siege toitants laid two key cities in western iraq on thursday, liberating prisoners, occupying buildings, and setting police stations on fire. the iraqi military has pushed back with airstrikes. iraq is embroiled in a sectarian crisis fueled by the civil war in neighboring syria. the recent attacks took place in an bar province, the side of the 2007 surge of u.s. troops and an area where nearly one third of u.s. war casualties lost their lives. more than 7800 iraqi civilians died last year, returned to levels seen during the height of u.s. occupation. the united nations is warning spiraling crisis in the central african republic, also south sudan and syria.

in syria but you step over the line into western iraq and anbar province and suddenly the united states is supporting shias who are fighting sunni's the fact that tehran is a longtime patron of maleki with apologies to the ambassador in two thousand and ten the election results favored another candidate it was the united states that sat aside with no credibility whatsoever while toran stepped in and brokered a deal for moloch to take over the reins of power the expedient processes that the united states continues to try to use in the middle east always always come back to hurt us and while i to support stronger relations with tehran supporting she is versus sunni's on one side of the line and the opposite on the other side of the line certainly will not work out in the long run and certainly does not add up to america's credibility in the greater middle east ok richard in new york which i reflect upon that i mean it's morning different sides in different countries and it's the same conflict it's extremely complex and it doesn't it certainly doesn't look like it's working just to be. cle

stations, releasing extremists from jail and in some parts of the cities they are in control in western iraqose places. places that a lot of you u.s. soldiers and marines die sod that iraqis could control those places. what about this rise of al qaeda in iraq? and all over the region. let's brick in our -- bring in our panel. steve hayes and elise viebeck and charles krauthammer. steve? >> i think what is particularly discouraging is the fact that the united states fought so hard in those towns and others in western iraq to win free dom for the iraqis alongside the iraqis and sunni tribes and now that is basically gone. what we saw over the last couple of days is just a culmination of a long build-up of fighting from the current version of al qaeda in iraq. and you've had a series of complex suicide bombings leading up to this. some two dozen suicide bombings in october in western iraq by this group, according to the author tative subject on these matters and it is a long series and this has been coming for quite a while. >> elise, is there a sense that the administration is dealing with thi

the iraqi government is fighting al-qaeda-linked militants for control of parts of western iraq. can hear the gunfire in fallujah where 8 have been killed. fallujah is one of the two main cities in iraq's rambar province. ramadi has been under siege. they are affiliated with al-qaeda. they call themselves, the islamic state of iraq and lamont. that grew wants to set up a sunni islamic state in iraq and across the border. al-qaeda has taken over control of parts of syria as well. for more, we go to imran. >> the fighters claim they have taken over the main highway into the town of fallujah. one man shouts "god is great" as he gestures to a burnt-out vehicle they claim to be from iraq's army. they say they isn't reinforcements to battle tribuntribal fighters there. if the front line has moved to the outskirts. sunni tribal leaders have so far not allowed iraqi fighters to enter the town saying they should head any operation. it's a sign of how little they trust the government of the prime minister. the prime minister, though, is not backing down. he is described the operation as vit

al-qaeda militants are controlling major cities in western iraq a show of strength not seen since their battles with u.s. forces a decade ago we look at who these insurgents are and how they became so strong. while in syria al-qaeda linked to rebels and other opposition groups are engulfed in the bloody infighting the forthcoming peace talks are under threat from the growing divisions among those aiming to topple assad. lost confidence biting austerity is taking its toll on the e.u. leadership with approval ratings hitting a record low for a handful of block members. they could dream they can. they can make. each and every kind of the draft.

