on "america tonight" - going it together. [ gunfire ] launching a full-on assault on terror targets inside syria - the president crosses a new line and hails the partners that steps up to join in. >> america is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with these nations on behalf of our common

security. why share the workload is key to the fight, and why this show of firepower is the first step. we'll report from the region and here in washington on the president's decision to strike against i.s.i.l., and other terror targets, and what's next. we'll follow the day's other news on "america tonight". [ ♪ music ] and good evening, thanks for joining us, i'm lidya chetkurui. for the president, it is a pivotal move and mights - one the mept christopher gibson -- and mission, one the pent christopher gibson says could take years. the military conducted air strikes against i.s.i.l. target in syria and iraq.

dozens were hit, 70 i.s.i.l. fighters killed, along with 50 members of the al qaeda-affiliated group al nusra. in which the leader was reported to be killed. president obama emphasised the united states is not acting alone, five strikes joining in, saudi arabia, qatar, bahrain, jordan, and the united arab emirates. the u.s. toma hawks struck agens a target the president said was close to launching an attack op u.s. or question targets. a network of seasoned veterans, almost unknown to the american public until recently. the group has been tracked for some time. sheila macvicar on who is behind the group and the threat it poses to americans. >> reporter: as the u.s. and the collision allies upleash waves

of air strikes at targets across syria, the first missiles launched from the u.s.s. ship in the sea were aimed not at i.s.i.l., but a core al qaeda group called koresan hiding in the areas. >> kora san is led by a cue weighty, a long-time senior al qaeda operative and financier with a $7 million price on his head, close enough to osama bin laden to be one of a few with advanced knowledge of plans for much. he fought in chechnya, was a link to zar cowy in iraq and implicated in the attack against the french tanker in 2002. >> we have been watching this group for some time and believe

they were responsible for atakes in the homeland. we know they have attempted to recruit westerners to infiltrate as operatize. >> it's the link to this man that is a source of greatest concern for the u.s. and other intelligence agencies. he is an innovative and dio bollical bomb maker. the creator of the underwear bomb worn by this man, intended to bring down a north-west airlines jet on christmas day in 2009. it failed, only because the underwear device was worn for three weeks. allah seery designed bombs concealed in printer cartridges, intercepted because of a tip-off from a double agent, and recruited his open brother who concealed a device in an attempt

to kill prince mohammed beni eff. unlike i.s.i.l., they have no interest in the syrian civil war. other than that, they provide a safe haven and a pool of western recruits. one of those, norwegian citizen anders dale designated by the u.s. in july as a global terrorist. sheila macvicar back here with us. unconventional explosives - what does that look like? >> working with al-syria is known to experiment with nonmetallic bombs, undetectable to conventional airport security. they have been known to develop with liquid explosives, not detectible to regular airport security. there was concern that this group was in a position where they were about to go operational this a very short

period of time. >> and because they had the links to people with western paths that was a threat to europe. >> it's something that raises concern about a threat to european war, american interests, and aviation. >> let's continue now the coverage and talk about understands the targets and partnerships involved in the air strikes. joining us is general mark kimmitt, retired from the u.s. army and back with us again. a day ago, 24 hours ago, we talked about the importance of partnerships to any provision the u.s. might launch. here we mow who the -- know who the partners were and what they did. >> last night the operations were not conducted by the u.s. alone. there were five important sunni arab partners. as an expression that this is not a u.s. only problem, but a world problem. by all accounts they acquitted

themselves quit well. >> five sunni countries underscoring the point. these players - unusual combination of players. >> unusual and unlikely. it goes to the importance that all the countries in the region ascribed to destroying i.s.i.l. the fact that the countries who are reluctant to fight their own caused - came along with the united states and the rest of the world to destroy this. the regimes are next on the hit list. >> it wasn't just tacit support, it was active support - they flew missions. >> these are countries we worked with. they have f-16 fighters. those which are normally used to defend the countries were used in offensive operation as part of a broad coalition to go after i.s.i.l. last night in syria. >> the u.s. said the coalition is broader than the five that

flew last night and talked about more than 40 plus countries and organizations. one of the regional players whose role is not clear is turkey. they could be an important player, because of the huge base close to the syrian border. >> unsulic was used for years and years when will when we did the watches, flying out of kuwait. turkey is a key n.a.t.o. ally. we that the recent issue they had was negotiated away to get back the documents, will not prevent them being part of the "ics, they are too important and crucial. >> in the concern of getting the documents back, they may have cut a deal. >> i think that generally made most people worried.

