i want to begin with arwa damon, who is in baghdad. arwa you have made your way toward ramadi. when you hear the chairman of the u.s. joint chiefs one of the most senior people in the entire american military say ram mad i did not central to the future of iraq what do you think? >> reporter: i think it's a fairly simplistic way of looking at exactly how strategic ramadi actually is. the 300,000-plus residents living there in sheer terror half of whom have already fled ramadi is the capital of al anbar province iraq's sunny heart land. a juncture the shia-led government has to try to win over the sunni population if it even is to have a hope of trying to defeat isis. if the shia-led government and u.s.-led coalition are viewed as abandoning ramadi allowing ram dad maddie to fall to isis it will have a devastating blow to the need to win the sunni population and exactly why making sure ramadi does not fall to isis is so important at this same. the pleas for help from the civilians, from the commanders and from the officials in ramadi cannot be ignored, er.. >> obviously what you

arwa damon join us with details on the line. arwa, what can you tell us about the latest information? >> the deputy provincial, inside the city of ramadi giving out a dire warning about the situation. isis forces, early this morning, managing to enter the outskirts of city of ramadi from the east. this now means that isis is fighting on the east. isis advanced from the north. taking over three towns on outskirts there over the weekend. the routes to south already blocked off. city basically is under siege, except for -- the western portion that is still controlled by forces, by government forces, but that is wavering as well. sending out a dire, dire warning. and this is something he has been repeating for quite some time now. begging for backup. begging for more troops to be sent in his direction. begging for coalition air strikes. because, he is warning, even more strongly today, that this city, risks falling to isis. a critical city. provincial capital of iraq's sunni heartland. we have been seeing since, ramadi in the north,

arwa? >> reporter: good morning.d they're not just concerned about these pockets of isis resistance that may exist in tikrit and other parts of the province where tikrit is located that have already been cleared. they're also worried about this shia volunteer force that has been fighting alongside the iraqi army. these are mostly sunni families that have been forced from their homes in these areas that then came under isis control. they've been living in very difficult conditions. in a sunni neighborhood in baghdad that has taken them in many of them living in makeshift housing, half-constructed buildings, trying to get by. and what they really want at this stage is a guarantee from the iraqi government that it is safe for them to go back. they're worried that because they happen to come from these areas, that some of the individuals who have been fighting against isis will blame them the families from these areas, for the fact that isis was enable to take control. this goes to the sectarian dimensions intentions tha

arwa. >> reporter: hi good morning, john. that isis overran three cities north of ramadi took place over the weekend. much more significant developments over the last 24 to 48 hours as isis managed to penetrate ramadi from the north. yesterday, in the early hours of the morning, launch a very significant attack from the east. this resulted in a dire warning coming from the deputy province council based inside ramadi through the day. isis continues to advance to the city center. the last we are hearing is they are trying to breach the government complex. this deputy council has saying if reinforcements do not arrive they might be forced to withdraw effectively leaving the city to isis. this most recent pushily isis into ramadi has caused upwards of 150,000 refugees to flee. we saw thousands of them trying to flee yesterday. we were at a vital bridge in anbar province. this bridge you are not allowed to take your cars across. refugees were pushing carts along with their belongings and filled with elderly and children. one woman

here arwa?>> reporter: well what the prime minister was saying to reporters before he got on that plane yesterday was that the most vital thing at this stage is more weapons, more military assistance and more air strikes. he did say there had been an increase in recent weeks, but again, it quite simply is not enough. he does face a tough challenge when it comes to pushing forward with the request because of how weary the united states is of iran's role and influences inside iraq. iran has played a crucial role when it comes to iraq's battle against isis. many saying iraq reacted quickly whereas the u.s. dragged its feet when it came to taking action and taking a significant role in the battle in and of itself against isis. that being said even though there has been much touted about the success of the iraqi forces in tikrit and how impactful those u.s.-led coalition air strikes were since then isis has managed to strike back hard over the weekend breaching the perimeter of the nation's largest o

what is the latest arwa? additional assistance is growing more desperate. isis fighters are trying to reach the government compound and they have launched a series of attacks that began overnight into the hours of the morning. iraqi security forces able to repel them from the vital piece of infrastructure within the city of ramadi. they won't be able to indefinitely. especially if help does not arrive. they are out manned and out gunned. the isis assault that began in earnest yesterday morning, remember they control the north and the south. sent according to the deputy counsel, upwards of 150,000 people fleeing. we saw some of them. trying to cross a bridge from anbar province where ramadi is located to baghdad. this is the bridge where they do not allow vehicles to cross. people were walking. those who were too old, too weak or too tired to walk were piling into metal carts. elderly, women, men, children all of them shellshocked. all of them carrying whatever it was they could. some able to take away large p