are clear the jihadists entrenched in iraq's western province are from a group called the islamic state of iraq and the levant a u.s. military publication says the organization expanded its influence significantly last year and now boasts over five thousand members it was formed back in two thousand and four a year after the u.s. led invasion in iraq began these sunni extremists were initially known as al qaeda in iraq after pledging allegiance to the infamous organization the group's leader said this summer that its goals are to tear down the border between iraq and syria and destroy both governments many of its members are fighting against president assad in syria and the group says they carried out a suicide blast in lebanon a couple of weeks ago and care guard is a former danish intelligence officer who served in iraq he believes that al qaeda is as strong as ever and that iraqi security forces are overmatched in my opinion. has never been on the run it might have been downscaling due to pressure but once this precious lifted the organization is back in full force and it uses these.

i think my colleague has explained very well the leaky borders between syria and western iraq. we also don't treat iraq well. we are now on the side of malachi who antagonized them and treats them like a concords nation. we must focus on iran, iraq, syria and lebanon. >> what do you make of, is it right by lindsey graham and john kerry to blame president obama? >> no. i think the violence in iraq -- i'll let you go first, if you want. >> no, go ahead, please. >> i think it's unfair to blame it on president obama. the things happening in iraq right now are things that have, their essence in all the policies from the past couple of years. starting with the invasion of iraq and how that was handled. the fact that all these militias were able to come up afterward and the fact the u.s. left while it was a patch work. it's not like the fires in iraq were put out. the u.s. put additional troops out to quench the violence. he does treat the sunni's as though they are -- they don't work well enough to come to terms with it. there's not a political consensus. it's not there. the politica

there is con certain about the situation in western iraq. police in the main city of fallujah say fighters control the center of town. eight have been killed in the violence there. u.s. coast guard is being called on to help two stranded ships in antarctica. the chinese icebreaker is now stranded itself. u.s. ice breaking ship called the "polar star" was in the region for another mission. brutal cold weather is bearing down on the midwest. parts of the region are seeing the lowest temperatures. the dakotas, can be as low as 50 below zero. several states may face negative temperatures for days. >> former first lady barbara bush was released from the hospital. doctors say she's doing well. houston methodist had been treating her for pneumonia. she praised staff and said: >> those are the headlines on this saturday. "america tonight" is up next on al jazeera america. you can find us online, go to aljazeera.com. we hope you have a great weekend and a great night. good evening, everyone. thanks for joining us. joie chen is on assignment. i'm adam

says it's concerned about the situation in western iraq. the government is battling an armed group linked to al qaeda. police in fallujah say fighters control the center of town. nearly eight have been killed in the violence there. u.s. coast guard is being called on to help two stranded ships in antarctica. d helped to rescue 52 passengers and is now itself stranded. the u.s. icebreaking ship "polar star" was in the region for another mission. >> brutal cold weather is bearing down on the midwest. part of it is seeing the lowest temperatures in years. you can see in the dakota's 50 below zero. several states across the mid west may face negative temperatures for days. >> al jazeera is demanding the release of our colleagues in egypt. mohamed fadel fahmy, and baher mohamed, and correspondent peter greste have been held since sunday. mohamed fadel fahmy and peter greste face further questioning tomorrow. egyptian prosecutors say they are held on suspicion of joining a terrorist groups and spreading lies harmful to state security. al jazeera

is concerned about the situation in western iraq. government is battling an armed group linked to al qaeda. police in fallujah say rebels control the center of town. eight have been killed. >> the u.s. secretary of state is back in jerusalem. john kerry says progress has been made, but there are ways to go to establish a framework for peace talks. he is scheduled to go to saudi arabia tomorrow. >> brutally cold weather is bearing down on the midwest. parts of the region are seeing the lowest temperatures in 20 years. in the dakotas, it could be 60 below zero. and several states may face negative temperatures for days. >> the incoming cold front is called historic, the most severe since 1996. kevin corriveau is here with more on how cold it will get in the coming days. >> it will be dangerous. we talk about windchill a bit. the difference between windchill and ambient temperature is a temperature you would read off your thermometer. that will go down to 25-30 below. when we talk about windchill, some places will get down to minus 60 o