>> when we look at the locations targeted, the power seat or i.s.i.l., raqqa and other key spots within syria, talk about the importance of the partners in launching the strikes and reaching them. >> well, it goes to the quality of the equipment from the united states. these are not only american f-16s that have long less, but can be resupplied and refuelled in the air. it's the security cooperation that we have developed over the years in the region, that allows these countries to defend themselves, and when asked to be part of a broader coalition to attack common threats throughout the region and the world. >> and including in terms of space. >> right, it's not just the five countries, they are the most visible efforts last night. over 40 countries and other organizations that are

participating. just like we saw in the first gulf war, japan never set foot in the middle east, but they were a significant financial partner in the coalition we built for the first gulf war. all 40 will participate in some way or another. some may fly area planes, many providing critical intelligence. when you join a coalition, you are expected to contribute and i expect the countries will help in one way or another. >> listen to the general at the pentagon this morning, he was asked a question about syrian air defense, it was robust and good. he said clearly that it was passive. was it that the syrians knew it was coming and they did nothing to cause alarm to any path in the skies that night. >> i think that's significant. i thought the general gave a brilliant briefing, laying out

what he could, and telling us what he couldn't tell us. it was interesting to here him say the air defense was in a passive role. that means it was on, and tracking, but only like the way air traffic control would be. they were not targetting. it seems to be common knowledge that there was a message delivered to the u.n. yesterday, may have been by the u.s., union representatives by the syrians saying we are going in, you have a choice, and it's clear the syrians made the right choice last fight. >> thank you sheila macvicar and mark kimmitt. appreciate your insight. the strikes in syria has been more than a year in the making. the rise in i.s.i.l. a year ago, as far as the united states is concerned the primary issue was how to deal with war crimes in the syrian government. i.s.i.l. was an afterthought.

how much things have changed. >> reporter: in late august 2013, the civil war in syria takes a brutal turn. the government of bashar al-assad uses poison gas to kill more than a thousand people, including hundreds of children. the images split, prompting calls for military intervention. days later president obama asks congress to authorise the use of military force against syria. an urgent debate and vote on the table. a decision that has president obama in a difficult condition. also under consideration arming moderate rebel groups to diminish the influence of radical groups in the civil war. members of congress and the public are skeptical. the president settles for a plan in which syria will give up chemical weapons.

i asked congress to postpone a vote to use force. >> jan 2014, in an gru, president obama, when asked about the resurgence of military groups downplays the threat. using an analogy, he says if a jv team puts on lakers uniforms, that doesn't make them kobe bryant. he is criticized for the remark. june 2014, i.s.i.l. forces swept through northern and central iraq, storing a string of victories in a matter of weeks. the american trained iraqi army is overwhelmed. i.s.i.l. fights its way to baghdad. >> i.s.i.l. gained more than territory. as the iraqi army units melted away. soldiers deserted, leaving quaept behind. all of it.

>> in i.s.i.l.'s wake, mass executions, the imposition of sharia law and forced conversions. by june i.s.i.l. changes its name to the islamic state, its leader declares itself the caliph, the emir of muslims everywhere. august 2014, after i.s.i.l. seizes a town of sinjar, thousands of yazidi, members of a minority that islamists believe are herra ticks flea flee to the mount a. president obama orders food troops and air strikes to protect them. in iraq it's not just yazidi, but christians that worry. >> our life is in danger. >> reporter: what are you telling people that live here that are afraid? >> to stay on their land. we have to encourage them to

stay home. >> reporter: in the united states the air strikes are stepped up with iraqi help. they capture ground, including the mosul dam. in retaliation, i.s.i.l. executes james foley, an american journalist it held captive. later steven sotloff, another american journalist, will die at the hand of i.s.i.l. fighters. september 10, 2014, a year since president obama addressed the nation about the situation. he's back to discuss how the u.s. will confront i.s.i.l. he vows to expand the fight. >> i will not hesitate to take action against syria and iraq. this is a core principle of my presidency. if you threaten america, you find no safe haven. >> also part of the new plan, arming the moderate opposition

groups in syria opposed to i.s.i.l. something proposed more than a year ago. >> now that the fight against i.s.i.l. has been widened other nations face complex reactions. we are joined by a senior fellow at the brookings institution. let's talk about that. it's a leaning of reaction. some hasn't explained why you partnered in this alliance. >> well, it's complex for our partners. they have been calling for the ouster, and now here we are intervening in syria against bashar al-assad's enemies. the second is they are against i.s.i.s., and are supportive of the sunni insurgencies. and fear the empower.

