that's why they're not yet moving into sinjar, for example. they are holding off, waiting, druing perimeters around these towns, circling them. it would seem waiting for the iraqi army to finish its preparations its retraining to be ready to rejoin and lead offensive operations to liberate these much larger urban areas. in the case of sinjar this means there is no major offensive plan in the future so it will be some time yet before the world discovers exactly the extent of the horrors that took place there. how many were killed. how many were taken. wolf? >> reporter: phil black on the scene for us. thanks for that report. appreciate it. >>> meanwhile, egyptian fighter jets there targeting isis in libya, as egypt's offensive now a potential game-changer. our panel of experts standing by to weigh in. their analysis of the war against isis and where it stands, that's next. t: i maximize good stuff like my potassium and phytosterols which may help lower cholesterol. new ensure active heart health supports your heart and body so you stay active a

you spent time in sinjar further west from where you are now.ed from the location last august. how strong of a hole now does isis have of the city? >> reporter: it's interesting for all the territorial gains that kurdish peshmerga forces have made in the region taking back land that was taken by isis some 800 square kilometers in all, kurdish forces have stopped short at major towns and cities in the region. the peshmerga, it would seem are not interested in urban warfare, not alone not without the iraqi army. so sinjar is one of those towns that remains totally under isis control. what we saw there suggests that isis is using sinjar as a gateway, a logistics hub for moving supplies fighters from across the border in syria to the territory it still controls in northern iraq. sinjar is mostly empty, blackened and battered by war. isis holds the town firmly. from a pesh managera position -- peshmerga position we hear aircraft. you see smoke rising above the town. there is the occasional burst of small arm fire from the streets, and there is a surp

like almost everyone from sinjar they follow the yazidi faith.a religion especially loathed by isis. yazidis are scattered across northern iraq in camps like this waiting for isis to be driven from their towns and villages. wahida and dima say they will never go back to sinjar because they will never forget what they saw and will never feel safe there again. >>> now another arab nation is joining the coalition air strikes targeting isis. a number of bahraini warplanes have landed in jordan to help in the ongoing fight. we have more live from aman jordan with more on that. good morning to you. while the peshmerga continued the fight on the ground in northern iraq the bahrainis joining this air campaign what can you tell us about that? >> reporter: well, bahrain is one of the few arab countries that is part of the u.s.-led coalition. but now what they're doing is they have moved fighter jets to jordan. they say that this is part of the bilateral military cooperation between both countries, but it's also part of its effort to support jordan in these

coalition airstrikes managed to push into the sinjar mountains clear the area but unable to take sinjar city where isil is holed up and putting up a fierce battle, because it's such an important area for isil. a main supply line between iraq and syria cross the sinjar city, so yet another mass grave the conflict continues in northern iraq. the yazidi community did pay a heavy price over recent months. >> the war in syria has had a devastating effect on the fishing industry in lebanon. fishinger man used to cross into syrian waters where the catch was better. as we report now on the lebanese-syrian border, that all stopped when the conflict began. >> it's a cold morning on the sea in northern lebanon. these fisherman have more serious things to worry about their camp down 70%. they've always relied on syrian borders for catching big fish, they say the coast is less polluted and unlike lebanon the sea hasn't been overfished. >> when we used to go into syria, there were more fish and we could make a living. since the crisis, the syrian navy stopped us. sometimes we go in 200 meters and the

main supply line between iraq and syria crosses sinjar city and yet another masked grave and conflictrthern iraq continues and there is 1,000 kilometer front line here and the yaziti community did pay a heavy price over resent month. >> reporter: they called on the u.n. to scrap its inquiry into alleged war crimes during the conflict in gaza in 2014. benjamin netanyahu made the call following the resignation of the head of that inquiry on monday. the canadian academic william had bend accused by israel of bias because of consulting work he had carried out for the palestinian liberation organization in 2012. >> reporter: i did a legal opinion about the international criminal court when the palestinian liberation organization was advising people on the issue of ratifying the rome statute of the international criminal court and they asked me for a legal opinion and i delivered it. it was a small consultant and i do it all the time for governments and of course what happens in the past is put aside when one is sworn in as a commissioner. i took an oath to be an independent, an impartial m

it's a main supply line between iraq and syria crossing sinjar city. another mass grave, the conflict in northern iraq continues. the 1,000km front line. the community pays a heavy price. >>> a syrian government jet targeted rebels in the south. activists say 12 were killed and dozens injured in air strikes on a rebel held area. duma another stronghold has come under attack. 10 people were killed, dozens injured, including women and children. an air strike in damascus killed and injured dozens. it was to the east of the capital. >>> al jazeera journalist peter greste spoke of his relief of being released after 400 days in an egyptian gaol it was with incredible angst he left two colleagues behind. in his first interview he asked for egyptian to free mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed. stephanie dekker spoke to peter greste about the moment he learnt he was being released. >> look i can't tell you how relieved i am at being free. i didn't expect. we were settling in for an appeared of months behind prison for the retrial. to be out now, today, with a