. >> i think the ultimate objective is to be able to carve out an amount of territory in western iraq and eastern syria that might be contiguous and provide them with a physical territorial base. iraq's deep-rooted sectarianism has resurfaced in the past year. the sunni population accused the shiite government of neglecting their interest. the prime minister nouri al-maliki wants to resolve the standoff but will not compromise. we welcome our brothers from anbar, who speak to us, consult and discuss. we need the real people of anbar, not those claiming to represent anbar. >> maliki said the fighters are adding to the chaos to destabilize iraq before upcoming elections. they'll have to calm the situation in anbar before then, to show he has control of the country. >> the secretary of state started another day of talks with israeli and plip leaders -- palestine leaders, trying to reignite the process. john kerry met the foreign minister, and will meet benyamin netanyahu later. he'll travel to roou manneda to meet mahmoud abbas. al jazeera is demanding the release of three staff members

the jihadist entrenched in iraq's western province are from a group called the islamic state of iraq and billabong. the us military publication says the organization expanded its influence significantly last year and now boasts over five thousand members. now the group was formed back in two thousand and four a year after the us led invasion of iraq began. these sunni extremists war initially known as al qaeda in iraq after pledging allegiance to the infamous organization the group's leader said this summer that its goals are to tear down of the border between iraq and syria and to destroy both governments many of its members are fighting against president assad in syria and the group says that they carried out a suicide blast in love than on just a couple weeks ago anders care garden is a former danish intelligence offer from office excuse me who served in iraq. he says that al qaeda is as strong as ever and the iraqi security forces are overmatched. in my opinion that the ai qaeda has never been on the run day it might have been a bit down skating due to a two pressure but what's d

but they been proven effective at denying ifi the safe haven zones it has sought to establish in western iraq. >> first, we look at the traffic package in the presidential aspirations of new jersey governor christie. the republican front-runner in the 2016 race. all of that and more coming up. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. at least 13 people have been killed and another 30 wounded in a suicide attack on a police station in baghdad. the bombing comes as the iraqi government is preparing for an offensive to retake the city of falluja from sunni militants. fighters from the al qaeda- linked islamic state of iraq and the love aunt seized parts of falluja as well as ramadi last week. the iraqi red crescent says over 13,000 people -- families have fled to escape the violence in the past few days. the united nations is warning anbar faces a critical humanitarian situation with 250 people killed already this month. iraq is facing its worst violence in six years, with over 7000 dead in 2013. we will ve more on iraq and falluja later in the broadca

al-qaeda militants are controlling major cities in western iraq a show of strength not seen since their battles with u.s. forces a decade ago we look at who these insurgents are and how they became so strong. while in syria al-qaeda linked rebels and other opposition groups are engulfed in bloody infighting the forthcoming peace talks are under threat from the growing divisions among those aiming to topple assad. lost confidence biting austerity is taking its toll on the e.u. leadership with approval ratings hitting a record low for a handful of bloc members. they can dream they can play and they can make. each and every kind.

twice as long it is a second world war, of the 4,486 americans that died -- >> that's the part of western iraqunnis were and al qaeda was and that's where ramadi and fallujah are. >> there are those that say that had the president successfully negotiated a residual force to remain in iraq, this ongoing civil war with regional overlay was not be nearly as serious. i'm respect ta skeptical of tha >> there are other factors in this. part of it is the fact have you this terrible civil war in syria and al qaeda fighters are streaming, just across the boarder from anbar into syria and establishing this foothold across the borders both in syria and in iraq and, in fact, the group that's taken over fallujah and declared a new emirate there is called the islamic state of iraq and syria. on the other hand, though, you did have the status of forces agreement which in theory had been negotiated between president bush and iraqis. president obama was never able to complete and it we left without leaving any trainers there, without leaving special forces. >> the post-american middle east is upon us. i think

