both of you, how amenable do you think the ta

so again we're let's go on stage now our stage is afghanistan afghanistan it with mountains with flowers. now recognized as an afghan refugee has been involved in a production and dumb stuff called god's victory. although. the play which is about to have its premiere attempts to draw attention to the difficult situation of afghan migrants it's about terrorism and violence will traffic its flight and the difficulties of getting a foothold in europe. and the same goes for those who there's a big difference between these two worlds. i'm in germany where i feel safe and when i'm sitting in the park or somewhere i don't have to be afraid that a bomb will explode showerhead something will happen on the street at the see a doctor stops and. then if my country were safe i wouldn't stay here a day longer i go back but as i see it now it's just going to get worse and worse flee not on c.n.n. . it's time to put it to relax he's anxious about the safety of his parents and siblings. his mom if i'm very worried about my family and afghanistan they're in danger. caught on day and night i think about ho

in afghanistan with my family. and that's last week i had a concert and i had to sing that's when days hundred cygnus in german off towards. the side and that was my texts i shall never see my homeland again. on the new the high maybe at that time that was pretty tough for me and the sound hot for me the idea of never seeing my homeland again i'm again kind of. being torn between two worlds is the price that refugees pay for their new life and italy as apartment and hano and afghan music t.v. program plays nonstop. in as many of the pop stars personally some of them have also fled afghanistan. now korea is grateful to be fairly secure in germany you recalls only too well when he. had a building status a temporary stay of deportation it was a time of knowing uncertainty. and trust me says zero and younger seven years i didn't feel at home because there was this constant fear that any day a new law or regulation could calm and they deport me. we're afraid of so many things what might happen and what they might decide

the taliban was pushed out of power in two thousand and one after the us invasion of afghanistan but the armed group hasn't gone away a report by the special inspector general for reconstruction has found that as of january two hundred twenty nine districts were under government control which is about fifty six point three percent of all districts there were fifty nine areas approximately fourteen point five percent under the control of the taliban and other factions the remaining one hundred one thousand districts are contested controlled by neither the afghan government nor armed groups. all right let's bring in our panel joining us in kabul she come dom the chairman of the afghan anti-corruption network and a former advisor to nato in washington d.c. i'm a measured yar resident fellow at the middle east institute and also in kabul rahim a political analyst specializing in regional security welcome to all of you miss stuff i want to start with you what would it mean if it were to fall to the taliban . well i think it's it's a debate big loss for the government actually it's very cl

but in afghanistan, few can escape the reality of war. just days later, an isis suicide bomber attacked the local mosque, killing her dad. fatima honored her father during a recent speech at the oslo freedom forum. she says her dad used to tell her she should always stay strong. for now, the girls who dream of peace and the u.s. soldiers who dream of home must hold on to some hope that america's longest war can really come to an end. for "nightline," i'm ian pannel reporting from kabul, afghanistan. >> our thanks to ian. >>> next, ariana grande on her life and true love. the painful burden she and "snl" peefd dav pete davidson share. (laughs) make summer go right with ford, america's best-selling brand. and get our best deal of the summer: zero percent financing for sixty months on f-150. get zero percent financing for 60 months- plus $2,800 bonus cash on a 2018 f-150 xlt equipped with 2.7l ecoboost. they work togetherf doing important stuff. the hitch? like you, your cells get hungry. feed them... with centrum micronutrients. restoring y

in afghanistan he says the area is no stranger to attacks like this one. are hard work and that are very brutal. brutal attack. that cost the taliban a nicer i said recently and a proud this place this is called. course which is a perforation course for the high school graduates that wanted to come for a perforated examination prior to going to the university this course was one of the most crowded one of the most famous one on iraq for the for the high school graduates on the area. well as lawyers they mentioned earlier the afghan government is also battling a growing taliban threat in the city of gaza and that's just outside the capital kabul at least four hundred people including around one hundred civilians have been killed since the assault there began on friday shut up alice reports. after six days of a taliban siege on the afghan city of gosney residents emerge from their homes they bring brooms and shovels and anger says cars which are the government has not paid attention to the people here and as you can see most of the markets have burned down i