. >> yet another mass grave was found in the sinjar area, northwest of iraq along the syrian border. peshmerga fighters were clearing the area from explosives, booby traps, explosives and they discovered this grave believed to be from the yazidi community men, women and children. according to officials some bodies had gunshot wounds, other people were slaughtered. now we have to remember that isil the islamic state of iraq and the levant took over the sinjar area last august, and they were accused of killing hundreds of yazidis and kidnapping scores of i can't see women and children, and the fate of those women and children is still unknown but in december, the peshmerga forces with the help of adjustment coalition airstrikes managed to push into the sinjar mountain, clear the area but they were unable to take sinjar city, where isil is now holed up and putting up a fierce battle. because it's such an important area for isil, a main supply line between iraq and syria crosses sinjar city. yet another mass grave the conflict in northern iraq continues. there's a 1,000-kilometer front l

. >> reporter: it also borders the iraqi city of sinjar. the crossing is in sinjar.connects syria to iraq and it is being used by isil fighter fighters. it seems the offense is part of a broader military plan. if isil is defeated here and sinjar it would severely restrict its freedom of movement between its strong holds in iraq and syria. the u.s. lead coalition and its partners on the ground need to cut the groups supply lines before any major military assault. it's hundreds of kilometers from mosul and other isil strong holds in iraq but defeating them here would weaken them there. >>> back to that abduction in iraq. our correspondent has reported extensively from iraq earlier he explained the possible motives behind this abduction. >> if an area didn't pay homage or alee g&as to the group, then they will be a target or isil wants to take revenge on certain tribes for fighting isil. last week about -- over 100 members of a tribe were killed in western iraq. the other possible reason they could be trying to clamp down on what isil calls informers who report to the i

led coalition strikes pushed in the sinjar mountains to clear the able but unable to take sinjar city isil is held up and putting up a fierce battle because it's such an important area for isil a main supply line between iraq and syria crosses the line and another masked grave and conflict continues and there is a 1,000 kilometer front line here and the community did pay a heavy price over recent months. >>> an explosion in the egyptian capitol near a busy scare in the center of cairo and security increased at the airport and there is a concern about safety in the country since the over throw of mohamed morsi in 2013. israel prime minister called on the u.n. to scrap inquery into alleged war crimes during the conflict in gaza in 2014 and benjamin netanyahu made the call following the resignation of the head of that inquiry on monday academic has been accused of bias because of consulting work he did for the palestine liberation organization in 2012. >> i did a legal opinion about the international criminal court when palestine liberation organization was advising people on the issue o

the crossing is in sinjar, and it text syria to iraq, and it is being used by isil fighters. it seems that the offensive against the group is part of a broader military plan. if isil is defeated, it would severely restrict it's freedom of movement between its strongholds in iraq and syria. the u.s.-led coalition and it's partners on the ground need to cut supply lines before any major military assault. hasaka is hundreds of kilometers away from other strongholds in iraq, but defeating them here would weaken them there. meanwhile, a group of french politicians has met the syrian president during a private trip to damascus. the members of parliament spent an hour with bashar al-assad although the purpose of their trip is unclear. the french foreign ministry says that they went of their own accord. france cut diplomatic ties with syria back in 2012. >> let's go to the democratic republic of congo now where the government has launch admit assault against rebel forces. it's taking on a group called the democratic forces for the liberation of rwanda commonly known to as the fdlr. a

the crossing is in sinjar it connects syria to iraq and is used by i.s.i.l. fighters. the offensive against the group in haas abbinga is part of -- hasaka is part of a plan. if i.s.i.l. is defeated. it would restrict freedom of movement between the strong holds. u.s. coalition and partners need to cut the supply lines. >> hasaka is hundreds of miles from many strongholds. defeating them here would weaken them there >>> in the u.s. three men have been arrested and charged with conspiring to support i.s.i.l. two men were custody. a prospect is believed to have helped organise the trip from florida. they were allegedly threatening to shoot the president. >> the men intended to launch attacks in the u.s. >> it was alleged in the filing the idea that it was plain on the statement. if they were not able to go and seek to acquire weapons here handguns, machine guns and seek to attack police officers. they are made clear. >> state news agencies say members of the u.n. recognised parliament are in cairo. a delegation is there, expected to meet egyptian president abdul fatah al-

