but there were air strikes around amerli yesterday. we also understand that there were aid drops carried out as you say by the united states, austral australia, britain, france. certainly delivering that much-needed food, water and medical supplies that they have been without now for weeks. this is a community that has been under siege for two entire months. it's hard to fathom but it's the local police, the local militia, it's volunteers who have managed to fend off isis from that particular township made up of turkmen shia. yes the iraqi military have been flying in the occasional aid drop as well as weapons but it has not been enough. we are hearing from sources some of the aid drops delivered yesterday did not make the township of amerli so they definitely do need more assistance, christi. >> i remember the image of yazidi woman there crying screaming for help at the back of the legislative body there in iraq. and we now understand that what she was fearing has come true, that there are reports that isis is selling hundreds of girl

towns around amerli had been taken. the inhabitants of amerli, this is shia territory. they have no tolerance. they do not consider them to be in this case real muslims, so as we have seen with the siege of sinjar and the yazidis, real fear that isis will massacre these people because they do not consider them to be worth living really. >> oh, jamana karadsheh, we appreciate your insight on this. thank you for bringing us the latest. be safe there. >>> the u.s. has ramped up airstrikes in parts of iraq. they're targeting isis militants. now the obama military is looking to send strikes into syria. according to the washington post the pentagon has been conducting daily surveillance flights along iraq's border with syria. we're being joined from manchester, england, and kings' college professor joining us. so glad to have you both here. first, i want to ask this question and pose it to both of you. we'll start with you, harris. if the u.s. does decide to carry out airstrikes in syria, will that be enough? does it need boots on the ground to defeat sies sisis? >> i think i

taking amerli is significant for moral because they are worried about the turkman residents inside amerli. they were worried that the men would die. it's a small dent really, and a battle in the whole area. there was another area, way is further to the east of amerli. they have managed to make inroads in there. they have the momentum at the moment. how long they can keep pushing and whether they can hold the positions is a different matter. >>> meanwhile australia is the latest nation to join a growing international coalition against islamic state fighters. tony abbott said his nation will provide guns and ammunition to support kurdish forces. as hoda abdel-hamid reports, american officials say they have never dealt with a fighting force like the islamic state. >> the scars of battle. the islamic state group use houses as defense lines before it was forced to retreat. they came home to find this. the group's fighters moved into the village in mud august. they did not just use the house as a base. they ate the food and used their clothes, and didn't give up without a fight. this is an orga

we understand just from this morning that isis fighters are at the gates of amerli. they have cut off water and power to this township of turkman shia. 12,000 people. we are getting reports of people who have family and friends on the ground there. dozens of children have dieed from dehydration and starvation. this is how dire the situation is according to the organization. certainly, the u.n. special representative for iraq is waiting several days warning a potential massacre could be under way. asking that the iraqi military get much more involved. we understand that is taking place now. they need the support of those u.s. air strikes. we also understand, christine, that president obama is now considering air strikes in that area. mainly being focused here in the north around erbil and mosul dam. that is now on the table to stop a potential massacre from unfolding in amerli. >> anna, in erbil, iraq. thank you. >>> another american killed in syria in addition to douglas mccain fighting for isis. they did not identify the second american. this, as the fbi investigati

they have been softening up around amerli... (technical difficulties) >>> apologies, we have lost sue turton, but we debt a sense of what has been happening in the league. an area where they have pushed back. australia is the latest nation to draw a growing international coalition against is fighters. the nation will provide guns and ammunition to support kurdish forces. they launch air strikes overnight. hoda abdel-hamid reports. american officials say they have never dealt with a fighting force from the yate. >> the scars of battle. the islamic state group used houses as defense lines before it was forced to retreat. this man came home to find this. the group's fighters moved into the village in august. they did not use the house as a because. they ate whatever food they found, and used their clothes and didn't give up without a fight. this is an organisation that u.s. officials say is beyond anything they have seen. even those in conflict face well of trained fighters. they faced snipers in different houses. and they did - al

