we're actually--i mentioned haider al abadi, because we're actually standing by.e may be the next speaker to address the u.n. security council. we'll stand by for that. we're listening to mr. wayne yi, the foreign minute storefe minister for china. and it's to the point where it's stressing the free syrian army will be trained. >> right. >> hang on a second, before we go to break, and before i get this question to you, let's see if haider al abadi is next. >> before we go to our next speaker, first i said earlier that we had 101 cosponsors for this resolution. i just received an update that we now have 104. it's worth noting the overwhelming interest and support in this issue. and consistent with our earlier agreement and past president, as i mentioned, we have opened this forum to leaders of countries that are not currently on the council, but obviously have an extraordinarily deep interest, not only in the problem that we've discussed today, the issue of foreign fighters, but also are critical in us solving this problem. and so i want to now welcome and give the

later on today, the president will sit down with the new prime minister al abadi.nd he will tell them he would like to see more air strikes. later on in the afternoon, doing one thing he has only done once before, to chair a council on the subject of foreign fighters. the president wants to talk about the dangers posed by those foreign fighters. americans and westerners who go down to iraq and syria, train with terror groups and come down to the united states with the potential of wreaking havoc on the home front. >>> we're learning more about the air campaign against isis and other islamic militant groups in syria. strikes involves the u.s. and five arab allies began about 5:30 a.m. local time. three quarters of them precision guided. we're also learning a little more about who did what in tuesday's air strikes, cnn's becky anderson is standing by in united arab emirates one of those arab nations that took part in the attacks. good morning, becky. >> reporter: that's right. a very good morning to you, you cannot underestimate the importance of these arab allies of

al abadi said he would like to see more air strikes in the weeks to come. and later on in the afternoon, the president will chair the u.n. security council. before he did it on the subject of climate change, this time around, it will be on the subject of foreign fighters. the president wants to talk about the dangers imposed by foreign fighters. the westerners who train with terrorist groups and come back to the united states, the potential there wreaking havoc on the home front. john and christine. >>> we're learning more about the air campaign against isis and another dangerous militant group in syria. pentagon officials say the air strikes involving the u.s. and five arab allies began about 8:30 monday evening eastern time. in all, 200 bombs and missiles were dropped. most of them precision guided. we're also learning a little more about who did what in tuesday's air strikes. cnn's becky anderson is standing by live in the united arab emirates. one of the arab nations that took part. becky, this wasn't just symbolic. a lot of questions about how far the

we're also hearing that the -- we're hearing the iraqi prime minister haider al abadi has ordered angation into what happened. now there's some talk whether this is the base, this is the actual base, that has been overrun west of baghdad. that there is not a second base. originally we thought there might be two. it is a single base that was overrun, i believe monday, where it had been reported about 300 iraqi soldiers were executed as isis fighters overran the base near fallujah west of baghdad in the al anbar province which you heard so much of, especially when we talked about the surge years ago. the prime minister again has now said he's ordering an investigation and wants to know why those soldiers were left to fend for themselves now that this handful of survivors is now saying that they asked for help and they got no response. ultimately many of them executed. colonel munsour, cnn analyst and retired aide to general petraeus joins me now. this is the kind of thing that these air strikes were supposed to prevent. this is the kind of thing, exactly, the american government said h

prime minister haider al abadi is the new prime minister of iraq. guy for the job, this is someone they can partner with, and they don't want to detract from his authority on this. but if he is the guy for the job, this is someone who is saying this one day after meeting face-to-face with president obama in iraq. isn't this troubling from someone who is supposed to be the answer to the political problems in iraq? >> it's very, very raw information. i think the americans would have expected it to be shared first with them privately before he goes and talks to the world's media about it. i think there will be great frustration that this was put out in this way? >> i'm sure there is. phil, let's talk about the khorasan group. this is the group that authorities have said did pose an imminent threat to the u.s., the fbi director saying he's not confidence that these air strikes inside syria have disrupted their plotting. how concerned are we about an imminent threat still existing? >> the concerns should be high. my experience is that lots are like cats,

secretary of state speak with haider al abadi. john kerry's arrival comes before a live, televised address by u.s. president. kerry said more must be done to combat the islamic state group. >> obviously the hard work is very far from over. we all know that. in many ways it's just beginning. establishing a government doesn't mean a lot if it is not able to governor effectively or doesn't governor inclusively. and it particularly needs to governor inclusively in order to represent the interests of all the iraqi people. >> john hedron has more from erbil in northern iraq. >> u.s. secretary of state john kerry came to iraq. he came first of all to offer u.s. support to the brand new government of hired al abadi, who has been in office all of two days. he also came to urge corporati cooperation, cooperation inside iraq between the various groups, sunni, shiites, and kurds, and he's stopping in saudi arabia and jordan as he's looking to build a coalition of willing nations in order to take on the islamic state. the group has taken over