we have arwa damon live with us from baghdad. what is the help the iraqi officials are looking from washington arwa? >> reporter: speaking to the media right before iraqi prime minister abadi boarded the plane to washington he made it clear. they want more military support and more weapons and more equipment and they want to see more coalition air strikes. although abadi said there had been an increase in the past few weeks, the coalition played a vital role in defeating isis in tikrit. it was not enough. it is not as simple a process of asking for more and receiving it because the u.s. is weary about the role and influence that iran has over the iraqi battle field and over iraqi politics although iran played a vital role when it comes to iraq's battle against isis. many iraqi politician including the prime minister himself have been mentioning how quickly iran was to respond when isis first took over mosul over the summer. the u.s. effectively dragged its feet waiting for a government to be formed before launching the critical a

arwa damon, head with the team to the epicenter. what we have heard from people on the ground appears to be a dire situation in the more remote region. just detailed the story of one woman who had given birth. received a head injury. not able to feed her child. so many stories like that. we'll continue to bring you updates out of nepal as our teams on the ground there bring them to us. for this moment, let's got you some new out of libya where a cnn producer got an exclusive look inside a horrifying business. going undercover to meet with the human smuggler who kramz migrants into rick it young people boats destined for europe. more than 1700 people trying to make this treacherous journey have died in the mediterranean. since the beginning of this year. nick peyton walsh has the exclusive report. >> reporter: you have seen where the victims end up on boats, beaches dravend life. but here we expose how the smuggled find themselves in this hell. a cnn producer stumbles into a tr tripoli meeting with a smuggler who thinks he is a syria

>> what are you hearing, arwa? >> reporter: well that is a topic that is actually brought up quite often. and this is what we're being told by some of the senior federal police commanders. their plan for tikrit is to invite the local police back -- force back. this is the police force that ran away when isis first advanced. but they do plan on inviting them back as soon as possible. and then leaving behind a residual force that is going to help back them up. they are very worried about these militias. some of them describe the militias as -- especially when compared to the iraqi security forces -- as being out of control, that no one has real authority over them. but they're in a very difficult position because they do need these militias. one of the commanders was saying that the finances that these militias have and some of the capabilities that they have surpass those of the iraqi security forces themselves. so they do need them. they can't afford to alienate them or aggravate them because their potential for be

our arwa damon there, speaking to us on the final earlier. and of course, these still emerging developments or add surgeon see to the meeting with u.s. congressional leaders in the coming hours. al abadi met with president barack obama tuesday asked for air strikes. mr. obama acknowledged the need to defeat isis but made it clear u.s. forces will not be fighten iraq. >> it is important for us to coordinate activities, so not that the united states is moving back into the iraq. but rather the united states is doing what, ultimately, best for the iraqi people. and we join in fighting a common enemy. >> meantime, paramilitary officials say hon drepdz undred reinforcements are heading to the refinery to defend it. >> one way washington is supporting iraq is training security forces. >> a familiar mission, as our arwa damon found out there are key differences this time around. >> remember when you get up and leach this position you need to spread out. >> reporter: the majority of american trainers have been here before. multiple times. and like li

arwa joining us on the phone from kathmandu.update us on what you know about this search and rescue effort that's clearly under way. >> well, it's still very intense and difficult, wolf as you saw in that piece. it's quite overwhelming even though you have all of these international teams that are arriving from nations around the world sending quite a bit of support, but it's still not enough at this stage. they need the heavy machinery on the ground that they would use to move the large pieces of rubble and it's just so time consuming and painstaking of a process. it really takes quite a lot of manpower and so while everyone on the ground is doing the best they can, it's simply not enough. more concern wolf is not just the search and rescue effort happening here in the capital but what's happening in the far-flung areas that teams have not been able to reach just yet. these are places that are so remote in normal times it can take days to reach them so imagine how difficult it is going to be to reach them under these circumstan

cnn's arwa damon is covering that district. arwa. >> reporter: just take a look at these conditions. we are huddled here with families. the weather not helping at this stage. this is a very bare-bones shelter. like many of the buildings around here it has been severely damaged. the terrain is very harsh. it is very difficult to access. at least in this part of the country. one can reach this location by road but in so many areas, that is not an option. these rains make the roads so difficult to travel on. we have been speaking with families here. we have women, children and we have little babies. since the earthquake struck one here was telling us all they have been eating is rice. getting supplies out is very difficult. people don't have vehicles. they are lucky if they have a motorcycle. they often travel to places on foot. many of them have suffered destruction to their homes. some are wounded. there was one little 2-year-old girl killed in a house just down the road. this begins to give you a little bit of an idea of how di

arwa damon, cnn, baghdad. >>> syria faces new challenges in the civil war.ance further into the country. cnns senior correspondent has the story. >> reporter: at the heart of the sectarian violence in the region, the syrian civil war has just taken a significant turn with rebels, some of them aligned with al qaeda making substansu substantial advances. in syria, somewhat lost in the turmoil in the region. after months of deadlock, suddenly, a key city changed hands. rebels ranging from al qaeda to moderate islamists. refugees flooded out. a sign that perhaps rebel backers in the region have taken the gloves off. a worrying moment of descendants for the front of al qaeda's affiliate. above all, a huge blow to the regime. one of the four major cities in the north now firmly in rebel hands. days later to the south, another mayor regime asset fell. the main southern border crossing points with jordan were taken decisively by rebels. a similar, yet less unified mix taking a night into jordan. another blow for the assad regime that sat washing isis' rise. less com