the crisis in amerli mirrors violence across the country. there are bombings and attacks in baghdad and in the north that you know killed dozens. cnn's jomana karadsheh joins us now from the iraqi capital. and we will be talking to her actually in a couple minutes. but one of the big questions today when we look at this is, we hear that there are shiite factions that have attached sunnis so is this now a two-pronged fight so to speak for iraq? not only are they fighting isis, but they may be having a fight with the sunnis and the shias and trying to deal with that faction as well because, as we know, they need to form a new government and they are in the process of it. we'll see if that is making any progress in any way. we know that president obama is returning to washington from martha's vineyard today. topping his agenda whether to send u.s. warplanes into syria after isis in response to the execution of american journalist james foley. the pentagon's been conducting surveillance we understand, surveillance flights along iraq's border wit

. >>> in iraq government forces are bombing islamic state positions in a town of amerli. in the northeast where for months they were ail to hold back thety the islamic state groups. but now they're preparing for the worst. >> reporter: for the town of a amer lyricli, this is not the front line, it is the last stand. these are not professional soldiers and they've held out 80 days against islamic state fighters just 500 meters away. the shia tuman town next to sunni villages is now completely surrounded. >> they burn the farms. they looted, they have blown up our mosques, but we'll face them and hunt them down because we know them. they were all from the nearby villages. >> reporter: the iraqi army and those backing the army may back the seen, but it could spark another civil war. the only way in and out is by helicopter. the iraqi air force is taking out 120 people a day but almost 20,000 are left. the town has run out of food and even the wells are running dry. iraq is breaking into pieces not just regions but towns and tribes and families. they've been scattered by figh

in amerlie they have only bread and onions left. almost everyone here were air lifted by helicopter. this woman and her children arrived only four days ago. >> they hit us and the helicopter overturned. we ran carrying the children and when they fixed the helicopter we took off again. >> reporter: some of their female relatives have chose ton stay in amerlie. they would rather die, than be taken by islamic state fighters. >> my brother said if i.s. enters i will kill my children one by one and then my wife and then i'll kill myself. >> she says a lot of the graves have already been dug. fatima's sister killed herself a couple of weeks ago. she said her father was trying to force her to marry one of the islamic state fighters. it is a conservative society where honor is more important than death. jane arath, al jazeera baghdad. >>> in syria and golan heights, u.n. officials say israeli and syrian government forces pitched in to help get these men out of the danger zone. rebel fighters surrounded the area on thursday preventing them f

in amerli they only have bread and onions left. almost everyone here was lifted by helicopter. layl a and her four children arrived four days ago. >> isis was firing at us. they hit us and the helicopter overturned. they ran carrying the children. when they fixed the helicopter we took off again. >> some of their female relatives have decided to stay in amerli. they say they would rather die than being taken by islamic state fighters. >> my husband has a gun with enough bullets to kill my children one by one and then my wife and then myself. >> her sister killed herself a few weeks ago. her husband was killed in the fighting, and she said her father was trying to force her to marry one of the islamic state fighters. it's a conservative society where the idea of honor is more important than death. and the name of their small town has already gone down into alleged. al jazeera, baghdad. >> let's get a check on the world weather with richard. richard, if you were to tell us where all the tropical cyclones have gone. >> to be honest, nature is a mist to all of us. let's take a look

now another town, amerli, surrounded, running out of food and water.national response be, and if the u.s. gets more involved, should that involvement extend to syria? >> in terms of what's going on in iraq, i expect the iraqi government, with the help from the united states, is going to be the first to respond to that siege. in terms of syria, it would be hard to get rid of isis. isis has strategic depth in syria. the problem, though, is how do you deal with isis there. you can't bomb your way out of that. somebody has to fill up that vacuum once isis is defeated. that's questions the government in washington is struggling with. >> as we speak, how was the world so caught off guard by isis? now we're hearing estimated are nearly as many as 45,000 fighters. >> i think wishful thinking. president obama called it the j.d. team. >> yes, he did. earlier this year. >> that's wishful thinking. part of it plays into a mood in the united states that we wish these problems would go away. they don't go away. the biggest issue to us is, on television and the newsp

