army colonel and iraq director for the national could are at this council, served in iraq and afghanistan was and involved in the iraqi surge in 2007. thanks phoning us,. >> you are welyou for joining u. >> one of the reasons given for the need for u.s. in iraq is responsibility. doll inning powell said it, you broke it, so be a part of the solution in iraq and syria. it's a mess. the united states is the super power. help. >> it is a mess. and the united states needs to help where it can. but it needs to help with the hippocratic oath. first do no arm. >> as we have learned -- >> too late for that. >> but more harm can always be done. as we have learned the hard way in syria, in iraq, in libya, all over the world, things can always get worse. and for the united states to intervene with the heavy hand with have all kind of political consequences the outcome of which we can't foresee. we didn't think al qaeda of iraq was going to be an outcome of our 23 invasion. we did for the foresee that. we didn't see the original al qaeda coming from our support of the afghanistan rebels against the s

sunni arabs and iraq's political shia, the ones who are basically in control in baghdad the iranians are part of this although they are not the most important part. they have close allies among iraq's political shia and they are particularly close to several very capable and potent militias, some of which are on american terrorist designated organizations list. groups like katab, that killed hundreds of american servicemen during our military presence in combat there. i don't think the iranians are likely to give you will those allies and those allies themselves, shia and militia till have the -- still have political influence. militia leaders are calling on members to join demonstrations taking place in baghdad and other cities in recent days protesting poor provision of services such as electricity and water. these political militia leaders, people like amri are extremely agile. they're very capable. they're very smart. they're very ruthless. they're very capable. in the absence of reconciliation between on the one hand the shia militias and sunni-arabs on the other si

luol qauda and iraq. the data is very clear here, -- what eventually became isis was able to grow in the deserts of eastern syria from thousand five to 2010 underneath the watch of the supposed secular syrian military intelligent. [speaking at the same time] >> that's this thousand they grew. [speaking at the same time] >> isis, before isis there was al qaeda in iraq. al qaeda and iraq. and i have written several books on the topic. al qaeda and iraq was defeated in 2010, 2011. when the americans letter iraq in 2011, al qaeda and iraq, inning and his successors were bankrupt. was besieged. was bleeding. it did not number more than 200, 300 fighters. the question for us here, why the so-called -- >> they survived because the syrians -- the syrian regime allowed them to establish a redone apt network in syria. >> why isis was grown from 200 fighters in to basically 35,000 fighters, to come back, the sunni-shia divide. this is the social nourishment. these are not my words, consensus in the field. what does

we do have a database containing 700 online social media profiles of fighters in syria and iraq. we have communicated with 100 of them and we've done field work in the border, on the border with syria. so we have a pretty good and pretty comprehensive idea of this population and what i'm saying now is, you know, greatly, you know, is to a large extent based on what we have learned from this. on the numbers first, lorenzo is absolutely right. this is a phenomenon that exceeds and surpasses everything that we have seen before and in the case of europe which represent perhaps about 20% of the overall foreign fighter population in syria and iraq, i.e., approximately, 4 to 5,000 people, what is particularly interesting is that smaller european countries are disproportionately affected. so if you look at the distribution of foreign fighters across european countries, of course the largest european countries are producing the greatest numbers but it is particularly the smaller countries that are heavily affected. countries like belgium, denmark and holland, norway, sweden. so that's wort

and there was a sense of pulling out in 2011 things will be better in iraq and we saw the rise of isis didn't work out the administration made the same argument, pull our troops out of afghanistan and in libya the administration said won't sent troops into libya after we destroy their government because it will stir up insurgency. air may be certain cases people don't like americans and it may incite violence but as a general principle arguing this should be a driving force, the truth is most of these enemies are not driven by the american presence, you are better off in some cases using americans, it is necessary because our allies cannot do what we would like him to do. >> let's talk about afghanistan. the most fascinating parts of your book deal with afghanistan. that is a war, an operation with which we are intimately familiar adviser to asap on that. give your assessment on the trajectory of the obama policy starting from 2009 when they put together strategy in dealing with afghanistan to where we are now and give some idea where you think things are going

countries like pakistan and afghanistan and iraq to go and fight in syria. i would recommend to you a report by the washington institute put out about two weeks ago about the casualties among expatriate shia in syria. hundreds have been killed in the last year and have. that's because of the iranians. i would expect the iranians to take him at his word during his visit to the gulf last week that they're going to stay on and double down. i think that's the least they're going to be. the prospect of sanctions relief for iran means there will likely be an increase in fighting in syria in the short and medium term. >> in response to the question why turkey finally joined the anti-islamist state coalition, i think the bombing on july 20, it was a turning point. there were 32 people who got killed in turkey could not not respond especially at a time when there is potential early election. turkey, syria, syria policy is very unpopular so turkey and respond. i think there was an agreement, between the u.s. before. so bombing almost became a safe haven way for turkey