they are an effective tool in wiping out safe havens in western iraq.he situation could have implications in afghanistan. they are playing hardball, and talks to allow a u.s. insurgency force to stay. >> if the united states and the international community leave afghanistan, the taliban have a chance to come back to power. if they come back to power. the legacy and security of the family are at risk. >> mike viqueira reporting there. >> the united nations has not invited iran to take part in peace negotiations on syria, the much-talked about geneva meeting is due to happen later this month. u.s. secretary-general ban ki-moon will attend. much of the syrian opposition will stay away from the talks in geneva. dozens of members of the syrian national coalition resigneded. many said they are against taking part in the talks. until they have assurances they'll be removed. >> it all goes back to geneva, the group that resigned, 39 of them with a statement. go to geneva, would be a betrayal of the syrian people. they do not feel with a lack of undertaking made

the countries are fighting over control of western iraq. 21 were killed. thousands of families have been fleeing their homes. >> there's a surge in rebels fighting each other. in just over a week 700 people have been killed. it is the most serious level of infighting since the civil war began. syrian peace talks will move forward. it's unclear if rebels will attend, despite pressure from international leaders. getting all parties to agree to a deal will be challenging. >> it was a last-ditch attempt to persuade the syrian opposition to talk to the assad regime. the americans and its partners argue there can be no military victory. after threes years of fighting, they say the only way ahead is a negotiated solution. >> we have renewed our full support for the syrian national council at a time when the syrian people are facing major difficulties. following an extensive discussion, we have adopted the text, presenting our position on the crisis on the direction which the community must follow, and the request of the geneva ii conference take place following t

twice as long it is a second world war, of the 4,486 americans that died -- >> that's the part of western iraqhere the sunnis were and al qaeda was and that's where ramadi and fallujah are. >> there are those that say that had the president successfully negotiated a residual force to remain in iraq, this ongoing civil war with regional overlay was not be nearly as serious. i'm respect ta skeptical of tha >> there are other factors in this. part of it is the fact have you this terrible civil war in syria and al qaeda fighters are streaming, just across the boarder from anbar into syria and establishing this foothold across the borders both in syria and in iraq and, in fact, the group that's taken over fallujah and declared a new emirate there is called the islamic state of iraq and syria. on the other hand, though, you did have the status of forces agreement which in theory had been negotiated between president bush and iraqis. president obama was never able to complete and it we left without leaving any trainers there, without leaving special forces. >> the post-american middle east is upon us

in western iraq the majority sunnis have grown frustrated with the government of prime minister yuri al maliki who is she an intrusion. some residents in giving support to the militants by joining in the battle. the civil war in neighboring syria has made things worse is i make extremists and taking advantage of the situation by setting up their bases inside iraq. negotiators from six world powers is still waiting for a rainy meters to put an agreement on their nuclear program into motion. the two sides reached a breakthrough deal in november but the lady and still haven't implemented the first apps negotiators agreed the remains would scale back their nuclear development. the six powers would lead to sanctions negotiators met three times in december to discuss what would happen next but they failed to do things for what officials in the obama administration complicated discussions with the added more than a dozen companies and individuals to their sanctions list. he made the announcement even as the drinks law makers to hold off on the additional penalties against iraq. it means tha

says it's concerned about the situation in western iraq where the government is battling an armed group link today al-qaeda. police in the main city of fallujah say rebel fighters control the center of town. at least eight people have been killed in the violence there. brutal cold weather is bearing down on the midwest. a deep freeze is bringing some of the lowest temperatures in years in the dakotas. it could feel as low as 50 degrees below zero. several states across the midwest may face negative temperatures for days. u.s. coast guard is being called on to help two stranded ships in antartica because an ice breaker is stranded. the "polar star" was in the region for another mission. >>> former first lady barbara bush was released from the hospital this morning. doctors say she is doing well. houston methodist hospital had been treated the 88-year-old since monday for pneumonia. she praised the hospital staff saying, quote, i got the best treatment and got back to george and our dogs as quickly as possible. those are the headlines tonight. i am jonathan betz. stay with us. "real money

