hello and welcome to our viewers in the united states and all around the world. i'm rosemary church. >> and i'm errol barnett. real pleasure to have you with us. our top story this hour, u.s. president barack obama goes before the united nations general assembly today looking for more support in the war against isis. obama has already built a coalition of five arab partners to strike the militants inside syria. >> after tuesday's attack on isis targets in four syrian

targets. he says taking the fight to the terrorists is an ongoing operation and it demands a united front. listen. >> we also recognize that right now we have a very severe and significant threat. what we've seen from the world communities is a recognition of that threat, and we are very appreciative of our partnership with all the countries here. >> tuesday's offensive included more than 40 tomahawk cruise missiles and dozens of warplanes. jordan, saudi arabia, bahrain, and the united arab emirates delivered air strikes alongside the u.s. while qatar flew combat patrol. >> now, the main focus was the city of raqqa, the de facto capital, you could say, of the militants' self-proclaimed islamic state. targets were also hit in and around the targets of dei deir ezzor al hasakah and abu kamal.

with the u.s. going it alone to strike targets near aleppo. >> now let's check regional reaction. becky anderson joins us live in abu dhabi for that part of the story. and becky, of course in the course of these 24 hours we have learned a little bit more about what the leaders of these countries involved in these five arab nations that took part in this broad coalition, and also what people in those nations have been talking about. share that with us. >> reporter: that's right. let's start with the governments here because it is very unusual that you hear from the gulf region speaking out loud about their participation in what is a u.s.-led coalition. but we've learned over the past 24 hours from the president of the u.s. and others that it's absolutely crucial these five arab nations got on board. not just in a support role as qatar did but four others in full-on participation role. the uae, for example, the foreign minister is in new york

for the u.n. general assembly, where many of these regional leaders are, and they will be having discussions with mr. obama as the days go on. but this is what we heard from mr. gargash just some hours ago. >> i think it's indicative of the threat that everybody feels has come. and nobody is basically immune. everybody is threatened. the way of life, the values. this is i think a danger to all of us. terrorism. and i think this is indicative how the coalition was built on the sense that we need to act. we can't be passive. >> reporter: and this was unusual. it's always unique that the united arab emirates would speak out. but both mr. gargash and the uae ambassador to washington has said in the past weeks that isil or isis is a real threat to this

region. not the only threat, it has to be said. they are very concerned about the rise of political islam, a reason for the rift, the ongoing rift, as it were, between the uae, bahrain, and saudi on the one hand and, for example, qatar on the other. so interesting to see that uae was out with its planes and the statement we got from uae in the past 24 hours is this was the first of their strikes, suggesting that there are more to come. and as we get more information on that, of course we will bring it to you. the other non-gulf arab nation but other nation involved in this pan-arab coalition, as it were, were the jordanians. now, it was very early on yesterday that i got to speak to one of the ministers of state there, who confirmed to us here on cnn that it wasn't just intelligence gathering they were providing in support but airplanes as well had been up in

the air. at that point they had run their sorties and they were back. and this is what he had to say yesterday. >> this is going to be an ongoing operation, through which we will pre-empt any attempts to try to cross our borders and infiltrate our borders and to make sure that our borders are secure and safe. and this is the high interest of the jordanian states, toe ensure the security and stability of our borders and our soil. >> reporter: so rosemary, you asked me as well about the feeling on the street, on the arab street. and i think it's a very good question. and those you're expecting to hear on the street and those in positions of authority to say look, this isn't something that comes naturally, the idea you put a coalition of the willing, of the majority sunni countries, majority sunni-led countries into a fight against what they

will perceive to be a group fighting in the name of sunni islam. but this is such a scourge to the region that they are prepared to do this at this point. however, if it were to go on for a long time and it wasn't deemed to be particularly effective for a period of time, i think you'd see the beginnings of a change in attitude here. let's just consider what anna coren has been reporting on now for six weeks. the air strikes and providing a cover in iraq for boots on the ground locally has to all intents and purposes helped to push isis back at times. but they dlief. th they go back to effectively hq in raqqa, in syria and they push back out. so the idea these strikes are on raqqa, one assumes the idea being that you can take that out, the command and control and the assets that isis out there in order that they won't keep moving around because it's the