haider al abadi, the new prime minister there, aiming to have a more inclusive coalition. he's interviewed by our christiane amanpour and says he wants the u.s. to be consistent in what he offers. but does he offer anything different? is there any reason to be confident that the iraqi government will be able to be more inclusive and protect the people of its country? >> well, again, it's going to be very early and too early potentially to say right now. it is quite true that they will require foreign assistance support both in training and also in weapons. and i think inevitably as we're all beginning to speculate. i think a more intrusive, if you like, consideration by foreign forces coming into iraq to assist and fight along iraqi forces is going to be somewhat inevitable. i think iraq on its own trying to deal with this issue is going to be too difficult. and they will need that support. >> and they are being quite open and honest about that fact. will geddes joining us live from london this morning. appreciate it. managing director of international corporate protection

on the part of iraq, prime minister haider al-abadi wants u.s. support and military help, not the boots on the ground as everyone points out, but air strikes and other things. he has a tough task ahead of him. he has to fill in the blanks in the cabinet. there's no interior minister, defence minister and several other cabinets. so secretary of state john kerry is expected to finish that cabinet when he comes, and its importance. >> he talks about giving more support to the army, and powers to regional leaders, will these have an affect, do you think? >> there are some things that will have an effect. the things that will have an effect are the hardest to do. they are not just supporting the army, they are incorporating a vast pool of disaeffected iraqis particularly in sunni regions. it did not spring up with the islamic state group takeover, it's been brewing for a year with fighting in fallujah and ramadi, and tribal members and fighters pushing out the iraqi army. it's a concentrated effort to offer something to the sunni community, to the tri

i think haider al abadi is a different politician and leader than his predecessor, but what moved the saudis to move with iraqi closely is the threat of isis that they have tens of thousands of people inside saudi arabia who could turn against the house, and that makes the threat existential to the saudis. >> on the last edition of this program it was noted that germany for the first time since the second world war, is aiding a country outside of its borders militarily aiding one side in a military conflict. this is a big deal. it's the peshmerga. it's the kurdish army. does that complicate the future pick of iraq? >> kurds has been a hot topic in iraq and for the irans as well as the syrians. i don't want to say--look, the kurds have been a huge partner for the united states and the iraqi government. there has been a shift in attitude were baghdad to the kurds given the threat posed by isis. there has been a conflicting relationship between the two sides for a long time, but give the threat they're both facing there is less of adversarial relationship, and this gives us hope for a be

wish prime minister abadi every success. i has our full support and welcome the agreed statement from today, which is approved for the great support from all beyond theworld, far middle east region. second, syria. battleground which is different from that one in iraq and even more complex. continue to strengthening moderate voices and structures. are, from my point of view, the only alternative to dictatorship or terrorism. we are grateful for the ongoing the united nations, exploring the ground for a solution, and should coordinate our engagement very u.n.ly with the institutions. and we hope that the u.n. secretary general envoy for syria will bring us new ideas hopefully a new approach, because we cannot allow fail again, perhaps the genevad round of process. concentrateed to today on iraq and syria, but we forget that some of the neighbor states are bearing a huge burden. to ease the hardship of the strangeefugees and the on syria's neighbors, i will with --onference together the goal of this conference is to increase su

hader al abadi spoke exclusively to christiane amanpour who asked what he will tell the u.s. president when the two leaders meet later today. >> well, i think we need concrete support. although the united states has supported us all along, they stood with iraq. but we need more concrete support on the ground. >> do you mean ground forces? >> no. i mean air cover on the ground. i have to see that effect on the ground. we want to see that the united states and the coalition have their own vision. we have our own. if our armed forces haven't received the support they are expecting, because if i'm having -- if our armed forces have an offensive in certain area, they will expect an air cover to support them. >> the iraqi prime minister also spoke about the conditions that allowed isis and other terrorist organizations in the region to flourish. and that is coming up in less than half an hour. >> we want to bring you some more reaction. syria's ambassador to the u.n. is speaking out against the u.s.-led air strikes in his country. bashar jafari told cnn's richard roth that he belie

they feel they are underrepresented even in the abadi government which has just been forming. sunni block is looking for more position as well, and they are likely to get the position of defense minister. and that is what john kerry was talking about in that quote >> and kerry obviously giving very few details, thanks, john. we are waiting for president obama to lay out his plan in a few hours. obama said he has the authority to take action against the rebel group without congressional approval. white house worcorrespondent ha more. >> reporter: a prime time speech there the white house tells americans to pay attention, what the president is about to say matters. we already know his basic mess age. >> the next phase is to now start going on some offense. >> reporter: the president has pretty much already laid out what that means and doesn't. he says there will not be u.s. boots on the ground. but analysts point out that doesn't count out special forces. >> if the president wanted to find flexibility in his language, i still think he has the option of sending up to several thou