and also in syria, and the third is that you have somebody like the king of jordan, who has been unt pressure not by just islamists, but leftists saying don't join america's war. the problem is these, of course, countries understand that i.s.i.s. potentially through them. but at the same time, they worry about america taking the lead. they want america to do it, they are fearful of america's role, and worry about the public opinion, and jordan is going to have that worry a lot about what happens domestically. the administration needs to focus on jordan. >> we noted today that the jordanian officials were quick to note that a reason they participated is they had seep, according to them, incursions of i.s.i.l. into their territory. >> of course, that's partly

trying to rationalive and justify it -- rationalize and justify it, about why they are working against the insurgents when the public is sympathetic. >> and you are hearing other reactions from the world that surprise you. >> no question. start with bashar al-assad, he is a guy - we are essentially intervening in his country without u.n. authorisation. he says you can't do it without our permission. the u.s. didn't ask, they informed him, he said "yes, we were informed, we welcome any help fighting terrorism", so much so that he's alienated two allies - iran and hezbollah. tonight, the leader of hezbollah gave a speech saying, "yes, we are against i.s.i.s. and fighting i.s.i.s., but don't want the u.s. to fight them." so is the case with iran.

>> very interesting. >> interesting reactions. >> interesting times and voices. i expect we'll hear more. thank you so much. >> my pleasure. when we return, our indepth coverage of the strikes on syria, a key figure on capitol hill tells us whether the president has gone far enough. can i.s.i.l. be stopped without hitting harder. also ahead - the view from syria. images from the tart site delivered to the world from social media and act visits about their impact. it's a weekday morning in

harlem. people form a line for food. inside the pantry the number needing food is growing. congress withdrew funding to snap, and because of that a 26 increase in recipients was confirmed. new york ran fourth in a group of cities. joe berg, who heads the new york coalition against hunger says as the city gets to the 100,000 plus food kitchens, it's increasing. >> we are able to see that the demand goes up, rent is the single cost that low income people face. if they can afford to buy rent, there's less for food. >>

welcome back, before departing nor new york and the climate summit, president obama reiterated that the fight against i.s.i.l. is not americas's alone. lisa stark joins us from the white house, there's a lot of concern expressed about the threat level to those of us in the united states. is there any sense that we are at a risk? >> we know from the white house that they were concerned about an imminent attack by the al qaeda-affiliated group, the kora son group. and the department of homeland security tells us that they and the fbi sent out a joint bulletin giving the latest information about the group, and they are adjusting measures as necessary. the administration, department

of homeland security will say they are constantly re-evaluating those measures and adjust them when need be. >> let's wind back to earlier in the day when the president left the white house. he emphasised the importance of the partnership making the strike possible. can you talk about that partnership as well. >> that is a significant development. the white house long said it does not want to go it alone. secretary kerry has been on a round-robin, especially with the gulf states to bring the coalition together. it was significant that four of states that took part. united arab emirates, jordan, qatar, and the other, bahrain, is led by a sunni government. they are taking on i.s.i.l., which essentially is a sunni group. it's seen as significant by analysts, and we are hearing, in fact, reaction from congress that they are hoping this will

be the beginning of a broader and more robust coalition with these in the middle east working together in the united states. >> from the white house. lisa stark, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> congression is on recess, but the most positive reaction from lawmakers have come from the republicans - they have applauded the air tricks and new york congressman mr engel, who advocated strong action against i.s.i.l. i expect you would be pleased but has it gone far enough, sir? >> i'm pleased in that i think that this is something that needed to be done. i don't get ahead of myself. i know a lot of people that second-guess the president say this or that should have been done, that isn't being done - i think you have to start somewhere, and the decision was made by the congress and the