cnn's anna coran is there north of amerli. explain to us what broke the siege which seemed to be very tough for very long. >> reporter: very tough very long, fareed, but not quite sure how much force was being used over the last two months. certainly after the united nations special representative here in iraq signalled that alarm a week ago saying a potential massacre was underway, that seemed to get the ball rolling. we saw much more involvement from the iraqi military. obviously the u.s. taking part in those airstrikes yesterday dropping off humanitarian aid as well as australia, the u.k., and france. but it wasn't until really that red flag went up, fareed, that help finally arrived. as you say, it was under siege for some two months. power, water cut off. according to people on the ground, dozens of children have died as a result of the conditions in that township made up of turks and shia. a crisis has been averted. >> anna, what is your sense of an iraqi army. everyone was surprised how quickly it collapsed a couple of

the iraqi government believed the town of amerli just two hours north of baghdad was about to become a scene of genocide, residents had no power ands3 barely any food or water. somehow they were able to fend off isis until now, and today they got help, it is a second time this month the u.s. military has intervened in iraq to prevent a humanitarian disaster. but are those missions enough to defeat isis o begin with juliana goldman. >> iraqi forces say they liberated the town of amerli where roughly 15,000 people had been trapped by isis militants since june. >> u.s. humanitarian aid and air strikes were key to breaking the six-week siege. >> but law make in other words washington are concerned that the limited scope of the u.s. action against the militant islamist group won't be enough to defeat it. this week, president obama said his administration still doesn't have a strategy to attack isis s in syria. >> it is going to require some very strong measures to defeat them. >> today, senator john mccain want mr. obama's loudest critics told cbs the president is either in denial or over

amerli is a hotbed of turkmen population. i've been to that town before. it's unlike the yazidi crisis because there's no mountain to climb up to get away from the isis fighters. there is going to be a requirement to continue to support the iraqi military, the peshmerga as they try to relieve this humanitarian crisis in this relatively small town. >> and we've talked about it, but i think it bears repeating we talk about the fact that there are these jihadis from other countries joining the isis forces. i want you to tell me what you think the future looks like and how that complicates in this there were to be boots on the ground? >> well, from the standpoint of isis and recruiting, it is -- it's a sexy appeal to jihad diss all over the world, come here to fight, they love doing that. i think as this fight continues what you're going to see is a continued turn away from this radical extremist group. remember, there's 11 million people in northern iraq from baghdad to the syrian turkish border. 11 million people. not all of them, in fact a great majority, r

iraqi and kurdish forces or celebrating after retaking amerli from the islamic state group. u.s. and others have been pounding the region. u.s. sent aid via an air drop and the city has been under siege for two months. russia and ukraine swapped dozens of soldiers, those that crossed the border by mistake and russian paratroopers were exchanged. >>> china's parliament says hong kong's election will be reduced to a few of approved candidates. activists plan to stage a campaign of civil disobedience. >>> amerli is back in control of iraqi forces. yazidi are the target of attempted genocide, and men are ready to leave their sacred homeland. jane arraf reports. >> reporter: lighting the sacred fires. the keepers of the flame light 365 candles here every day at dusk. this is lolesh in the mountains of northern iraq. yazidi's believe it's the first place the sun's rays ever touched. to the yazidi, everything is sacred, including the trees. that man's father and grandfather watched over the shrine. it's normally a place of peace. >> translation: we have been walking the earth for a long