i want to bring in correspondent arwa damon. arwa you were there. what did you see in tikrit?>> reporter: good morning, christine. the city really is a maze. a network and web of bombs. we are talking roadside bombs and buildings that have been booby trapped and a group there said when his commander went inside the headquarters he stepped on a staircase and the staircase exploded. it too, had been rigged with explosives. two senior officers were killed in that incident. three more wounded. that is when they were trying to replace the isis flag with the iraqi one. that is what has them going quite slowly through all of the neighborhoods at this stage looking over the tikrit area. >> we lost arwa damon's shot from baghdad. you see the pictures she and her team took inside tikrit. she calls it a web, a maze of bombs and booby traps. a town that isis loaded with traps before it was forced out finally by the iraqi army going very slowly. very carefully. to try to secure that town raised those flags. iraqi flag above that city. next stop is mosul. >>> we are following breaking news

arwa, we will let you go for now. reconnect with you.he team is able to give us updates throughout the day. reiterating what we heard from so many. medical supplies are in desperate need. the u.n. said there is more than a million children in desperate need of food. and indeed folks in the rural areas need protective tarps and need medical airlifts out of the region. it is still a serious situation for so many. we will continue to track updates on this story and bring you some of the world's other biggest news events after this short break. stay with us here on cnn. new york state is reinventing by leading the way on tax cuts. we cut the rates on personal income taxes. we enacted the lowest corporate tax rate since 1968. we eliminated the income tax on manufacturers altogether. with startup-ny, qualified businesses that start, expand or relocate to new york state pay no taxes for 10 years. all to grow our economy and create jobs. see how new york can give your business the opportunity to grow at ny.gov/business ♪ ♪ ♪ man: you run a busin

arwa is standing by.little bit about this balancing a act that is going on because as the iraqi government haider al abadi is asking for more u.s. assistance military assistance humanitarian assistance they also have a very strong relationship arwa with iran right now, right? >> >> they do wolf. they always have ever since the fall of saddam hussein took place, that is. and that is pretty much what the prime minister has said to the media right before getting on that plane to washington. he's very aware of the u.s.'s concerns. he says there's a number of other countries concerned as well but he says the u.s. needs to take its issues with iran outside of the iraqi arena. the prime minister himself has been stuck in a pretty tough position when it comes to trying to balance these various entities whose assistance he needs, but who are not necessarily natural allies. he has the u.s. on the one hand and he does need the u.s.-led coalition air strikes and he needs much more of them. on the other hand he has th

. >> we are joined by senior international correspondent arwa damon. istanbul. arwa? >>. >> reporter: good even pg. a series of events around the country. one of the key armenian churches here expected to be attended and this is quite significant. by turkey's minister to the eu. this is the first time that a representative of the government has attend had such a commemoration since 1916. but for many of those descendants, of the armenias who were so horribly killed back in 1915, they want to see turkey do so much more. >> ♪ ♪ report the music as haunting for those who don't understand the lyrics as it is for those for whom the suffering has no words. the concert, one of many commemorating horror from a century ago. descendants of those who perished then in the audience. among them, a grandmother. >>. >> translator: she was 9 during the 1915 genocide. she was taken from her family and raised muslim. >> reporter: she did not know her true heritage until she was in her 20s. >> translator: my first reaction was shock, total shock. we did not know anything

i see arwa damon now. she's popped up live in baghdad. jim, i have to go to you because you were in the briefing. you asked those two questions specifically about the threat of al qaeda in the arabian peninsula of the secretary of defense and also asking about russia. but on the note of aqap and the threat to u.s. homeland what did you make of his response? >> i have to tell you, brooke this was a pretty stark, sobering press conference on a number of challenges including yemen, aqap but on iraq on russia. all these things on the agenda of the obama administration and the defense department today. let's talk about yemen. you cannot deny the loss of u.s. presence there. there were special forces on the ground. they're no longer there. you had an embassy there, which is a diplomatic function. that's now closed down. many of those intelligence gathering assets are gone. there were still some there. they carried out an air strike earlier this week a drone strike rather. so they still have some capabilities. as you heard from the new defense s

for more on the anniversary, we're joined by arwa damon live for us in istanbul.'ve been reporting on what this means for many people whose relatives died 100 years ago. >> reporter: that's right, natalie. it is emotional for so many descendant. especially when it comes to how the armenian massacre of 1915 is being recognized. for many today is a day of remembrance. coming to armenia and those in turkey and retracing roots for armenians and it is a painful and difficult journey especially when so many of them say what they really want is justice. the music is haunting for those who don't understand the lyric he as it is for those for whom the suffering has no words. the concert, one of many events commemorating a horror of a century ago. the descendants of those who perished then among the audience. for decades, many of the armenians who survived and stayed in turkey kept their true identity a secret. among them, a grandmother. >> she was nine during the 1915 genocide. she was taken from our family and raised muslim. >> reporter: she did not know her true heritage