bush conference plenary forum, waging war in afghanistan and iraq. my name is paul fritz, a professor of political science at hofstra and i'm pleased to be serving as the moderator for this distinguished forum. the wars in iraq and afghanistan are arguably the most controversial and most consequential foreign policy decisions of the george w. bush administration. the di stoigs ecision to go to to fight the wars and related issues have not only dominated the bulk of president bush's time in office but have shaped current u.s. foreign policy options in and around the regions and beyond and will continue to do so to the foreseeable future there's very little doubt the wars in afghanistan and iraq will be measured by which the legacy of the george w. bush foreign policy will be measured. so with that in mind the conference organizers and, most importantly, director bose and associate director have brought together this outstanding panel of public servant, journalists and scholars to examine the way the bush administration waged wars -- the wars in afghani

and said it was terrible. they defaulted on 12 or 14 contracts in iraq. everybody was defaulting on every contract in baghdad in 2004 and 2005. the place was chaos. they shipped 12 bill in 100-dollar bills to iraq and handing them out like footballs. the idea these kids were singularly bad. but the truth of the matter is when you lined up their past performance with their competitors think kneers competitor was 200 million bucks higher. one over the ironies is that the government for the fitter time, maybe ever, was getting a great deal, and these kid ushered them into this great deal. they got caught up in the while wind of "the new york times" and all these different competitors whispering against them. so it's true there hasn't been a case quite like this of fraud. it's true these kids were singularly defiant and they enraged people in high reaches of law enforcement and politics, but this is still going on. it's just being done by adults, and i read in the book that perhaps the biggest failure that the kids -- the reason why this broke is they didn't s

leadership came from al-qaeda and iraq and they learned from the past. they made sure that the organization will not just depend on a few leaders replacing them, it would be easy to do. but undoubtedly this man has military skills. he's from mosul, so he knows the city quite well. he's also--he knows the people of the area which gives him credentials and gives him the skills that isil needs. and what really makes it isil controls iraq's largest city, and they talked about a plan that has not materialized yet. in fact, isil has taken mortar tore into the capital o in may. they have not been able to recapture this city. in fact, ill controls most of anbar province, so what would be a victory is if the coalition and it's partners on the ground are able to take territory, killing a leader undoubtedly will hurt the organization, but it will not bring an end to isil. >> the iraqi military defense inflicted damage on isil in recent airstrikes. it has released video of iraqi fighter jets. the iraqi air force strikes forced heavy losses in men and commitment. it'

and al qaeda in iraq and the slawctd grow. thiislamic state grow. this is not only saudi arabia vying for regional sectarianism against iran. >> in syria -- >> let me finish. who defeated the prototype for i.s.i.s. the islamic state of iraq? it was the sunni -- >> absolutely. >> nationalist fighters. who defeated i.s.i.s. in the idlib province this syria? the airbus was absolutely the [simultaneous speech] >> so the americans need to support those who are on the front lines to defeat i.s.i.s. the way you -- the way you prevent the u.s. from being sucked into the region is by empowering those that want to take the heart of i.s.i.s. >> give me some group names. >> sunni, sunni rebel alliance in northern syria the conquest army. you've got another lions in alliance in aleppo called the el nusra front. >> el nusra themselves have killed druze villages, executed in aleppo. there have been killings from among those 60 u.s. trained fighters, that's el nusra front. >> clarification, nusra is not part of the conquest army. pushed out by the sunni rebels. ther

and fourth, and perhaps most critically for iraq's future we redoubled our efforts to support iraqis and the political process following national elections. these actions were absolutely essential in the immediate term but by no means sufficient to address the many grave dangers that we faced. indeed it was also last summer we began to understand that dash was not simply an iraqi or a syrian problem but emerging as a regional problem with global and generational implications. it was a keen awareness of that reality, if this emergency would go unabated that our president supported by the secretary resolved to build a global coalition. it was at that time last year when i was asked by the white house to assist the president and secretary as a special presidential envoy to the global coalition. since i began serving in this role i had the opportunity to travel to 30 capitals. we've been able to establish a coalition of 60 nations and two partner organizations. and unlike other coalition campaigns i've been a part of we've had to build this coalition out of whole cloth, when i served as t

lot of these individuals in europe would find it much easier to mobilize in the direction of syria and iraq. here for one reason or the other do not find that outlet and maybe let anger out in a different way. the final point -- i'm going to wrap it up here, the most interesting part is the q and a part for sure. the government's point of view, on both sides, on the european sides there's been a strengthening of the harder parts spectrum. legislations has been enhanced in both sides of the ocean particularly in european countries major efforts have been made. so if the europeans feel they need to catch up in tightening screws and being harder on the provisional count of terrorism side of things -- on the u.s. perspective where there is a legal framework that is gemmy -- generally speaking much tougher. what's lacking the cv, the softer side of the spectrum, which is increasingly seen, not just in europe but the united states as crucial important as a program -- i apologize for the shameless pitch here. we have been focusing on the aspect. we issued a report about the status violent terroris