war planes attacked amerli. the town has been under siege for two months, and planes dropped food and humanitarian supplies. today australia said it would arm the kurds. australia has great to join an airlift of military equipment to the kurds. we have agreed to join this airlift at the request of the president obama administration in the united states, and with the permission of the iraqi government. >> abbott says his government is helping to send rocket propelled grenade. so that are there has been no requests by the united states to play a come bat role. >> good morning to you. we hear there's an offensive going on. what is going on right now. >> it's a dramatic partial lifting so far of a siege of this town that that is been surrounded by late fighters. the villagers there. farming people and still servants have held how far. yesterday with the u.s. air strike and shi'a members. they pushed through villages and have come in through the south. they spoke by telephone. the town is being retaken by iraqi force

with the siege of amerli. we're hearing now that shia militias are being mobilized to try to break the siege of the two of the major shia militias here, they have been mobilized when the isis threats had been raised in the country back in june as they were moving closer to baghdad and there were concerns. the government needed help. the shia dominated security forces needed assistance with that, so shia militias were mobilized. this really contributed to that cycle of fear, mistrust, and concern that on the one hand you have a tarks taking place by sunni militants on the shia community and on the other hand you have the shia being mobilized. this is what iraqis refer to as the dark days 2006, 2007, the dark days there's concern that the bombings there's concerns that these are attempts to try and push iraq trying to push back and reunite that sectarian war. when we see attacks like this, a lot of concern about where this is going. >> absolutely. darker days perhaps ahead. just terrible to think about. jomana k

more than two months of terror for thousands of civilians trapped by isis militants in the town of amerli. last night u.s. aircraft launched strikes against isis targets surrounding the town. a retired iraqi general says the attack helped iraqi troops and volunteer forces break the isis siege and allowed u.s., european and australian aircraft to carry out humanitarian aid drops. many have been facing severe food and water shortages since the siege began in june. and today vice president joe biden talked by phone with the kurdish regional president about the isis operation and expressed support for the iraqi and kurdish forces that helped break the siege of that town. our anna coren joins us live from erbil, iraq. some of the residents were evacuated from that town and we saw dramatic images from the iraqi ministry of defense showing civilians rushing up to helicopters and trying to get whatever kind of relief or help they could. >> reporter: yeah, that's right. a few people were evacuated but for the rest of the township just pure joy to finally see the faces of the iraqi military who hav

. >> reporter: huge relief on the streets of amerli as friendly forces black the siege. for 80 days and nights they faced the threat of islamic state fighters taking their town. a threat leaving some to consider taking their lives. their might provoked an alliance between groups not known to fight side by side. with peshmerga, shi'ite and iraqi army soldiers banding together in a joint operation beginning at four in the morning. >> translation: we came to join the fight for amerli under muqtada alsarreda's orders, no difference between sunni, shia, kurdish or christian. we came to clear is from iraq. most came from outside iraq. >> translation: this was an 80-day seem. they were vouched by islamic state fighters. many died of starvation, babies had no milk. thousands were save. >> the aircampaign began the previous day, dropping food and supplies to the residents, and bombs on the is lines. >> there's pride among the peshmerga, that they and the shi'ite militia men broke the siege and took back the town. they couldn't have done it without help from the air. joint operati

and this township of amerli, i don't have anything to announce today, in terms of any decisions made about that. whatever we do from a humanitarian perspective in iraq will be done in partnership with iraqi security forces and kurdish forces as necessary. so i have no updates there. i'm not quite certain i have anything for you on the intensification. there's been a consistent level of military activity inside iraq, not just from us, but from our iraqi partners. as i said, i think we're up to nearly, if not at 110 air strikes total since they started. and i don't know that -- i mean, i haven't watched the pace of those, but i haven't seen anything that would indicate that it's, you know, seriously upticked in recent days. and most of the strikes -- by the way, i mean, if you just do the math -- and, actually, i think i have it here. you know, of the nearly 110, the majority of them have been done in and around the mosul dam facility, because, again, back to my point about these guys, they want infrastructure. they want streams of revenue. they want ground, and they still are going af

