>> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. hello and welcome to our viewers in the united states and all around the world. i'm rosemary church. >> and i am errol barnet. you are watching cnn's special coverage. it is 2:00 a.m. in ferguson, missouri, after more unrest. >> here's what happened monday night into tuesday. tear gas filled the air after there was some violence between police and a small group of protestors. a few people threw molotov cocktails, bottles and even rocks at authorities in what appeared to be an attempt to provoke officers. witnesses say they were

purposefully trying to antagonize police. ron johnson, he said two people were shot during this unrest and several others have been arrested. >> now, as we've been telling you, we are expecting authorities to hold a news conference at any moment. the majority of people were demonstrating peacefully, but some spoke with cnn about what they feel is an unnecessary amount of police presence. take a listen. >> a whole nother level other than what we have to go through on a regular basis everynight, but at the same time all throughout st. louis we're always subject to harassment by the police. it is just wrong. there's no balance in the black and the white in the police departments. we have to -- we have to -- we are made automatically to know that we have to be indoors at a certain hour in certain areas in the city of st. louis. it's just already known. it's not a written rule or anything like that, it's just

something that we just already know. >> now captain ron johnson, the head of security in ferguson, he spoke with our don lemon and jake tapper just a short time ago. he said the large number of police on the street is necessary to protect lives and property. listen to this. >> as you know, we were out there tonight and then glass bottles began to get thrown, water bottles began to get thrown. we have to protect the officers that are out here, we have to. tonight we can't send officers into squad cars to areas where they're shooting bullets. they have to go into armored vehicles that can stop bullets. we have to send officers that have stronger vests to stop bullets. some of the media were out there. you guys may not have been down there, but there were some 34mea out there where the gunfire was shot. >> he asked cnn to, quote, see what he sees.

let's cross over to ed lavendera who's been there all day in ferguson. we've been seeing calmer pictures after it was cleared out. has it been completely cleared out? what can you see now? >> reporter: it sounds like it has calmed down significantly over the course of the last hour, hour and a half or so. that's the good news. even though there was not a curfew in place tonight, it didn't take long for tensions to escalate once again and turn into a dramatically tense situation along that stretch roadway where we've seen these protests for the last almost week and a half. >> now we're standing by for a media update from captain johnson. yesterday he explained the more robust response by mentioning there was looting, there were people, provocateurs in the crowd, people shot. it seems like a repeat of that tonight. based on what you've witnessed,

how would you describe the mood, the behavior of officials monday evening compared to what we've seen over the past week? >> well, you know, i thought the response tonight was -- i can tell you what i saw, and that was they're at the point where authorities began the process of lining up across the street when they felt -- it seemed like they thought the protests were starting to take a more -- starting to take a more tense turn and a -- more of an aggressive posture. it almost sounded like -- at some point it almost looked like they were -- some of the demonstrators were trying to do what they did yesterday, which is starting dancing towards the command post area which is in a shopping mall parking lot which is a quarter mile away from where the demonstrators were.

this is where the national guard was sent, to protect the parking lot and to protect the officers working from the command post there. that's clear from the way the authorities were lining up across the street. any kind of advancement toward that wasn't going to be allowed, but, those authorities had that line -- there was a group of religious leaders that stepped in and community activists that stepped in at that point and so with bull horns and why trying to talk to some of the more agitated members of the group there and talk them down off the cliff. what i thought was interesting, what kind of stood out was that the police force there held back and let those men do the talking and that probably lasted 30 to 45 minutes and for the most part it seemed like they had gotten things under control, but then it appears that there was a group that splintered off and made its way back down the road,

back down towards the gas station to the convenience store that was burped down last week. that's where the texts flared up again. shots were fired, tear -- gunshots were fired from somewhere in the crowd. there was i think things thrown from what i understand from my colleagues who were closer in that area at the officers. that's when the tear gas was deployed. that's where the tensions escalated. >> ed lavendera talking to me from ferguson, missouri, where we're waiting for a media briefing to get underway. ed, the last point you made is interesting because it seems as though what you witnessed were local community leaders to be a best, to be a buffer between the police and the citizens. one of them there was ma'lik

shabazz and unfortunately a few small elements provoked the police. the community leaders are out there to be a buffer and was actually working and could be a way as captain johnson says stop the violence from taking place in the first place? >> well, i was talking to a couple of those guys in a couple of those -- there was also a much larger group of religious leaders. what i heard from them was that at some point some of the older kind of religious leaders here in the community, this is a situation where they're simply armed with their religious collars, if you will. they are not equipped in any kinds of fashion to handle a situation that becomes violent. so, they rely on -- i'm sorry. go ahead. >> that's just some audio we're playing, ed. continue. >> reporter: oh, i'm sorry.