been involved in fierce fighting with the islamic state of iraq and the levant this crossing is in sinjarconnects syria to iraq and it is being used by isil fighters. it seems the offensive is part of a broader military plan. if isil is defeated here and sinjar, it would severely restrict its freedom of movement between its strong holds in iraq and syria. the u.s.-lead coalition and its partners on the ground need to cut the group's supply lines before any major military assault. it has hundreds of kilometers from mosul and other isil strong holds, but defeating it here would weaken them there. >>> four french members of pavrl have met with syria's president in what has been called a personal trip according to one of the mp's the group spent over an hour with bashar al-assad. it's the first such meeting since france closed its embassy in syria in 2012. >>> now to yemen where houthi rebels have used live ammunition and tear gas to disperse protesters. there have been protests across the country in support of the president who has fled to the southern city of aden. >> translator: i talked w

. >> hasaka also borders sinjar where iraqi kurds have been engaged in fighting the islamic state in iraq and the levant. the cross something in sinjar at and it connects syria to iraq, and it is being used by isil fighters. >> it seems that the offensive against the group in hasaka is part of a broader military plan. if isil is defeated in hasaka and sinjar, it would severely restrict it's f hasaka defeating it here would weaken them elsewhere. al jazeera beirut. >> four frenchmen in what has been called a personal trip according to one of the mps the group spent over an hour with bashar al-assad. it's the first such meeting since france closed its embassy in syria in 2012. >>> now to yemen where houthi rebels have used tear gas to disperse protesters. there have been demonstrations across the country in support of president hadi. there has been support for hadi. >> i talked with his excellency, as for support, it's going to continue as before. the gcc leaders are happy for his excellency's escape. >> life out of aden, mohammed, what is the latest? >> we see a growing number in size

it is connected by sinjar. it seems that the offensive against the group has been part of a broader military plan. if isil is defeated in hasaka and sinjar, it would significantly restrict movement. they need to cut the group's supply lines before any major military assault. haska asaka is important and weakening them here would weaken them there. >> supporting a fighting freeze in aleppo but the fighting does continue there. rebel fighters have managed to recapture parts of the province. individual has been put up online showing the bodies of 70 government soldiers. >> reporter: some of the casualties. these are the bodies of regime soldiers killed by rebels while fighting in aleppo province. >> the head of forensics started to receive the bodies of those killed in the north countryside since wednesday. >> there have been many casualties here. many want to take control of their province, forces took over parts northern parts of aleppo. there are different rebel groups. here members of the free syrian army use

they cross in sinjar. it connects syria to iraq, and it is being used by isil fighters. it seems the offensive against the group is part of a broader military plan. if isil is defeated in hasaka and sinjar it would seriously restrict it's freedom of movement between iraq and syria. they need to cut the group's supply lines before any major military assault. >> hasaka is a hundred kilometers from mosul in iraq. but defeating it here would weaken them there. al jazeera, bay root. >> three men have been arrested in the u.s. charged with entiring to support isil. this is the official complaint filed against them. two men were taken into custody in new york while thanking to fly from syria to join the group. the theirs suspect is believed to have helped organize the trip from florida. the new york police commissioner bill brattan said that they alleged to commit the attacks from the u.s. >> the idea that it was quite plain based on their own statements that if they were not able to go, that they would seek to acquire weapons here and guns and machine guns, and seek to attack

the top of sinjar. the town of sinjar.gered an enormous crisis in this region when the population of sinjar neighbors, they fled the town up to this mountain. this is the area where i'm overlooking now. it is a town that is still completely under isis control. kurdish fighters are starting to move in from the north of this town from the side of the mountain. it is a difficult task. hundreds of thousands of people live there. it will be a long difficult job to free this town. it is an area that has put kurdish peshmerga fighters on the offensive as opposed to trying to contain isis. isis has been on the move on other parts of iraq.