tell us what you saw arwa. this is simply brutal. >> reporter: it is.a very grim experience especially the task that lies ahead for the expert teams that have to exhume all of these bodies. within the presidential complex that contains upwards of two dozen palaces, they have identified eight locations where they believe there are mass graves. another two locations identified outside the palace complex. so far they only managed to exhume around 12 bodies. this is a very difficult laborious, long process. they want to be extra sure they're not damaging the bodies. a lot will be identified from dna sampling. the victims, those who were killed in what is now known the spiker massacre, when isis marched hundreds if not upwards of 1500 shia troops to their deaths. on site we met a man who was among the very few survivors. he was describing how when they initially were caught by isis or whomever it was who he says captured them they were told they would not be harmed promised they would not be harmed. in the isis videos you don't see them trying to escape or s

kudos for arwa and her crew for risking themselves to report there. how big are pockets? >> u.s.ls are telling us it numbers in the hundred of isis fighters still in various parts of the city. the iraqi forces and the militia men have a lot of work to do. the question now is can they hold onto the city? it's one thing to get inside. can you hold onto it? push isis out permanently. their challenge will be not to do just that but begin normal citynormalcy to the city. to have security forces able to maintain control. a that may be a tall order. tikrit is a strategic place for iraqi forces because that highway goes on north to the city of mosul. this is the road to mosul, second largest city that still remains, if you will the big prize, so to speak for iraqi forces. they've got to get isis out of mosul. tikrit literally is on the road to doing that. >> that is precisely what i wanted to follow up with talking to the ambassador yesterday to your point they need to hold onto tikrit. their eyes have to be on isis. >> it does and the side player in all of this that isn't much to the si

arwa, thank you. zain. >> and as arwa damon mentioned, aid distribution has remained riflely chaotic. molica, we've heard stories of people demonstrating, people protesting, facing off with police because there is no food. then we heard that riot police have been brought in. has that situation calmed? >> that situation has calmed down. it was really in pockets, it wasn't widespread throughout all of nepal. it is a very difficult situation out there. people are really, really frustrated because they don't have any basic supplies. they're running out of food, they don't have drinking water. they don't have any place to stay. they need shelter. they know all these basic supplies are coming into me at all pal. many countries have come together. there is an international efforts to get these supplies to the forefront of this issue. all the plies are being sent, but there is a bottleneck at kathmandu airport. we have to remember there is just one runway na nepal and there are only that many planes that can

arwa has a look at this city where isis ruled for months.to warn you, some of what you're about to see is graphic. there's blood in the street. she saw a charred body destruction at every time. they were the only ones reporting on the ground in tikrit today. they captured these dishing images and so much more. here is arwa's report. >> reporter: this is the main road leading through tikrit. this is the center of the city. that building we were told had a suicide bomber and it's a sniper on the roof. there's still various gunshots that you do here. pockets of resistance still exist. that's the governor's compounds. when the iraqi forces went inside one of the majors was telling us it was bobbyobooby trooped. two officers were killed another three soldiers wounded inside. if we swing around a bit more you still see smoke rising. you see plumes of smoke throughout the entire city. there were widespread concerns that when this force came through tikrit a sunni area, it would be carrying out acts of revenge, retaliation. that smoke is not because

arwa damon, cnn, tikrit iraq. >> for more go to cnn.com.eport. >>> hillary clinton is making a major announcement for her plans for 2016. insiders say it's going to be different from 2008. the changes her team is planning to make next. >>> did you see a this scene from "fast and furious 7"? i know i did. cars flying out of planes. those cars are real. the student coordinator for the movie joining me live coming up. if you have moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis like me and you're talking to your rheumatologist about a biologic... this is humira. this is humira helping to relieve my pain and protect my joints from further damage. this is humira giving me new perspective. doctors have been prescribing humira for ten years. humira works for many adults. it targets and helps to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to ra symptoms. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers including lymphoma have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous sy

arwa how close is ramadi to falling, and what would that mean for this war there on isis?e deputy provincial head of the province and he's currently inside ramadi. he put it quite simply. he said in my view the city has already fallen. isis has been advancing throughout the course of the day in all directions moving closer towards the city center. this all began this morning when isis moved in and took over a significant portion of the eastern side of the city in something of a surprise assault. isis had already taken over the north over the weekend, but no one was anticipating this quick of an advance towards the east. that being said, other top commanders in ramadi have been for weeks now begging the iraqi government for reinforcements asking for iraqi air strikes, asking for coalition air strikes because they knew that isis had ramadi in its sights. this is a city they've been trying to capture for months now. this most recent assault has sent thousands of refugees fleeing. we saw a number of them at a bridge that connects anbar province to the province of baghdad. peop

