on the road to basser this morning the u.s. army is beginning to withdraw from iraq. in december twentieth after nine years of occupation the last american troops are finally leaving the country. that really every guy got in about it and the only way to get it members of the iraqis anger towards the departing invaders who once dreamed of being liberators the departure resembles abandonment and escape despite the optimistic speeches. cease.

a full twenty twelve and i'm back in iraq and sat on the border with turkey.

i have an appointment this morning with khaled and his taxi. family the united states said they would make a democracy out of iraq in the heart of the arab world. but iraq i see today is a country on the brink of chaos torn between three groups kurds sunnis and shias. it is a country divided a stranger to peace that i'm about to cross a taxi ride to the heart of iraqi history. from a hole in the north travelled down through a ability. to create volusia baghdad babylon. and. a road map of the iraqi tragedy. serve obviously i'm delighted the americans have finally left iraq as much as we're

rocky's a very happy not to see it or hear anymore enough was enough of the americans occupied us so we hate them like they lean here in iraq they killed in creating the conditions for chaos they're responsible for the whole tragedy of them and of course we were living in peace and they came to destroy our country and us over of all of us of the. journey begins on the mountains of iraqi kurdistan. an army of two hundred thousand soldiers called peshmerga watch over this rather particular region of a country. that . jeff. was. my first stop is an l.b.o. the capital of iraqi kurdistan it's the only region of iraq today that is seeing peace and an economic boom the miracle of be made possible by the discovery of oil

. on kurdish territory. for a long time dominated by baghdad and saddam hussein kurdistan dreams of achieving autonomy. the first customer the first passenger on our trip is a member of the new kurdish parliament. here but just you know what in iraq we can say that oil has always been a curse. but today in kurdistan that's changing. foreign oil companies are coming here to work with. the revenues are finally being used for reconstruction of what maybe it's a huge difference for us as in saddam's times we never benefited from the oil money or would he had any of this. and i think when. it's quite simple we

could spend four where iraqis and where the maoists i think they're very rapidly as soon as we have been able to create a stable basis for building a country ninety nine percent of people will vote for independence because that but you. know what the what the people want their own country a country called kurdistan are looking at it as that they want their own passport but there's no kurdish one i suppose you could stand. a land of trafford's kurdistan is discovering well through its oil a nightmare for baghdad which had long controlled with the resources and riches. without driver khalid we had east towards the mountains along the border with around. driving through abandoned villages i feel like i'm visiting some a trace.

passenger akhmed is a survivor today he's on a pilgrimage paying tribute to the dead. in a school. sally as i don't know so i started in one thousand nine hundred eight during the al and i fell a military campaign waged by saddam against the kurds my village was completely destroyed. and that some of the inhabitants would be ported to southern iraq and locked up in the terrible new grass on prison counter. that. many women children and men women massacred and thrown into mass graves. the kurds have always dreamed of independence saddam hussein decided to eliminate the problem once and for all. his cousin to go down in history as chemical ali was

in charge of the repression. on march sixteenth one thousand nine hundred eight his helicopters dropped bombs loaded with toxic gas over kurdish villages. one hundred thousand civilians were killed and three thousand villages were raised the kurds rebellion was crossed. here in the villages the peshmerga who didn't built up supply. anyone opposed to saddam could seek refuge here. so the regime began by attacking the villages for saddam burning gassing and destroying the villages meant controlling kurdistan. lunches like a homage to the victims on the menu adama stuffed vegetables prepared by a mad wife. a sunny like saddam hussein my driver khaled is

a latina he didn't know or didn't want to know the terrible truth. look i'll show you the house where i was born yeah here on this hill where we're sitting is like a memorial to the village as it was before the tragedy it was here that the villages came together every evening to talk to play backgammon and listen to the radio. i leave a comment to mourn and commemorate his loved ones. we continue towards the east and kirkuk the former capital of kurdistan today on iraqi territory. so what if that god be praised i'm not scared when the region was under american control i was afraid about it but as soon as the iraqi police and army took over things got much better if the americans didn't know the region they were afraid and trigger happy that they didn't hesitate to fire anyone who approached them like the passenger foreigner anyone with. this road has seen

a lot of drama how many times did the american shoot down iraqis here for no reason gotta go. through the windscreen the first iraqi checkpoint appears it's time to lower the camera and film or discreetly. that. the soldiers here are regularly targeted by armed groups and are also quick to shoot what to do and about the attacks and kidnappings are frequent in the area. at the moment checking our identity an itinerary takes too long hours. for that last we can hit the road again a road that is more than dangerous. to be honest no one took this road before al-qaeda basically all the terrorists control the region and everyone is afraid of venturing out on this road today we feel a bit safer at getting that out of our budget.