boots on the ground at the moment or the lack of them that seems to be the hole somewhat in mr. obama's strategy at the moment. and as i say, the longer this times, the more it will be difficult to keep the arab nations and their people on board with this fight. rosemary? >> and that is the big question, too. which of those five arab nations are willing to offer boots on the ground. but many thanks, becky anderson, reporting there from abu dhabi. thanks for that. the u.s. military didn't just target isis in its strikes. on its own it took aim at the khorasan group. now, that was said to be planning attacks. zblae, that's n . >> yeah, that's not a familiar name to most. just who are they and what were they plotting? our cnn international correspondent nic robertson investigates. >> reporter: these are the first images of the aftermath of the u.s. and arab allies' attack on

the khorasan group, an al qaeda affiliate training jihadists to attack in europe and the u.s. until last week khorasan was barely known. >> this khorasan group, so-called, out there, is potentially yet another threat to the homeland. >> reporter: the khorasan training camps and bomb-making facilities around aleppo in the north of syria are believed to host foreign fighters, recruited to return home to fight rather than join the jihadists in syria and iraq. these strikes intended to take out khorasan's leadership. how successful, not yet clear. >> one of the things we're trying to do, to disrupt their ability, was to go after their leadership. >> reporter: awn of those figures, 33-year-old muhsin al fadhli, a senior al qaeda figure, has a $7 million u.s. department of treasury bounty on his head. he is believed to be recruiting

european and american jihadists to learn bombmaking and fighting skills. from as few as 100 veteran al qaeda jihadists. >> it's really not about the numbers. it's about the expertise they bring to the table. because these guys draw on the entire international network of al qaeda. if they can now draw on the foreign fighters that are present in syria, that would indeed be an explosive combination. >> reporter: al fadhli is believed by u.s. officials to have organized the finances for an al qaeda attack on a french oil tanker in october 2002. the mv lindbergh was attacked in the waters off yemen, killing one crew member and injuring four. in recent years al fadhli was believed to be hiding in iran but now is believed to have emerged and seems set to reassert al qaeda's relevance and take on isis's growing global jihadi dominance.

>> khorasan and al qaeda, which are not part of isis, for them attacks on the west are a priority. they do have the expertise. and they're much smaller than isis. they have to be dealt with because in the short term at least they are the greatest threat to the u.s. homeland. >> reporter: it is this that makes them such a threat to the west. nic robertson, cnn, london. >> but why is this group such a threat? we're going to bring in will geddes now. he's a counterterrorism expert and managing director of international corporate protection. joins us live from london this morning. thanks so much grour time, will. we just had an overview there by our nic robertson. the khorasan group really just popping up on global radar. u.s. officials only publicly acknowledging them last week. why does this group -- we're not speaking of isis. not speaking of the al-nusra front. but why does the khorasan group seem more focused on external operations specifically with

western targets? >> well, the khorasan group are an interesting amalgam. they have strands from al qaeda, al-nusra from i.s., and they've gathered all these capabilities together. specifically with quite a foreign fighting team. so i.e. a lot of their international recruits that i.s. have been driving in have been diverted to khorasan or have been recruited by khorasan to assist them in developing capabilities overseas. those capabilities are not only in terms of attacks but also in terms of networks. and being able to branch the i.s. message if you like. into the european countries, particularly the uk, and very probably the united states. >> and what about the al-nusra front? their leader reportedly killed in the u.s.-led strikes. how will this group likely respond and regroup and certainly many of the armed militants who are running free in the rather lawless parts of syria. how are they likely to respond to these widespread ar strikes

that have targeted supply lines and really the ability of these groups to function. >> well, i think certainly they'll be incredibly cautious, even more so than they already have been in terms of their communications, their structures, and particularly where they're going to be located. as we know, with a large focus of these air strikes they've gone into the al raqqa area and primarily into syria. another reason why khorasan have located themselves in syria is it's much easier to get across the borders in central europe than it is from iraq. those borders are far better protected and defended. but what's going to be interesting in terms of how things will develop from here will be from the ground level intelligence and how much that intelligence has aimed toward these attacks being successful. what kind of dent have we put in their operation. how much have we heeded that? and bearing in mind that khorasan have also connections it's believed into al qaeda in the arabian peninsula. this is particularly concerning as that particular al qaeda cell is well known for its attacks overseas and also in its