president to arm and train the free syria army, and rebels, and i think that we weren't obviously going wait months and months until the training was done. i think that a decision was made to try to strike the targets now with i.s.i.l. and it was the right decision. >> with reference to the free syrian army, and arming and supporting moderate forces, it's a relatively small group that they are talking about, 5,000 of how many thousands in the 40,000 range that may be available to them. will that be enough to make a dips to contain the threat? >> i don't know. i think you have to start somewhere. this is a reasonable place to start. >> can this be an effective force if you don't have boots on the ground at some point, possibly in the nearer term? >> well, i leave that to the people who fight the wars and plan the wars.

it's above my pay grade. i will tell you that you don't think that we can look at every nook and cranny and everything that might happen. we have to take it one step at a time. there'll be no american boots on the ground like it was 10 years ago or so in the invasion of iraq. we are not talking about those kind of boots on the ground. there has been talk right now, there are some american boots on the ground from embassies being protected in iraq, and it may have to be in the future at some point there'll be a decision made with strategic forces. there'll be no boots on the ground like a full-scale invasion that we have of iraq. no one has the stomach for that, no one needs to do that. there are people that believe it can be done by air power, perhaps with special forces that might be boots on the ground. we have the kurds and iraq, and

the iraqis in iraq, and perhaps the free syrian army can be the start of boots on the ground in syria. i don't think there's a stomach for long-term american boots on the ground. >> new york congressman elliott engel, appreciate you being was. on the question of how effective air strikes can be in syria, we are joint by al jazeera's "faultlines" correspondent "the rush.." >> -- john rushing. >> i was there, i was travelling along the front line a good 600 miles from where it touches syria, goes all the way across to iran. what is interesting, if you look at the map, if you follow the red line, you see that kurdistan, the autonomous part in the north is no longer committed to the rest of the iraq. it's cut off by the islamic

state. once the air strikes started, that changed rapidly, right before my eyes, as we went through village after village, reconnecting kurdistan. the air strikes are really effective. one, in northern iraq you have villages connected to another cluster of major towns. there's not a lot inform between. there's wide open road, a lot of sand that that vehicle can be stuck in, but makes is easy pray for air strikes, and setting up artillery. you have to do it outside a town. the challenge of air strikes comes when you get to the cities like mosul, up in the north, tikrit, that's where they become almost useless, because there's so much collateral damage. what you can do is cut off the movement of the islamic state in between the cities, and create a siege mentality. >> that is the point.

talking to the kurdish commanders on the ground say it's effective. as we look into syria, those resources, assets - u.s. air strikes and the coalition partners - is there enough strength on the ground. >> it's an open question. i don't know what the answer is. i know that the air strikes will have some effect at degrading i.s.i.l. in syria. can it destroy i.s.i.l. with boots on the ground. probably notment the question will certainly not be u.s. troops on the ground. the u.s. has to find a group that they can work with and trust. this is not a problem for the u.s. they have been trying to find the group for three years. the question is who will get the backing of the u.s. with the arms and the money, can yes get up to speed fast enough to coordinate with the air strikes already happening. >> al jazeera's "faultlines"

correspondent. >> more about the conflict and unlikely alliances. the u.s. air strikes not solely directed at the i.s.i.l. targets and the impact is hard to assess. we explore a flood of videos from the ground, and the claims and counterclaims about whether civilians were hit. >> reporter: within hours of monday's strikes... ..videos began to pop up online. this one posted by members of an armed group specifically targeted by the pentagon. >> and the night... we were attacked by the coalition of america and some arab countries. >> reporter: this man identified himself as a european fighting for al nusra in syria. he led youtube viewers through the rubble and had a clear message for brethren around the

world. >> see what the enemies do to the places of the mujahideen. >> reporter: and a message for the united states. >> although this happened we will have a victory, and we will should allah prevail, we'll get the victory. >> online supporters of al nusra and others are calling for revenge and unity between the two rive at groups that have been embroiled in a bitter turf war in syria, proclaiming that blood spilt is i.s.i.l. blood spilt. circulating images of children they say are casualties of the strike. ordinary people on the ground have been posting videos. from missile hit down. activists captured rescue efforts. munitions discovered on the ground and what they claim are