another day of fighting in two cities of western iraq between army backed by local tribesmen and militants linked to al qaeda. in ramadi forces say they inflicted numerous casualties on the militants and street battles in nearby fallujah. russian president vladimir putin has taken to the ski slopes in so muchy, where the winter olympics will be held next month. it's part of his tour of venues in the black sea resort. russian television showed mr. putin skiing not on the olympic slope but facility next to the main venue. a powerful winter storm with snow and frigid temperatures hit the northeastern united states today. boston was blanketed with more than a foot of snow and had wind chills of minus 20 degrees fahrenheit. more than six inches of snow in new york city, where schools were closed and some roads temporarily shut down. the storm has been blamed for at least 11 deaths or more than 2,000 flights have been canceled. bbc has this report from new york. >> i'm here in central park in new york city, and the temperatures are absolutely freezing. it's minus 10 degrees crellsous now and tem

the al qaeda are taking control of western iraq where they seize control of northern syria. the border is nonexistent and today there was a bona fide dictionary for much operations can be conducted against allies in the region, specifically jordan. the radical islamists were not the catalyst for the revolutionary change that swept over the middle east three plus years ago, but they see geopolitical change as opportunity to gain influence and as such, controlled territory and people. this is happening in syria, libya, yemen, tunisia and mali. while exerting pressure in somalia and kenya. because of the failure in my view of american leadership to islamic extremism is not mentioned in u.s. policy, which is quite astounding. 12 years we still have no comprehensive strategy to defeat radical islam or al qaeda. we do not even have a military strategy. we use drugs to kill al qaeda leadership, pakistan and yemen as we shared, but that is not a military strategy that is a type take an instrument. it has limitations also because leaders are replaced quickly in an ideological movemen

major cities in western iraq a show of strength not seen since their battles with u.s. forces a decade ago we look at who these insurgents are and how they became so strong. rebels and other opposition groups are fighting the forthcoming peace talks are under threat from the growing divisions among those. approval ratings for leaders to an all time low as a handful of bloc members face economic hardships tough times are being met with some people in the countries adopting new currencies. these colorful which tend not to money but they have a real. doubting that.

it's unclear who control was reminded that the men intent on making advances in western iraq the sunni populations and give it the country's mainly shiite government has tasted the menace and support the government is confident that it was seen reassert control of the region. a lovely on me and my ctc she will be resulted in one or two days. once we'd still be on grapes on top of him and walk. iraqi army is said to be planning a night stay in the census. this footage days and andrei don't actually allegedly controlled by men distance. so it is that going around to the gym and there are reports that they've urged residents to leave the united nations report released last month found out the authorities have neglected to prosecute those who commit crimes against women. this despite laws for the belmont oaks for four years protecting women against forced marriages domestic violence and . but as many afghan women are finding the walls are useless if they're not enforced many women simply don't supply of others. the riot mains in afghanistan's hospitals likes it on a dvd in december the cul

al qaeda militants are controlling major cities in western iraq a show of strength not seen since their battles with u.s. forces a decade ago we look at who these insurgents are and how they became so strong. in syria al-qaeda linked rebels and other opposition groups are engulfed in bloody infighting the forthcoming peace talks are under threat from the growing divisions among those aiming to topple assad. approval ratings for you leaders dip into an all time low as a handful of bloc members face economic hardships tough times are being met with people in the countries adopting new currencies. these colorful. money.

