Bridge money for the war, but Iraq better start to pay, says Skelton

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO) says that the committee will continue to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with a $70 billion "bridge" fund until the full supplemental is approved. But Skelton also calls for the Iraqis to contribute more to their own security. (0:37)
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Afghan Journal: Col. Said Faqir Shah

Embedded Military Affairs Correspondent Richard Miller interviews a colonel in the Afghan Army, Col. Said Faqir Shah, who is also an imam and helps with the spiritual development of the troops under his command. (14:51)

This interview is translated.
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Afghan Journal: Standing up the Afghan police force

Embedded Military Affairs Correspondent Richard Miller interviews two American officers, Lt. Col. Mark Sherman and Lt. Col. Lynn Heng, responsible for the training of the Afghan police force. (6:20)
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Humanitarian aid in Afghanistan bolsters coalition support

Talk Radio News Service Military Affairs Correspondent Richard Miller interviews Lt. Doug Lowery about humanitarian assistance while embedded in Afghanistan. (8:34)
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Additional Marines for Afghanistan tied to force levels in Iraq

During a press conference at the Pentagon Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says that despite a desire by the Commandant of the Marine Coprs, General James Conway, to move Marines into Afghanistan, additional deployments of Marines or other additional troops depend on the force levels in Iraq. (0:40)
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We have to reduce troops in Iraq, to consider more forces for Afghanistan

Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell says that before the Defense Department can consider adding forces in Afghanistan the forces must be reduced below 15 brigade combat teams in Iraq. (0:46)
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Afghanistan’s most successful troop trainer describes how he treats his trainees

Colonel Mohammad Asef, Battalion Commander, Training Khandak, 203rd Corps, Afghan National Army, speaking through a translator, describes how he handles his troops, complimenting them and treating them well. (Note: contains one bleeped profanity) (0:39)


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Afghanistan's most successful troop trainer describes working with American forces

Colonel Mohammad Asef, Battalion Commander, Training Khandak, 203rd Corps, Afghan National Army, describes his experiences working with American forces. Speaking through a translator, Asef praises the American military and its help in training Afghan troops. (0:38)
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"Soldiers should never have to live in such squalor"

Speaking to a group of non commissioned officers at Ft. Bliss, Texas Secretary of Defense Robert Gates criticized the conditions at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina saying that it is the duty of every commander to ensure that troops have decent living conditions. (0:41)
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PTSD is a "major health issue" for U.S. soldiers and veterans

At a RAND congressional briefing on the "invisible wounds of war," senior social research analyst and lead report author Terri Tanielian says that conditions like PTSD, depression, and TBI are a "major health issue" for U.S. soldiers and veterans. She says that the impact of mild TBI is still largely unknown, and stresses the need for better screening and treatment of those at risk for these conditions. (0:24)
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People of Afghanistan have a desire to help create a better future for their children

Mohammed Ehsan Zia, Afghanistan’s minister of rural rehabilitation and development, says that the people of Afghanistan, particularly those in the South “who have been affected and traumatized by the atrocities of Taliban”, have a desire to be part of the process of creating a better future for their children. (0:31)
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National development programs in Afghanistan crucial for state building

Mohammed Ehsan Zia, Afghanistan’s minister of rural rehabilitation and development, says that the creation of national development programs in Afghanistan was important for two reasons: donor coordination and visibility of the government. (0:48)

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The next president wants to succeed in Afghanistan

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, speaking at a Pentagon press conference, says that no matter who the next U.S. president is, he is sure that success in Afghanistan will be a goal. (0:18)
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A direct threat to Europe from Afghanistan

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, speaking at a press conference at the Pentagon, says that European NATO member countries need to be aware that they face a direct threat of terrorism from Afghanistan, and that should inspire them to increase their commitments to the war there. (0:25)
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Crocker: If we pull out, we risk an al-Qaida base in Iraq

Testifying before the House Foreign Relations Committee, Ambassador Ryan Crocker says that if there is a precipitous withdrawal from Iraq one risk is al-Qaida establishing a base in the Middle East. (0:29)
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"We're here because we're here"

During a hearing of the House Foreign Relations Committee Congressman Gary Ackerman (D-NY) criticizes the war, saying it is an endless loop. (0:45)
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Senator Obama says we should be talking to Iran

At the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on "Iraq After the Surge: What Next?" Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) says he thinks the surge has reduced violence and given breathing room, but that breathing room has not been taken the way they would all like it to be taken. The political situation is complicated there, and we have to work vigorously to resolve it. In your own words Ambassador [Ryan Crocker], Obama says, if we increase pressure in a measured way, that, in my mind, includes a timetable for withdrawal. It has to be a diplomatic surge that includes Iran, because if Maliki can tolerate normal neighbor to neighbor relations in Iran, then we should be talking to them as well because I don't believe we are going to be able to stabilize the situation without them. (:28)
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Senator Obama says a messy sloppy status quo is an achievable goal

At the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on "Iraq After the Surge: What Next?" Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) says he's not suggesting that we yank out our troops all the way, but the problem that he has is that the definition of success is so high with no traces of al-Qaida, no possibility of reconstitution, a highly effective Iraqi government, a functioning democracy, no Iranian influence (the kind we don't like), and so that gives the possibility of us staying for twenty or thirty years. If our criteria is a messy, sloppy status quo but there is not a huge outbreak of violence, and its not a threat to its neighbors, that is an achievable goal within a measurable time frame, and that is what I think the committee is trying to get to. (1:10)
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Ambassador Crocker says the gains in Iraq are fragile

At the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on "Iraq After the Surge: What Next?" Ambassador Ryan Crocker says everything in Iraq is hard, and it will continue to be hard. But hard does not mean hopeless, he says, and the progress is significant. The gains are fragile and they are reversible. (:24)
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If God came down and chose which section of al-Qaida to eliminate, what section should it be?

At the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on "Iraq After the Surge: What Next?" Chairman Joseph Biden (D-DE) says "In a choice, the Lord Almighty came down and sat in the middle of the table there and said, 'Mr. Ambassador, you can eliminate every al-Qaida source in Afghanistan and Pakistan or every al-Qaida personnel in Iraq,' which would you pick?" U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, says he would choose al-Qaida in the Afghanistan Pakistan border area. "That would be a smart choice," Biden says. (:33)
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