arwa damon, cnn, iraq. >> arwa damon, thank you. >>> next here on cnn, another deadly police-involvedve deputy says he meant to use his taser but instead fired his gun. that story and the video next. >>> plus jodi arias now knows her fate. she has been waiting nearly two years to be sentenced. two juries couldn't decide but today a judge made the call. that moment straight ahead here on cnn. aww, this audit will take days. what a headache! actually...i...don't have a headache anymore! excedrin really does work fast. in fact for some, relief starts in just 15 minutes. excedrin. wow, that was fast. when a moment spontaneously turns romantic why pause to take a pill? and why stop what you're doing to find a bathroom? with cialis for daily use, you don't have to plan around either. it's the only daily tablet approved to treat erectile dysfunction so you can be ready anytime the moment is right. plus cialis treats the frustrating urinary symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently, day or night. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is h

john and christine in >> arwa damon in baghdad, thanks arwa. >>> critics of the deal to curb iran's nuclears. those words straight from the head of the cia, john brennan. he told students at harvard's kennedy school of government critics should not rip apart a solid deal. he said it is impossible to expect iran to dismantle everything. brennan did say, though he understands why some could have reservations. >>> big oil getting bigger this morning. the biggest oil merger in 20 years. that's next. ♪ ♪ when you're living with diabetes steady is exciting. only glucerna has carbsteady clinically proven to help minimize blood sugar spikes. i'm a bull rider make it part of your daily diabetes plan. so you stay steady ahead. >>> let's get an early start on your money. wednesday edition. another big merger. the biggest oil merger in perhaps 20 years. that has european and asian shares mostly higher. a big morning for hong kong. u.s. stock futures are up as well. shell paying $70 billion for british gas producer bg group. oil stocks soaring. the first super merger in oil in at least a decade. crashin

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arwa damon and crew thank you. what i'm referencing is defense secretary ash carter. he'll be speaking from the pentagon in less than a half hour from now. we'll take it live. had is huge. it's his first news conference since taking the job. now, to a possible cover-up in the case of the police killing in tulsa county oklahoma. you heard about this? many people have questioned why a 73-year-old volunteer deputy was on the scene of this illegal weapons sting when he mistook his gun for his taser, killing eric harris. robert bates, who is now charged with second-degree manslaughter says he had the necessary training. now a report is raising some serious questions, saying not just that bates' records were doctored but that those who refused to go along with the doctoring were reassigned. when the sheriffs office held a news conference on the killing, tulsa world's enterprise editor asked officials about bates' training. take a look. >> -- failure to sign off on his training failure to approve his training. >> not to my knowledge, no. >> so there's never been any concerns

arwa damon is on the ground she made her way towards ramadi earlier.ou see, how bad is it there now? >> reporter: it's absolutely heartbreaking, erin. as we were trying to make our way towards ramadi we came across the throngs of people trying to escape the isis onslaught that began in the eastern part of the city. isis already had control of the north and the south. and according to that official in ramadi isis throughout the day steadily advancing towards the city center. from his perspective, to quote him directly he said i consider the city already to have fallen. he says that for days and weeks now he'd been begging the iraqi government for reinforcements asking for iraqi air strikes, for coalition air strikes. but they did not materialize. this now a city under siege. upwards of 150,000 people had fled he said. some of those that we spoke to were still in complete shock. one older woman inside a cart a metal cart, being pushed across too tired to walk just burst into tears when we went to speak with her. another man that we spoke to described how

let's bring in arwa damon. back in baghdad relatively safe right now. arwa, when we hear the u.s. joint chiefs of staffs says that's stra tejtegically important but ramadi not so important strategically, just bricks and mortar, if you will, you've seen what's going on there. what's your reaction? >> reporter: that statement is not going to go over well here wolf. that is for sure downplaying ramadi's strategic importance is not necessarily the most productive way of al and bar province because it is a strategic city not to mention the humanitarian toll that the fighting is taking. when we look at ramadi's importance this is the capital of iraq's sunni heartland, al and bar province. if the u.s.-led coalition do not do their upmost best to try to help save that city it is going to send a very negative mention to the sunni population that the shia-dominated government at this stage cannot afford to alien alien alienate further and it is critical that the government be able to reach out to the sunni population. an

arwa damon our senior international correspondent and joining us live from baghdad.i based on everything you're hearing right now to falling and how devastating would that be for the iraqi military and the iraqi government a huge embarrassment as haider al abadi, the prime minister happens to be in washington this week? >> a huge embarrassment perhaps, yes, wolf but at the same time it underscores what it is that he is asking the united states for and that is more military support, more coalition a air strikes, and much more assistance. we were out in anbar province today, we were actually trying to reach ramadi. we coordinated our trip with the deputy head of the provenÇal council. we were unable to reach the city because in the morning isis had assaulted from the east. speaking to the deputy provincial council, he was begging for help. he was saying that the city was going to fall within hours and we came across a mass of refugees wolf i don't know how to put it into accurate words, the expressions on their face of complete and total shock. they were trying to cros