at some point and some of the men that you saw there were a group of men who could handle the much more intense arguing and the intensity of that moment. you throw yourselves into the middle of the tension and you try to be reasonable with people who are not interested in being reasonable or talked down off the cliff. you're relying on a handful of people who are confident enough, are able to throw themselves into that situation. a lot of the religious leaders are coming out and trying to talk with people and communicate with people. at that point that is probably just not something that they felt comfortable with. in fact, many of them, you know, weren't around at that point. they had left the scene.

so in many ways there's probably a limit to what some of these folks can do if they are not armed with even protecttive vests, anything to get you there to protect themselves that not just anyone can do that. so, that's why at that point you only saw a small handful of men to try to handle that situation. at some point even that dete deteriorated because the agitators moved somewhere elsewhere those guys weren't. that's when things

>> i want to look at what president barack obama stated. he told reporters it's time to think about what happened and to heel, he said. he also said there's no excuse for excessive force by police in dealing with peaceful protests while blaming the violence on just an isolated feud. listen to his actual words there. >> we have all seen images of protesters and law enforcement in the streets. it's clear that the vast majority of people are peacefully protesting. what's also clear is that a small minority of individuals are not. while i understand the passions

and the anger that arise over the death of michael brown. giving in to that arranges gnge looting or carrying guns or even attacking police only serves to raise tensions and stir chaos. it undermines rather than advancing justice. >> and you heard the president talk there about the looting. well, that has taken a heavy toll on local businesses and store owners wonder why they have become targets. jake tapper has that side of the story. >> reporter: since mike brown was killed nine days ago, there have been far too many scenes like this one. these images were shot last night on surveillance cameras. mulani watched the video feed from home as a crowd with no apparent remorse looted his business. >> when they couldn't break in, start shooting. muzzle flashes can be seen and then looters ran sacked the

cigarettes and alcohol. >> then they attempted to set the business on fire. >> mulani said they cannot recover. he and his 33-year-old son are confused, and angry, and sad. >> it doesn't make any sense anymore. it's not even about that. >> the thing is, they said they want justice for mike brown. is this justice? i don't understand, what justice is this? >> for store owners, midnight curfews and a strong police presence have done little to protect them. so much of the focus on this story is what happened to michael brown and on the militaristic reaction of police against protesters. but these store owners, they have stories to tell as well. >> how much have you lost? >> there anti -- >> tens of thousands? >> way more than that. >> hundreds of thousands? >> yes. >> he left kuwait since the

first gulf war. ibrahim who asked that we not use his last name knew mike brown. >> that's not the way to help the family. >> they have hijacked the stores. they provide important services to ferguson and they are threatened. >> i don't want to mix the looters with the protesters because all week long the protesters been out here peacefully. >> ibrahim warned that the media should not mischaraterize ferguson. >> we have people wanting to buy something to help out. i am so thankful. these are my heroes. >> so many of the stores along the main drag are now boarded up. of course, the disaster that took place here isn't natural. it was manmade. that's ferg son market and liquor. coincidentally or not, it's the same place michael brown was

said to have stolen cigars before he was killed. >> despite waves of people, it's important to note, locals say, that these are only the actions of a few. >> i want the attention going to people outside sweeping the streets every morning. neighbors coming out of their homes in the backyard just to clean up their community. you know, everybody coming from all over missouri just to help out. >> reporter: but for now, the threat of violence erupting again by those few has left many businesses boarded up, waiting for peace. jake tapper, cnn news. >> the actions of just a few, that is the main thrust of that story. >> good to hear that there are still people there cleaning it up and taking care of that community. the opposite of what some of those folks breaking the law are doing. >> we are going to continue to follow developments out of ferguson throughout the night

here on cnn. we want to turn to other stories. >> including another cease-fire extension in the middle east. so far that seems to be the only thing israel and the palestinians can agree on. we'll break this down for you after the break.

>> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. welcome back, everyone. glad you're still with us. at this moment we are standing by for a press briefing there in ferguson, missouri. captain ron johnson saying earlier that the more robust police response was provoked once again by a few violent elements in the crowd of mostly peaceful protesters. schools in ferguson, missouri, canceled for the week. mr. johnson saying he has words ft. meade yeah. safety a concern. as soon as this gets underway, we'll bring it to you live. >> he says this has to get stopped. he said he doesn't want to see anyone get hurt, the citizens or the officers. first, other news we are following. urgent talks in cairo have

produced another cease-fire extension between israel and palestinian militants. >> yes, but they appear no closer to resolving the differences that have left more than 2,000 people dead. a lead palestinian negotiator says there's been no progress at all in the three rounds of talks so far. >> right now about all they do agree on is that the current cease-fire will expire at midnight. let's get the latest now on these talks. john vause joins us live from jerusalem. not a lot of progress has been made in the indirect talks, does it, john? time is ticking away. we've been here over and over. >> reporter: yeah, it does seem like ground hog day for quite a bit. we've had days and days of negotiations brokered by the egyptians. all we have to show for it is the short extensions, five days here, 24 hours there. what we do know at this point is that the palestinians have

accepted the 24-hour extension. the israelis have accepted the 24-hour extension. we know the israeli cabinet is coming to discuss the intentions which has been ongoing in cairo. a flurry of flames leading up to last night's midnight deadline. at first saying everything had broken down, the talks had collapsed because the israelis had made some unrealistic demands that the palestinians could not meet. it was all back on. there was a framework put into the agreement. the israelis refused to comment on it. they tell me there was no agreement. at midnight local time here just as the five-day cease-fire was set to expire, the chief palestinian delegate came out and said there was an extension of the peace for 24 hours. there was no progress despite what other palestinians were saying.

what they're doing today, they're continuing to negotiate. maybe there will be some kind of announcement that they will expand this for a long period of time. this was talked about in the last 24 hours was that there would be the initial agreement on the easiest issues to deal with. easing up the border, the more difficult ones, demill tarization of gaza, airport and sea port will be dealt with at a late inju later time. nothing has been confirmed. >> they need to buy more time, don't they? so that the indirect talks can continue on with a form of permanent peace. john vause joining us live from jerusalem. the media briefing is starting right now in ferguson. >> we're not sure if the captain

has stepped up to the mic. we're in a similar situation from 24 hours ago when captain johnson had to come out and explain why the police fired tear gas and yesterday it was rubber bullets as well towards what appeared to be a group of peaceful protesters. and he explained then that the officers -- just announcing that the briefing is about to gibbeg. the officers did their job to target the response to a few violent protestors. captain johnson expected now to explain the second night. let's just listen in to what he says. >> good morning. we're going to start off with a prayer from reverend briggs of the st. louis county chaplain program. >> we pray. lord god, we are weary but we

come to you today that you may continue to fill us with your spirit. we have come so that our community may be whole, but we pray that you would help us to do this. we pray that your strength would be with our residents, the families and our community with our police officers, those who have come together in your peace to bring peace and we pray that you would continue to bless us as we move forward with that as our aim and our goal. may your peace reign upon us so that we may again rejoice and have this fellowship and time with one another, that we will not continue to let the things that continue to divide keep us apart. this is our prayer in jesus name. amen. >> amen.