the people of afghanistan have not known peace for a long time in the one nine hundred eighty s. it was the conflict when the soviet occupation in the one nine hundred ninety s. they had to contend with the brutal rule of the taliban that ended with the two thousand and one u.s. invasion following the nine eleven attacks but the taliban never really went away and its recent raid on the southeastern city of thousand is a sign of how much of a threat the armed group still poses at least four hundred people have been killed a quarter of them civilians the afghan military says it's making strategic games with the help of u.s. air strikes we have a lot to discuss with our guests but first this report from charlotte dallas. off to six days of the taliban see. any resistance from their homes. they bring brooms and shovels and anger says all of the rich and the government has not paid attention to the people here and as you can see most of the markets have burned down and the city. population of two hundred seventy thousand people found themselves in the middle of the war with the taliba

violence and bring it to afghanistan or perpetrated by some extremist groups beyond the borders of afghanistan through the local allies inside afghanistan so this is something to do with very sick tyrian issues and i think targeting only. population and it has a population in afghanistan shows that it is completely sectarian issue rather than a big agenda for big political gains we have in the past in the taliban launch high casualty attacks on civilians in including those in kabul we know that under the taliban you know life is obviously difficult for the has our population can we be certain that they had nothing to do with this well the bottom line is that they are all linked to some in somewhere. together i mean the institutions the countries that are backing them and supporting the violence in afghanistan. support violence in afghanistan through different channels and insurgency through taliban are targeting the government and the wider political spectrum but these sectarian violence is going through narrow in my view very secure in extremist groups that are. supported in some cases by the

the three month ceasefire proposed by president garny is not the first such motion in afghanistan it probably won't be the last that has the blessing of the us time for peace has a better ring to it than war on terror regardless the taliban are firmly rejected it instead continuing a countrywide military offensive. moment no no no no no. no no i mean nothing you know. i saw my friend dying who was among thirteen people including children even women who were killed during an arab street last night and there is no attention from the government no facilities for the residents of the dead bodies are still on the road signs that i've also been injured. military commanders say the truce will only benefit the u.s. led forces they've also been clear no peace will be possible in afghanistan as long as the foreign occupation carries on and as coalition forces approach their seventeenth year of operations in the country how simple things seemed all those years ago we acted and the taliban no longer is in power in afghanistan which is not only good for the security of the free world it is incred

russia wants terrorist threats in afghanistan to stay well inside afghanistan, not come up through that jeek stan, afghanistan has some small level of stability. for example. china wants the uighers from sort of joining in to this global conflict. all of them have these inrests but they don't actually have enough of an interest to want the come in and secure afghanistan. that's really only the u.s. that will do that job. so for me, that makes it really important that we keep a presence there where we can continue to have a say in what happens there. host: you brought it up. one of our viewers tweeted this question. est: this is the eternal question. there are differing views as to the degree of pakistani involvement, and particularly the degree of official involvement. some think the government is directing a lot of o these attacks. some people see that involvement being much further down in the food chain or being less official. i think what we do know and what's important to say is that the government of pakistan is not one question. there are differing views as to the single entity i

hello again taliban militants have overrun a military base in northern afghanistan killing seventeen soldiers about says the u.n. confirmed over one hundred civilians were killed in the latest clashes between the taliban and afghan forces in the city of. it's long been considered a strategic area situated on the road connecting the capital bull fighting there escalated on friday when the taliban attempted to storm ghastly until control taliban fighters have been blocking the roads in the city to prevent the afghan military getting reinforcements and residents have described seeing dead bodies on the streets and buildings on fire and. almost two decades of the american led war in afghanistan has failed to make the country it appears any safer. this is what's happening just a little more than one hundred kilometers from the capital kabul there's barely a camera in gaza any available to film this dreadful battle locals say there are stronger descriptions than simply the tele bed is back in action and if it wasn't for us air strikes the afghan army could have been in far worse trouble so