arwa damon reported that for us. she's on the scene.me" he's here with us. general hartling, put in into context what's going on. the battle for rama any. a now, it looks like isis could take charge. >> there has been significant fighting in anbar province by the security force. that has gone unreported over the last several weeks. i have been watching it and watching the tactical engagement. there's going to be a heck of a fight for ramadi and fa lucia. they have been holding on out there while the operations in tikrit have been going. it's got to become the main effort. they have to get support of the sunni tribal in the region before he heads to mosul as jim reported earlier. it's going to be a tough fight, wolf. >> it is. the iraqi military has been criticized because of its performanceover lack of performance in mosul. why can't they protect their own people? >> well, they are holding on to a couple buildings in ramadi wolf. the fact is over the last couple weeks, the shia have been pushing militia's into ramadi and hoping to take

arwa damon reports. >> reporter: past the flattened farmhouses, amid the date palms, craters left by roadside bombs. positions fortified with sandbags line the new-tranquil road. the isis fighters even dug trenches that lead all the way up to these fighting positions. since june, isis was only pushed back three miles, along this this particular battle line in anbar province, west of baghdad. it took month for the paramilitary force part of the predominantly volunteer shia volunteer army to break through this line of defense. "we tried to advance from the front," he says, "but we couldn't. we flanked them from behind." and that was only after a joint operation that included air support and iraq's conventional forces. as is the isis tactic, buildings like this former school were booby trapped. one of the bomb-disposal unit members killed when he tried to defuse the explosives in front of the gate. >> there's a home that you see in the distance. right behind that is where isis has its closest positions to this particular area. >> reporter: the road here leads into the town still firmly

arwa damon, cnn, iraq. >> the united nations special adviser to yemen is stepping down. jamaal bedema asked for another assignment as yemen's civil war worsens. reuters reports that saudi arabia and gulf powers are increasingly critical of bedema because of unsuccessful peace talks with rebels which control much of yemen. a saudi led coalition, slammed them with 1,200 air strikes over three weeks. but there is little sign of progress. on wednesday, the saudi ambassador to the u.s. vowed the air strikes will continue and the houthis will be defeated. >> italy struggling to copy with a massive influx of migrants from north africa trying to find a better life in europe. >> the coast guard says in the past week alone, nearly 10,000 people have been rescued in the mediterranean sea. the surge of refugees is putting a strain on coastal communities like island of lampedusa. >> they're asking to provide food and shelt eer amid concern. >> of the migration route from north africa to italy has become one of the world's dead leapest journeys. thousand of people are welling to risk

arwa damon, cnn, iraq. >> there is growing outrage in kenya after a police chief admitted that he useda plane that was meant to carry special forces for his own personal use and this was during the garissa university massacre. >> that's right the head of kenya's police air wing denies his unit took too long to arrive at the scene, but he does say one of the planes picked up his daughter-in-law and two children in a resort city of mombasa before arriving in nairobi. a commando who asked not to be identified said police waited for hours for transport to the attack site. >> we can also point to these images posted, purportly to instagram showing the chief's daughter-in-law using the plane months ago. we should note though cnn cannot confirm them. but the instagram account, we can say has been deleted. >> militants stormed the scam pus on april 2nd and killed 147 people. it took police more than 10 hours to respond and kill the gunmen. >> keep our focus on african continent now. south africa dealing with a rise in xenophobic attacks in recent days. >> the possible reasons behind the violen

arwa damon, cnn, baghdad. >>> back in the united states.l phones are increasingly used to record police in disturbing situations like the video we're about to show you. a south carolina officer shooting 50 year old walter scott in the back. it led to a murder charge. some people are concerned, however, that police will take their phones. cnn correspondent dan simon takes a look at a new app to alleviate that worry. >> reporter: as we've seen with recent cases, the best weapon against police misconduct could be this, the camera in your cell phone. and all kinds of apps are popping up to capture what may be questionable encounters involving police officers. from the rodney king beating in los angeles to the chokehold death of eric garner in new york, and now this latest incident in south carolina. the video made all the difference in exposing those cases to the world. one relatively new app is called cop watch. it's a basic video camera app. the primary difference is, the user doesn't have to worry about the footage getting lost or confiscate

arwa damon, cnn, baghdad. >>> we're getting a new look at the destruction at the refugee camp.s is how 18,000 palestinians and refugees are living in the war torn camp. incredible pictures there. they're trying to go about their daily lives amongst all the demolished buildings there. the refugees do not have access to medical care not to mention they're lacking the basics. >> with god's will we will stay here in the camp until we die here or go back to palestine no matter what. >> i left palestine when i was seven years old but i will never get out of the refugee camp now. this is like the soul to me. >> translator: we, the people of yamook refugee camp, we are civilians. we have children and patience. there is no care or medicinal care here. we do not have anything. no water, no food. let them open the road for us. we need to eat and to drink. let them allow relief and food. >> the human rights agency says the syrian air force has dropped dozens of barrel bombs on the camp. the u.n. agency visited the site saturday and talked to refugees and figure out how to help relieve some