security council, the public statements from prime minister abadi and president mousoon. there's no question with have the legal basis for action founded on the request of the iraqi government. let me just briefly address the fact that me briefly address th that we'll be acting in the support of local partners. this has been a major concern of people across house to. we have a substantial international coalition in place including arab nations committed to confronting and defeating isil. 60 countries are acting in some way to confront isil. ten are arab states. favor have taken part in air strikes. as i said our differences with iran remain. iran support for terrorist organizations, its nuclear program, treatment of its people i believe all of that has to change and we'll not back down on these things. if iran's political leaders are to help a more secure, more stable, more inclusive iraq and

secretary of state john kerry is in baghdad where he met iraq's prime minister haider al abadi. president barack obama is expected to announce a new strategy against the islamic state fighters in iraq. king a abdullah is holding a coalition that includes nine mostly european countries as well as the u.s. john kerry has announced $48 million in additional u.s. aid to help iraqis forced from their homes by the fighting. he's praised the creation of iraq's new government and said more must be done to give stability back to the country. >> obviously the hard work is very far from over. we all know that. in many ways it's just beginning. establishing a government doesn't mean a lot if it is not able to governor effectively or doesn't governor inclusively. and it particularly needs to governor inclusively in order to represent the interests of all the iraqi people. >> we talk with john hedron who joins us from erbil. what do iraqi politicians want from this trip? >> reporter: i think iraqi politicians are looking for significant american help in this effort to battlis battle islamic s

its adviser, haider al-abadi, that the obama administration at least publicly endorses loudly. >> lete you on the formation of the government and your assumption of the responsibilities as prime minister. >> i have been very impressed with the prime minister. >> we have commended prime minister haider al-abadi. >> we are also encouraged about his willingness to reach out and work with other countries in the region. >> we're delighted and looking very, very closely together. >> we're grateful for your willingness to take on this leadership mantle at such a critical time. >> he is off to a pretty shaky start. he projected his choices to head the defense and ministries, interior ministers in iraq run the police and intelligence agencies, crucial, obviously. so the top two important administrations, there is currently a vacuum and it certainly shows. soldiers who survived the recent isis attack outside fallujah told the commanders they were either unwilling or able to help answer their pleas for help. remember, all of this happened about a half hour's drive from baghdad. as for the prime

>> i think prime minister abadi is speaking to the sunni people and not the sunni leaders.think they are cross cutting, yes. >> well, this has been very helpful. you have the thanks of the committee for your insights. this record will remain open to the close of business on friday, and with that this hearing is adjourned. >>> and that wraps up this senate foreign affairs committee hearing on u.s. strategy towards isis. if you missed any of what secretary kerry had to say or you want to check out all our isis-related material, visit the c-span video library. earlier today we had live coverage of the first house hearing benghazi committee. we'll show you that to you next. on facebook we're asking for your thoughts on today's hearing and the benghazi investigation in general. here are some of your responses. colleen writes this is the congressional equivalent of standing around the office kitchen talking about sports instead of sitting down at your desk and doing your actual work. in the meantime, richard says hopefully the truth will come out and those responsible held accoun

but what bothers me about the al abadi comments, is that we have about 1,600 people in iraq protectingp baghdad safe and trying to do good things inside iraq. there's more than enough intelligence apparatus that the united states has directly on hand inside iraq, that what he did in my view was highly irresponsible. >> what's your reaction to that, admiral? that's a very profound and great point. >> well, it is a great point. but we also have to recognize this. the dangers to our homeland and the global war of terror come from over there. as good as we are, we need allies and friends. and it's a pretty bad neighborhood. and sometimes a friend today is not as friendly tomorrow. the intelligence we got to take down agzal zarqawi, that came f jordan. those who are our friends, who are not our friends, those who created isis, like saudi arabia and qatar, at times, we have to trust but verify. because we need intelligence from others also. >> and on the other hand, we don't want to embarrass or alienate the iraqis. they kind of are pretty important to what we're doing here right now. >> gre