had fled to germany from afghanistan after his request for asylum was rejected in twenty seventeen he was deported back to kabul. i cut my wrist i don't remember how but i remember the policeman saying if you want to kill yourself i'll try anything else will drug you and still put you on the plane to afghanistan. is one of over two hundred thirty afghans who were deported from germany on charter flights between december twenty sixth teen and me twenty eighteen german doctors had attested to the young man's severe depression and acute risk of suicide he had no family or friends in kabul his only contact at the time was for who heads a relief organization for deportees. for a long time because of the support. from the network in germany and. he said. at some point to blurred photo appeared on social media. living on the street chums left afghanistan is he like so many other deportees already on his way back to europe. at the german foreign office issued a new report on the situation in afghanistan to provide a basis for reassessment of deportation for seizures the publication coincided

led forces they've also been clear no peace will be possible in afghanistan as long as the foreign occupation carries on and as coalition forces approach their seventeenth year of operations in the country how simple things seemed all those years ago we acted and the taliban no longer is in power in afghanistan which is not only good for the security of the free world it is incredibly good for the people who suffered in afghanistan under barbaric rule a decade and a half later the taliban control large swathes of territory and are able to strike at security forces and civilians almost that will afghanistan has been a battleground for various militant groups something the u.s. views pragmatically the taliban are fighting isis and we encourage that because isis needs to be destroyed the afghan question has forced the u.s. this way between a military solution and negotiations with the taliban was such a hot cold rhetoric from the white house it's hardly surprising the possibility of mediation is taking years to arise it's been quite a balancing act for washington you have the taliban willing to

recent months in different locations around afghanistan killing and injuring hundreds of soldiers and civilians as a result of fighting with u.s. backed government forces and taliban militants though as we said they've had a complex relationship with the united states with the american government essentially using them one time as a proxy to fight isis having previously of course toppled the taliban led government all those years ago in the post nine eleven afghanistan. we acted and the taliban no longer is in power in afghanistan which is not only good for the security of the free world it is incredibly good for the people who suffered in afghanistan under barbaric rule the taliban are fighting isis and we encourage that because isis needs to be destroyed the taliban have agreed to a limited law and fighting as well as a limited prisoner exchange program nevertheless it doesn't look like a long term ceasefire is around the corner anytime soon the russian foreign ministry have also commented on the matter saying it's a sad state of affairs it's lamentable that negotiations are breakin

forces in afghanistan. at what point is it right to call this what it might look like, a permanent u.s. presence in afghanistan? secondly, given the hundreds of thousands in very small footprints of troops in afghanistan, is any advantage to privatizing of force if there are going to be boots on the ground for the foreseeable future? sec. mattis: when the americans put the nation's credibility on the line, privatizing it is not a wise idea. as far as a permanent u.s. presence, there are 39 nations supporting the u.n. recognized government. it is not a u.s. presence alone and should not be implied that way. we are there to ensure america's security -- think back to 9/11 and this building, that america's security is not threatened out of that location. that involves the afghan people being can -- being in control of their own future. that is why we talk about afghan led and owned reconciliation process. we believe the best way to get there is to be sure the taliban recognizes they cannot win on the battlefiel

the shias in afghanistan are extremely vulnerable especially when it comes to places of worship islamic state of attack them now that part of the country on the border with pakistan was erased on region in the koran agency is aware militant pakistani groups are also operating like jenga v. in different capacities as well as the pakistan based militant network they're calling it work so well how to really see who was behind this attack but what is an extremely dangerous trend now in afghanistan is that the afghan government and its international allies continue to fail to protect lives in afghanistan and when you have such a big number of casualties in fatalities you are actually thinking about the destroyed society almost you're talking about families losing their breadwinners people are losing their lives their aspirations their dreams in this friend six really dangerous trend actually continues and in most major cities across afghanistan and so the question is what if any. security strategy is in place to prevent these sort of attacks in the future. here is a local journalist. we just