. >> arwa damon spoke to a family whose son traded his promising future for death in battle. >> reporter: about to defend his masters thesis, he went to battle and died defending his country. muhammad has also buried two of his sons. one killed by al qaeda in 2007. the other, its successor, isis. the endless pain of continuing loss and hardship wearing down on the 71-year-old retired teacher. he taught and watched most of those buried here grow up. they defended their country, but we need someone to protect iraq. he fought for iraq, he pleads. how can you watch us be slaughtered? 150 dead. the most recent price this town, among the few in the area to stand against isis, paid to break the terrorist's seven-month siege. >> we're afraid they're going to kill all of us. >> reporter: it's not much of a choice in a nation where devastation and death tend to repeat themselves. the damage here was done when a vehicle was detonated right there. and that damaged this building. this fighting position. so that's why that building is damaged. this was one of their key points. there were quite a few f

arwa damon reporting from tikrit. i'll be right back. urtures her mind.ent lather and bubbles help enhance the experience. so why just clean your baby when you can give her so much more™? now? can i at least put my shoes on? if your bladder is calling the shots ... you may have a medical condition called overactive bladder ... ...or oab you've got to be kidding me. i've had enough! it's time to talk to the doctor. ask your doctor how myrbetriq may help treat... ...oab symptoms of urgency frequency, and leakage. which may mean fewer trips to the bathroom. myrbetriq (mirabegron) may increase your blood pressure. myrbetriq may increase your chances... ...of not being able to empty your bladder. tell your doctor right away if you have... ...trouble emptying your bladder or have a weak urine stream. myrbetriq may affect... ...or be affected by other medications... ...so tell your doctor about all the medicines you take. before taking myrbetriq, tell your doctor if you have liver or kidney problems. common side effects include increased blood pressure, common c

we have a the report from arwa damon from one grave site. but a warning. some viewers may find parts of the report disturbing. >> reporter: three bodies have been recovered from this particular site so far and the teams are working on a fourth that they just pulled out of the dirt and placed inside another of these bags. the hands on this particular corpse were bound, and we did see them on some of the others. this is very difficult work for the teams. and it's also emotionally difficult as well. earlier, there was an impromptu ceremony held here to commemorate those who had been killed. many people were in tears. now in this particular site, they're saying so far, and they've been working four or five hours now. they have found nine bodies. this is a fairly large mound. they believe in this location they may end up finding about 20 or 30. so far they have pin pointed eight sites here inside the presidential compound in tikrit, scattered throughout this sprawling area. another two locations have been identified outside of the city on the way to camp spiker

for the last few days cnn's arwa damon has been trekking towards the epicenter and what they're finding as utter devastation. >> reporter: this is one of the villages up the mountains. we're about still a six-hour hike away from the epicenter of the earthquake. the actual epicenter of it but throughout this entire region the villages and towns up and down these sloping mountains have all been completely devastated. there's a tent back there, and in it is a 13-year-old girl with a severe lower back injury. her back is swollen, she has a lot of pain, can't move. also the mother of an 11 day-old baby with a head injury as well. parts of nepal that have yet to see any sort of assistance whatsoever. there's a lot of rubble covering everything and it's really hard to fully describe the magnitude of what it is that we've seen because every single village that you go to is almost entirely destroyed. we hiked 4.5 hours up this mountain to be able to get here and we just crossed village after village after village where there was similar devastation. we met a father whose wife was killed when a l

. >> we want to warn you there are some disturbing images in this report from arwa damon. as she explains, there are concerns that some shia fighters may attack tikrit's sunni muslim population. >> reporter: the smoke hangs thick over parts of the city we drive through. it's the smoldering of buildings from people's homes. rigged with ieds we're told iraqi forces couldn't disable, so they had to detonate. in the building there, they had put explosives into the staircase that detonated when one of their commanders went in. he was trying to take down the isis flag and raise the iraqi one. he was killed, along with one other. elsewhere, roads still need to be cleared. that vehicle right there had a heavy machine gun on it being used by isis. we're not able to advance beyond it in this particular direction because even though they say there's no threat up there posed by isis fighters, there is still the possibility of the road, the buildings being filled with various different types of bombs. one they defuse nearby. this is some of the ieds that they found lying around. this w

arwa damon and her crew were in this town where isis is said to have left booby traps. here she was. >> reporter: this is the center of the city. that building we were told had a suicide bomber in it a sniper on the roof. there's still various gunshots that you hear pockets of resistance still exist. that is the governor's compound. when the iraqi forces went inside one of the majors was telling us, it was booby trapped. the stairway had explosives in it. one of their officers stepped on it. two officers killed and soldiers were wounded. you see smoke rising and plumes of smoke throughout the entire city. >> i've got arwa now back in baghdad. let me ask you, seeing the gunfire and booby traps, it was obviously risky for your crew to bring the story to the world. tell me what else you saw. >> reporter: the plumes of smoke we were told were caused by homes and buildings on fire. these were homes that had been booby trapped as well by isis fighters. there was a number of occasions when they would open the door of a building and it was rigged to blow and crumble on top of t

