they have been condemned by the grand ayatollah sistani. of that it was part of the reason for his issuance of the 20 point code of ethics code of conduct which would be recognizable to all of us in uniform as something that would be admirable to be followed by anyone who's involved in combat operations. so that's -- that's what i would say is the first part. the tribes, the sunni tribes that i still remain in close contact with, i just had a conversation with one just this morning, have made it clear that they are willing to give this government in iraq a chance. prime minister abadi has reached out to the shiias he's reached out to the tribes. he unlike his counterpart who in fact victimized the sunni tribes and victimized the sons of iraq he has also established, i think, an unprecedented way relations with the sunni governments in the region. he's been to visit the king in jordan. he has a close relationship with the turks. he and his government have had close relations. so there's a regional relationship. there is a governmental outrea

understand they have to make sure this has to be done by the book, there are no atrocities grand ayatollah sistani has said, this is what he wants. you always think on the front line whether someone didn't get the memo, someone carrying out a blood feud, not someone organized but on the front lines someone who has a personal grudge or didn't get the memo that they are supposed to play by the rules. >> what are the headlines from what you saw in iraq? >> what is really interesting in iraq is how safe things are from baghdad on south. as i describe it, it's like michigan during the civil war. there are they -- they are sernding a lot of bodies out to the front but the fighting isn't impacting them. the way things are progressing in southern iraq, the political process is pretty intact, the real war in the north against i.s.i.l. >> final quick question. is it still going to be a very long war? >> i don't think so. once mosul is done, now we still have anbar and that is a horse of a different color. any serious analyst, i don't think the forces will push i.s.i.l. out of iraq in one to two years at the

what's interesting has been that leaders in the shia community, especially the grand ayatollah sistani, have very publicly pushed back on the abuses of the shia militia. i would say it's a work in progress. but what's critical is, in taking back the territory lost to isil, the integration of the tribal fighters with the iraqi security forces. we're intimately involved in that. we're putting them together at the al assad base where we have trainers. as that moves forward then i think you'll see that, you know, abadi's making real progress in actually showing the sunni community that the future is with iraq and not with isil. >> james? >> and libya. >> libya. so libya presents a real challenge. because it -- to the extent that it becomes mired in civil war and truly chaotic, then it becomes a natural area that extremists will look to for a haven. because they prey on places that have weak governments, weak security forces and are in conflict. so we have a very strong incentive to try and prevent that from happening. right now there's a significant effort under way led by the united natio

most fighters decided to boycott the event grant grand ayatollah ali al sistani. >> staging areas and fighting positions. >> translator: the fighting capabilities have been badly hit. and our troops are prepared to launch the ground operation to liberate the city at the lowest possible loss. >> reporter: iraq initially reached out to iran for assistance. iran had been helping to push i.s.i.l. out of the city. when theing forces stalled iraq went to u.s. for assistance. the u.s. air strikes have also generated a battle of words. iranian led shiite groups had been fighting alongside the iraqi military. the u.s. said it agreed to assist only if had slight groups left. now thousands of the shiite groups have left. the concern is, that the remaining soldiers will be no match for i.s.i.l. >> translator: every single soldier is determined and has high morale. we are racing one another in the fight. >> reporter: but i.s.i.l. has proven to be a patient and resilient enemy. natasha guinane, al jazeera. >> russia says it must take steps to prevent its citizens to join i.s.i.l. some are fighting

begins with fair treatment during military operations we applaud iraqi leaders including grand ayatollah al-sistani who pub particularly called for protection of civilians and warned against acts recrimination and abuse. if i might digress read his 20 point code of conduct he issued last month with regard to fighters in the feel to liberate iraq. it also means protecting schools and hospitals and water treatment facilities, securing antiquities and libraries. these measures began process reunifying iraq and building trust between liberated communities and government of iraq. these critical stabilization efforts were the center of my consultations last week in baghdad and on the first day of the meetings we heard from the iraqis about their need to plan for idp return, support ied removal and provide services and expertise to assist with stabilization efforts. on the second day a team of experts and coalition members met with their iraqi counterparts and discussed iraqi plans in greater detail. throughout my meetings i emphasized that iraq's stabilization efforts will be the most important signal of