and its allies in afghanistan to regroup. and at this point. the taliban are on the offensive and the americans and their allies in afghanistan are you know seem to be completely at a loss as to what to do and so really. you know despite all the tough talk we just heard from american generals and american politicians the u.s. is losing this war as it has been for most of the time since it began and there really is no way for the u.s. to recover from this situation and why do you think the u.s. has struggled so much to devise a clear political strategy for afghanistan and a position on whether or not it's acceptable to negotiate with the taliban. well. you know once the taliban's first demand right the way through has been first of all for u.s. troops to withdraw foreign troops in general to withdraw from afghanistan they have not recognized the government that the u.s. installed in two thousand and one they do not recognize it and. you know they're you know they have time on their side they always have this is their country and so. you know. th

the shias in afghanistan are extremely vulnerable especially when it comes to places of worship islamic state of attack them now that part of the country on the border with pakistan was erased on region in the koran agency is aware militant pakistani groups are also operating like jenga v. in different capacities as well as the pakistan based militant work their county network so we'll have to really see who was behind this attack but what is an extremely dangerous trend now in afghanistan is that the afghan government and its international allies continue to fail to protect lives in afghanistan and when you have such a big number of casualties in fatalities you are actually thinking about a destroyed society almost you're talking about families losing their breadwinners people are losing their lives their aspirations their dreams and this friend six train really dangerous trend actually continues and in most major cities across afghanistan and so the question is what if any. security strategy is in place to prevent these sort of attacks in the future. i think does it for me i would bac

in mediating between the taliban in the afghan government and everybody in afghanistan is hoping that something good will happen after the conference in moscow in russia mediating. will be also invited the afghan government could be also a participant of the conference so there could be some more progress in afghanistan because the different the negotiation in the in traction between the afghan government and taliban is just on the very fast speed the taliban have obvious on their side have concluded that you know they need to apply more pressure to force the u.s. to talk to them in a sense it's ironic because you know the u.s. have always talked about applying enough military pressure to bring the taliban to negotiations to the peace table that has always been the official u.s. policy that in fact it's the taliban who are doing that and. probably have more chance of success. the syrian army is gearing up for an offensive on the last major rebel stronghold lip the battle for the enclave marks the final stage of the syrian war if assad's forces manage to retake it it will bring almost

in mediating between the taliban and the afghan government and everybody in afghanistan is hoping that something good will happen after the conference in moscow in russia mediating dollar bond will be also invited goldman could be also potus bunch of the conference so there could be some more progress in afghanistan because the different the negotiation in the introduction between the afghan government and taliban is just on the very first speech the taliban have obvious on their side have concluded that you know they need to apply more pressure to force the u.s. to talk to them in a sense it's ironic because you know the u.s. have always talked about applying enough military pressure to bring the taliban to negotiations to the peace table that has always been the official u.s. policy that in fact it's the taliban who are doing that and. probably have more chance of success that's your headline news recount for this hour but don't forget you can always head to our web site party dot com the details on all of those stories and much more thanks for tuning in. when lawmakers manufacture c

afghanistan's president might have been hoping for a quiet start to the eat out holiday but as ashraf ghani reviewed his troops and officials gathered for prayers they were all reminded that there are fewer and fewer peaceful days here. that was the sound of one of two rockets fired towards the presidential palace could do you think it gave me if they think that with rocket attacks this nation will surrender they have to think again this is a brave nation as always ready to defend its independence on earth and islamic tradition that a delay. i saw says its fighters were behind the attack the armed groups numbers are growing in afghanistan although it's the taliban that remains the greatest threat. that was made clear in a recent attack on the nearby city of gas that exposed the government's fragile grip on security thousands of taliban fighters stormed the city cutting communications and access to the highway to kabul at least one hundred fifty soldiers and more than one hundred civilians were killed in the five day battle to regain control of the city the government says hundreds of

and very small footprints of troops in afghanistan to get to negotiate peace. is there any advantage to privatizing a force if there's going to be boots on the ground for the forseeable future when the american put put their nation credibility on the line privatizing it is probably not a wise idea but as far as a permanent us president number one there's thirty nine nations there supporting the u.n. recognized government it's not a u.s. presence alone or and it shouldn't be implied that way we are there in order to ensure that america's security and just think back to nine eleven in this building that america's security is not threatened out of that that location that involves the afghan people be. and in control of their own future this is why we talk about an afghan led afghan owned reconciliation process and we believe that the best way to get there is do ensure taliban recognizes they can't win on the battlefield they must negotiate. go ahead joe thank you mr secretary of state when we please get general and bring your thoughts on this is one look he said i