many are fleeing war in syria and iraq. they've traveled through turkey and into greece. some of them making shorter journeys by sea to avoid european borders. others countries have moved to, many refugees moving through libya to reach lampedusa. many more have died in the attempt. some continue their journey deeper into europe. well, this is a scene in calais in northern france. around 3,000 people have been camped there trying to cross the channel into the u.k. we have more now on the situation in mas macedonia. >> in no man's land waiting to cross the border between greece and macedonia. but their passage was blocked by wright police. rocks were flown, and then this, smoke filling the air with police using some grenades to try to keep some people out. and the ensuing chaos there was panic. most refugees here have escaped conflict, and few would have expected this. [ yelling ] >> later more frustration and fear as numbers built up at the border. it was opened for a short time and then quickly closed again. leaving the crowd desperate to be allowed through. but the heat

and getting into iraq. the general said things about abaddi's dedication to functional federalism and this is the heart of the matter. something has to le done that will open the door to the population to make them feel they have a stake in the future of the country. so far there have been important pieces of legislation. the concept of a national guard, the [ inaudible ] legislation but most of the stuff is still stuck in the political process and on its own it won't be enough to convince sunni arabs to come back into the political fold. so we need to be working more if supporting the prime minister to build out and make tangible this concept of functioning federalism in a way that sunni arabs see, respect and feel that to come back into the fold. and we change the way in which we conduct the campaign n. tikrit, the u.s. made a critical decision to withhold air support until such time as the iraqi security forces were leading the fight and it is that kind of movement and posture and policy that we need to c

while this government-run facility is cleaner and better stocked than many other hospitals and clinics in iraq's capital, it's certainly not immune to the crisis spreading through a health care system here many consider declaying and diseased. the shortage of supplies and well-trained staff is nothing new in iraq. things are getting worse. even storing medicines at the right temperature is difficult. the medication stored inside here must stay constantly refrigerated. that's why they have to keep working. during this record heat wave with so many power cuts, this hospital and others are relying on backup generators. back inside patients find that even on a relatively slow day wait times are long. >> translator: if i had a critical condition and needed immediate surgery, i'd have to wait a month to get my turn, and that's not practical at all. >> reporter: going to a private hospital would be far too expensive for this couple. the ministry of health isn't the only institution in the country struggling to deliver medical aid. the united nations recently announced a funding gap forcing 80% of front

she has written and spoken widely about u.s. policy in iraq, served as a consultant to several members of congress and in 2004 chaired a task force on the u.s. occupation of iraq for a bipartisan coalition for a realistic foreign policy. her articles have appeared in the journal of american history, history news network, diplomatic history, radical history review and nova. she is presently completing a book entitled, never lose, nixon, kissinger and the illusion of national security. stephen f.knott is a professor of national security affairs at the united states naval war college. he served as co-chair of the university of virginia's presidential oral history program and directed the ronald reagan oral history project. professor knott received his ph.d. in political science from boston college and taught at the united states air force academy and the university of virginia. he is the author of alexander hamilton and the persistence of myth, and secret and sanction covert operations in the american presidency. the latter in examination of the

inre are differing stances syria and iraq. and there be managed could be a working relationship. >> thank you. a fascinating and detailed presentation. iq for that. let me turn to ford. impact on the long-running conflict in syria and iraq? no?: thank -- thank you, paul. nice to be here. thanks for the invitation. minutes speak for 5-6 on how this will affect syria and iraq, i was reminded of a story of a ponderous british archaeologist who was invited at the beginning of the 20th century to give a talk about archaeological research and digging up temples in ancient cities and the british museum asked him to give a talk for 20 minutes. he said to his friend, oscar can i explain everything in 20 minutes? oscar wilde said, speak slowly. i told that story and used a minute. , washington isaq consumed with the issues of the nuclear deal and the politics. the problems in syria and iraq do not involve iran or united states. the involve grievances between communities that are long-standing amp or date the nuclear a cord. -- nuclear ac

right now, we have around 3500 soldiers and marines in iraq. and more where -- may well be needed. we do not need and our friends don't ask for a major commitment of american combat forces, but what we do need is to convey that we understand -- that we are serious. our unrivaled fighters know that it is simply not enough to dispense advice and training to local forces and then send them on their way and hope for the best. canadian troops are already embedded in iraqi units to very good effect. our soldiers and marines need the go-ahead to do that as well. to help our partners outthink and outmaneuver the enemy. fourth, we should provide more support to the kurds. giving them decisive military power against isis. >> [applause] in iraq's kurdish region we have friends and brave and skilled fighters. if i am commander-in-chief, the united states will make certain that the kurds have everything they need to win. [applause] and finally, our strategy in iraq has to restart the serious diplomatic efforts i can help that country move in the right direction. only iraq's shiites, sunnis, and

