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we offer expertise in -- and tailored solutions for small businesses and major corporations. what can we do for you? >> and now "bbc world news america." >> reporting from washington. president obama announces where u.s. troop levels will be at the end of the year. more deadly attacks in nigeria claimed on boko haram. using force to rescue more than 200 kidnapped schoolgirls would be too dangerous. could readr computer your state of mind? unlocking new ways of working.

welcome to our viewers on public television and around the globe. the combat mission in afghanistan will be over and forces will be reduced to under 10,000. of acomes on the eve policy speech. >> these freshly minted marines are less likely to end up fighting on some foreign field. the graduate to a world where the commander-in-chief is ing how the war will wind down. >> this is how wars end.

our ate blows against the jerry's and trained forces taking responsibility. 30,000 inmore than the country now. -- critics say he has soft on china. as created a more dangerous world. >> there are questions today about the united states that have not been there in times in the past and i think that creates a vacuum. in that vacuum, other people step in. about theconcerned

lack of a clear-sighted foreign policy in our country. betraining on the job could tough. the president said the opponents would say sometimes it seems frozen by indecision. with some fancy stumbles and he of hist use the power office to dazzle or other -- sweettalk other leaders. >> there is a perception that the u.s. is not been as assertive. some of the criticism is unfair. the white house needs to deal with the criticism. perception can sometimes become reality. stunnedresident seems by criticism that he looks weak. he's about to fight back. the white house says this is the right time to send out how america can lead the rest of the

world without overextending itself. more on the president's announcement on afghanistan iceboat spoke a brief camargo to the senior advisor at the state department. >> will this really stabilize the country? >> u.s. troops have no impact on the fighting on the ground. will make to 9800 sure that the u.s. will not be engaged in day-to-day combat operations. we will be doing a minimal amount of protecting ourselves to an counterterrorism but not having impact on the fighting. even these 9800 cannot have an impact on the actual events. whether you are down to zero on that one or 9800, it might have

an in cat -- impact on how many you can trained and he can carry out operations against pakistan and afghanistan. >> afghanistan is not a perfect place and is not the role of the u.s. to make you one but can afghan troops keep the taliban at bay without the u.s.? >> that is the $64,000 question. the u.s. is fulfilling the promise of winding down this war. the placewant to see fall apart. having a minimum force to give maybe ring that amount of residual stability we need for the next two years. >> the president talked about the gains made for women and girls. are those gains at risk? >> they are at risk largely anduse there is no work

theher the army can hold tide is an open question. we are gambling on that and we do not know if there is gains can be sustained. in afghanistan defeat the americans? >> that will be the narrative. we did not defeat them. at this what we said the fight is not worth it and we have other things to do and we're leaving. they will say that they outlasted us the same as they did with the reddish and russians. >> thank you for joining us. back tonight gerald wrote there were reports of more attacks in the north of the country. militants are believed to have killed 50 people. a day after the nigerian military was holding more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped last

month but using force would be too dangerous. been no sign of the girls. all very embarrassing for the military which has two played -- deployed troops. it wascrowd turned up, announced that the girls had been located. >> we know where to look. just leave us alone. back together. proceeded suggest using force would be to difficult. this is what is left of the school from where the girls were seized. a were taken in the middle of the night. a fathers who -- a father whose two girls are missing till this only made of the latest news. i used to be completely downhearted but now that we have

information about their whereabouts were beginning to feel comforted. the government should do everything they can to secure their release alive. people wholenty of are reluctant to take officials statements at face value. almost 500 people have been killed by boko haram since the girls were abducted six weeks ago. using the military is not the only option. they have been attentive and the theater was a must struck. they would have seen 50 of the girls released in exchange for 100 boko haram prisoners but the government backed out of the deal at the 11th hour. the calls to bring back our