>> i want to gibb begin by than the brave men and women of law enforcement tonight. took another strong stop forward. throughout the night these officers acted with restraint and calm despite pockets of disorder and coming under violent attack on several occasions. tonight began peacefully, with calm and orderly protests. other law enforcement officers and i interacted on numerous occasions with protesters who shook hands with officers and

expressed their opinions. this was the freedom of expression that we are committed to protecting. at 9:40 p.m. more than 200 people walked towards police officers at the corner of west floreson and ferguson avenue. they were loud but not aggressive. they came to the line of police officers, at that timered, and then seemed to be turning around and fanning out. police did not react. in fact, several of the protesters encouraged the crowd to turn around indicating their messages had been heard, but that's when bottles were thrown from the middle and the back of a large crowd that gathered near and within the media staging area. these criminal acts came from a tiny minority of law breakers. for anyone who has been at these protests understands that there is a dangerous dynamic in the

night. it allows a small number of violent agitators to hide in the crowd and then attempt to create chaos. the catalyst can be bottles thrown, molotov cocktails and of course shots fired. protesters as people are respectful. protesters don't clash with police. they don't throw molotov cocktails. it is criminals who throw molotov cocktails, fire shots that endanger lives and property. in the dark jer night there were two people shot. we have been criticized for using squad trucks during protests. we did not deploy those into the crowd until things deteriorated. and tonight we use a s.w.a.t. truck and another large vehicle to get into a violent, dangerous

area to extract a gunshot victim. those vehicles not only provide protection for officers, tonight they helped us get people who were wounded by gunfire and get them to safety. tonight there are news rouse reports of shot fired. win at a business and one at an unoccupied residents. in our area our officers came under heavy gunfire. our officer confiscated two guns doing a car stop near the media staging area. the protesters are acting in a violence. our officers acted with professionalism. once again, not a single bullet fired by officers despite coming

under heavy attack. four st. louis police officers were hit by rockets and bottles and sustained injury. because of the dangerousness tonight, i want to encourage the good people of this area to come out and protest tomorrow during the daytime hours. make your voices heard where you can be seen and not be the cover for violent agitators. that is my concern. people with peace made in ferguson. as of 2:00 a.m., 31 people have been arrested tonight. i say that many a criminal element that have been coming through ferguson are not from this area. tonight some of those arrested came from as as far away as new york and california. i want to address the role of the media and what is going on

here. tonight media repeatedly had to be asked to return to the sidewalks and get out of the streets when clashes were going on in the streets. with these situations going on, we need to have that area clear. this is a matter of your safety and the safety of others. we need the roads clear so that we can safely and quickly remove vehicles to other sectors, where people are a 24re9. please clear the roads when asked. please don't interfere with officers. don't give attention to those who choose to disrupt and call attention to themselves. let's not glamor rise the acts of criminals. finally, i want to say i am inspired once again tonight by the citizens of this area for with care stool in pieceful

demonstrations. they are part of the energy and goodness of this community. that energy can light up and inspire and it can help us move past violence. let us do that together. the people of this community deserve that. the businesses here in ferguson and all of north county desearch that. we all deserve that. i want to thank mrs. taihara, who i saw cleaning up bottles. she came all the way from south county to clean up the streets of west floreson. on the table you see two guns that we confiscated tonight. these guns were in a vehicle that approached us right across or near the media where ooech of you were standing. the vehicle pulled into a parking lot and had their

windows down. our unit followed that vehicle and it fired shots near the canfield amounts. when our officers approached that vehicle several of you who were at the location began to cross the street and take pictures and walk up prior to our officers securing that vehicle. here on the table we also had found a molotov cocktail tonight. many of these were thrown last night and today. i've talked to many of you in the media that says you have not seen these being thrown. many of our peaceful protesters haven't seen these because a lot of times they're thrown without their knowledge, and as many of you saw today, ferguson and west ferguson, you saw the bottles, the frozen bottles, the glass. >> we had one law enforcement

officer who was there and she could not throw down a fireworks device. that was a bang, an attempt to agitate the crowd as if law enforcement was throwing out some objects. i will take a few questions. >> the shooting victims, any updates on their conditions? >> we do not have any shooting -- any updates on their conditions right now. >> excuse me. >> they both were snael. >> they both were male. >> you want people to protest during the daylight hours. are you suggesting a possible curfew tomorrow? >> no, sir. what i want is our peaceful protesters to come in the daytime. all of these criminals at night that are masks themselves and hiding themselves behind peace, let them come tonight so we can take them away from our community, put them away so they can no longer mask themselves behind peaceful protesters.