abadi. and of course, mr. abadi's challenge is to bring the sunnis on board as well. so you would think that given that the sunnis are in the poorest state and they are power based have been occupied by isis and they are in desperate need of help, you'd think they would be the weakest partners. but actually that's not correct because their hand is now stronger than ever. everybody now strongly believes that defeating isis in iraq and liberating the major towns and cities of the sunni triangle will require active engagement of the sunnis on the ground. everybody insists that the sunni political and tribal leaders must be embraced, rehabilitated and supported financially and militarily and this is where they may turn a a corner. so the sunnis on the other hand themselves would probably no longer accept sectarian rule by a shia majority. the kurds, on the other hand, have lost faith in iraq. they wish they did not have to go back to baghdad. but they are doing so out of necessity and out of lack of choice. the kurds could not comprehend how a central government could sta

abadi said an islamic state militant who was captured in iraq told intelligence officials of the planu.s. security council spokesperson caitlin hayden says white house officials have not confirmed any such plan. she said officials need to review information from iraq before making further determinations. french president francois hollande said his government will tighten security in public places, and on transportation systems. hollande issued a security alert to french nationals in 40 countries. those include mainly in the middle east and north africa, where radical islamist groups operate. new york city police commissioner says there is no specific credible threat to the city's subway system or to the city in general. the commissioner added that the department is boosting the police presence on subways and city streets. >>> now for the latest in business news, here's ron madison. ron? >> all right, miki, thank you. the average annual income of japanese private sector employees has risen for the first time in three years, but the government says the pay gap between rular and nonregul

he is al-abadi.he international community has been calling for a unity government for iraq to lead the fights against islamic state militants. let's get more. >> the iraqi prime minister was under pressure to form an inclusive cabinet, a united front to avoid a sectarian divide. lawmakers approved three deputy prime ministers, including a sunni and a kurd. 21 other ministerial posts were also filled, but key ones such as interior and defense remain open. al-abadi said he will likely fill those in a week's time. united states held the new iraqi government as a milestone. >> the iraqi parliament approved a new and inclusive government one that has the potential to unite all of iraq's diverse communities for a strong iraq, a united iraq, and to give those communities the chance to build the future that all iraqis desire and deserve. >> the u.s. secretary of state made those comments only hours before leaving to the middle east. he is on a mission to build international support against militants in iraq.

. >>> secretary of state john kerry is in baghdad to meet the new iraqi prime minister haider al-abadi. the trip comes hours ahead of a live televised address by the u.s. president. president obama is expected to announce a new strategy to tackle the islamic state group, which currently controls a third of iraq. kerry will visit jordan, and saudi arabia, where king abdullah is hosting a meeting. the coalition include nine mostly european counties, as well as the united states. >>> in a moment we'll be speaking live to our correspondent in jordan. first to john hendren, in the iraqi city of erbil for us. there has been a lot of american pressure on the iraqis to form a government. john kerry in baghdad. what is on the agenda there. what is he hoping to achieve? >> john kerry is here, first of all, to show support for the 2-day old administration of haider al-abadi. he will likely continue to press haider al-abadi to make this an inclusive government including all groups as the cabinet gets filled out and other positions are announced. he is likely, as we told by state officials, about w

. >> reporter: the president stayed on that footing with the prime minister abadi. the president said the war on isis will not be short lived. they will go on for some time in iraq and syria. he presided over the security council on the important subject of the foreign fighters that are a threat here in the united states and in the west. not to mention down in the middle east. the president will continue this theme of coalition building later on this morning when he gives remarks on the conference of the ebola outbreak in africa. john and christine. >>> thank you, jim. the world attention on syria. u.s. forces continuing to hit in iraq as they have been now for weeks. american war planes conducting air strikes wednesday on two isis fighter positions in northern iraq and two vehicles west of baghdad. president obama drawing the lines setting a limit on how much the u.s. will do during his meeting with the new iraqi prime minister abadi. >> although we cannot do this for you, we can be a strong partner and we are fully committed to your success. we wish you god speed

the new prime minister haider al-abadi faces a difficult task of rebuilding trust between iraq, sunni and kurdish communicate yes following accusations that the government failed to reach a unity government. he takes over a time when rebels in the islamic state of iraq and levant, in control of large areas in northern iraq. key posts have not been filled because of disagreement over candidates. we'll go to baghdad and speak to john hendren. we have been here before, chance of progress today? >> no chance at all. this is the second time they haven't been able to make it work. the prime minister had a bloody nose when offering up his team. he offered an interior to a member of his own party, and that upset other groups, reminding people of the past prime minister nouri al-maliki, who kept both positions for himself, consolidating power. there has been backroom deals over the past couple of days. nothing happened out of that. it will be sunday we are told by the speaker, until we get a decision on that. if this does not work out for haider al-abadi, he will look week in his first days in