girls alive will still bring out. on the efforts to rescue the girls i spoke earlier formerlygeneral who led the operation. they warned against the use of force to get them back. >> the chief of defense staff totainly is in the position know more specifically than the rest of us. if i was wise to a disclosed location or give any hints as to the generation they had. arehey know where the girls or where most of them are it enters into a more difficult phase. what do you do about it? the chief of defense staff hinted at this, about the

dangers that might present themselves to the girls in a mountain of salt. >> there is a split because we do know that there were negotiations whether to have a prisoner exchange in turn for the release of the girls. usetary doesn't want to force. what do they do? , if theyl -- if true know where most of the girls are it is the internal debate internal to the nigerian government, what do we do about it? do we plan and conduct the hostage rescue operation, do we negotiate, do we find other ways to try to get the girls free or a combination of all of those activities. i think it is unlikely that we will know that. we will not see the internal discussions within the nigerian government. >> how is the risk government assisting in the search?

>> i think the u.s. government helps in a couple of different ways. the military side, we have some intelligence capabilities. technical intelligence, signals intelligence which can be helpful to the nigerians and helping them locate the girls. that is the first and foremost in the way which will help the most. longer-term the u.s. government's role in development and economic assistance, economic development i think we'll have a more lasting effect encountering boko haram then will the military side. >> if the government does know where the girls are there must about what tot do. what you think the options are? >> we are difficult as best. forcery or security rescue operations brings with it a great risk and i have been in the public debate questions

about nigeria's came willingly -- capability to perform that. if they think that is the right thing to do they probably could. the second is we negotiate rush to market is easy as americans. we have a national policy that says we do not do that. if you're the parent of one of those girls that is a tough hurdle, a tough pill to swallow to say the government will not negotiate for the release of my daughter. on all of these issues, all these options are on the table and i am sure they're being debated. >> you were the head of u.s. africa command. does boko haram look like a threat to the u.s.? >> not yet. but they certainly aspire to be to americans and american interests in africa. what i worry about is they have gained in capability over the

past few years. they are better armed and better funded. they are larger. they are more violent than they have been over the past few years. and their leaders have made it to attack they aspire the west. not just americans but europeans as well. i believe strengthening association with al qaeda and perhaps with others is worrisome though i think it is telling that man al qaeda as i understand from open source reporting may -- they have resisted close affiliations with boko haram. >> thank you for joining us. the authorities in a zipped the standard voting in the election to a third day. reports of an x-ray zulu low turnout.

from cairo we are getting these reports. anday two of the election no rush of voters. polling station staff were left sitting idle. people a big push to get to the polls. state employees were suddenly given the day off and egyptians were threatened with fines for staying away. many seem to have ignored all that. at this polling station voters are coming and going. officials were not keen for us to show that. the authorities have not had the numbers they wanted and the turnout is critical. the lower it is the workers seems the mandate -- weaker seems the mandate. his supporters remain devoted. >> i really believed in him. a million times over.

100%, a million percent. >> she is one of those refusing si has blood onsi his hands. this is the last photo of her husband. iny brutally cleared a sit killing at least 600 protesters. , angry neighbors other downside intimidating her children. they prevented us from weaving saying we were spies. a small example of the mistrust and bitter division in egypt. when the police came we were detained and held for almost two supporters say he will

save this troubled nation but not all the nations are convinced. amid concerns about a low turnout, boating has been extended over a day. still despite being detained. reports of 21 people who have big killed and hospital in south korea. wereof the patients bedridden and in their 70's and 80's. it was the second deadly blaze in today's. seven people were killed and 41 injured on monday. bbc world news america. still to come, christopher michaels martinez died. we speak to his father about the tragic loss.