last week i spoke to our men and women on the front lines in iraq. many of them are parents. of those who are not hope to be some day. and for most of their lives america has been at war. regardless of the reality they lived in military children continue to muster the same grit and courage their parents devote to defending our country. that is what makes our military the finest fighting force the world has ever known. it is our people. that is our secret sauce. not just our far fighters but their families, their kids who proudly embrace their service. kids like margaret flint whose story is told in the magazine on the move. she is in high school. her dad is a coast guardsman. they have moved six times in her life. she said moving is both the best and the most challenging thing about being a military kid. margaret was asked about the most important thing people should know about military children and i am told she said quote kids serve, too. she is right. kids serve, too. many kids like margaret proudly own their service. they are determined creative, wise beyond their years an

al qaeda or isis i'd i don't mean ideology, or whether this was somebody who traveled to syria or iraq and managed to connect with the organization over there.somebody who travele or iraq and managed to connect with the organization over there. >> how difficult or easy is that to establish? >> it's sometimes quite difficult because some of the extremists, they travel to turkey and then the trail goes cold and it's difficult to know whether they actually managed to cross the border into syria or not. so they will be scrambling on this,b bringing in u.s. capabilities to try to figure out if he did connect in some way with a terrorist group in syria and iraq. but there is also a middle road where isis is sort of instigating directly these kind of attacks over social media, fighters in syria and iraq, operatives there connecting with radicals in europe. but also in the united states. and encouraging them to launch attacks. we saw that with the attempted attack in garland, texas in may against a meeting there. and that is becoming increasingly prevalent for isis to be instigating this kind of s

they have launched air raids genes pkk and iraq. they're urging pkk and turkey to resume peace talks. >>> while there is no let up in the fighting in syria two groups which had been fighting on the same side against isil are now battling each other. >> this is thought to be an airstrike carried out by the u.s. it targeted positions of the al-qaeda-linked al nusra front in aleppo, but it came too late. those fighters had already attacked the base of division 30 and abducted it's commander and several of his men. it was a message to the u.s. and syrians who cooperate with it. >> the 30 infantry division is a group trained by the u.s. train necessary turkey. they entered syria a few days ago. it is a national army that america is trying to create in syria to fight terrorism. it's fighting al nusra. >> little information has been made public about division 30 until it's men entered syria a few days ago. they had received training from turkey as part of the program to build a force to fight isil. it appears they didn't want to be filmed

and the first one is the rising influence in iraq. they've always argued that a stronger iran would have more power and would step up the support for iraq we shouldn't be destabilizing factor in the iraq he policy. so that's why they've been against the influence and similarly, in syria the rising influence is undercutting the policies, and the second concern is closer ties between washington at the expense of turkey. they haven't been on the same page. they have had conflicting pre- orgies and objectives and they are involved in the policy in iraq as well so they think that if washington and they have closer ties because of this nuclear deal then they could undercut the policy. mainly turkey is supporting the toppling of the regime from the get-go since the uprising started in 2011, turkey has been late august, 2011 turkey has been supporting the opposition and has become an operational hub for the position and has invested heavily in the coalition so that is the strategic number one and yet the united states is seen as this threat so

in iraq and syria is useless. islamic state of iraq and levant has more territory than a year ago. the white house says it needs more time for its strategy to be effective >>> palestinians in the occupied west bank buried a man who died from burns suffered in an israeli settler attack on his home. his house was firebombed an attack in which his 18-month-old baby died >>> a bomb has gone off in the eastern city of jalalabad. two have been killed coming after the capital kabul suffered the worst day of violence. 52 were killed hundreds injured. >>> the u.n. fledged 9 million in aid to step up the response to devastating flooding. 90 people have died. people are starting to go home to take stock of the damage. florence louie reports from a village in the township >>> the people of the village returned home several days ago. the flood water receded. for four days the houses were submerged. >> i couldn't bring anything with me i took my child and left >>> when this woman returned her home and most of her belongings were gone. she had to move with relatives, 11 people cramming into a sma

iraq for a moment. will they fight isis, reclaim the areas, and make it part of iraq? re isn't a lot of evidence that they will. and i think, you know, if you look at, for instance, what -- if you just take the prospect of what happens next, what is the iraqi government doing militarily to push isis back, they want to go into ramadi, which is now held by isis or fallujah or mosul. what will they go in with? they'll go in with the iraqi army which is basically a collection of shiite militias. that's what it is. that's seen as an occupying army. that's not a prescription for reintegration. again, we can cobble together a bunch of sunni tribes and put them on the payroll, and that's basically what -- that helped turn the war back in 2008 when the united states was trying to get out. but that's not a permanent solution. and i just don't -- i don't see it. >> michele, what do you say to that fatalism? >> well, it's hard to be optimistic about iraq, but i am not quite as fatalistic. the question is whether this recent set of protests and this moment, with the support of the r