>> reporter: wolf, a lot of concern about what is going on, especially in western iraq, and concern isby the fear that across the region al qaeda is on the rise. fallujah and ramadi once ground zero now new violence that threatens to split iraq apart. chiefs and shia government forces all fighting for control. >> as bloody a situation we've seen in iraq since the terrible years of 2006 and 2007. >> reporter: but this time the fight will be the iraqi government's alone win or lose. u.s. troops pulled out of iraq two years ago. republican senators john mccain and lindsey graham say the obama administration cannot escape its share of the blame for al qaeda's rise. ini ini insisting president obama withdrew u.s. forces over the objections of his commander, but don't look for that policy to change. >> we are not, obviously, contemplating returning. we're not contemplating puts boots on the ground. this is their fight, but we're going to help them in their fight. >> reporter: that help includes satellite image ru to locate al qaeda fighters and quicker delivery from small drones and hellfire

kind of militants are controlling major cities in western iraq a show of strength not seen since their battles with u.s. forces a decade ago we looked at who these insurgents are and how they became so strong. while in syria al-qaeda linked rebels and other opposition groups are engulfed in bloody infighting the forthcoming peace talks are under threat from the growing divisions among those aiming to topple assad. approval ratings for leaders it dipped to an all time low as bailouts and austerity trigger a clearance sale of countries assets to patch up the budget holes are to report on how many people are upset with the move. by selling. a priceless. price tag to.

. >> let me tell you, it is covering a vast area of certain tral and western iraq. now the two major cities under control in al qaeda is the capital and fallujua. the military operations are going on and several attacks in the capital. the worst in the northern neighborhood and that is where two car bombs going off. >> that is a very important area. somebody that knows about the area and knows about iraq and now dangerous it is working with the tribes are the americans, they are not there, let's take a listen to the secretary of state john kerry. an i am not going into the details and we are in contact with the tribal leaders from the province and they are standing up against this as they reject the terrorist groups from their cities and this is a fight that belongs belongs belongs to iragi's. we are not returning. this is their fight but we are going to help them in their fight. >> considering their knowledge, should they be involved? a depends on who you speak to. some feel they have been abandoned by the americans. there was a shopping list and saying we need the

the problems are in western iraq, where you can see the footage of masked gunmen firing at a government helicopter. others stood guard over a captured military hummer, military and fighters have taken control of parts of ramadi. our correspondent has more on the violence since american forces left. >> it is almost three weeks since fighting broke out in anbar province. the government says its military is trying to root out fighters linked to al qaeda. known as the islamic state of iraq, or i.s.i.l. >> the army is using a newly obtained hell-fire missile and surveillance drones. the government says tribal leaders and fighters are engaged in the battle against what they call terrorists. that is not how the fighters or the residents of anbar see it. soldiers cleared an anti-government protest sight and arrested a sunni mp. tribal fighters took up arms to defend their areas. the i.s.i.l. fighters were able to control parts of fallujah and ramadi. but tribal fighters managed to drive them out. the government says i.s.i.l. fighters are still present in fallujah, but presidents and local tribe

>> i can tell you anbar province covers a vast area of central and western iraq. the two major cities under control of al qaeda fighters are ram adi. while the military operation going on in ann bar, we've seen other operations in the capitol. two car bombs went off there. >> the government is talking about the fact they are having to work at or trying to work at, change of tactic to try oget the operation to be a successful one. >> absolutely, they're on the outskirts, they have made an agreement of one of the sunni tribes, to route these isil fighters, they will put up with some very, very stiff resistance. so it's likely that the operation will happen in the coming hours possibly even this evening. so let's see what happens. but it's a key step, this agreement is the first stage in getting into fallujah. they've got that now so now this operation will happen. >> so it's ongoing operations we'll catch up with you, when things happen, thanks imran. >> continuing operations, more on that. >> syria's armed opposition is pushing forward with what seems to be a coord

. >> the problems are in western iraq, where you see footage of masked gun many firing at a government helicopter. others stood guard over a captured military hummer in fallujah. military fighters are taking control of ramadi. thousands of families evacuated that area. >> it's been four years since an earthquake devastated haiti. a ceremony was held in the capital to remember the victims. more than 100,000 lost their lives. they are trying to rebuild. half a million people live in crowded tent camps. >> anti-government protesters shut down intersections across bangkok. they want prime minister yingluck shinawatra, who they claim is corrupt, to step down. demonstrators say they will not accept a compromise proposed by the government in february. >> and in turkey members of parliament threw punches during a session on seat. tensions ran high as you can see during a debate about government control. the justice commission were together to discuss a bill allowing more say over the judiciary. the law-maker investigating governor chris christie says the governor's aide committed a crime. john