>> i think prime minister abadi is speaking to the sunni people and not the sunni leaders.think they are cross cutting, yes. >> well, this has been very helpful. you have the thanks of the committee for your insights. this record will remain open to the close of business on friday, and with that this hearing is adjourned. >> defense secretary chuck hagel testified about the strategy for combating isis. he appears before the house armed services committee. live coverage starts at 11: 15 a.m. on c-span3. up next, president obama speaks to military in florida. the homeland security director and fbi director testify about national threats. and some of the debate about arming rebels to fight isis. coming up on washington journal, a representative discusses the house vote on training the rebels. then congressman dana rohrabacher talks about defense and foreign policy including the threats posed by isis. and later, our series on higher education continues with indiana university president. washington journal is live every morning at 7:00 eastern. you can join the conversation on f

over the next several days, i'll have the opportunity to meet with prime minister abadi of iraq and our friends and allies at the united nations to continue building support for the coalition that's continue fronting this serious threat to our peace and security. the overall effort will take time. there will be challenges ahead, but we're going to do what's necessary to take the fight to this terrorist group for the security of the country and the region and for the entire world. thanks, god bless our troops, god bless america. >> reporter: mr. president, are americans danger living in the united states? >> obviously a little bit shorter than we anticipated. the president making it clear what the u.s. objective is right now to degrade and ultimately destroy isis. the president going into specific details on this khorasan plot to go after u.s. targets in the homeland. jim sciutto, i was obviously impressed that the president singled out those five arab countries for praise -- saudi arabia, the uae, jordan, bahrain, qatar, for their direct military involvement in this u.s.-led operation.

abadi, who is a shia, will lead the government as prime minister. he's also named three deputies. they are a former member of parliament, arraji, who is also a shia. the kurdish outgoing minister, zabari. and mutlak, who is a sunni, and he held the same position in the last government. what about the former prime minister, nuri al maliki, who was reluctant to give up power. he and two others have all been given the largely ceremonial title of vice president. from the makeup of these key posts that have been announced so far, what can we glean or learn about prime minister al abadi's intentions? >> reporter: well, we'll need to wait and see his actions. and his solutions to iraq's crisis. but we were talking about the makeup of this government. let me tell you that someone -- not just one person, but those who are critical in iraq to this government told me that this is actually not a new government. this is the old government, but the senior politicians just swapped seats. but again, those are -- this is a critical opinion. the announcement of the government on its own is signific

we understand that iraqi prime minister haider al abadi has called for an investigation into this and another incident in anbar province to find out what happened, why did their officers, for instance, essentially run away. it's important to keep in mind that this particular base was only 50 kilometers, or about 30 miles to the west of baghdad, the capital. >> ben wedeman there for us in irbil. more now on the debate in the british parliament concerning air strikes in iraq. what kind of debate do we expect? is it going to be intense or is parliament expected to be on board? >> reporter: good morning, natalie. yes, the vote is expected to begin in about 3 1/2 hours from there when prime minister cameron will start to speak. he will make a speech, expected to be along the lines of somewhat we heard at the u.n. on wednesday. it was a very carefully worded speech. directed at not just diplomats but parliament here. we talked about the legal basis for this motion that he's putting through, an attack obviously against isis in iraq. but the vote is expected to happen in about 3 1/2 -- the mo

i met with prime minister abadi in new york and discussed this with him.eed to make sure that the government in iraq is not just supporting shi'a community, but bringing together is shi'a and kurds with armed forces that are respected by every part of that community. that hasn't happened yet. it is happening. i think that president obama was absolutely right to delay this action until we had an iraqi government with whom we can work as a good partner. what i'll do is make progress with my speech and take several more interventions. so, as i said, we have to take action at home and abroad and as we take action abroad, it must involve using all resources at our disposal. that means humanitarian efforts, which britain is leading to help those displaced by isil. it means diplomatic efforts to engage the widest coalitions of countries. at the united nations, we're leading the process of condemning isil, disrupting the flow of finance to isil and forging a global consensus. vitally, the strategy also involves political efforts to support the creation of a new an

the government is led by shiite politician haider al abadi, but there was significant representationor iraq's other two communities, the kurds and the sunnis. of course, the major challenge iraq is facing now is the radical sunni group, the islamic state, which now in fact controls large areas, primarily in the sunni heartland in western and northern iraq. the conventional wisdom, of course, is give more ministerial pause to sunni politicians and security and stability will come. not necessarily a new approach is required if this government is to succeed in defeeding i.s. there was something that the new prime minister talked about that might be even more crucial than the names of the sunni politicians or other politicians of this government, which is the centralization. talked about the idea of forming national guard that will report directly to the governors of the region, so in the sunni areas, that's crucial. it means that this is an initiative to form as sunni forces to fight al qaeda, of course with the help of the central government and possibly the american and western powers