it has caused millions of lies from vietnam, afghanistan, and iraq. eyond that, rather than stabilizing dangerous regions, they, they frequently heighten military tensions and discourage diplomatic conflict. it has become the main tool in our foreign policy toolbox. placing u.s. bases near the borders of countries such as china, russia, and iran increases that's to their security and only encourages them to boost their military spending. imagine how u.s. leaders would respond if iran would build even a single base anywhere near u.s. borders, perhaps in mexico, canada, or the the caribbean. perhaps most troubling of all, the creation of new u.s. bases to print tact against a chinese threat runs the risk of becoming a self of prophecy. by provoking a chinese and russian military response it may help create an event. far for making the world safer place u.s. bases overseas can actually make war more likely, and more u.s. less secure. now i would like to conclude and i'm looking for to questions from everyone, and a discussion. the major motivation of this

isil has destroyed hundreds of sites across syria and iraq, sledge hammers and power drills have beento ruin priceless artifacts. some fragments of human history have been successfully smuggled out, but it's not known how much damage they can caused to palmyra. it is believed that isil may have sold some of the artifacts on the black market to help fun their campaign. this video shows 25 men in a packed amphitheater before their apparent excuse. and now the beheading of a renuned archeologist who devoted his life to palmyra, now at the mercy of isil. neave barker, al jazeera. >>> a ferry carrying 1700 syrian refugees has left the greek island of kos, it was chartered by the greek government to take them to the mainland. but thousands have been left behind, and more are still arriving. jonah hull reports. >> reporter: an early-morning rescue by the greek coast guard, yet another precarious vessel in distress. many others do make it across. this is a family of syrian refugees who finally arrived on the shores of kos, an island in the european union. >> it's very dangerous. too -- to [ i

in syria and in iraq as well. in ankara the foreign minister confirmed that technical talks were complete and joint operations against i.s.i.l. will begin soon. in washington pentagon explained the agreement now is limited to air strikes only. >> the cooperation with turks, and the expansion of that is a work in progress at this point. we see it as a step forward, and see it as an opportunity for turkey and the united states and the rest of the coalition to find exactly what that looks like going forward. >> reporter: what the u.s. wants from turkey is a major commitment securing a boarder with syria and iraq, especially a 68 mile long area in syria, west of the you crayedies river, reaching into aleppo. last week defense secretary ash carter called out turkey for failing to control the area. >> it is a border of a rich logistics for i.s.i.l., and dehli cross and so we are looking for them to do more in that regard as well, and are in active discussion was them. >> the addition of turkish planes amounts to a small

and the levant in iraq and later syria. the group's rapid advance prompted iraq's government to ask for international help to flush them out. the u.s. coalition includes bahrain, jordan, qatar the united emirates and saudi arabia. on the ground, 3,000 u.s. soldiers are training iraqi troops. as of may have, the combined operation have cost the u.s. $2.44 billion. on average the u.s. is spending almost $9 million a day on its fight against isil. many doubt the strategy is working. >> with hopes as faded as the pictures that surround them, it's a mournful atmosphere for the patrons of the cafe. here, they sit and smoke what small comforts are provided. not even these decaying mementos of iraq's glorious past are enough to counter all the reminders of its dangerous present. the majority, they didn't think they see effects on the ground, nothing on the ground. >> a political analyst tells me that in the year since the u.s. led coalition began its airstrikes against islamic state of iraq and the levant, many iraqis have grown mor

bit to make policies but i wish it were otherwise. >> but with yemen and iraq can we trust the cia? laughter] >> it is interesting. one of the quotations i have been in the book where falling along a the management dyad an executive coach and as a jewish grandmother. i know if anyone is more loyal. >> but the relationship is subversive. [laughter] and a feat she had more than half a point but that isn't the heart of what you are saying i was focused on my organization for what it needed to be. either of the cia. i have done disastrous things but to me it is most important is the mission as we remain a global power but that means to do something new then that is what we have to do we do the best that we can with the overthrow was done well but to put him in power 25 years that is not bad. edits as probably as good as it gets. there is some serious mistakes before then 11 and after 9/11 for some period of time i thought we did pretty well at least while i was there. [laughter] >> i don't know you nor have i read your book but i was in the peace corps in 65 and i have worked in a couple