they were involved with the attack that just occurred yesterday in amerli. so these are coming together these coalitions and intelligence. we got to get the intelligence. i think you'll see action within the next week or so. >> i just want to add to that sure you don't tell the media everything you're going to do. i would throw out there you don't take things off the table either. idea of no troops on the ground, none of us want 100,000 american troops there but quit talking about mission creep. if you have cancer in your liver and it's spreading to other parts of your body you don't just treat the other parts you treat the liver. liver is syria. we have to go to the heart of this and do it in a big way. >> syria is the most dangerous place in the world. the biggest threat are americans and bridgeports who have passports, ability to come in to our country without getting a visa. we had the suicide american bomber who was radicalized, came home to visit his parents, went back and killed himself. that could happen in the united states. that's my biggest concer

. >> fighter jets destroyed targets near amerli

islamic state militants, margaret warner reports on the humanitarian crisis in the besieged town of amerli. plus, we continue our series on rethinking college. online courses can make higher education more affordable and accessible, but can they become the new traditional classroom? >> it doesn't replace the campus. we really believe that ultimately the right model for learning is a blended model. where you blend the best of online and the best of in person. >> ifill: those are just some of the stories we're covering on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: pro-russian rebel forces opened a new front in ukraine today, fighting their way into a key southeastern town. novo-azovsk lies in a strategic location astride the road that links russia to crimea. up to now, fighting had not reached that far south. ukraine also reported

islamic state militants, margaret warner reports on the humanitarian crisis in the besieged town of amerli. plus, we continue our series on rethinking college. online courses can make higher education more affordable and

we unz there is a hospital in the township of amerli. we're being told dozens of children have died over the past couple of weeks because they haven't received that help but this is a huge relief. at least crisis averted this time. >> you see how desperate those people are. i want to get to you, aaron, at the white house. we one australia not only obviously aiding in the aid drops but sending weapons to iraq at the request of the u.s. are they the only country joining in that so far? >> reporter: canada, france and uk are helping on some level but this was a pretty big statement from australian prime minister tony abbott and that's because he made the point and the case that there are some 60 australians who are involved in terrorist groups in the middle east and there are about 100 other australians who are supporting them and he makes the point if they are willing to kill in the middle east they could come back and kill in australia as well and that poses a significant security threat to australia and for that reason he thinks it's imp

immediate action must be taken to prevent a massacre of turkman shi'ites in the northern town of amerliwarning comes as a series of bombings and attacks claimed the lives of 30 people. in kirkuk least 90 people were killed when three bombs exploded. and in baghdad, at least 11 people died when a suicide bomber drove a car into the intelligent headquarters. the u.n. nutt says ameli is surrendered by isis militant and are without basic supplies. >>> the u.s. carried out an airstrike against isis to support iraq yawn kurdish operations and route out isis. white house officials raised the possibility of expanding airstrikes against isis in syria. officials estimate between 10:00 and 17,000 isis fighters, although others believe there may be three times that number. they say isis is the wealthiest terrorist group in the world. >> they have over $2 billion in assets. they are well-funded and they are operatings a cooperate entity. >> tonight the washington post reports a senior u.s. intelligence official told them it would probably take months before the u.s. could develop adequate intelligen

and they have taken several villages in and around amerli. we are getting reports of a desperate situation inside of this town of 18,000 people. isis militants stopped food and medical supplies from coming in, cut off water and electricity and really desperate situation by all accounts. this is a shia turkman town. one of the real fears is we could see a similar scenario to northern iraq the past few weeks where isis militants have gone after other groups especially the yazidis which we saw besieged in mount sinjar and only broken by u.s. air strikes and attacks on other minorities we have seen by isis. real concern about what might happen. we are hearing in the past few hours, shia militias have been mobilized and are moving to try to break that siege by isis. this is something that has happened over the past few months as isis has gained ground. the government here called on shia militias and mobilized them to help in the fight against isis. that also contributing to raising sectarian tensions in this country. >> elsewhere in iraq we have b