children killed in the strike. a facebook page lists names and images of a dozen civilians activists say were killed. in nearby areas, this man caught in the rubble is just a boy. >> as images of destruction continue to flood in online, the pentagon responded by saying it was unaware of any civilian casualty. as any emerged they'd investigated fully." when we return, other top stories - reigniting the fire. a blaze in ferguson, missouri. and the tensions. lori jane gliha returns to ferguson, with a look at what the st louis suburb faces now. looking ahead... >> let me tell you something. >> his family kicked him out

when he revealed his sexual orientation. >> i'm not a disgrace. >> yes, you are. >> no, i'm not. >> unfortunately, i'm sorry to say what you are. >> what this georgian teen did next and why it helped to energize a community to stand up and by l.g.b.t. kids.

>> we pray for the children in the womb >> a divisive issue >> god is life , so it's his to take >> see a 10 year old girl who's pregnant, and you tell me that's what god wants... >> a controversial law >> where were you when the babies lives were being saved? >> are women in texas paying the price? >> who's benefiting from restricting access to safe abortions? >> fault lines... al jazeera america's hard hitting... ground breaking... truth seeking... breakthrough investigative documentary series access restricted only on al jazeera america

now a snapshot of stories making headlines on "america tonight". as the debate over global warming heats up, president obama says actions need to catch up. at a speech at the united nations climate summit he said they need to address it. the united states will meet its goal to cut it by 17% by the year 2020. the world's biggest carbon hold erts -- holders. he was the voice of al qaeda's recruiters, and will spend the rest of his life in prison. osama bin laden's son-in-law earnt his spot and will spend time in prison. a day on the job turns deadly in alabama. a man who was fired, returned to a warehouse where he worked,

killing two and turning the gun on himself a flame ignites at flashpoint ferguson, a blaze destroying the street memorial to the unarmed teenager killed by a police officer. it was quickly rebuilt, but the fire threatens to spark new tensions in a community struggling since the death of 18-year-old michael brown. "america tonight" was in ferguson for the days of protest and the nights of clashes with police that followed. now our correspondent lori jane gliha returns to ferguson, and find a community close to the boiling point. [ siren ] >> reporter: it's chilly at night in ferguson, and not nearly as many people are on the streets. [ chanting ] >> reporter: a troop of tenacious teens and young adults is still marking, six weeks after a police officer shot and killed michael brown.

[ chanting ] >> reporter: they call themselves the lost voices, a group of nine or so. when they saw each other's faces in massive protests following brown's death, they knew they had something in commonly. >> we come out here to protest, plain and simple. we never been supporters before. but we was protesters, we became activists, civil rights leaders. it's like everything worked. like a magical way. drawing us in to the one spot. >> i know they are committed and dedicated because we are marching together. that caught my interest. >> leonard smith and don'ta carter say they are not that different from brown or each other. >> young african-americans need help. they need to be treated equally. and you imagine the justice

system - that's a problem. >> they are continuing the protest, because they are fed up with a system they say is stacked against them. the lost voices is one of a few groups still demonstrating. >> we are camped out. >> reporter: this is your tent. >> yes, this is where i sleep. >> reporter: the first night you didn't have a tent. >> no, i didn't >> reporter: where did you sleep? >> in the church. >> the first night was amazing. everyone game together the first night. it was night after night after night. not one of us knew each other but trusted each other to sleep next to each other at night. we slept toot at night. breaking candy amongst the group, making sure everyone got some. >> reporter: the lost voices changed location, and now are at the back of an availabling apt parking lot. they are a few blocks where were

mike brown was killed, and this is a road where thousands marched a few weeks ago. >> i wanted to come to the streets and be part of the march where michael brown was killed. the lost voice's main cause is to have everyone across the whole entire world conscious on what is really happening in your community, in our community, in the communities across the world. >> they have been roughing it for a few weeks, vowing to stay outside, trying to decide whether to indespite a police officer that pulled the trigger. they would like to see the mostly white police force change. >> we had a meeting with the mayor and the chief and suggested a lot of things that will create change.