development of ieds, or improvised explosive devices. >> but now of course the new developments here we've been watching so closely the past 24 hours is you have sunni majority countries as part of this u.s.-led coalition, the fact that you have that as part of this effort would you say these jihadi groups are that much weaker know because it does reverse or at least weaken their propaganda and would that in the long term help western or at least regional intelligence in the long run? >> well, i think it's a little early to say at this stage. i think by having this arabian coalition it's going to be incredibly useful in consolidating and sharing intelligence between the various agencies. and what they are fundamentally doing is obviously encircling the enemy, so to speak. and they are hopefully going to be able to prevent and also cut off their capabilities, their supply runs and their resources. but whether it's going to actually dissuade other recru recruiters from the region joining their cause, difficult

to say. and again, it's going to be down to those individuals' countries' internal intelligence networks to be able to ensure that they can detect those in the same way as they have through european countries. >> and just quickly, what do you make of what's happening next door in iraq? haider al abadi, the new prime minister there, aiming to have a more inclusive coalition. he's interviewed by our christiane amanpour and says he wants the u.s. to be consistent in what he offers. but does he offer anything different? is there any reason to be confident that the iraqi government will be able to be more inclusive and protect the people of its country? >> well, again, it's going to be very early and too early potentially to say right now. it is quite true that they will require foreign assistance support both in training and also in weapons. and i think inevitably as we're all beginning to speculate. i think a more intrusive, if you like, consideration by foreign forces coming into iraq to

assist and fight along iraqi forces is going to be somewhat inevitable. i think iraq on its own trying to deal with this issue is going to be too difficult. and they will need that support. >> and they are being quite open and honest about that fact. will geddes joining us live from london this morning. appreciate it. managing director of international corporate protection. thanks. a short break. just ahead, we will bring you much more on the battle against isis later this hour, including rare details about life under the control of the islamic militants. residents face severe punishment for not following a strict dress code, smoking, even listening to certain music. also ahead, cnn's exclusive interview with the new prime minister of iraq. why he says he needs even more help from the u.s.

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welcome back. in the same city where the united states warned terrorism began 13 years ago the american president is now trying to rally support to expand the newest front in that battle. >> as jim acosta explains, the obama administration says some of the terrorists they are going after are old enemies fighting under a new name. >> reporter: for president obama it's the war on terrorism 2.0. meeting with his own coalition of the willing of arab partners during meetings of the united nations, mr. obama warned this new fight won't be over soon. >> because of the almost unprecedented effort of this coalition i think we now have an opportunity to send a very quick message that the world is united.

>> reporter: and the battle is only beginning as the u.s. and its partners are not only taking on isis but an al qaeda-linked group the president never mentioned in his speech to the nation earlier this month. a period of secrecy administration officials say they used to size up khorasan. >> we also took measures to strike -- to disrupt plotting against the united states and our allies by seasoned al qaeda operatives in syria who are known as the khorasan group. >> reporter: it's also a new day for the president, who once won a nobel peace prize by building his political career promising to get the u.s. out of what he called dumb wars, a vow he reiterated almost one year ago. >> i was elected to end wars, not start them. i've spent the last 4 1/2 years

doing everything i can to reduce our reliance on military power as a means of meeting our international obligations and protecting the american people. >> reporter: now mr. obama is playing terrorist whack amole considering the countries he targeted as president. one democrat complained too much power has been yielded to the commander in chief. >> if congress allows the president to begin this campaign against isil and as he said go on offense against isil without congress authorizing it, we will have created a horrible precedent. >> reporter: the strikes have set a tough new tone for the president's trip to the u.n. it was up to his u.n. ambassador, samantha power, to notify syria that the strikes were coming. the uncertain aftermath hanging in the air when the president visited bill clinton. >> as he strives to stop bad things from happening around the world, the rest of us are

supposed to do more to make good things happen. >> on wednesday the president will give a major address to the united nations, where a senior administration official says mr. obama will talk about the general unease the world is feeling because of the dangers posed by these new terror groups, khorasan and isis. the president will emphasize the importance of building a coalition for dealing with those threats. jim acosta, cnn, at the united nations. and a key member of that coalition is iraq's fragile government. the man in charge of it, prime minister haider al abadi, spoke exclusively to christiane amanpour about the battle against isis. >> you're going to be meeting with president obama one on one. what will you tell him? >> well, i think we need concrete support. i mean, although the united states has supported us all along, they've stood with iraq, but we need more concrete support on the ground. >> do you mean ground forces? >> no. i mean air cover.