. >> hazakke also borders sinjar, the yarabea crossing is in sinjar and it is being used by i.s.i.l. fighters. it seems the offensive against the group in hazzake is part of a broader military plan. if i.s.i.l. is defeated it would severallyseverely restrict its contacts. need to cut the group's supply lines before any major military assault. hazzake is hundreds of kilometers from other i.s.i.l. strongholds in northern iraq but defeating them here would weaken them there. zeina khodr, al jazeera beirut. >>> first time that happened since u.n. backed ceasefire went into effect ten days ago. our paul brennan is in the heart of the region and it appears the fighting has stopped. >> reporter: i've come to an area just to the west of donetsk city center which has been used by the separatist forces, to launch attacks against the ukrainian forces in that direction. as you can see the debris is all around. let's have a look at this box here. this box would have held some shells for a 122 millimeter either the d-30 which is a towed field gun or the d-32, which is a howitzer. as you can see th

the crossing is in sinjar it corrects syria to iraq.seems the offensive is part of a broader military plan. if isil is defeated here it would severely restrict its freedom of movement. the u.s.-lead coalition and its partners on the ground need to cut the group's supply lines before any major military assault. it is hundreds of kilometers from mosul and other isil strong holds in northern iraq defeating them here would weaken them there. >>> let's get more on the abduction of more than 100 people from iraq. with me is a reporter from iraq. what more do we know about the circumstances? >> we know for the last few days isil waged raids and searched through houses and kidnapped about 127 people mainly from the tribe. we understand also there were some change taken. a few days later about 20 were released and the rest according to the tribal leader are still under isil's captivity. >> and we don't know where these people are? the >> we don't. and there are fears that they could have been killed already. however, at this stage, we don't real

we were over mount sinjar a few days back and that is the main highway to syria, overlooks it. all the time tankers, trucks pickups racing up that road trying to avoid coalition airstrikes to resupply isis positions. so periodically isis is striking at kurdish positions, most recently kirkuk and this is a way of keeping all the enemies that they have in iraq and there are plenty of them off balance. >> tim, where are these fighters coming from these isis fighters? who are these fighting forces? because you talk about how complex they've been able to attack on multiple fronts. these are people with real military training. >> reporter: absolutely they are. a lot of them are former officers in saddam's army baathist officers who have joined isis. so that's where the military is coming from. they still have foreign fighters coming in. a kurdish official told me this morning there was a surprise last night monitoring radio communications how many foreigners were there this force that attacked kurdish positions. so they have a flow of fighters. there are plenty of iraqis still fighti

the group launched a major assault on kurdish forces in the north, near erbil, and in the town of sinjar. a kurdish peshmerga commander tells al jazeera his troops have been taking heavy fire but they are holding their ground. none of the fighters has been killed in a new round of attacks. two commanders were killed by snipers on monday. >> the u.s. is a big step closer to training syrian rebels. the state department says the u.s. and turkey agreed on a plan for turkey to host part of the training programme. the u.s. hopes to begin it by the end of march. the pentagon said it would send nearly 1,000 troops to saudi arabia turkey and qatar as part of the effort. >> the u.s. special envoy to syria says bashar al-assad's forces agreed to stop all bombings of aleppo. these pictures are taken by a drone that flew over the city. it shows damages to mosqueses and buildings, some dating back to the 13th century >>> american defense contractors will be selling drones to foreign countries. some allies could purchase the devices, not everyone is happy. mike viqueira has more. >> it's a controversia

maybe the measure tactical suctions like taking sinjar is really about encircling mosul and then cut the logistics and then try to diminish. if you look at kobane today it's totally destroyed. are they prepared to really destroy mosul? having in find that the sunnis are the majority and the sunnis in all of iraq of part of the situation. is it feasible? i doubt. >> thank you for talking to al jazeera. >> i'm del walters in new york. we are breaking away right now because we want to take you to washington d.c. a senate subcommittee is set to hold a hearing on the new policies between the united states and cuba. these are live images out of the senate chambers where that hearing is about to take place. that is florida senator marco rubio presiding over the hearing. the senator opposing president obama's every move to normalize relations between the u.s. and cuba. listen in for a second. he is introducing members of the panel now. we're going to give you some background. cuba's human rights violations are expected to be a major concern today. they may become a major hurdle in the road t

the top of sinjar. the town of sinjar. not long after they invaded iraq they triggered an enormous crisis in this region when the population of sinjar neighbors, they fled the town up to this mountain. this is the area where i'm overlooking now. it is a town that is still completely under isis control. kurdish fighters are starting to move in from the north of this town from the side of the mountain. it is a difficult task. hundreds of thousands of people live there. it will be a long difficult job to free this town. it is an area that has put kurdish peshmerga fighters on the offensive as opposed to trying to contain isis. isis has been on the move on other parts of iraq. near the town of al baghdadi that's seen heavy fighting over the last 24 hours ago. concern, it is very close, just a few miles from an air base where there are hundreds of american military personnel involved in training. iraqi army air fighters there. it is increasingly an area of iraq where isis has maintained military momentum over the iraqi army ove