. >> tribal fighters in ramadi, western iraq. the armed forces backed by tribal gunmen known as their awakening councils, al qaeda linked of iraq and the levant, i.s.i.l. prime minister says they are eunteunited behind him. >> forcing al qaeda to come out so that we can strike them. >> but this is not how these fighters and many residents of anbar see it. took up arms to defend their areas, antiprotest cite in ramadi, islamic state of iraq and the levant were able to control parts of ramadi, they are still present in a number of areas in the two cities. sunnies started their anti-government protest in december 2012 in six provinces. accusing the shiite government of secon sectarianism and marginalizing them. that's why the people of fallujah and ramadi say they refuse to allow the army to enter their areas. the government then said the protest movement was infiltrated by al qaeda and members of the former regime. iraq's crisis is also linked to the war in syria. al qaeda groups come to border with syria which allows them free mov

. >> there's growing concern about the situation in western iraq. the government is battling a group linked to al qaeda. fighters control the city center. eight people have been killed in violence there. >> john kerry after spending saturday meeting with president mahmoud abbas heads to jordan tomorrow. after jordan, john kerry moves to saudi arabia. it's its 10th trip to the region. >> peace talks between south sudan may be tomorrow. both sides failed to agree on an agenda. hundreds have been killed in ethnic fighting since december. 200,000 people are believed to have been displaced. those are the headlines this saturday tonight. "america tonight" is up next. remember, you can get us online. just head to aljazeera.com. hope you have a good night and a great weekend. good evening, everyone. thanks for joining us. joie chen is on assignment. i'm adam may and you are watch "america tonight weekend edition", more than 3 million americans suffer from hep c. we meet a family nearly destroyed by the virus and we are shown a drug targetting the poison in

, the enemy that took over fallujah and is occupying ramadi right now they came from a town in western iraqthat is on the syrian border. which basically means this enemy, this al qaeda enemy that is in anbar providence right now they were fighting the assad regime in syria. this is the very people that this president appealed to the congress and the american people that we should intervene on their behalf. he wanted to take the assad regime out and help these fighters that are now in anbar providence causing the issues we are seeing in iraq right now. the leadership vacuum of the united states military has been filled by iran. that's why the tribes don't want to fight for the malki government because they don't want to support iran. we were the buffer to the iranian leadership in the ayatollahs and the omars in iraq when we were there. all they asked for was a standard of forces agreement. a standard of forces agreement would have eliminated what we are seeing in anbar providence. >> there was a question they were going to allow americans. it broke down for political reasons. the president

. >> the main objective is probably to be able to carve out an amount of territory in western iraq andrn syria that may be contiguous and therefore provide them with some sort of physical territorial sort of base. >> reporter: iraq's deep rooted sectorism resurfaced in the past year and accused the government of neglecting the interest and he wants to resolve the standoff but won't negotiate those with al-qaeda. >> translator: we welcome brothers who are willing to step forward to speak to us, consult and discuss and we need not those who claim to represent them. >> reporter: the fighters are only adding to the chaos to further destabilize iraq before up coming elections in april. they will have to calm the situation before then if he is to show he still has control of the country. and rob matheson al jazeera. >> reporter: he has been in a coma for 8 years is getting weaker. in the past hour doctors said his condition has deteriorated again in the past 24 hours. and he is a controversial figure and inquiry found he carried personal responsibility for the massacre of up to 3500 people i