abadi as a new prime minister. the pieces coming into place in iraq for this to be a cooperative effort between the u.s., the iraqis, the kurds to go after i.s.i.s.? >> yes, and, of course, the kurds are iraqis and are participating in the government and the peshmerga are iraqi forces provided for in the iraqi constitution. i think we are seeing the beginning of pieces falling into place. i think, although iraqis have been optimistic over the past eleven years only to have their high hopes dashed, i think most of us realize this may well be a last chance to keep our country together. we have to do a number of things at the same time, including fighting i.s.i.s. or i.s.i.l., but we also have to make a compact that allows us to live with each other in peace and confront mutual enemies. >> woodruff: frederic wehrey, building on that, when the president said a minute ago these other countries need to be involved and named jordan, the uae, turkey, what can we look for from these countries because they all relate to this

we'll have more of a say over abadi than we had over maliki over the last three years. i also believe that if we can get american forces, americaamericans embedded with the iraqi army, that will help coordinate operations between the peshmerga and the iraqi army. >> but you realize, congressman, that would be combat boots on the ground, which the president has ruled out? >> we already have almost 2,000 troops over there. that's three times more troops than eisenhower had in vietnam when he left office. we do have boots on the ground. i don't see right now the need to have combat troops in effect actually taking part in combat forces. but we'll have to be embedded for the purpose of leadership and coordination. and the president i think should be more upfront with the american people in telling them that. >> and this notion that as chairman dempsey testified today before the senate arms services committee, the mission is to destroy isis in iraq but to degrade isis in syria. hadn't heard that until today. what's your reaction? >> to me, that's a step back. that's one of t

get those out for me. >> in my meeting with prime minister abadi at the end we met with the press, and i'll just read you what prime minister abadi said as an opening comment, not even prompted or part of a question. he said isil is a terrorist nation. it is mobilizing its international network to recruit people from all over the world. they have funds from all across the region. we are fighting these people. these people are -- and something inaudible about our communities, minorities, women, children, they already and then there was an inaudible about women, killing or raping. they're a challenge to the whole region, to the international community. they are coming to iraq from across the border, from neighboring syria. of course, our role is to defend our country, but the international community is responsible to protect iraq and protect iraqis and the whole region. what's happening in syria is coming across to iraq. we cannot cross that border, that's on an international basis and it's an international border and there is a role for the international community, for the united nation

. ♪ ♪ >>> the comments made by iraq's prime minister al abadi told reporters at the u.n.t he has evidence of an isis terror plot against subways in the u.s. and paris. how serious is this the plot? >> we have to take it seriously. >> the claims are pretty sensational. >> you have to take it with a grain of salt. >> it doesn't fit the isis threat profile. >> the fbi and the white house would know about it probably before the iraqis. >> al abadi has lots of questions to answer. >> new video that we received on oil repineries. >> there will be more. >> the blood line for isis. >> a small-scale refineries provide up to $2 million a day from black market oil. >> we didn't completely obliterate them off the map. >> these strikes are big deal. >> they're not going to be pumping out refined oil any time soon. >> we are following a very busy news day. in this hour we'll bring you president obama's official announcement of attorney general eric holder's retirement, part of a very full day for this president who returned to washington from the unjust a short time ago where he sought

continuing to target sources in iraq, haider al-abadi insisted that forces will be in iraq. >> the only contribution that the american forces is going to help us with is from the sky. i have to make this very clear. >> former defense secretary robert gates told al jazeera this morning that air strikes is not enough. >> so there will be boots on the ground if there's to be any hope of success in the strategy. and i think that by continuing to repeat that, the president, in effect, traps himself. >> for more i'm joined in new york by major mike lyons, he now serves as a senior fellow with the trueman foundation. >>> something that secretary of state john kerry said during a committee meeting in the senate. >> our commander in chief, this doesn't seem series. answer. to the united states as they cry out. >> and you heard bob gates saying that the president has trapped himself. is this more of a political strategy than a military strategy and could that hurt us? >> right now the strategy is coming from the air. we are providing a blunting force, to give the iraqis time to get their politica

abadi. >> we cannot do this for you, we can be a strong partner and fully committed to your success. we wish you god speed and we are grateful for your willingness to take on this leadership mantle at such a critical time. >> let's talk about the latest from iraq. let's go to the ground there. cnn's ben wedeman is there. good morning, ben. >> reporter: good morning, john. we are near the village of hasan shin. this is where the kurdish forces and islamic state. this is where the u.s. did take on a role taking out isis vehicles during the battle. we are just at a spot about five miles from the isis positions which are just up the road. what is interesting is right behind me, this is a checkpoint on the edge of a bridge and at the bottom is written the islamic state. they were here just nine days ago. if we pan over to the left, you can see a critical bridge. this is the main road to the city occupied by isis. when isis forces took this area, before they left, they blew up this bridge. kurdish forces have rebuilt or rather built just up the river from here. now earlier, we spoke with t