the constant roadblocks me now two hundred kilometer journey takes eight hours. night has fallen when i reach her cook in the sky is lit up by flashbacks the city floats on a vast sea of oil. for centuries pilgrims came here to gather around the eternal flames. the kurds would dearly love to reclaim the city the former capital of baghdad. he is unwilling to lose such a profitable treasure. one term to a majority of kids today is a mix of turkmen arabs kurds and christians a veritable ethnic powder keg. so i went to. this morning's planters around occurred but in africa who can

kurdistan's independence he would pay with his own blood. has to become part of kurdistan and that leaves its vital we're bonded by blood it dakotas did them but them they can kill us and shoot at us but he won't change anything we are linked to kurdistan as in the city i mean we cannot live outside of kurdistan it would be like dying. my brother we invite you to a restaurant. might i cannot let you go without inviting me i am a kurd and hospitality is a custom with us. you can continue your journey after the may. i swear before god when i come to the restaurant with me you are welcome when you get away of course. for khaled it's time to pray. for us to eat. as we enter the

village a few peace men appear as an escort. i would say to watch as they say to protect us . and so i pay for everyone's meal as a kind of friendly tax and that was. it said that kirkuk could be one of the world's richest cities it is certainly one of the most dangerous. discreet an ordinary heroin. saima who is a kurd investor are opposed and fortune in the opening of a private school a generous act which has attracted m.p.'s attention. don't let. this man i'm terrified. if i do the day after not fact was broadcast to promote the school. i got a telephone call and i'm with you. he said oh yes there's a lot of hobby hello about of the hello i do you know

a nothing at hobby fit is. a man introduced himself as a member of a terrorist organisation and demanded money for that and my colleagues were terrorized through. the night close the school for a month and then i said we have to open it again we can't just give him. michael but we have to work still life has to go on. neither the terrorists nor anyone else can stop me from working as a mystical only god is the master of my destiny. you know sometimes you see a story and it seems so you think you understand it and then you glimpse something else you hear or see some other part of it and realized everything you thought you knew you don't know i'm sorry welcome to the big picture.

world. sorry it's technology innovation all that is developments from the round russia we've got this huge you're covered. i would rather ask questions to people in positions of power instead of speaking on their behalf and that's why you can find my show larry king now right here on r.t. question more.

when we reach must to the second biggest city in iraq it has been locked down by the army. the previous night two bombs went off in the suit. i have to negotiate with the military chiefs for three hours before they let me and. others. across what appears to be a dead city and yet today mosul is in party mode. i ask my name is ahmed on about i'm a law student today is a festival the university day that's why we can see all the troops they're here to protect us. the situation is very difficult the country is undergoing a wave of anonymous attacks and assassination of a do it my dream is quite simple i just want to live in an iraq that's safe and at peace it's a magnificent country mustn't forget that it was once respectfully known as

mesopotamia the land between two rivers i dream of peace. but peace seems impossible. the americans have gone but now kurds shias and sunnis battle for control of the city even the mosques around the military protection the internet in killing goes on in the name of allah. a leaf muscle with. no regrets. this road fraught with danger can also hold certain surprises in the salad stops to help a friend even in iraq one can run out of petrol. it's hilarious we have the world's second biggest oil reserves and we're short of petrol and gas. were reduced to filling up on the black market at exorbitant prices. common sense would suggest that petrol was available in quantity and free perhaps not free but not too expensive anyway and what. john.

as soon as we arrived on the outskirts of tikrit saddam hussein's former stronghold where arrested by the police i have the feeling we were expected. after a few hours of questioning were put under house arrest in a hotel and forbidden from going out. and the situation eases the following afternoon when we're granted two hours of freedom but we're still under close surveillance. the next man who joins us in the taxi is in mourning his name's friday like he's a journalist and he lost his best friends just two days ago. but god will save iraq

. sorry. your draw your they want to make iraq a wretched country cannot be. ok with the assassinate the best among us the terrorist who kills a journalist like my colleague at the news channel or who kills a religious man in economic or teach. certainly doesn't do it for religious reasons it's obvious he does it mostly for money because our religion does not tolerate all these crimes the only motive for these crimes is money and they're ordered from outside to kill our best people have any of us. in the city center the mosque still bears the name of the man who built it was saddam hussein. delist come to pay a final homage to his murdered friend i am on april second two thousand and twelve . a holiday in a journalist for a local t.v.

station was killed instantly when his car exploded. until. a relaxing evening along the banks of the tigris overseen by the palace of the local hero sadam. saddam was always surrounded by members of his own tribe and many here miss the man who built a sunni state much to their advantage. they can just kill the americans didn't come here to look for weapons of mass destruction or to hunt down certain are saying they came to rob us and to kill us asian iraq it was a unified country but then what happened when they arrived as the americans that triggered divisions by creating ethnic conflicts just you know this very well. they destroyed everything and then they left but they don't know but in reality they're still here they make people think they've gone but they're still present there are

a mystic create discord in iraq that all muslims are the soul but. as we leave tikrit we come to a village in the heart of saddam hussein's kingdom where he was finally caught. on december fourteenth two thousand and three saddam was captured at dawn in his hideout in a farmyard a miserable rattle two meters underground. disheveled and distraught he surrendered to the american forces. in his possession with two kalashnikovs and seven hundred fifty thousand dollars.