in turkey and iraq. meanwhile there's no let up in the fighting in syria as rebel groups continue to splinter there. two groups that have been fighting on the same side against i.s.i.l. are battling each other. zeina khodr reports. >> reporter: this is thought to be an air strike carried out by the u.s. to support allies in syria, targetting positions of the al qaeda-linked al nusra front in northern aleppo. it came too late. nusra fighters attacked the base of division 30 and abducted the commander and several of his fen. it was a message to the us, and syrians that cooperate with it. >> the 30 infantry subdivision is a group trained by u.s. in turkey. they entered u.s. a few days ago, it is a national army in america is trying to create in syria. america classified them as a terrorist group. the main goal is to fight nusra. >> reporter: little information has been made public about division 30 until a few days ago. it received training from the u.s. in turkey as part of a programme to build a force to

four people died in a gun fight between police and fighters niche the border near iraq and syria. center of renewed fighting between is pkk and turkish security forces. >> even is usually the busiest time of the day in shernak, as the scorching summer sun sets, the streets fill with shopper. a middle of a new outbreak between turkish government forces and the kurdistan people's republic pkk. fears a return to the early 1990s, where the major crack down on pkk havens here and in iraq. >> shernak is like a ghost town. people would be out until midnight drinking tea, but the shops have now started closing early. they are anxious where what is happening. they dare not go out. >> pkk affiliated youth groups are young men and women who want to go to the mountains as pkk fighters. turkish security forces are burning pkk positions in turkey and iraq as part of what the turkish government says is a broad threat to its security. including i.s.i.l. and pkk. you can see smoke rising, that's where there's been fighting between turkish military and about the pkk. a spokesman for recep tayyip er

his main role was to move weapons explosive vehicles and people between iraq and syria. zeina khodr is live in baghdad. zeina how important is this person? >> reporter: he was a high ranking military official in charge of i.s.i.l.'s military operation in iraq. he was a high ranking member who had military knowledge as well as knowledge of the area. at the end of the day, the man is an iraqi which gives hm some sort of credibility and legitimacy among the population. if he was a foreigner from teubs or saudi arabia it would be hard to interact -- from tunis or saudi arabia h it would be hardo interact. its strict interpretation of islam the fact that they don't accept any dissent, like i said he was an iraqi from the area who knows the ground and knows the people. we have to remember that i.s.i.l. yes it is a secretive organization but there has been intelligence reports that this organization does not have a centralized command structure. they learn from the past, many of these people were members of al qaeda in iraq, central command structure really lessened its control.

the vast majority are refugees from the war zones of iraq and syria. they have brought their children on this journey because although they know it is a great risk to them, they say that if they stay back home they are going to end up dead anyway. why not take a chance and bring them to europe so they can give themselves and families and children a future. at this stage, any future. the hungarian government has been coming under a lot of criticism for handling this crisis. especially when it comes to the fact they were not allowing refugees to board the trains. right now, today, we have been seeing what at the very least seems to be at least a turning of a blind eye. refugees who can prove they are from iraq or syria, have been allowed today to buy train tickets, but also board the trains and continue their journey. john. >> arwa damon, look at the difficulty all around you. thank you for your reporting. >>> we are watching gas prices and plummeting ahead of the holiday weekend. good for us if you drive. that's next on "early start." we will have your

the sectarian militias have fueled conflict in iran and iraq and has given rise to conflict. they confront the problems and do not prevent iran from gaining nuclear weapons capability. in fact, this prepares the way for that with lifting the of sanctions to free up $100 billion for the security services to use as they wish. primary investors in a radical middle east have just received a new round of funding from the united states of america and united nations. this is a obama's idea of a diplomatic triumph. wow. it is unwise in the extreme with a regime that is untrustworthy in the extreme. it should be rejected by the congress of the united states of america. [applause] if congress does not reject the deal, the damage must be undone by the next president. i will begin the process immediately. knowing what has gone wrong is not the same as knowing how to set it right. the global threat of islamic state requires all of the canngth that leadership provide. i will be unyielding in this thee if i am elected president of united states of america. we will pursue the objectives of p

success, i also understand the error in seeing iraq's fighters and iraq's communities and iraq's future through a narrow and sectarian prism. in fact, enabling iraqis to move beyond these divisions is part of why stabilization efforts in the liberated communities are so important as the campaign continues to unfold and why the coalition support for these activities is one of our central lines of effort. as i see it, there are four components to the counteroffensive under way that require these efforts be closely synchronized. first, the clearing element. when the iraqi army and the popular mobilization committee and forces ultimately remove daesh from an urban location or center. second, there is the security and policing element also known as the hold force that deals with crime and provides general security to the liberated population so that life can return to normal. this hold force will be a combination of reconstituted sunni police, local tribes and some militia elements. third, in restoration of local governance, we find the effort by the central government in baghdad and