i'd ask you not to glamorize their activity. >> and you say from midnight what happened? the protesters? the protesters come during the night. what happened? >> at night the violent protesters. >> the peaceful protesters, i would ask that they come during the daytime. >> if they come at night? >> if they come at night they have a right to be here, but i'm asking them for their safety, the safety of the kids that they bring out and for our attempt to put this neighborhood back together, back together, come during the day and let us deal with those that are bent on ruining our community and not let them mask theirselves behind you. >> i'm well aware of the danger. i've spent many years in combat. why are we told where we can and cannot go. >> the rubber bullets the past week, they've all been shot in

the same area. is there any program or training with the police telling their snipers to shoot protesters? >> not that i am aware of. >> you mentioned some people -- >> you said there was no curfew tonight and yet at about midnight you all sent yefr oeve on their way. how is that not a curfew? >> we did not have a curfew. as a matter of fact, we told protesters they could stay as long as they want, but after safety was a concern it just happened to happen at midnight. just happened at midnight. because safety was a concern. you were out there. you saw the chaos. you saw the shootings. we just had officers in the midst of gunfire. we had officers in the midst of gunfire. i guarantee you those officers' wives and husbands and parents are calling them now. i sit there and listened over the radio and heard the screams of the officers who were under

gunfire. i went back to our squad vehicle and saw the gentleman laying in the back who had been shot. i saw a car pull up and drop a gentleman off. that was people walking down the street. we cannot have that. we don't want any citizen hurt. we don't want any officer hurt. when they're shooting in apartment complexes, children are laying in beds in apartment complexes and bullets are flying through the air, the old saying on the streets, they say, a bullet has no name. we do not want to lose another life in this community. >> if you don't like violence, how come your cops are dressed like the military. >> why are our rights being infringed upon. >> you mentioned that some of these people are coming from new york or california. is there any efforts done to stop these people? >> where are the -- were they

journalists, the people that were arrested? >> these people were not journalists that are coming in. i need to ask you another question. i'm going to tell you in the midst of chaos when officers are running around, we're not sure who's a journalist and who's not. yes, if i see somebody with a $50,000 camera on his shoulder, i'm pretty sure. but some journalists are walking around and all you have is a cell phone because you're from a small media outlet. some of you may just have a cameca camera around your neck. we may take you into custody. when we've found out you're a journalist, we let you go. in the midst of chaos, we have to be safe. we have to be safe. and we are providing protection for journalists. we had a journalist who was

trapped in the midst of that gunfire, in the midst of that chaos and we're providing protection for them. we took journalists back to their trucks, but i'm going to tell you this nation is watching each and every one of us. this nation is watching leempt and this nation is watching our media. i'm going to tell you, if we're going to solve this, we're going to have to do it together. i want you to think about that tonight. we're going to have to do it together. i can tell you, i talked to one journalist today and he talked about issues of a squad vehicle, the s.w.a.t. outfits they had on. when i told him the other night we stood on the line and the businesses were being looted and now the families are saying we cannot rebound from those. we can't rebound. it's ruined our livelihood and we stood there. and the next day i walked off and the meade kra said that we did not do enough, and i stood in that line and officers were crying and officers were angry

at me for standing on that line and letting that happen. today some of those officers walked by me. they're ashamed we stood there. we're going to make this neighborhood whole, we're going to make this community whole, and we're going to do it together and i am not going to let the criminals that have come out here from across the country or live in this community define this neighborhood and define what we're going to do make it right. have a great day. >> guys, thanks. >> quite an empassioned briefing there by captain ron johnson just trying his best to describe this dangerous dynamic in the night explaining there that certainly there are peaceful for the most part protesters but that some criminals, he said, are using the cover of night and the shadow among the crowd to be quiet. showing the guns and the molotov

cocktails. someone said fireworks in order to provoke a police protest. that's why they decided in a calculated way to disbeers the crowd even though there wasn't a crowd. we're going to have to do this together, plead yeah, the police and those people, protesters as well. >> yeah, and saying -- i mean, i thought the headline from this too, we will not let the criminals define this community. and we saw from captain ron johnson, he said his officers acted with restraint and calm despite coming under violent attack during the night. he documented it. he went through the time. 9:40 p.m. protesters came to the line of police and that that stage -- thin there were those, a tiny minority he talks about, within that crowd hiding as he said. they were throwing molotov cocktails, they were throwing bottles. at the same time he said his officers acted with complaint. as errol pointed out, 31 arrests