going to the schools and be involved, you know, make the younger people feel like they could talk to officers. >> city officials say they are trying to address public concerns by holding public meetings. hundreds lined up at two town hauls to learn about what the cities said and misconceptions about the police force and city practices. we caught up with the police chief as he entered the town haul. he told us he welcomed a chance for dialogue. how is your department doing handling community relations? >> good. good work behind the scenes. very, very positive. >> reporter: what do you think is the biggest change that needs to happen going forward? >> i don't want to go there. there's so much in the works. >> reporter: we tried to follow

the chief inside the community meeting by the city and the department of justice. but the justice department closed the town hall to non-ferguson residents. we are from the media and want to see if you are letting us into the meeting. is there anyone from d.o.j. that can explain why? >> no. >> reporter: it's the second meeting we haven't been allowed into. the d.o.j. is not allowing us to go in. we discussed a list of what was being discussed. like whether fern christopher gibson -- fern christopher gibsons were targeted by the african-americans targeted by the police. do you believe this was productive or worthless? >> i believe it when i see it. [ chants ] >> reporter: the group, the lost

voices, continues to use its voice to shout for justice and peace. the members believe that's the only way the change they hope for will come. so let's consider what is next for ferguson. "america tonight"s lori jane gliha joins us from st. louis. we were struck by how emotional folks were. did you see a level of tension, emotion in ferguson. >> it was similar and different to the last time i was there. the biggest difference is the main road where thousands marched back and forth. you had protesters in the street, police vehicles there. it was different to be there and see traffic. the kids went out and protested. there were cars happening at them in support of what they were doing. definitely i say you could feel stress and tension going on, which is why the community

meetings are happening to alleviate that. i heard different per spent tifs, so i know there's a -- perspectives. there's a lot of emotions. there's anticipation of what the grand jury will do in the case of darren wilson, the person that pulled the trigger in the teeth of mike brown. >> you mentioned the community meetings. why weren't you allowed into that? >> this is interesting. we had our open attorneys find out why we couldn't go in. this wasn't a normal public meeting. it was organised by the community, the community relations service, and that is tasked with going in specifically to cities having conflicts and attention, specifically dealing with race and national origin, and help the communities deal with the conflict, offer mediation, address what is going on and move forward. by law they are required to do the activities out of the public

eye, with no publicity, in confidence. that's the reason you saw no media go in, and why people not from ferguson from not allowed to go into that meeting. >> thank you very much. after the break - we return to the primary focus - syria, and a surprising look back. a year ago the u.s. came to the edge but didn't launch a major air campaign. we remember the voices we spoke to in our up to haul to see how much has changed and what they expect will happen next.

as we reported the president went before the nation earlier in the day to explain the u.s. air strikes against syria. this speech echoed an address as he tried to rally support for strik strikes against bashar al-assad, after he killed his people in a gas attack. we look back and check in with who we spoke then, and get the rehabilitation to the latest access in syria. an uphill battle. team obama, a step closer to

gaining support for a strike on syria. >> this is imperfect. >> sometimes you have to shake hands with the devil. >> law makers ready themselves for a vote in washington and get an earful back home. the president takes his case to the american people. >> if we fail to act the bashar al-assad regime will see no reason to see chemical weapons. >> the nation responds. a "america tonight" session - town hall debate. >> welcome to the town hall coverage of the president's speech. we'll go to mitch gap, the home to the largest pop u -- michigan, the home to the largest population of syrian men's. joining us is sheila macvicar. >> there's confusion and doubts... >> hundreds of thousands have been displaced. countries have been destroyed.

>> the president tried very hard to avoid a unilateral action on the part of the u.s. from a military perspective. he looks at the experience with the iraqs war as being a negative experience. >> syria lost as a country, and i was hoping that president obama addresses more than of the humanitarian situation and what can be done to relieve the suffering of the american people. >> we'd like to welcome back sheila macvicar, and some of guests from that panel. u.s. air force retired col them fredrik lleyton. also with us the president of the syrian-american medical society. we appreciate all three of them being with us. looking to a year ago, what was done, what might have been, and the reality that you have seen. i know you still make many trips into the region, do you have a

regret na the year went the way it did? >> the situation in syria wept from bad to worse. over the past year since we had the town hall meeting, 90,000 people were killed in syria. 2 million people are in need of assistance. every time i go, the situation and the cities in aleppo is worse and worse. finally we have action led by the united states. i hope that it will have positive ramification. i have mixed feelings. we believe some of these strikes may cause more harm to the civilians and areas. civilians are trapped between i.s.i.l. and costs sending barrel bombs and chlorine gas. the air strikes are not helping. >> there's always innocent people caught in the middle.