time in afghanistan. i look forward to working with you in that effort. investor miller, i really cannot say anything more to your -- or add to your statement. i was very pleased to hear what you had to say about your priorities and what they will be as ambassador in bangladesh. and i certainly look forward to working with you if confirmed in all of those efforts. thingsher, one of the that we have the disappointing thing that we are seeing happen theorocco despite all of progress in so many areas has their lack of success in combating human trafficking. we have seen some of the human rights violations that have happened in morocco and they have increased in recent years. , if you are about confirmed in your role as ambassador, what you could do to encourage the moroccan government to better address both human trafficking and other human rights violations? mr. fisher: thank you, senator for that question. trafficking is and has been an issue in morocco. in thee ranked a tear to state department's annual t

you mentioned the power provided to afghanistan. can you describe the makeup of uzbekistan's electric power? >> the power system there is primarily powered with oil and gas. some of which they produce themselves and some of which they bring in from neighboring countries. they do ask for a that power generation to neighboring countries including afghanistan as i mentioned. we also know that the government is very interested in developing renewable power and we have worked through some projects under usaid to give them the technical capacity they need to develop that especially solar and possibly wind. this is an increasing move on the part of the government to diversify its energy generation. we are working with them with technical assistance. >> thank you very much. ambassador miller, will you urge on behalf of the united states the government of bangladesh to strengthen the infrastructure in the refugee camps and particularly provide for the opportunity for education for the children there? ambassador miller: i certainly will, sena

and were waiting for to sit with the us directly and discuss the withdrawal of foreign troops from afghanistan the rumor is there's already been some direct contact at least we know for sure alice wells went to qatar last month where the taliban's got a political office i'm confused the armed group has all but regained its might which not so long ago are in them a reputation of out reich islamist barbarians in america and pretty much all over the world we acted and the taliban no longer is in power in afghanistan which is not only good for the security of the free world it is incredibly good for the people who suffered in afghanistan on the barbaric rule time flies u.s. administrations come and go fair enough but the things the people in charge say about insurgents today could be totally different tomorrow taliban this taliban that the taliban are fighting isis and we encourage that because isis needs to be destroyed. oh so they're good for something at least if it's about knocking out islamic state yet just a few months earlier general nicholson said the taliban's fight against dyess was a pi

well despite that violence the german government says afghanistan is a safe country meaning rejected asylum seekers can be sent back there each month groups of afghans no longer have the right to stay in germany or deported if you follow the fortunes of one asylum seeker who was sent back then seemed to disappear without a trace. he had fled to germany from afghanistan after his request for asylum was rejected in twenty seventeen he was deported back to kabul. everest i don't remember how but i remember the policeman saying if you want to kill yourself try anything else will drop you and still put you on the plane to afghanistan. shon says one of over two hundred thirty afghans who were deported from germany on charter flights between december twenty sixth teen and may twenty eighth. german doctors had attested to the young man's severe depression and acute risk of suicide he had no family or friends in kabul his only contact at the time was. who heads a relief organization for deportees. i wasn't going to for a long time because of the support. from the network in germany and the ma

a suicide bombing has hit a mosque in eastern afghanistan during friday prayers officials there are now being quoted as saying that at least thirty nine people are dead more than eighty others wounded here's local journalists. the casualties and fatalities could be much higher the attack took place during the friday prayer when the. mosque was busy hosting a big number of worshippers in the provincial capital of card is the capsule of paktia province in southeastern afghanistan the shias in afghanistan are extremely vulnerable especially when it comes to places of worship islamic state of attack them now that part of the country on the border with pakistan was a. region in the corum agency is where militant pakistani groups are also operating like. in different capacities as well as the pakistan based militant network their company network so we'll have to really see who was behind this attack but what is an extremely dangerous trend now in afghanistan is that the afghan government and its international allies continue to fail to protect lives in afghanistan and when you have such a big