were made. he had officers in the midst of gunfire. he talked about some of the journalists from some of the smaller outlets being very vulnerable walking around with very little protection. that's why the police wanted to move some of the journalists out of the area. >> it also defended the use of the military style equipment. we used a truck to get into a location where there was a shooting victim. they needed that to get help to those who needed it. our steve kastenbaum has been there in ferguson watching all of this over the past few days and joins us now. steve, what stood out to you from captain johnson's statement. what came across? >> reporter: this was the most emotional we've seen him at one of these late night/early morning press conferences defending the actions of police saying that this community

essentially needs to be made whole again and he is feeling the emotions that the people who live in ferguson are feeling because he hears from them every day. and he's talking about a small number of people, criminals, as he called them, that are essentially ruining it for all the other people here who want to exercise their right to peacefully protest. this evening when we first came out of here it was a dramatically different scene in ferguson. it was very calm. very subdued. no cars racing up and down the avenue. people were marching. they were loud but they were peacefully marching. but as he said, towards the later half of the evening it got different. it changed. there were some people within the line of marchers that became confrontational with police. local community activists and leaders were trying to calm people down but there were some people within the crowd who

would just not listen to them. they were intense. we saw this. we broadcast it live. they were intent on confronting police tonight and captain johnson clearly talking about those individuals. >> steve, we were showing pictures earlier of those people taken into custody. we heard from captain ron johnson there that 31 people were arrested. and interestingly that a number of them came from new york and california. >> yeah. there are definitely some folks here in the crowd who you see the clothing that they wear, the messages on their t-shirts and some of them even have the names of organizations on their shirts that we recognized since thursday. this is what they do and there is an example of what they consider to be police infringing on the rights of everyday citizens.

they come to flash points like this to get their messages across. something we've seen in the past. but today it really took a turn for the worse when some of those bad actors, as he calls them, the criminals decided they were not going to listen to police no matter what community leaders were telling them to do. myself along with ed lavendera and several of our cnn staffers were at some of those flash points. we were at the location where shots were fired. we were there where one of the civilians was shot and irch zwrurd. it was a tense situation. you're seeing the video now. there were people in the crowd who would not obey the order to clear the street. there was an individual that we saw. we have footage of trying to set a building on fire. that individual, his actions really elevated the level of

response. prompted police to really rush in there and that's when myself and cnn photo journalist ken tillis heard the shots fired and we took cover along with all the other journalists and some of the protesters who were there as well and the police took cover at that point. we heard very clearly shots coming from the side streets where protesters had scattered when the police had used flash grenades, smoke grenades and tear gas to disbeers the crowd. we saw flames licking the side of a building as a protesters tried to set apparently it appeared on our video, appeared to try to set a building on fire here tonight. >> steve, one thing ron johnson said is tlsz not a single shot, not a single bullet, right, was fired by police. we know that schools are closed throughout the week. captain johnson encouraging people to demonstrate during the

daytime avoid what he called a dangerous element at night. how likely are people to take his advice? show up during the day and less at night. >> reporter: it's hard to speak to that. we spoke to some local residents who live oo long the main drag in the town where this nightly demonstration is taking place. they say they want their neighborhood back. they were very unhappy with the way especially their businesses were being treated, the way they felt that their neighborhood was being disrespected by these outside individuals who have come in and on several nights looted their community. they told us, you know, right to our faces that they were not happy with the cars that were parading up and down the street and spinning their wheels while young people were standing on top of the cars. they were blasting music. they said to them that's not the way to protest here. to them they felt their

neighborhood was being disrespected by some of these outside individuals who were coming in to partake in these pro2ess at night. so i think what we've seen in the past, the crowds don't build in number until early evening. once the sun goes down you had been getting a different element in here. during the late afternoon, early evening it was much more peaceful. you would see families out there. at night you would hear much more music blasting, you would see people consuming alcohol, smoking 345ur7b8g on the side streets. there is that element here as well. and i think the people we spoke to told us they were quite frankly tired of that. >> so is captain johnson. he said it's all about safety. safety is the top concern.