on the ground. i have to see that effect on the ground. the united states and the coalition, they have their own vision. we have our own. if our armed forces haven't received the support they are expecting, because if i'm having -- if our armed forces are not covering an offensive in certain area, they are expect an air cover to support them. if that air cover is not forthcoming, then what is the use of that air cover for me, or for our armed forces. we have to rely then on our own, and we can tell our partners thank you very much, your support is not working for us. i don't reach that point. but i have to be very clear. we need that support. the international support. the support of the united states. we need it badly. but it has to be there. >> and you can hear more of that interview later this hour. the prime minister will talk about the mistakes of his predecessor and how he plans to

make his government more inclusive. all right. new treatment centers are being built in the fight against ebola. up next hear why some ebola patients have been turned away from hospitals. to get to all the hard-to-reach areas. all of the different nooks and crannies and places that little hands like to go. it makes me feel comfortable and confident that my home is fresh, it's protected, and that i've killed the germs and bacteria. one lysol, hundreds of uses. start healthing.

welcome back, everyone. we can report on renewed unrest at this hour in ferguson, missou missouri. he's some footage recently into cnn. we're not sure what triggered this. there were some reports that a memorial for michael brown, the unarmed teen that was shot dead weeks ago, was burned down. but shortly after a ferguson city council meeting ended

tuesday night, a group of protesters gathered in the streets. there are unconfirmed reports of shots being fired and rocks being thrown at pleets officers and their cars as well. >> witnesses say the windows of at least one business were smashed and people were seen running out of the store with merchandise. ferguson erupted into days of protests and violence after a white police officer fatally shot an unarmed african-american teenager last month. and we have this story just in to us at cnn. agence france press reports a corruption case against former french president nicolas sarkozy has been dropped. >> parapeals court did not offer any explanation. sarkozy was placed under investigation for alleged influence peddling in july. he said the allegations were politically motivated. sarkozy announced sunday that he will attempt a political comeback.

>> and we have more new information for you. a new report in fact warns that the number of ebola cases in west africa could rise sharply by january. the u.s. centers for disease control says cases could jump to between 550,000 and almost 1.5 million. this is if stronger steps aren't taken to fight the virus. already more than 2,800 people have died from the disease. experts are blaming a, quote, inadequate and late global response for the current scale of the outbreak. >> the cdc says these worst case scenario figures can be avoided if 70% of the people currently infected get proper care. there is some hope with the opening of new facilities, but the outlook is still bleak as cnn's elizabeth cohen discovered from monrovia, liberia. >> reporter: inside this ambulance, three ebola patients including a teenager.

all of them denied entry to one of monrovia's overcrowded ebola treatment centers. the ambulance weaves through traffic, trying desperately to get care where it's been promised, the city's newest ebola hospital, open just hours before. the island clinic. but when we arrive with the ambulance, we find the hospital not ready. the patients in the ambulance we followed are strong enough to walk in. but there are ambulances already here carrying patients who are too weak to enter the hospital on their own. two patients stay curled up in a ball. these men can't move either. we're told he's not wearing clothes below the waist because of the intense diarrhea caused by ebola. "try to come down and walk a little," a worker tells the man. "i'm too tired," he says. then summoning up his energy, he tries. for now he's left where he falls. this little boy tries to walk in, too, but then he collapses as well. "get up and go inside," workers tell him.