the other question is is it enough, will it be enough, can we count on making a difference here? >> quite frankly, i'm afraid it will not be enough. in a situation like this you need not only sustained air strikes and campaign, but you need the option of putting boots on the ground. doesn't mean american boots, but boots of some time on the ground. if you don't have those, if they are not trained properly, they can't be as effective as they need to be. i think it's a day late, dollar short solution, and that worries me about this. >> that is the concern. that is the weakness in the plan. no one is on the ground capable at this moment of standing up within the array of rebels, the free syrian army. they do not have the capacity now. there are plans to train them, it takes time. equipping takes time. they are not in the position right now to go into battle on

the ground and defeat i.s.i.l. on the ground. >> with what the president offered as a plan, it's still a fragment of forces going against the regime. >> absolutely. you are talking about 5,000 fighters trained in saudi arabia to a standard that will allow them, supposedly, to work together with coalition forces. and that is really something that takes time, a career, for people in the u.s. military to be trained to. there's no way you can expect the people to be at the same level. i realise that probably they will make it about a two-thirds type solution. with that, it requires more time, more action, and it's something that should have been done at least two years ago, if not earlier. >> that points to two things, one that the humanitarian risk to a nation of people that face

so many challenges, and also what would have to come ahead of that. what would the ultimate goal have to be - the end of the bashar al-assad regime? >> the ultimate goal should be to end the crisis leading to the creation of i.s.i.l. the root causes it extreme brutality of the regime against the people, the indiscriminate bombing of people. we have captive audience i.s.i.l., student that are not getting education, and they are easy targets to i.s.i.l. to end the group, we have to end the root causes of those, and make sure that civil society in syria, the local communicate yes are resilient and stronger. we have to focus on education, job creation, strengthen civil society. it should play a major role.

ending i.s.i.s. will not just be by bombs, but coupled with development, education and strength thing of civil society. it is, at the end. day, war goes on. a year ago, the terror targets would have been considered a sideshow. today they are the focus. >> they are the main event. >> there's no question about that. we saw in syria's passive response last night to the air strikes, where they had air defence systems on, but they were not on red alert, they were not targetting. they permitted the planes to come into their territory. >> they let it happen. >> they let it happen. we heard from the president saying "i'm for anything that goes against terror groups. willingly or not. one way or another. we are kind of on the same page. and that is not a very pleasant place to be. >> that's right. sheila is right.

these are the kinds of situations that you get into when you don't pic carefully at the beginning of the conflict. we didn't pick, we put our head in the sapped and the ovt -- sand, and the ostrich is coming out and looking around. sheila macvicar from "america tonight," and retired col them cedric leighton, and dr zaheer. appreciate you all being back with us. >> thank you. >> president obama will address the u.n. general assembly and reside over a special meeting of the security council, what the president hopes to gain in the fight against i.s.i.l. next.

>> the government is prepared to carry out mass array... >> if you want free press in the new democracy, let the journalists live. [ ♪ music ] the president will make a pitch to the u.n. general assembly in an effort to solidify commitment in the fight against i.s.i.l. sheila macvicar joins us. wrapping up the hour, looking ahead, what does the president hope to accomplish, what does he

have to accomplish. >> the u.n. general assembly is the biggest statement in the world. you have the four heads of state, that's where he'll make a pitch. this coalition is 50 nations and organizations including nato, and growing. that's what they want to do, make this the broadest global coalition. it doesn't have to be people that commit arms, they can commit other resources, including financial. because in will go on for a long time and be expensive. the president want to draw as many people into that as he can. >> we'll continue to follow up on all that. sheila macvicar as we look forward to another day. if you would like to comment on stories, log on to the website aljazeera.com/americatonight and join in the conversation any time on twitter or facebook.

goodnight. we'll have more of "america tonight" tomorrow. u.s.-led air strikes rock areas held by i.s.i.l. in syria, and attacking an al qaeda affiliate believed to pose a threat to america. the u.s. government raises the terror level because of possible