iraqi forces have entered that city and broken a two month siege of amerli.k men had been cut off from food and water for nearly two months by islamic state militants. aircraft from australia, france and britian joined the u.s. in the supply drop. it comes at the request of the iraqi government. the u.s. military conducted airstrikes against islamic state militants in order to support the delivery of that aid. >>> tmz reporting that joan rivers is on life support this morning. the comedian was rush today a new york city hospital thursday after going into cardiac arrest. her daughter melissa released a statement on her mother's condition. she said her mom is getting the best treatment available and that she would be so touched by the tributes and prayers all coming from around the world. one fan says she believes that joan will be a survivor. >> she is an inspiration to women. she has had so many things in her life that she came through. such a survivor. my heart, my thoughts, my prayers are with her that she is going to be a survivor with this now, too. as yo

militia who have been mobilized to fight isis in the past couple of months have been moving closer to amerliraqi forces. the seizure that has been going on for 80 days is imminent. >> we're watching compelling footage of people being evacuated. it is such a difficult time for people all over iraq and that is saying something considering what everybody has been through the past decade. now, i know you have been out talking to people there the baghdad. what are they telling you? what is paramount in people's minds? >> reporter: errol, we went out in a shopping mall last night. anywhere in the world, this is one of the most normal places to go to. here in baghdad, people can take out their children where they feel a little safe as one man told me because of the security checks in the mall. they say the heat in baghdad, the power cuts, going to this mall. it is cooling them down and they can stay in there. they're not afraid of the children playing on the streets and being killed with what has become the daily violence in the city. car bombings and assassinations. it is really incredible talking

appealed to the international community days ago there could be a potential massacre unfolding in amerlithe call is going out. they need more iraqi troops on the ground. they certainly need the u.s. air strikes to be extended as well to that part of the country. >> anna for us with a disturbing we report from erbil. thank you. >>> douglas mccain was killed fighting for isis. a second american died. it's coming as the fbi investigates his terrorist origins. he is from minneapolis, which is a fertile recruiting ground. >> unfortunately, the recruiters and those who lure people overseas are aware they have a pool of potential travelers here in minneapolis. >> he attended the same high school as troy, who died fight for al-shabaab. >>> we are hearing from peter theo curtis who was released after nearly two years. expressing his gratitude for those who worked so hard for his release. >> i had no idea when i was in prison. i had no idea so much effort was being expended on my behalf. now, having found out, i'm overwhelmed with emotion. i'm overwhelmed by one other thing. total strangers have b

so, interesting to see the united states expand their mission down to amerli, helped with humanitarian aid drop by the united states, uk, france and australia. but also to ensure that there wasn't a slaughter of the residence, made up of the shia turkmen, less than 20,000. certainly we can say, crisis asserted, thanks to the coordinated effort. >> jamie, days ago, you wrote that the u.s. current military role may not be enough to stop isis, saying this, quote, fear of mission creep, fear of putting american boots on the ground and excessive faith in the wonders of american military technology contribute to a fatal and contradictory combination of excessive caution and excessive competence. so, do you not see there are any positive qualities that have come from this strategy, thus far? >> oh, well, of course, it's very good news the town has been relieved. they've been besieged two months, 17,000 turkmen at risk of being slaughtered. it not much of an expansion on the lines the president laid down. and this town is not the most strategic on towns. it's a long way from retaking, let's sa