"you'll only get food if you go inside." another worker says, "let him rest." and they agree that's best for now. the workers tell us staff inside is suiting up in their protective gear so they can carry the patients in. the island clinic is supported by the liberian government and the world health organization. we showed our video to peter graff with the w.h.o. his first reaction? >> it's horrible. i mean, that's -- i think what the lesson is here is that people still come too late. they are already very sick. and that's when you get scenes like this. it's much better to come when you've -- when you feel the first signs and symptoms and get yourself tested. >> but many people do try to get there earlier and they're turned away over and over. >> and that's why i'm so glad that we now opened this clinic. >> i mean, the hospital was open. why weren't they -- >> well, very good question. i don't have the answer. i mean, yes, they should have. >> reporter: graff says perhaps the reason is the hospital became overwhelmed. almost all of the 120 beds were

already filled within the first day. >> this is shocking. i mean, and i mean, of course this is exactly what we should try to avoid in the future. it's horrible. >> is this something you're going to check on? >> of course i will. yeah. immediately. >> reporter: when we left the hospital, the boy and the man were still on the ground. a symptom of a system overwhelmed and a new hospital apparently unprepared. elizabeth cohen, cnn, monrovia, liberia. >> stuch a disturbing report but that is the reality for so many people. world health officials have said this is the worst outbreak of ebola ever. if you feel compelled to help in some way, shape, or form, we've put together a list of groups helping fight the disease. you can find details on all of that at cnn.com/impact. all right. let's take another break now. but just ahead, thousands of syrians are leaving their homes behind to flee isis. coming up, a flight to safety

and the growing humanitarian crisis it's causing in turkey. why do we clean? to help keep our homes healthy. but not all cleaners are equal. at lysol, we go beyond cleaning, we call it healthing. healthing is killing germs, and having more cleaning power than bleach without the harshness. it's being the #1 pediatrician recommended brand. and sharing healthy habits in 65,000 schools. lysol. start healthing.

you are watching cnn's special coverage. welcome back. i'm errol barnett. >> and i'm rosemary church. our top story this hour, the united nations general assembly gets under way later today, and u.s. president barack obama will be looking for support in the battle against isis. now, it comes as the pentagon assesses the impact of tuesday's air strikes in syria, carried out by the u.s. and five arab partner nations. >> now, the main focus of these air strikes was the city of raqqa, headquarters of the militants' self-proclaimed islamic state. you see it on the left of your screen there. targets were also hit in and around the towns of deir ezzor,

al hasakah, and abu kamal, with the u.s. going it alone to strike al qaeda militants near aleppo. now, many people who live in raqqa were not surprised by the air strikes. they've seen what isis is like and the brutality its followers are capable of inflicting. brian todd has a look at life inside raqqa. but we do warn you, some viewers might find images in this story disturbing. >> reporter: inside the main isis stronghold one witness relayed what it was like as allied missiles struck. the witness, who requested anonymity, said isis leaders in the city of raqqa vanished from sight. >> translator: they fled out of fear. but previously some of them were living among civilians. and this is something very dangerous. >> reporter: this syrian city is the center of isis's power. according to accounts of people inside raqqa, isis terrorizes them every day. this is what residents routinely see. crucifixions of non-believers.

the severed heads of isis enemies displayed on poles. >> are scenes like this and public crucifixions still commonplace in raqqa? >> yes, they are. unfortunately, the number of crucifixions have gone up as well as decapitations for anyone who opposes the islamic state. >> reporter: residents describe an islamic police state where music's been banned, where isis carries out a strict interpretation of islamic law. women have to dress head to toe in veils. if they don't, one woman says, they could be lashed or worse. >> translator: some women were even executed because of this, because of the veil. >> reporter: smoking is outlawed. >> translator: if they see anyone holding a pack of cigarettes, he will get a couple of lashes. >> reporter: for merchants selling cigarettes or alcohol in raqqa, their supplies are often burned on the street. shopkeepers selling clothes have to be careful as well. in this isis propaganda video a merchant is told he can't display women's clothes which don't conform to dress codes. >> translator: you have to

display this inside. whoever wants to buy this will wear it for her husband. no problem. she can wear it. but you can't display it on the street. >> reporter: cnn cannot independently verify these accounts. but a u.s. official tells us inside raqqa isis enforcers use threats, violence, and informants to intimidate residents. witnesses say teenage boys are recruited as informants. >> it gives them money. it says please, inform on your parents, on your family members, on your tribes, and in exchange for that we will give you influence. >> reporter: how did isis come to control this major city? andrew tabler says because raqqa is in eastern syria it wasn't a priority for the assad regime or some of the other opposition forces it was fighting against. he says they were concentrating on western syria and isis stepped into that void. now with air strikes targeting raqqa he says if the city falls he believes the assad regime is the most likely force to sweep back in. brian todd, cnn, washington. >> now, the isis advance into