they have a partner in iraq, and so they've been fairly effective in iraq combining u.s. air power with local forces, but you can't really use air power in cities, because you get a lot of civilians end up killed and if you're in an air plane, you can't control what your local partner is doing on the ground. if they winteratory and then commit atrocities or human rights abuses, there is not much you can do about that from the air. in syria, it's a different picture where the u.s. doesn't really have a partner, the effort to train people has gone slowly and poorly and air power alone in a place like syria isn't going to get the job done. it's only effective when you have local partners and they just don't have one right now in syria. >> can it change that if it chooses to focus the fight against ice ail and also against the syrian president, bashar al assad, as well? >> i think so, but, you know, be careful what you wish for. i think the u.s. is reluctant to get involved in a civil war, totally understandable. those things normally end badly for all the parties, plus who ar

and as the senior deputy of the i.s.i.l. leader, abdel bakar al baghdadi, was responsible for moving materials between iraqi iraq and syria. gle was an al qaeda operative, when al qaeda came into iraq after the invasion he joined the i.s.i.l. as did a lot of the al qaeda group and remember that that al qaeda and i.s.i.l, al qaeda told i.s.i.l. not to be so horned owz in the things they were doing. >> reportedly killed near mosul in northern iraq, as he traveled in a vehicle with another i.s.i.l. operative who also died. this is not the first time u.s. has claimed to kill him. >> well, we've heard a lot of this before but the fact that the white house not only confirmed it but said exactly where it occurred and how it occurred shows that they had very good intelligence and would i say this is a sign that the strategy against the allies is starting to work. >> saddam hussein spent time in a u.s. prison. played a strong role in the capture of mosul, iraq's second largest city. i.s.i.l. then began consolidating its power across northern iraq and setting its sights on baghdad. his death won't necessarily halt i.s.i.l.'s advance

and we are not taking care of our trade deals. he made statements of justifying the war in iraq. it must be one of the dumbest statements. and scott walker, his state has a 2.2 billion deficit. his growth is terrible in terms of the state. oif said it. hillary clinton was the single worst secretary of state in the history of the country. and the world collapse around us while she was secretary of state. >> reporter: donald trump taking on the whole field. and rick sanatorium was the winner of the 2008 caucus. or 2012 caucuses and trying to put together a campaign organization that takes him to all 99 counties here in iowa before labor day. that could be a record in terms of organization and loobking fo a repeat. >> you give me an opportunity. four years ago you did. and four years you gave me the opportunity and ignored the polls. and i was at one percent in the polls. two weeks before the iowa caucuses and i was at two percent. but the people of iowa did your job. you listened to all of the candidates. you shuffled through all of the rhetoric. >> reporter: the truth is, even with

but i.s.i.l., requiring a political solution in iraq and syria, where i.s.i.l. controls significant territory >>> thousands much protesters in iraq came out on to the streets of the capital baghdad and bag rag,wanting the government to follow up on reforms. the prime minister announced an anticorruption drug >>> now, an international aid group is calling on factions to stop fighting. doctors without borders says many in the city of tiaz, in a 24 hour period. it's become fighting in weeks as anti-houthi fighters tried to take it. it was the aftermath leaving 23 dead. fighting destroyed sites and artefacts. now u.n.e.s.c.o. came up with a plan to preserve yemen's heritage. >> reporter: burnt brick buildings with geometric patterns, rising been a wall. in sa reason why u.n.e.s.c.o. decimated the city of sanaa, a world heritage site. and this land, bricks, clay and wood is why it's calling for emergency measures to save the cultural heritage. >> translation: the whole world has been protecting the site until the enemy came and destroyed it. all sanaa is history. it's

and a big headache for jeb bush. trump calling out bush on iraq. >>> also, bernie sanders pulls ahead of hillary clinton in a key state. president obama writes an emotional letter about voting rights. >>> and heart-breaking video from an ohio jail. a woman's final words before her tragic death. >>> welcome to "politicsnation," i'm here tonight in los angeles, a city still grappling with the legacy of the watts riots 50 years later. we'll have more on that later in the show. but we begin tonight with big news out of iowa. a new poll finding donald trump trouncing the competition there. scott walker, who at one time was leading in the state, down to third place. and jeb bush, who many had thought would be the race's front-runner, in seventh place. moments ago, trump responded to that poll and on what he thinks about life on the trail. >> i am enjoying it. i was in last night as you probably heard, in fact, you put it all over your show, i was in michigan and it was an amazing crowd. we had 3,000 people, and they turned away a tremendous number of pe

as i look at iraq and i've said this before it is frustrating to look at what has happened inside of iraq. i believe that couple years ago in 2010-11 we have a place headed in the right direction. violence is down, politics were okay and we turned it over to them. by the agreement we made back in 2008 that would take full control in 2011 and we would leave. as it turns out they were prepared to handle it and it's more politically that it was anything else. they weren't able to work together and based on that people became frustrated and when they are frustrated they turn to violence with no other way to get their point and not allowed a group like isil to it were the fissures inside iraq. same thing happened in syria. two countries right next to each other with the same problem and you gave them a fairly significant piece that enabled them to build capabilities. i believe -- first off i absolutely believe that the region has to solve this problem. the u.s. cannot solve this problem for the region. they've got to get involved in the part of the solution and i truly believe that. i said