we saw this northwest iraq in this the sinjar mountains when they targeted the minor yazidis communityso the community leaders are really worried about these people. >> all right. zana, many thanks in in -- indeed. >>> houthi rebels sigh president is wanted for justice. he stepped down last month after the rebel group seized the presidential palace and sana'a and placed him under house arrest. meanwhile a french woman and her driver have been kidnapped in the yemeni capitol. >>> ten people have been killed and 12 injured in the iraqi city of fallujah. there was heavy shelling by the iraqi army. the iraqi army has been trying to drive isil forces out of fallujah for more than a year now. >>> two bomb blasts in northern nigeria have killed 22 people. there have now been three attacks in the last four days. let's go live to nigeria's capitol abuja. ivan? >> reporter: well, adrian more details coming in of precisely what happened. starting with the first blast, we are now getting confirmation that it was a male suicide attacker. there were initial reports that it could have been a female s

food, water, blankets, dropped on the sinjar mountains by americans. but help didn't reach everyone. in the refugee camps of northern iraq, we met survivors of the horror that went on in the village of kuchu. its people seen here in better times, couldn't reach the mountain, so they were still in the village when isis arrived. when they took the men, we didn't know how many were going to be killed says 19-year-old farida who didn't want her face to be shown. in fact, isis killed almost all of the men, but they had other plans for the women. they were grabbed by the hundreds and sold off to isis fighters as the spoils of war. isis is reviving the barbaric tradition of the slave trade, proudly showing its fighters in this isis video discussing the yazidi women they're about to buy. we showed farida the video. she instantly recognized the men. i saw that one, and this guy, she said. i don't know their names, but i saw them. she saw them laughingly inspecting more than 80 yazidi girls, picking out the ones they wanted. all of the girls were screaming and c

sinjar where they faced starvation. it's thought thousands of yazidi women were kidnapped and enslaved by the extremists. they can't give the bodies here a proper burial because the front line is just a few hundred yards away and isis still holds the next village. kurdish fighters known as theme peshmerga are slowly clawing back territory from isis. they believe they can defeat the extremists and prevent more massacres, but they're outgunned by the militants and frustrated with their american allies. >> we've lost more than 1,000 peshmergas, and somewhere around 5,000 have been wounded. >> reporter: the kurdish national security advisor masrour barzani told us 70% of those deaths were caused by car and roadside bombs, and many of them could have been prevented if his men had armored vehicles. they've asked washington for several hundred and have been given just 25.re >> of course, they all praise the peshmergas and thank us, but that is not enough. we need the equipment. >> reporter: what do you say to the families of t

it happened in new york in the town of sinjar. a kurdish peshmerga commander tells al jazeera his troops have been taking fire from other directions and they are holding his ground. none of the fighters have been killed. two commanders were killed by i.s.i.l. fighters on monday. >>> u.n. overcomes a hurdle to train and egypt syrian rebels turkey agreed to be a regional hope. training programme. u.s. hope to begin training in march. the pentagon announced it would send 1,000 american troops as part of an effort to help rebels fighting syrian government forces. al jazeera obtained pictures of the toll that syria's civil war has taken on cultural sites on the largest city aleppo. these pictures were taken by a drone, showing damage to mosques and other buildings dating back to the 13th century. it is a world heritage site >>> explosions and gun fights rocked a rally in nigeria today. a police officer was killed in the attack on on a.p.c. campaign rally in the oil producing rivers state. four other officers were injured, and a tv news

we do know though kurdish peshmerga forces have been pushing north toward the isis-held city of sinjar in recent days. >>> a cease-fire in ukraine if separatists is to begin in little more than 12 hours, but the fighting has not tapered off. the ukrainian president claims pro-russian forces have increased attacks. the defense ministry says at least eight soldiers have been killed in the past day. mr. poroshenkos the deal brokered in belarus could be in jeopardy. >> this is not just an attack of -- it is an attack of the minsk results. and without explanation because unfortunately after minsk the offensive operation of russia intensified significantly. we still think that the -- [ inaudible ] >> this cease-fire agreement would basically cement territorial gains for the rebels who now control parts of the don esk donetsk region. our senior correspondent, nick paton walsh, reports on the many challenges ahead. >> reporter: so many moving pieces ahead of the cease-fire literally hours away. the first being the tactical issues on the ground. will both sides stop shelling each other? where i