by. now there are no taxis or gas guzzler and we need more petrol. but it was here . we seek out the black market powell business which fills the coffers of a few politicians civil servants and terrorist groups to. the oil money benefits everyone apart from the iraqi people. from all parts. of. the temperature hits more than forty degrees on the machines a cool down with a hose. for the men it's time to wash and pray before sitting down for a meal. that surprised by my presence but soon opened up. for the sunny customers the whole affair was an american manipulation.

movement the greek word plays a key role in the arab world and. the americans used the country to trap set up by them fearing i mean father before they set the date of a man he took it for what it was a pre-arranged ambush. it's time to leave and head for. color doesn't like stopping for too long. kidnappings are frequent here and for the criminal gangs everyone has a price probably including make. a killing in the kidnappings maybe motivated by political or religious convictions but increasingly simply for profit. i've lost count of the checkpoints along the way but the controls this morning seem interminable. i don't know who this fever victory sign is

aimed at as we finally enter the ravaged city of fallujah. and. joe was the scene of one of the most violent american offensives of. the g.i. summerlee killed youngsters and whole families here jani. kalisch recover . but they blew up cars and caused a lot of fatalities. fallujah is the most ravaged city in iraq of them annoying. oh yes that's the american consulate allergic to. the heat is on bearable and our motor is overheating the local grocer helps us to cool it. he's a man driven by anger he experienced the battle of fallujah at first hand and how

hot it was what i am what they are you call a democracy now it's quite simply about killing and stealing our wealth our lands with burnt from the effects of the white phosphorous bombs and now our children are gone disfigured one of the gullible that they are not what they are so beloved all the god will be with us going see the hospitals and you'll see mothers throwing away their babies. informed by all the chemical weapons that saddam the only good know if there's justice in the world bush will have to answer for his war crimes and crimes against humanity he claimed iraq had weapons of mass destruction but where were they these weapons. before let me although i do know that there was a killer using white phosphorous bomb while the mamma said i'm not even the mosque was saved from his barbarity when i look at the ruined minaret well i'm not that's bush's democracy the job holy of them about the other was a good idea. on

november seventh two thousand for a deluge of iron and fire rains down on the city of two hundred mosques. to die it was a last stronghold for the al qaeda mujahideen. twelve thousand marines three hundred tanks and a hundred also helicopters were launched against. the biggest urban battle in iraq was under way. the american victory was total the casualty figures speak for themselves one hundred american soldiers were killed and on the iraqi side it's estimated there were between four and five thousand victims most of them civilians. the battle left a city in ruins where death continue to take its toll. and their offensive it's

thought the u.s. troops used white phosphorus bombs and depleted uranium weapons banned by all international conventions. so our new passenger is not administrator at the general hospital. since the battle of fallujah ended has got records of the children born with congenital malformation . for him there's no doubt the americans were responsible for this tragedy. of the. for me the administrator's office becomes an empty chamber of horrors. that i

looked at the war is far from over in fact it's still going on for the stigmata rivera and their evolving in two thousand and five we noted a spectacular increase in genetic malformations a new born babies how large the. voters only show a tiny part of their reality just for the month of january we recorded forty three cases yacht. engulfing the neighborhood syria's civil war to spread across the border into lebanon hezbollah defiantly promises victory over sod's enemies indeed it would appear as following interest intend to steadfastly stand by their ally in damascus the taking of sides is all but complete and the stakes for the entire middle east could be higher potentially deadly blizzard taking aim for the northeast it's

expected to hit stunning in a few hours from new york to maine we have team coverage of the storm. but what we're watching is the very heavy snow moving into boston proper earlier today it was very sticky you can see it start to become much more powdery down to the bottom line there is still a lot of snow out here a good place for snowball fight. piece and it is going to be pretty incredible day there and even record snowfall throughout much of in life nobody's allowed to be driving less and some emergency vehicles.

emission free critique free in-store charges free. arrangement free. three stooges free. old free books just plug in video for your media projects a free video dog our teeth on tom.

owen tom harkin to washington d.c. and here's what's coming up tonight on the big picture. republicans who abuse their filibuster powers in unprecedented ways during the obama years the president looks like he's getting ready for a fight will harry reid finally get it together and as meaningful filibuster reform more on that would like to happen tony in just a moment also earlier today right wing icon michele bachmann announced her. retirement from the house of representatives that one of its more colorful stars is called it quits is this the beginning of the end for the tea party we'll talk about that and more in tonight's alone liberal rumble and yesterday federal prosecutors announced that they were charging the web site liberty reserved.