al qaeda are quickly taking control of western iraq while they have seized control of northern syria.day there is a bona fide sanctuary for which operations can be conducted against their allies in the region specifically jordan. the radical islamists were not the catalyst for the revolutionary changes that swept over the middle east three plus years ago but they see geopolitical chains as opportunity to gain influence and as such controlled territory and people. this is happening in syria libya yemen tunisia and maui. while al qaeda affiliates are exerting pressure on somalia and kenya. because of the failure in my view of american leadership the term islamic extremism is not mentioned in u.s. policy which is quite astounding. furthermore, 12 years after 9/11 we still have no comprehensive strategy to did be radical islam or al qaeda. we do not even have a military strategy. we use drones to kill al qaeda leadership in pakistan and yemen, as we should but that is not a military strategy. it is a tactic and an instrument of war. it has limitations also because leaders are replaced wit

it you doubt that, i urge you to look at what is now happening in western iraq.re just a few years ago, during the u.s.-lead surge al qaeda was dealt and even more crippling blow than core al qaeda offer -- suffered in pakistan now it's al qaeda that surging back in iraq hoisting its black flag over cities and murdering hundreds of innocent iraqis. just in the last year. to me it lead to an important conclusion which is that space core al-qaeda and triable pakistan has been slunk, thanks to persistent u.s. action and leadership, new territory where al qaeda affiliates can find sanction ware has grown significantly during the same period. particularly in the middle east and north africa and sub saharan africa. al qaeda and other violent extremist groups have long exploit the muslim majority countries that have been weakened or fragmented by conflict, and neglected by the international community including the u.s. they take advantage of these places to recruit radicalized and train the next generation of extremists foot soldiers. they use these places to plot and p

. >> megyn, the enemy that took ov over, and they came from a town in western iraq on the syrian borderenemy, they were fighting the assad regime in syria. this is the people the president appealed to the american, congress, the american people that we should intervene on their behalf. he wanted to take the assad regime out, and help the fighters, that are now in the province causing, you know, the issues that we're seeing in iraq right now. the leadership vacuum of the united states military has been filled by iran. that's why the suni tribes don't want to fight. for the government. they don't want to support iran. we were a buffer to the iranian leadership to the i toayatollah and they asked for a standard of forces agreement. it would have eliminated what we are seeing in anbar province. >> there was a question about whether they were going to allow americans to -- >> amnesty. >> exactly. broke down for political reasons. let me ask you this. bah the president has -- seemed to be arguing all along when he was running for re-electionen iraq. a wore he didn't agree with. that was sort

siege toitants laid two key cities in western iraq on thursday, liberating prisoners, occupying buildings, and setting police stations on fire. the iraqi military has pushed back with airstrikes. iraq is embroiled in a sectarian crisis fueled by the civil war in neighboring syria. the recent attacks took place in an bar province, the side of the 2007 surge of u.s. troops and an area where nearly one third of u.s. war casualties lost their lives. more than 7800 iraqi civilians died last year, returned to levels seen during the height of u.s. occupation. the united nations is warning spiraling crisis in the central african republic, also south sudan and syria. they're testing the limits of the global humanitarian system. the u.n. humanitarian chief valerie amos said more than one in six central africans are now internally displaced to to the violence there. in south sudan, nearly 200 thousand people have been driven from their homes in recent weeks. amos said the global picture has worsened since last month but she projected a record $12.9 billion would be needed to reach people in more tha

one of the reasons they're invading western iraq might be because of the fact that they're having so many problems inside of syria. they're literally being chased out of their main strong holds. so by taking hold of western syria, they're kind -- it's a propaganda victory and an ability to take a new base of operations. >> john kerry talked about this earlier in jerusalem. take a listen. >> this is a fight that belongs to the iraqis. that is exactly what the president and the world decided some time ago when we left iraq. we are not contemplating returning, not contemplating putting boots on the ground. this is their fight. y but we'll help them in their fight. >> are the iraqi forces capable of handling this fight? >> very interesting question because there are two main parts to any military operation. one is the assault to secure the area. the other one is to hold on to it. if the iraqis wanted to, they could control this area, at least take it away from the rebels. >> how? >> with large scale military influx. we're talking not about hundreds, but thousands and thousands of iraqi t