last august air strikes and kurdish peshmerga forces broke the siege of mt sinjar, where tense of thousands of yazidi fled massacres. american strikes helped kurdish and iraqi forces retake mosul dam. i.s.i.l. took control of the city of mosul, and in september france and britain joined the air campaign in iraq. other countries involved are australia, belgium, canada denmark and the new york jets. in neighbouring syria and the u.s., the united arab emirates jordan saudi arabia and qatar have taken part. in september 12th oil refineries from targeted a key source of income for i.s.i.l. and i.s.i.l. fighters have been forced to retreat from kobane a strategic town on syria's border with turkey. in the last few days following the killing of a jordanian pilot. king abdullah sent dozens of fighter jets to hit the area promising a relentless war against the group >>> the u.k. is sending dozens of soldiers to train the jordanian troops following a decision by them to step up attacks. the jordanian army says it destroyed 56 i.s.i.l. targets, and a man gave a briefing which has increased the killing

last august peshmerga forces broke the siege of mt sinjar where tense of thousands of yazidi fled massacres. strikes helped kurdish and iraqi forces retake mosul dam. i.s.i.l. took control of the city of mosul and france and britain joined the air campaignment other countries are austria, belgium, canada denmark and the netherlands. in neighbouring syria and the u.s. the united arab emirates jordan and qatar took part in air raids. in september the u.s. coalition targeted 12 oil refineries in syria, a key source of money for i.s.i.l. and i.s.i.l. fighters have been in retreat from strategic downs on the border of turkey. in the last few weeks, following the killing of a jordanian pilot, king abdullah sent more planes to hit groups following a more relentless war agates the group. >> now back to zeina khodr. i.s.i.l. has been grabbing headlines around the world. we have seen nadim outlining the efforts against the group. what is expected to come out of the summit on i.s.i.l.? >> well i.s.i.l. ordered the spread south in munich it is the focus of all the talks today. john kerry was at the pod

in the north, striking kurdish forces in towns, including sinjar. and in the west striking iraqi forces in the town of al baghdadi. just a few miles from the iraqi air base where some 400 u.s. military personnel are training iraqi forces. despite the u.s.-led air campaign u.s. officials say isis is increasing monthly replenished with foreign fighters including from the west and the u.s. now continuing concern from counterterrorism officials that some militants could return home undefected. >> if i were to say we had it under control, i would have to say i know of every individual training. i don't. so it's not even close to being under control. >> reporter: here's the scope of the threat. more than 20,000 foreign fighters in iraq and syria. more than 3400 of them westerners. and approximately 150 americans have gone or attempted to go to the war zone. the nation's top counterterrorism official says the number of fighters flocking to syria and iraq to fight with isis and other terror groups is unmatched in two decades. >> the rate of foreign fighter

to the west of here in the sinjar mountains near the syrian border a similar assault by isis. that instance at least 30 isis fighters were killed. so they may be putting out as much propaganda video, isis but they are not faring very well on the battle field. >> the fight will heat up in the region. ben wedeman in northern iraq. thanks. >>> a new and troubling threat from the terror group al shabaab has shopping malls stepping up security. the al shabaab video calls for attacks on malls in canada britain and the united states. it zeros in on one in particular. it names the mall of america in minnesota. officials walking a fine line. they are urging heightened vigilance and downplaying the threat. erin mcpike spoke with jeh johnson. >> reporter: secretary johnson stressing anyone heading to the mall of america should be particularly careful. government officials walking back his comments through the day. i asked him later if he wanted to revise what he said. >> do you regret any comments. >> no. >> reporter: i asked how americans can be careful. his bottom line was a statement

facilities that fund their terror and push them out of territory inclusion areas around baghdad, sinjar and the mossul dam. last week isil conceded defeat in their month long siege of kobane. when with the world united condemnation of its horrific executions isil should know their barbarism 40fiesed the world's collective resolve. our counterterrorism strategy is at work in afghanistan where we have ended our combat mix as planned. we are focused on supporting a stable afghanistan that will not be a safe haven for al-qaeda terrorists. even as we develop the afghan security forces we will continue to keep pressure on al-qaeda to through a capable counterterrorism mission. american leadership remains essential. not only to tackling today's threats but it also to addressing the global challenges that will define the nature of security for our children and grandchildren. to work alongside us. american leadership is addressing the danger of nuclear proliferation. no threat poses as great a risk to our security as the potential use of nuclear weapons. that's why we continue to secure nuclear