northern syria has forced an unprecedented number of refugees across the border into turkey, all in about a 72-hour period, and air strikes could deepen the crisis. our phil black joins us now live from the turkish side of syria's border with the country. and you know, phil, as we talk about all that's happening in the region, just give us a sense of the daily reality for these refugees who've had to walk so far and have lost so much. >> reporter: errol, it is a very grim location here on the turkey-syria border. it is hot. it is dry. it is dusty. and this is where just on the other side of the border, i want to try to show it to you now, the refugees on the syrian side are gathering in big numbers because the border is closed for much of each day. so overwhelmed, or so fearful are the turkish authorities of being overwhelmed that they are really regulating the flow of refugees through here.

so we are seeing these people approach that barbed wire fence, building up. it's difficult to judge the numbers precisely. but they are there, they are carrying what they've been able to escape with, including livestock. these are poor people. these are not well off. these are people that have very much been caught in the middle of the conflict that they didn't know a lot about, did not have a lot to do with up until this point. but the effect on their lives now is profound. and so it is on the other side of that barbed wire fence in this very hot, dry, dusty, windy environment that they are waiting, hoping for the turkish authorities to open the border and let them through. and speaking to the turkish authorities here, they believe that the border will be opened at some stage today, perhaps an

turkey, errol, and it has been for months really, years before this point, before we saw this sudden exodus of hundreds of thousands just over the weekend. that's the largest rapid exodus, they believe, that they've seen in terms of refugee numbers through the crisis. so many in such a short period of time. and you're right.

the numbers are pretty staggering. somewhere between 1.5, maybe as many as 2 million syrians are now believed to be in turkey. and it is an ongoing burden for the turkish government, the turkish authorities to handle from a humanitarian point of view, from a security point of view. and they have been very open and you could argue very generous, very humanitarian in allowing so many people to cross the border throughout the syrian crisis. but at times it has clearly proved to be too much. and what we're seeing here behind me is one of these times where the turkish authorities are clearly very concerned and they are being very cautious and they are heavily regulating the number of people they are allowing to cross into turkey on any given day at the moment, errol. >> and all of these people, phil, have walked in difficult conditions for a long time with only the possessions they could carry, and those stories are replicated by the millions. phil black live for us on the turkish side of the country's

border with syria. thanks very much. this is cnn breaking news. >> breaking news now from jordan. jordan's semi-state owned newspaper is reporting that islamic cleric abu qatada has just been acquitted of terror charges and released. qatada had been held in britain, if you recall, but after a lengthy legal battle against deportation he was sent to jordan last year to face the terror charges. he was acquitted in june of conspiracy to bomb an american school back in the 1990s. qatada has denied all allegations against him. all right. coming up, iraq's new prime minister says he's working hard to make his government more inclusive. coming up after the break, cnn's exclusive interview with haider al abadi.

iraq's prime minister is expected to meet with the u.s. president today on the margins of the u.n. general assembly. >> and the topic likely to arise is iraq's long struggle to form a unified government. cnn's christiane amanpour asked haider al abadi about that during this exclusive interview with the country's new prime minister. >> i wonder if you now as prime minister realize the gravity of your forces, iraqi forces

running away from these isis terrorists back in june and continuing to run away because, as one iraqi told me, they had nothing to fight for, they had no government to feel part of. >> at the moment i think they do feel there's a government. and some they did feel there was a government. there was a government before and there's a government now, although this government is probably more inclusive. we've worked very hard for it to be more inclusive. >> is that i a priority for you to make it more inclusive? because clearly your predecessor was not and you in a way have to clear up his mess. >> yes, i agree. these terrorist organizations, they govern by fear, they're governing by fear. they have a campaign of very fearful image and they're very successful in the media, and they have given unfortunately the internet and other media outlet to show their ugly pictures where they slaughter people alive. and they do it.