did prime minister abadi deliver a similar message to our prime minister?t is the situation vis-a-vis the sunni tribes, because they need to play a role and to take the fight to isil, too? >> my honorable friend is spot on. the iraqi prime minister was very frank in his requests to me. he said clearly in new york, "we need your help to drive these people out of our country and indeed out of the world." he was very frank about that. we are supplying equipment to the kurds. we can do more to help the iraqi security forces. as for the sunni tribes, of course, we need them to help but they need to see that they can be part of a successful iraq. and that is why the involvement of other arab countries is so important. and there are particular countries that may be able to encourage the sunni tribes to take this step. let me give way to my honorable friend and then i will make some progress. >> i am glad that the prime minister seems. to accept that air strikes alone cannot hope to be successful unless they are in close co-ordination with credible ground forces. t

why, an ans by haider al-abadi, saying his government uncovered a terrorist plot, planning attacks in the metro of u.s. and paris, adding: that was news to u.s. officials who said they knew of no plot and haider al-abadi didn't bring it up in a meeting with president obama. mayor bill de blasio downplayed the danger. >> law enforce. assessed the statements of the iraqi prime minister and find no specific credible threat at this point. >> the scare comes at a time of heightened anxiety as the coalition bombing continued into its fourth day. since then, official alerts have been issued over lone wolf attacks. officials say there's a newly emphasised threat. they say it's intent on attacking europe and the united states. there's continued graphic murders of enemies of i.s.i.l. it is believed that the fighters seep in the beheading video is thought to have been identified. he was not named. among the targets, oil production refineries in eastern syria, the flow of oil has been a vital revenue stream, generating as much as 2 million a day. we'll know if they have to change the operations.

is praising iraq's new government and prime minister abadi. new government is supposed to include sunnis and kurs marginalized by the previous leadership. the u.s. has made that a key requirement for its continued support against isis militants. >>> the dutch safety board is expected to release a preliminary report on the crash of malaysia airlines flight 17 in about half an hour from now. the lane went down in eastern ukraine in july. >>> u.s. football star ray rice has been suspended from the national football league and kicked off his team. the move came after a video emerged showing rice punching his girlfriend. she was a fiance at the time, now his wife, knocking her unconscious. rice will likely be allowed to keep the $25 million he's been paid since he joined the league in 2008. >>> and the european union has announced new sanctions against russia for its alleged involvement in ukraine. the measures could take effect in the next few days, allowing for assessment of the current cease-fire. russia has warned it will retaliate if the sanct

officials say they know of no plot, and when al abadi met with president obama face to face he never said anything. when they first heard about it they beefed up security in new york. and now they're down playing the threat. >> the pentagon has been taking questions since the airstrikes in syria particularly since last week. we were all under the impression it was going to be an iraq-first movement. the question is you're attacking syria now with air forces and iraqi military are having a hard time holding their own inside their country. rear admiral john kirby, this is what he had to say. >> the sanctuary they have in syria is the hub, the headquarters, if you will, and so the targets that we've been hitting there have been getting to those commanding control capabilities that they have enjoyed inside syria. so how do you know that you're having an affect. well, it will take a while. we'll know when they have changed their operations. we'll know when we can see they no longer are flowing quite as freely cruise that border. we'll know when we have evidence that it's hard for recruit,

after all, it's just been a few days since the government of haider al abadi has been put in place. he's still formulating his cabinet, and he has been under tremendous pressure from the u.s. and other nations trying to form an international coalition in order to join with iraq and attack the islamic state. and they're doing that at a time when these attacks are being reported increasingly on the ground after forces join together and take these towns. it's a matter of real concern. one of the things that they've done to address that is they have changed the way the army is structured so the national guard will be local in each area. sunni in sunni areas. shia in shia areas. >> we were talking about kerry in egypt, but he said he doesn't want to talk to iran, but the iranians are there already, aren't they? >> that's right. the horses have already left the barn in this case. i think kerry is giving the same type of statement we generally hear from the americans. they're concerned about what they believe is excessive iranian control. since the u.s. left they left a pow vacuum in iraq,

iraq's prime minister abadi says his intelligence officers have discovered a plot by "isis" to bomb american and french subways... and that attacks could be imminent in new york and paris. but new york authorities insist there is currently no specific *credible threat of an attack. still, security in the subways has been tightened. attorney general eric holder is stepping down after six years on the job. he announced yesterday that he will leave in the coming months, as soon as president obama finds a replacement. holder said he never intended to stay for the duration of the president's second term. he decided to step down now, because the department is running smoothly. president obama praised holder's long career, crediting him with restoring the justice department's civil rights division. >> he has shown a deep and abiding fidelity to one of our most cherished ideals, equal justice under the law. >> i have loved the department of justice since a young boy. i watched robert kennedy proved during the civil rights union movement have the civithe depart can be a source for that what is right.