in raqqa, it's the main base and can move to iraq and other areas in syria. >> for now the focus is to clear i.s.i.l. from the north-west. as the campaign succeeds, it ends the presence along pt border and stop the flow. this will not defeat i.s.i.l. in syria, and the coalition's choice of partners may create enemies on the ground. >> the prime minister visited troops on the syrian border. they travelled to a border post to boost moral, a turkish soldiers was killed whilst confronting i.s.i.l. fighters. turkey granted the u.s. access to air bases following i.s.i.l. incursions into the territory. there has been another night of violence between police and supporters in a town in eastern turkey. anger has been growing in the region since the military stepped up attacks in northern iraq. four people have died in the violence over the past two days >>> meanwhile, in europe kurds have been sharing their anger at the turkish government. in france they marched through central paris. the kurdish community in the german city of cologne were out in force, calling for peace in the middle east. >>

and support. could defeat i.s.i.l. etch sooner especially in iraq but argues the have deal will be short livid if the areas now ruled by i.s.i.l. jamie mcintire, al jazeera the pentagon. >> almost a quarter of a million people have been killed in syria' conflict. according to the u.n. bhaised among the 70,000 civilians killed. it then firearmed into civil war as president bin laden bashar al-assad. >> huge step towards justice for the victims. >> now the government wants to know who. >> those in favor of the draft solution, thank you. no wrp has a joint investigative mechanism to final lids point the finger of blame. first time blame could be assigned to the perpetrators. >> this sends a clear message to all those if you gas people it will identify you. it brairs repeating as well that we need to bring the same unit urgently find opolitical solution to the syrian crisis. >> the opcw concluded that chlorine has quote systematically and repeatedly been used as a weapon in syria but never had the mandate to assign blame. view with skepticism u.s. and i

aisles council member and senior deputy to isil leader abu bakr al baghdadi, he was a primary coordinator for moving large amounts of weapons, explosives, vehicles, people between iraqnd syria. ahe was reportedly killed near mosul in northern iraq on august 18th as he traveled in a vehicle with another isil operative, who also died. this isn't the first time that the u.s. has claimed to have killed hayali. he was reported dead in an attack in late 2014 as well. a former officer under saw dam hussein, who served in an u.s.-run prison, he played a role in the capture of mosul, iraq's second-biggest city. while his death is undoubtedly a blow to isil, the group is prepared for such eventuallities. isil is a secretive organization, but intelligence gathered over the years indicate that the group's power is not centralized. many of its leaders were members of al-qaeda and iraq, which have a form of command structure. it proved to be a weakness, and isil leaders have learned from that experience. they're believed to have created a system that gives leaders flexibility so that over all operations are not affected if top officials are killed. >> on the ground the coalition

deputy member, was a primary coordinator for large amounts of weapons, explosives, vehicles and people between iraq and syria. the death will adversely impact i.s.i.l.'s operations, given that the influence in relation to logistics, media. he was killed as he travelled in a vehicle with another operative who also died. this is not the first time the u.s. claimed to have killed him. he was reported dead in an attack in 2014 as well. a former officer under saddam hussein, who served in the u.s., he played an instrumental roll in the capture of mosul. his growth is a blow to i.s.i.l. the group should be prepared for event utilities. >> i.s.i.l. is a secretive organization. intelligence indicates that group power is not centralized. many were leaders of al qaeda and iraq. it proved a weakness. i.s.i.l. leaders learnt from that experience. it created a system that gives leaders flexibility. operations are not there if officials are killed. it's been over a year. they are entrenched in mosul. controlling all aspects. there are those that believe despite the death, there's no long-term strategy. the chall

was taking all of the people from europe and the united states as well, and inside of the syria and iraq to grow the territory there, and always the concern that isis would do what al qaeda is which is to turn the fighters around, young men, coming from the western countries to turn them around to go back to attack the countries, and if you will remember, we are talking about a less than a decade ago, young men going to join the al qaeda fight, and what happened when they got to pakistan they could easily go to pick them up, and they said, do not bother with afghanistan, go to attack at your own kcountries, and that i the root there in britain and the united states, and now the same pattern with isis, and not just taking the people in for the fight in iraq and syria, but in this country, turkey who is completely easy for anyone to get into, isis have people there who are now meeting the recruits saying, don't come the fight in iraq and syria, but be quiet and take a low profile and go back to the your own countries in europe or the united states and perpetrate attacks there, and that is