first place was the threat to erbil that was really the combination of a threat to the yazidis in sinjar and then also the threat to american personnel that was the stated purpose for the beginning of the war. so that is a real concern. and isis obviously wants to draw any attention it can away from the real prize, which is mosul, which is where it declared the caliphate in the first place. so i think we'll continue to see these probing missions around erbil because at the end of the day what isis cares most about is retaining mosul. >> in syria, colonel, is it a good idea for the u.s. to give what are described as these moderate syrian rebels who are opposed to the region of bashar al assad, opposed to isis the ability to call in u.s. air strikes? is that a good idea? in other words, do you trust these rebels to do that? >> wolf the biggest issue right now is like you said it's the vetting of these rebels. who are they? what are their intentions? i think it's going to be very difficult for us to figure this out. i will tell you that doing a call for fire is a difficult task. it's not ve

look at sinjar mountain and the air strikes helped get those guys away from that mountain but it is kurdish ground forces peshmerga that helps. >> but your own director says the iraqi forces, not the peshmerga peshmerga, the iraqi forces cannot defend themselves without outside help, even after all these months of air strikes, they can't do it even though you've been training that. >> i did not see those comments. >> and on the syrian side of kobani, yes, but, again, at what point for you if isis is such a threat if they are so terrible which obviously everyone agrees to at what point is -- are the air strikes no longer enough? at what point do you have to recommend something else? >> air strikes have never been enough. we've been saying that from the very beginning. air strikes are never going to be enough. we're not going to win this fight by a barrel of a gun. you said alloyd. let me have a chance to respond. we've also say that it was never going to be enough. let's put the political stuff aside for a second. one. things we've been doing is help develop and improve iraqi security. let's

these pictures of yazidis trapped on sinjar mountain stunned the world. hundreds of thousands fled for their lives after islamic state fighters executed many of the men and took thousands of women and girls as slaves. this 13-year-old girl was taken and later escaped. >> ( translated ): they brought everyone to a school and put the women upstairs and drove the men away. i didn't want to let my mother go but they were pulling us from our mothers and beating us. the children were all put in cars. they said we're going to sell you to others and you will have sex with them. the last time i saw my mother was when they took me away. >> reporter: this islamic state video, which went viral last fall, appears to show an islamic state fighter bragging about the selling of girls. in the months that followed, a network of activists sprung up throughout northern iraq-- an underground railroad of sorts-- coordinating rescue efforts. their phone numbers quickly spread among captive girls who used smuggled phones to call for help and give their location. at times, the ku

sinjar there are various point that is you think about the horror this group created.se things is substantial. but isis seems to have a different calculation so i don't want to say that they think that the blowback and the mistake that they may have made in this is something that they will ever acknowledge. i think that they think that on the whole, you know in terms of net value that this kind of horrific video creates, it brands them as the terror group in the world that most matters at this time and that's what they really want and we are giving it to them in a way with the attention and with the reaction. so in that they very much succeeded. >> it is hard not to react when you see this your dannian pilot behind a cage trapped in this capable and then set on fire. >> absolutely. >> burned alive. do you think isis just -- the mind-set behind the people running this organization, this terrorist organization that perhaps they will ratchet it up even more so than this? >> this is a calculating death cult and, you know i tell you, you know we need to be careful of reckle

they have been able to make the progress that they have made including taking back areas like around sinjar mountain which was, as you recall, the starting point for the campaign. they have enormous assistance from the united states in terms of air support and targeting of i.s.i.l from the air. >> charlie: and in kobani. and in kobani where being in syria as opposed to," where a month-long standoff where i.s.i.l made it a really signature operation and in show of strength they were routed ultimately and conceded defeat. so the strategy we have been employing is to gradually build up the capacity of the iraqi security forces the kurds as well, and in the case of syria not only the kurds in the north but over time the moderate opposition such that they can take back territory on the ground as we support them from the air and provide the training and assisting and equipping they need to do. >> charlie: how long will it take to get the ground forces ready? a year, two years? >> well, it's going to take a while to get the iraqi security forces ready for an operation such as mosul. i'm not going

we've seen what happened in the sinjar mountains, we've seen what's happened to christians, lined up and beheaded mass killings, people being burned to death, what part of the islamic state not being radical islamist does this president not understand? why doesn't he get that? >> he is determined that he is going to be a success even when he's a failure. and that is why i plead with him to go back to cairo this time not to coddle the muslim brotherhood but to declare president el sisi has shown some guts and has shown some backbone and has shown some neutrality and therefore get him to head up the fight and take it to the enemies. he knows the enemies better than mr. obama does. >> colonel hunt el sisi may die for what he is doing including confronting imams as he did in the new year. so this president doesn't take it as seriously. why the difference? >> first of all i don't agree that the united states is not taking it serious. obama's a civil, is general and so is the king of jordan. but the united states is doing more than anybody in the world. the problem is we've got people yell