by doing this they inflict fear in the hearts of the people. >> but imagine this. there are sunni tribes, people, others who say they would rather have joined isis than stick with the maliki government. that was how disenfranchised they feel. so i say that because i wonder what your program is to bring them back into the political -- into the political consensus. can you tell me what your program precisely is to reempower the very people you need to save your country. >> i think we've taken many steps. a, i think we're very inclusive. now i think that sunni community like any other community including the shia are now in it. they are fully in it. they are real partners in this particular process. they are in government. they are in parliament. so that's been set. the other issue is i've looked very carefully even before i've become prime minister at this bombing of the cities. this is very crucial.

and before i think we lack the resources, military resources to pinpoint targets to have them exact. we don't have that capabilities. so by doing this sometimes we hit our own target and that wrong target happens to be civilian targets. so now i've ordered to stop hitting areas where there is a very large or sensible possibility that civilians will be killed due to this bombardment. i stopped that. and i think by doing this i won a lot of support from these areas. >> are you going to offer anything big, big, dramatic, radical, to the sunnis to make them believe that you're their friend? after this ten years of alienation. do you plan, for instance, to have a major ministry occupied by a sunni minister? >> i think we have departmenty -- a chairman of parliament sunni.

deputy prime minister. we have major ministries who are sunnis. >> defense and interior are still empty. that's causing a lot of concern. why is that? and could you see a sunni being one of those ministers? >> well, of course, one of them will be sunnis. but i think we are partners. i think i'm looking for partnership. and i think sunni ministers can see we are partners in government. we are partners in parliament. we are partners in the decision-making. i think they can see this very clearly. >> do you think in the cold light of day that your friend, your predecessor, prime minister nouri al maliki made big mistakes? >> well, everybody make big mistakes, and we all make these mistakes. but he was the prime minister elected by iraqi parliament. he's a product of our process and our democracy. so i respect what he's done and his judgments at the time, and i have to do my own judgments this time. i disagree on many things in the past. so i have to do it.

and my own opinion and conviction i'm doing it in the best interests of the people. >> haider al abadi there very careful not to criticize his predecessor. the iraqi prime minister is the first in a series of key players that christiane amanpour will interview this week. later today she'll sit down with u.s. secretary of state john kerry. on thursday an exclusive interview with the emir of qatar. his first tv interview since taking office. christiane will also speak with iran's president hassan rouhani on thursday. so for now the u.s. is the only western country involved with the air strikes against isis in syria. five arab states are also involved. some of them with a history of not getting along. but they have put their differences aside to fight i.c.e. and michael stevens is a middle east expert with the royal united services institute, and he joins us now live from london. thanks for chatting with us.

this is certainly significant, isn't it? these five arab nations joining with the u.s. to fight isis in syria. do you see this as a turning point in the international effort to stop islamic extremists in their tracks, and will this arab coalition hold, do you think, considering the differences they have? >> it is an important moment. politically and symbolically. militarily i think the united states could go by itself. but i think we are in a post-iraq war world where the united states cannot go careering into the middle east, you know, with boots on the ground, air striking heavily in civilian areas and there needed to be some kind of i would say support from the muslim world to solve the problem of islamic extremism. if the west is involved in leading the fight, that cannot ultimately be successful in the long run. of course many of these countries have big political differences about how they see the region. but what is useful right now is that they've coalesced around

this particular issue. isis seems to be such a threat to the region and so difficult to deal with that everybody, including the iranians tacitly, has signed on to this military operation. and i think that's positive. i don't know really if we're going to see a new regional re-alignment where everybody suddenly just gets along. i think that's probably too much to expect. >> indeed. we just heard from the new iraqi prime minister when he spoke exclusively to our christiane amanpour. he's trying to heal the sunni-shia divide that of course was caused by his predecessor nouri al maliki. what does haider al abadi need to do to bring sunnis into the political sphere and make them feel that they are part of the new iraq? of course we heard in that interview the defense and interior are open. he said in that interview that a sunni would take one of those posts. he didn't specify which one it was. but does he have to go -- does he have to move beyond that? just that political effort there, do you think. has enough been done so far? >> no, enough hasn't been done.