left afghanistan was he like so many other deportees already on his way back to europe. at the end of may the german foreign office issued a new report on the situation in afghanistan to provide a basis for a reassessment of deportation procedures. the publication coincided with the first anniversary of the terrorist attack that killed and injured hundreds at the german embassy in kabul germany had temporarily halted the deportation flights after the attack the new report paints a disastrous picture of the situation in afghanistan but the d. for tyshan of afghans has been resumed it's a decision for can't understand given the frequency of attacks in kabul. and the recent one was on police district thirteen which is this part of the right side of me so my perception of today's kabul is like. the way war started it was like a year of. two months went by without a word from. then came this message from up to four he told us shams had tried to go to iran but was detained and deported. this story of sean's ahmadi shows that many asylum seekers deported from europe leave home

to the capital kabul ilia to trying to look at how after almost two decades of the american led war afghanistan is no closer to achieving peace. and this is what's happening just a little more than one hundred kilometers from the capital kabul there's barely a camera in gaza any available to film this dreadful battle locals say there are stronger descriptions than simply the tele bat is back in action and if it wasn't for us air strikes the afghan army could have been in far worse trouble so it makes you wonder do american diplomats and their military keep in touch there is nothing that precludes us from in gauging with the taliban we're doing everything we can to ensure that our actions help the taliban and the afghan government does the same table. everything they can only a few weeks ago the state department said talking with the taliban was a good idea and regardless of how hostile their actions the extremists say they're forward to this is what we wanted and were waiting for to sit with the us directly and discuss the withdrawal of foreign troops from afghanistan the rumor is there's alrea

therovides leadership in region, troops of afghanistan -- in afghanistan for many years and so on. the u.s. and the u.k. have been shoulder to shoulder for many years. we are pleased to record -- to welcome the secretary of state williamson, a was appointed in 2017. going all the way from strategy to acquisition to operational deployments. in 2016 he was honored to be named commander of the order of the british empire. we hear from our guest, and we will have a moderated conversation with the 23rd secretary of the air force. she is a distinguished fellow of the atlantic council and the war director of the atlantic council. following that discussion, we will have an opportunity for you to engage with the state secretary, and this entire be on the record. you are encouraged to join the conversation on twitter and use #stronger with allies. we welcome you to the atlantic council and the floor is yours. [applause] it is aniamson: enormous privilege to be here today. by thanking the atlantic council for hosting this event. i am on that washington in august is not the way it is best. you

reachable and it's possible in afghanistan however this offer is quite different the duration of the cease fire proposal proposed by president romney is for three months like three days in a little fitter and also people here believe that the president is trying to reach some sort of agreement with the taliban to secure the country and to provide the necessary conditions to help the election at the end of october and also. this offer and this proposal is different because president county said that this cease fire can last as long as onerous and to respect the terms of this cease fire of course has yet to deliver. its position on this offer but today they announced a symbolic gesture they said that there were they will release. hundreds of. soldiers held in custody according to our sources taliban is not a united front on this on this matter some members of the political bureau of the taliban out of with this offer and they think that it is necessary to accept the government offer but some members. can be called here in kabul as radicals they don't think that this is a good idea let'

and we'll still be fighting in it afghanistan. then we'll have our grandchildren going to afghanist afghanistan. enough is enough. let's rationalize it. the president's original instincts were correct, he should have gone with him. now we're another $62 billion spent, $62 billion that we have to create and sell in debt because we don't have it in a country. >> let me ask you about your own record. we know about blackwater. you've been questioned by the mueller team, testified to the house intelligence committee about this meeting that -- the issue being raised is whether or not you during the transition, just before the inaugural, were meeting in the seychelles islands in the indian on or about with a prominent russian connected to vladimir putin, whether this was a back channel. i want to just get you to respond to -- >> no. >> to that whole -- >> i think the transcript -- >> what was the meeting about? >> the house transcript was released and people can read it if they want to. it was an incidental meeting and i had no follow up