he doesn't believe that's the answer. steve kastenbaum live in ferguson, missouri. coming up next on cnn, we turn our attention to iraq. >> after the very short break, kurdish and iraqi forces retake a key objective from isis. we'll have more on that. stay with us.

welcome back, everyone. another big story.

we are watching three days of u.s. air strikes that have helped kurdish and iraqi forces retake the mosul dam. >> that's right. peshmerga fighters have spearheaded this fight. >> the pentagon says iraqi forces are moving to expand their control after airstrikes destroyed more than 90 insurgent targets, that's including vehicles, equipment, and fighting positions there. u.s. president barack obama shows that kurdish and iraqi forces can effectively battle isis. >> the fact of the matter is, the mosul dam is one battle among many. they're consolidating across northern iraq and into syria setting up checkpoints and enforcing their own radical interpretation of the faith. we'll cross over and follow this

from baghdad. the mow sum dam is free of isis control. they still have, what, millions of dollars of funds. they have 1/3 of the country under its control. still a very long way to go to stamp them out. >> reporter: absolutely. there's no doubt, errol, that this is a major setback after the recent gains. over the past few months isis has been on a role in iraq. it seemed like it was unstoppable, but the u.s. air power here has really been a game changer so far. the real question is will kurdish peshmerga troops be able to hold any area that's been retaken from isis? that's something that is yet to be seen. iraq has gone through this before. 2004, 5, 6, the predecessor of isis, al qaeda in iraq, had similar control over large parts of the country, and the only way that changed, the turning point was a u.s. military strategy of

recruiting tribes. this is very hard because the government, the prime minister of nuri al-maliki has alienated the sunnis, marginalized them and pretty much driven them into the arms of isis in many cases. so right now what is really important is the political process. security and politics in this country are very closely intertwined. so the big challenge right now, the big task is for the new prime minister to see if he is able to bring back the sunnis into the fold, to regain their trust and undo what prime minister maliki has done and bring the kurds, the shiias into a truly inclusive government and that is when this country could probably start seeing changes on the ground when it comes to

isis. >> yes. no small fete and it's not been done in recent memory in iraq. they're working very hard to get that done in a couple of weeks. live in baghdad. thank you for that. coming up in moments we're going to get back to our top story on cnn. >> yeah. after a short break a final recap of the day's events in ferguson, missouri. we'll be back in a moment. they've really stood the test of time. much like these majestic rocky mountains. which must be named after the... that would be rocky the flying squirrel, mr. gecko sir. obviously! ahh come on bullwinkle, they're named after... ...first president george rockington! that doesn't even make any sense...mr...uhh...winkle. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.

>> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. before we go we do want to just recap our top story. the situation, of course, in ferguson, missouri. it's now calm there after protests erupted into violence a few hours ago. >> yeah, in the midst of largely peaceful demonstrations a tiny minority of protesters tossed molotov cocktails at police. they fired grenades and tear gas. some of the protesters are as far away as california and new york. two people have been shot. >> during the news conference the state officer showed some of the evidence gathered during the night's unrest, including those two guns. now in the final moments of the briefing captain ron johnson insisted he will not let ferguson descend into chaos. take a listen. >> today some of those officers

walked by me because they're hurt and they're ashamed that we stood there and i'm telling you, would we're going to make this neighborhood whole. we're going to make this community whole, and we're going to do it together and i am not going to let the criminals that have come out here from across this country or live in this community design neighborhoods and define what we're going to do to make it right. have a great day. >> a night that people hope will not be repeated all in the wake of the death of 18-year-old michael brown who police shot and killed ten days ago. the investigation into that continues. >> yeah. and you have been watching cnn's special coverage. i'm rosemary church. >> and i'm errol barnett. please stay with us. more coverage from ferguson next more coverage from ferguson next on "early start." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

breaking new this is morning t. streets of ferguson, missouri looking like a war zone. the national guard trying to contain the chaos last night. dozens arrested. two people shot on crowd on crowd violence. demonstrators furious over the shooting of unarmed teenager, michael brown. eric holder is going to the town. good morning. welcome to "early start." i'm christine romans. john berman is off this morning. ift's tuesday, august 19th, 4:00 a.m. in the east. we welcome our