. >> reporter: john and christine, this started with abadi told reporters that baghdad intelligence said there was a terror plot aimed in the subway systems in france and u.s. that sparked a lot of concern in the obama administration. officials said they had no credible evident of a plot. late in the day, the official went back to the iraqi prime minister and talked to him and the prime minister told him that he was speaking in general terms. this was not an actual imminent terror plot posed by isis against the subway systems. that obviously will be reassuring to people in new york city. the mayor of new york city bill de blasio reassured riders. it is important to point out what seennior officials told us. isis doesn't have ability to carry out attacks on the homeland. they are worried about khorasan which is comprised of former al qaeda members. they say that group is capable of carrying outer terror attacks. john and christine. >> thank you, jim. >>> the pentagon says u.s. led air strikes hit mobile refineries in eastern syria and iraq. french war planes hit near fallujah. still on th

prime minister haider al abadi missed a great opportunity to update the world on efforts to create arue unity government. do you think he'll follow through on building a more inclusive government? >> i believe he's going to try to follow through. we have to be careful as we watch this unfold that there are diametrically opposed people in iraq today. the degree that al abadi is willing to address grievances from the sunni to pull them away from any type of compromise they have with isil is going to be disenfranchising from kurds, and pushing kurds towards independence. there are no easy solutions. it's going to take compromise. but fear and mistrust govern everything in iraqi government. it will be difficult to pull off. >> do you feel that your efforts in the fighting days, and the efforts of the u.s. military have gone to waste when you look at what is happening in iraq and the isil threat in that country and in syria? >> well, to be--i was a civilian adviser in iraq, but let me just put it from the standpoint of those soldiers that i stay in contact with that sacrificed so much, i

prime minister haider al-abadi told reporters that french and american i.s.i.l. fighters were arrested, planning attacks on subways in the u.s. and paris. new york police and the fbi both said they were monitoring the situation, a national security council spokesperson said they had no confirmation a plot was under way. the federal bureau of investigation believes it has identified the i.s.i.l. terrorist that beheaded two journalists james foley, steven sotloff, and british aid worker david haines, but did not reveal his name. u.s. and coalition war planes targeted i.s.i.l. fighters, vehicles and checkpoints after hammering 12 oil refineries used by the group on wednesday. at the pentagon, rearadmiral john kirby said most of the attacks were launched by saudi arabia, and the united arab emirates, part of the president obama's effort. >> we are trying to remove the means through which this organization sustains itself. that is the goal. >> the president's long-term strategy to degrade and destroy i.s.i.l. may get a boost from more than 20 syrian rebel groups, musl

. >> iraq's prime minister haider al-abadi has become prime minister. the iraqis need to pull together. >> now is the time for iraq's leaders to govern their nation with a sense of purpose that helped to bring the government together in the first place. and in that effort, they should know the united states will stand shoulder to shoulder with the iraqis, as they implement the national plan to overcome the long-standing political and economic grievanceness s that -- grievances that have for too long divided their county. john kerry will go there tomorrow. jane arraf has more. >> iraq has a new government and it's a day before a deadline expires. it's not entirely complete. this government still doesn't have an interior minister, a defence minister or a water minister. the political factions just couldn't agree on them. and even more worryingly, the kurds, a major partner, came to the table, to parliament, in fact, late, saying that they would join, but only for three months. they say they have a list of demands that have to be negotiated, including shar

iraqi prime minister haider al abadi said iraq uncovered an isis plot targeting subways in the u.s.nd paris. the city's mayio reassured the public. >> i have a simple message for all new yorkers, there is no immediate, credible threat to our subway system. i say that with confidence. people should go about their business as they normally would. >> reporter: law enforcement officials sell cnn there are no indications of any terror plots against u.s. transit systems. >>> still to come here on cnn, nine terror arrests in the united kingdom, and reports one is a cleric who says isis will be in america and europe within decades. >>> also coming up, u.s. president barack obama has a strong warning for world leaders, why he says ebola is a growing threat to security. back to school shopping for my girls isn't easy. that's just not enough crotch. do these shoes say "mathlete" to you? ha! where do you put the books?! these are still cool, right? number 15 of my 20, desperately trying to keep my girls from growing up too fast. the new amex everyday credit card with no annual fee. make 20 or m