arwa damon was at one gravesite.e have to give a warning, images in her exclusive report are disturbing. >> reporter: the work is delicate. the kind of excavation usually reserved for historic artifacts. now put to grim use, to exhume the first bodies from tikrit's mass graves. a pause for a brief ceremony to honor the dead. ♪ >> reporter: the iraqi national anthem plays. the lyrics of unity float across the freshly open ground. no one yet knows who the victims are, but it doesn't matter. "i have been working on exhuming mass graves for eight years, but something like this, it's different because of the way they were killed," this man says. as many as 1,700 shia army recruits were marched to their death by isis when it swept through here in june in what is now known as the speicher massacre. at least eight mass graves is been identified within saddam's old presidential compound alone. >> the captives were brought through here, he's saying -- >> reporter: we retraced some of their last steps. walked down the stairs be

our senior international correspondent arwa damon made it into the city with shots still being fired and explosions still echoing. >> reporter: this is the main road leading through tikrit. this is the center of the city. that building we were told had a suicide bomber and a sniper on the roof. there are still various gun shots that you do hear pockets of resistance still exist. that the governor's compound. when the iraqi forces went inside one of the majors was telling us it was boobytrapped. the stairway had explosives in it and when one of their officers stepped, it detonated. two officers were killed another three soldiers wounded inside there. if we swing around a bit more you still see smoke rising and you see plumes of smoke throughout the entire city. there were widespread concerns that when this force came through tikrit a sunni area it would be carrying out acts of revenge, retaliation, but that smoke we are being told is not because homes were deliberately burnt. we have not been down there to see it. but because, and you hear explosions there in the distance because they

arwa damon, cnn, kathmandu. >>> all right. the earthquake and its aftershocks triggering massive avalanches on mt. everest. watch this terrifying 40 seconds as climbers on the world's tallest mountain become engulfed in a cloud of snow. >> go, go! [ bleep ] [ bleep ] [ bleep ] [ bleep ] [ bleep ] [ bleep ] [ bleep ] nder way. but at least 17 climbers did not survive. among them three americans. documentary filmmaker tom tack lynn and google executive dan fredinburg. >>> international aid from dozens of countries pouring in to nepal as we speak. but if you'd like to help head to cnn.com/impact to find out how. introducing new flonase allergy relief nasal spray. this changes everything. new flonase outperforms a leading allergy pill so you will inhale life. when we breathe in allergens our bodies react by over-producing six key inflammatory substances that cause our symptoms. most allergy pills only control one substance, flonase controls six. and six is greater than one. so roll down your windows, hug your pet dust off some mem

arwa damon, cnn, baghdad. >>> let's take a short break now.there's another candidate running for president of the united states. rand paul and what his candidacy means for the republican race for the white house. more on that when we return. my feet felt so heavy they used to get really tired. until i started gellin'. i got dr. scholl's massaging gel insoles. when they're in my shoes, my feet and legs feel less tired. it's like walking on a wave, dr. scholl's massaging gel insoles, i'm a believer! but first, we have a very special guest. come on out, flo! [house band playing] you have anything to say to flo? nah, i'll just let the results do the talking. [crowd booing] well, he can do that. we show our progressive direct rate and the rates of our competitors even if progressive isn't the lowest. it looks like progressive is not the lowest! ohhhh! when we return, we'll find out whether doug is the father. wait, what? >>> thank you, chicago! >> very happy man, chicago mayor rahm emanuel. he has won a second term. his victory ends a bitter runoff

as war tells us, there -- as arwa tells us, there are some seeking repriefls on the tikrit sunni muslimion. >> reporter: the smoke hangs thick over the city we drive through. a smoldering of buildings, some people's homes. rigged with ieds, we're told, iraqi forces can't disable. they say they had to detonate. the city a web of potential threats left behind. in the building there, they had put explosivelies into the staircase that detonated when one of their commanders went in. >> reporter: he was trying to take down the isis flag and raise the iraqi one. he was killed along with one other. elsewhere, roads need to be cleared. that vehicle there had a heavy machine gun that was being used by isis. we're not able to advance beyond it in this particular direction because overnight though they say there is no threat up there posed by isis fighters, there is still the possibility of the road, the buildings being filled with air issious different types of bombs. one they defused nearby. this is some of the ieds that we found lying around. this was a bulldozer lying on its side that they foun

arwa damon, good to have you, arwa. >> quite a story for you. busted for allegedly trying to sell weapons to mexican drug cartel, talking about two members of the army national guard. officials call this down this -- >> another arrest in gang rape of panama city beach in an alleged rape, they said it's not unusual, hundreds standing by watching this happen. they are sick of it. they are now planning on reigning in spring break. my name's louis, and i quit smoking with chantix. i had tried to do it in the past. i hadn't been successful. quitting smoking this time was different because i got a prescription for chantix. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. the fact that it reduced the urge to smoke helped me get that confidence that i could do it. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. some people had seizures while taking chantix. if you notice any of these, stop chantix and call