and a recapture of the donetsk airport after fighting monday. you can see the aftermath of that intense firefight. this truck completely burned out. around the base of the truck. there is plenty that we cannot show you because it is too graphic. there are body parts. we have seen a lot of loud and debris from the fighting that took place. we have been here this morning where they have been some gunshots that have run out but not the same intensity as yesterday. there was sporadic gunfire coming from inside the compound. we understand ukrainian troops are largely in control of the

airport base. it seems there was some kind of clear out operation to flush out the last elements of rebel control from the airport. airportermined that the is not fall to the insurgents or the terrorists as they put it. they would give the separatist groups a real advantage in trying to access this region. asre is the crimea factor well when pro-russian insurgents lost their incursion of crime area. when they took the airport that was the first key installation they took control of. the ukrainian government is determined to clamp down on that. the new president and he will not negotiate.

you see the impact of that in this area around dennis airport. donetsk airport. >> memorial services are being held at the university of california, santa barbara to remember the six victims who were killed in the campus on friday night. rodger went on the rampage after sending a manifesto about his motives and then took his own life. >> flowers are still being laid in memory of those who died. people here are still in shock. smallove vista is a beachside town. it was around this road where elliott rodger fired. he killed christopher michael martinez. it is one of the sites of the left round the town.

flowers filled the old holes in the window. >> he stopped for two or three seconds and picked up again. it went for 15 or 20 seconds. he was almost smiling like he was happy. it was chilling. over the video the bullets are coming over me. all that glass broke and landed on my head. off and applied fresher to his wounds to stop bleeding. his friends are giving him cpr. >> this is the video of chris michael martinez. he was a keen sportsman. >> he was hard-working, competitive, and he was just so much fun. he was just as a light to be

around. i took him to paris when he was 12 and it is the most fun i ever had. we had a terrific time. just a delightful kid. did not havet him to meet him very long to feel that way. it is just awful. what could have been done to have stopped this, anything? chris people have asked me about solutions. i know there are not any easy solutions. it is a complicated problem. proliferation of unnecessary violence against women. >> have you stop these people? >> he got what he wanted. praying the pump for the next one. because it shows them, it shows ofhe sky and people that have similar

feelings that they get what they want when they do these terrible things. >> memorials have been held over the weekend. community.d in this they reflected on those who survived and those who died. hashris martinez' father challenged others to act on gun control. everyone suffers from busy and slow days at work or what if your computer could tell if it was a stressful day? there is a brain sensor that can do just that. it could be used to our benefit. the computer normally does not know anything about you. -- it new nice if you

that you are busy and struggling or coasting and adjusting in some way. sam has got this had been done. what exact the is going through these cables and what are we finding out? >> these are fiber-optic cables curing the light to the head and then back to this machine which measures how much light came back. we can find out how hard a particular part of the brain is working. >> you can tell how stressed someone is at work. getting bored.e >> what kind of practical use might this have? >> imagine a team of people who are flying a bunch of remotely piloted airplanes. they're playing can be handed off to someone else. what it does is shines light and measures light coming back. it is easy to imagine that this is a device for someday.

twoake to fund numbers -- numbers and multiply them. >> when we gave you a mentally demanding task we could see the machine was predicting and when you are at rest the work for -- workload is lower. the challenge is how you would like to respond. >> how far down there or does this go? we are not reading athos at all. measuringtally -- your mental state. who knows in the distant future restaurant maybe we can read your thoughts would that is a long way off. brings today's show to a

close but you can find much more on the website. thanks for watching. please tune in tomorrow. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation, newman's own foundation, giving all profits to charity and pursuing the common good for over 30 years, kovler foundation. and union bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to understand the industry you operate in, working to nurture

new ventures and help provide capital for key strategic decisions. we offer expertise and tailored solutions in a wide range of industries. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles. ♪

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> now we're finishing the job we started. >> ifill: president obama unveiled his new road-map for drawing down american troops in afghanistan pulling all but 98,000 of them out by the end of this year, and the rest out by 2016. good evening, i'm gwen ifill. >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff. also ahead this tuesday, the deadly fighting in ukraine's east escalated as battles between government forces and pro-russia militants stretch into a second day. >> ifill: plus, the push to save louisiana's westlands, as it's coastline crumbles into the gulf