helping the residents of a amerlie. overnight, the terrorist group releasing another gruesome video-taped execution on social media. showing the beheading of a soldier captured along the syrian border with lebanon this month. officials say it's tactics like this and an expertise with social media that enables isis to expand rapidly. >> you can reach a lot wider of an audience with online videos than you can word of mouth. >> reporter: will america expand its air strikes? in a "new york times" op ed, secretary of state john kerry called for worldwide support for fighting the hardened fighting force of committed jihadists with global ambitions. in a response, senators john mccain and lindsey graham critiquing the white house. writing, isis must be confronted militarily, adding that combat in iraq and alone and not syria would be fighting with one hand tied behind our back. >> the president hasn't yet laid out a specific plan for military action in syria. and the reason for that is simply that the pentagon is still develop

the town of amerly is home to more than 15,000 of a turkish minority. surround by the radical sunni militants of isis, who had cut off their food and water. the iraqi military had been trying to evacuate the desperate residents. helped this weekend by u.s. allies. aid was dropped on the town as well. despite the setback, isis still controls a huge territory in syria and iraq. they've proven they're a growing, sophisticated, wealthy fighting force, many of the top commanders who were once in the army of saddam hussein. >> let's talk to our experts. colonel steve began ganyard and robert harward. i want to start with you, steve. we talk about the zealotry of isis. one-third of the leadership are former saddam army members. what do you have here? is that why it's so dangerous? >> it looks very much like white infantry. they train, organize, and equip much like a regular, traditional military. al qaeda is focused on the far threat. western targets. isis is thinking about creating a caliphate. to do that, you need a conventional military. ironically, that pl

the town of amerly is home to more than 15,000 of a turkish shi'ite minority. surrounded by the radical sunni militants of i.s.i.s. who cut off food from water. the iraqi military had been trying to evacuate the desperate residents. helped this weekend by u.s. air strikes on i.s.i.s. positions. and humanitarian aid was dropped on the town. despite the set back, isis still controls a huge territory in syria and iraq. they are proven they are a growing, sophisticated, wealthy fighting force. many of the commanders who were once in the army of saddam hussein. martha. >> let's take on the strategy against i.s.i.s. with our experts. robert harward and steve ganyard. a former deputy commander of u.s. central command. welcome, gentlemen. i want to start with you, steve. we talk about the zealotry of i.s.i.s. the barberism. one-third of the leadership are former saddam army members. what do you have here? is that why it's so dangerous? >> it looks very much like white infantry. they train, organize and equip very much like a conventional military. al qaeda is focused o

weeks of isis attacks have forced many to flee the town of amerli, that's north of baquba.nited nations now fears a possible massacre of the thousands of shia turkmen still trapped there. >> and to the north near erbil the u.s. says it carried out three new air strikes on isis targets wednesday. the region's kurdish peshmerga fighters are battling the sunni militants on the ground but say they need more help. >> now our equipment with isis is not equal. there's no balance between, you know, our forces and their forces. we don't have a problem with manpower, but we have a problem with equipment. with weapons, with ammunition. fortunately now we're receiving, but it's not enough. we need more and we need more air strike to be able to defeat isis. >> now, there's rampant speculation about the prospects of u.s. military intervention in syria to fight isis. a research fellow at the new america foundation says it needs to happen and he's confident it will. barak bartfi talked to me. >> the united states has no choice but into the veen in the syrian conflict that president obama h

iraqi soldiers evacuated by helicopter, dozens of women and children from the town of amerli. isis militants when it was flying back to baghdad for safety. about 15,000 people are still trapped there. with the protection of american troops, the u.s., england and several other allies have dropped food and water in a humanitarian mission. >>> a brit, human rights group says in the past several weeks, isis militants have kidnapped some 300 young women and girls and turned them into slaves. the human rights group says isis seized the women as the spoils of war. the -- see the women as the soils so spoils of war. they were sold and married to about $1,000 apiece to other militants across iraq. >>> human dreams start on an experimental vaccine for the ebola virus. 20 healthy volunteers will be given the vaccine at the national institutes of health campus in maryland. results from the study are expected by the end of the year. after the n.i.h. fastracked the vaccine, which had previously been in development for more than a decade. >>> this holiday weekend, local law enforcement agenc