facilities that funded terror, and push them out of the territory, including areas around baghdad, sinjarand the mosul dam. isil conceded defeat in their month-long siege of the body, and with the world united in condemnation of its terrific x -- horrific executions, isolate should know that they only strengthened the world's continued resolve. we have ended our combat mission in afghanistan. now we are focused on supporting a sovereign, stable afghanistan that will not be a safe haven for al qaeda terrorists. we will continue to keep pressure on al qaeda through a capable counterterrorism mission. american leadership remains essential. not only to a tackling today's threats, but also to addressing the global challenges that will define the world for our children and grandchildren. here, too, we have to lead with our head. american leadership is addressing the danger of nuclear proliferation. nothing poses a greater risk to our security than the potential use of nuclear weapons. that is why we continue to strengthen international norms against the use of all weapons of mass destruction, m

the the peshmerga has taken control of the mosul dam, the crossing with syria, the sinjar mountain, zumarnd the kissic road junction which eliminated a supply route for isil from syria to mosul. these forces also broke the siege of the oil refinery and have begun to push north into the tigris valley. to the west, sunni tribes are working with iraqi security forces to retake the land in the heart of al anbar, a land i know well. last weekend under the cover of to the west, sunni tribes are bad weather, isil launched an attack on the town of al baghdadi, near the air base in al anbar where our forces are located with the danes and australians to help to train iraqi soldiers and tribal volunteers. isil as it has done over and over again rampaged through the town, killing civilians and driving hundreds of families into the safe haven of the air base. but the iraqis did not sit idle. they organized and fought back. the prime minister went to the joint operations center in baghdad and ordered an immediate counterattack. town, killing civilians and driving hundreds of families into the safe have

the the peshmerga has taken control of the mosul dam, the crossing with syria the sinjar mountain zumar the kissic road junction which eliminated a supply route for isil from syria to mosul. these forces also broke the siege of the oil refinery and have begun to push north into the tigris valley. to the west sunni tribes are working with iraqi security forces to retake the land in the heart of al anbar a land i know well. last weekend under the cover of bad weather, isil launched an attack on the town of al baghdadi, near the air base in al anbar where our forces are located with the danes and australians to help to train iraqi soldiers and tribal volunteers. isil as it has done over and over again rampaged through the town, killing civilians and driving hundreds of families into the safe haven of the air base. but the iraqis did not sit idle. they organized and fought back. the prime minister went to the joint operations center in baghdad and ordered an immediate counterattack. the minister of defense flew to al assad to organize available forces and iraqi army commander sent an armore

indelible images of men, women and children reaching up for help food water, blankets dropped on the sinjareach everyone. in the refugee camps of northern iraq, we met survivors of the horror that went on in thea village. people here seen in better times couldn't reach the mountain so were still in the village when isis arrived. when they took the men we didn't know how many were going to be killed says this 19-year-old, who didn't want her face to be shown. in fact isis killed almost all of the men. but they had other plans for the women. they were grabbed by the hundreds and sold off to isis fighters as the spoils of war. isis is reviving the barbaric tradition of the slave trade, proudly showing its fighters in this isis video discussing the ya women they're about to buy. she recognized the men. i saw that one and this guy i don't know their names but i saw them. laughingly inspecting more than 80 girls picking out the ones they wanted. all of the girls screaming and crying, they didn't want to go with them so they beat the girls and dragged them away by force. she was raped repeatedly f

forces have done very well right now at shutting down logistics and resupply lines from the west mount sinjarsh additional assets in to mosul. we've gotten reports that isis has moved their families out of mosul, prepared for this fight. the other aspects will be once the iraqis are set and their assault positions ready to go in mosul and that coalition surgical air strikes start in mosul it looks at how long before that air strike and the follow on ground assault happens. if that happens quickly that could show great success. if it shows weeks before they start going in that could mean that the air support in the mosul, which can be difficult in a city is not getting great success. the last piece, the best success will be to see how does the populace of mosul react to when the iraqi forces come in and do they help against isis or do they turn and fight with isis which will be a critical measure of effective ins. >> colonel reese, always great to see you. >> have a great ta. >> thank you. >> more new twists in the so-called road rage shooting case in las vegas. ana cabrera joining us live fro