i think ultimately if you're going to bring the sunnis into the process what you have to do is give them some stake in the security of the country. you need to give them either an flrn ministry or you need to give them senior command positions within the army. one of the biggest problems of course is that half of the best sunni commanders from the old iraqi army are now fighting alongside isis, which makes this process a lot more difficult. now, ultimately, if the sunnis are going to feel part of a united iraq, i think there has to be some degree of self-rule in the areas in which they are the majority. there has to be some form of looking after their own securities in that area whilst feeding back to a confederate state in baghdad alongside the kurdish regional government as well. ultimately there is a lot of trust that's been broken down over the years. there's a lot of suspicion and that's going to take years to fix. this is not going to be a quick fix solution. ultimately what you have to do is give the sunnis some sense they are getting something back from the central government, budget allocations, hydrocarbon allocations, electricity and

water resources have got to be fixed and improved, and ultimately they've got to have a stake in security. >> and if they get it right in iraq politically and beyond, what impact does that have on this effort to contain isis? >> well, first of all, it's a big if they get it right. but if they do, then that's a very big step indeed because ultimately what we need to do is realize that the problem of isis, particularly in iraq, is not a military problem. it cannot be solved by going in with military force. that is what you can do to, quote unquote, degrade them. that's the word of the day at the moment. degrade. but that is a military phrase. ultimately, if you're going to undercut support for isis there, has to be some kind of emotional disconnect between those people who have said look, isis is the best way for me to vent my political frustrations. if there's another pathway for that, then that support will erode. but at the moment it's not looking that successful. we're only at the beginning of a very, very long process. >> all right. michael stevens, many thanks for

sharing your perspective with us here at cnn. we appreciate it. >> thanks. coming up here on cnn, not in my name. young british muslims start an online campaign rejecting isis extremism and calling for others to do the same. >> not in my name. >> not in my name. we call it healthing. healthing is killing germs, and having more cleaning power than bleach without the harshness. it's being the #1 pediatrician recommended brand. and sharing healthy habits in 65,000 schools. lysol. start healthing. that's a good thing, but it doesn't cover everything. only about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. so consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans,

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newspaper reporting now that islamic cleric abu qatada has been acquitted of terror charges for plotting to bomb millennium celebrations in jordan back in 2000. now, the court ordered his release if no other charges -- no other cases are raised against him. qatada had been held in britain, where he was seeking asylum for many years, but after a lengthy battle against deportation he was sent back to jordan last year to face these charges. qatada was acquitted in june of conspiracy to bomb an american school in the 1990s as well. qatada has denied all allegations against him. now, the u.s. and its allies are striking isis targets in syria. but in britain young muslims are taking a much different approach to fight extremism. >> yeah. the campaign "not in my name" has been spreading rapidly on social media. in an effort to reverse the rising influence of groups like isis. samuel burke has that story.

>> reporter: four simple words. >> not in my name. >> not in my name. >> not in my name. >> not in my name. >> reporter: a group of young british muslims say they started the social media campaign because they believe isis does not represent their religion. >> because it's totally unislamic. >> because they're killing innocent people. >> because you're unjust. >> reporter: the campaign started in london with a youtube video produced by the active change foundation and a hashtag on twitter. now it's beginning to spread across social media. the hashtag is also being used to call for the release of british hostage alan henning, the taxicab driver from england who was working as a volunteer in syria. >> we must all unite together and try to stop this group from damaging islam and damaging muslims. >> because what you're doing is inhumane. >> reporter: the group hopes social media can be used to spread their message to young muslims instead of being used as a tool to recruit them for isis. >> we get affected by this.

people paint us with that brush. >> we've got isis and the likes who are using social media. we want to be a step ahead if not at least ahead of the curve. >> not in my name. >> not in my name. >> not in my name. >> reporter: samuel burke, cnn, new york. and you have been watching cnn's special coverage. i'm rosemary church. >> and i'm errol barnett. thanks so much for being with us these past two hours. but please do stay with cnn for "early start" with john berman and christine romans. >> not in my name. >> not in my name. >> not in my name. >> not in my name. >> not in my name. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com every time someone chooses it sparks a movement.

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♪ taking on isis. president obama makes his case before the united nations today, a day after the first u.s. air strikes in syria. so, can he rally the world to the u.s. cause? and work to destroy these terror groups. raising the alert in the aftermath of the air strikes. the new warning to watch out for lone wolf attacks in the u.s. authorities now concerned self-radicalized terrorists are emboldened to attack. good morning, welcome to "early start." i'm christine romans. >> and i'm john berman. it is