taking back al baghdadi or most of al baghdadi. the battle to tikrit, that one being led by iranian backed shia militias. >> what is the latest around that because the fighting around tikrit has been very fierce. >> it is very fierce. the iraqi military backed by iranian ar artillery in some cases and the bulk of the force including shia militia. 30,000 troops, so far they're encountering quite a bit of resistance but i.s.i.l. has been fleeing to the mountains. it's taken quite a bit of time, but the news from al baghdadi, is a multi-pronged battle. the fighting near al anbar and miernlg offensemarriage fighting around tikrit. >> thank you jane. 13 soldiers and five i.s.i.l. fighters were killed in the attack. al jazeera has obtained exclusive video showing the destruction caused by i.s.i.l. in the city of sabir al shakir. >>> 54 people have been accused of taking bribes from the state run oil company in brazil, petrobras. key allies of president dilma rousseff. >> this list of names was released by brazil's court. taking bribes fr

is making a big deal understandably about taking back baghdadi or most of baghdadi but still completely is not involved in the major fight the battle for tikrit, the one led by iranian backed shia militias. >>> fallujah in ann bauer province, 13 soldiers and five i.s.i.l. fighters were killed in the attack. al jazeera has obtained exclusive video of the amount of destruction that was created in the town. >>> brazil has approved investigation into top politicians, 50 politicians have taken bribes from petrobras key allies to president dilma rousseff. >> among the 54 people accused of taking bribes were former president and speakers of both chambers of congress. all but one from president dilma rousseff's governing coition. coalition. lucrative contracts from petrobras the state owned oil company. speaking before the list of names was released she said her focus was on fixing brazil's struggling economy. >> translator: we are now entering a new phrase in confronting the crisis in which a number of different measures will be needed, a new trajectory so we can grow. >> reporter: but the sca

al baghdadi is close to a military base where iraqi force he are being trained. our iraq correspondent jane arraf says there are conflicting reports. jane what are these conflicting reports that you are talking about? >> reporter: well, it seems like the center of baghdadi and this is a relatively small city near the air base where americans and others are based in western al al anbar that it was taken three days ago to be exact. and the entire area is being taken by being coalition forces or whether it's still being held by i.s.i.l. the head of the baghdadi municipality tells us there are still hotly quested areas hotly contested areas around the town. what we know shilly is there were areas of the siege that were broken and many have come here to baghdad to await the i.s.i.l. being pushed out completely from their home, shimmy. >> there is still fighting going around tikrit, that's presumably going to be the next big target for iraqi forces. >> reporter: that is clearly the main offensive. near a base that is quite high profile. we must remember that the air ba

why don't we know more about baghdadi.hy can't we get more information we know we want him. >> he has been forecast to have been killed and wounded. certainly he is not dead certainly if he is wounded esz still getting around. we have zero humans, human intelligence does not exist inside this organization. >> they have learned how to communicate without getting on a cell phone or satellite. we don't have our own people on the ground any more as eyes and ears. we became reliant on the iraqis. the administration has gotten out of the interrogation business in serious ways gotten into business of killing operatives with drones. you have at that intelligence vacuum as well. >> these are hard targets as colonel north said we have star gets. while we have means to collect on the targets they are invading our counter measures because of the government individuals hiding and in part there are a lot of dead terrorists learning from their mistakes. it is a little bit of a cat and house all source intelligence but ultimately it will

. >> reporter: well, in the town of baghdadi, about 16 kilometers from the huge air base where the u.s. iraqi forces and other coalition partners are stationed, the iraqi military says that just a few days ago, it managed to take back pretty much all of the town of baghdadi. >> word "all" is disputed by others on the ground including the head of the baghdad mun is passty the am bar governor's office and the had theh head of the security he says it's not that clear-cut. there are pockets of fighting there. according to residents, some trapped by fighting the city has not been entirely cleared. it's a small city but key because it's close to the base and, also because it's on the way to the syrian border. now, what the iraqi military has been trying to do is to retake not just the town of baghdadi but the brings across the euphrates river of that isil had. those have been taken back. >> news of these gains come as the u.s. commander martin dempsey is in town certainly in baghdad. >> reporter: absolutely. there is a lot to discuss here we have to remember that the main offensive going on

also on the program iraqi forces push back ill in al baghdadi. but it comes as the remains of hatra are destroyed. >>> it comes 50 years after the broody day in selma but how far have race relations come since then? >> official government policy preserve the use of traditional chinese characters in every day language. with keyboards and smart phones replacing pen and paper people are forgetting how to write them. >> we begin in nigeria where at least 51 people have been killed, and more than 110 injured in multiple attacks in born know state. three blasts hit a market and a bus station in the capitol of maiduguri. this is the worst attack on the city since the end of january. we're on the phone from abuja. what more can you tell us from these multiple attacks? >> well, people have gone home now. the markets are closed. the security forces have shut down the markets and ordered people to leave. 51 have been confirmed dead by security forces in maiduguri and 110 people, at least 110 people have been injured in the blast. two of the blasts or rather

why don't we know more about baghdadi.nt him and the information. >> three times he has been forecast to be killed. twice forecasted to be wounded and turns out none of that -- certainly he is not dead. if he is wounded he is still getting around. here is the bottom line of the problem. we have zero human intelligence existing inside this organization. >> they nod their heads yes in agreement. >> we have tremendous signals intelligence but these people learned how to communicate without getting on a cell phone. >> one of the things that happened when we pulled out of iraq is we blinded ourselves in the sense that we didn't have our own people on the ground anymore as eyes and ears. we begame reliant on the iraqis. this administration has gotten out of the interrogation business in a serious way and into the business of killing operatives with drones. so you have that intelligence vacuum, as well. >> here is the reality. these are hard targets. we are lacking human intelligence. while we do have other means to collect on th

that there is still fighting going on around al baghdadi. all that is due to be discussed by general martin denver dempsey. as we've seen in tikrit, the u.s. has made clear that it has and wants to remain a key partner in this fight. particularly in places like western anbar. >> there has been a violent weekend in egypt with the deadly bombing, nationwide protests and military airstrikes. the government said that the strikes kill 25 members of an armed group that has pledged allegiance to isil. all this as the country's most powerful ministries sees a major shake up. >> the there the of bombing has become more frequent. it bombing has killed many in the city of mahalla on friday. the friday marchs called for the end of a military coup that led to el-sisi being elect: their chants can be heard in several districts of cairo and other provinces. the protest come on the hills of a shake up. president el-sisi. they say 120 people have died at police stations alone. the cause of death the lack of medical help and torture. police stations and milit

that there is still fighting going on around baghdadi. all that is due to be discussed by general martin dempsey the top military official who comes here for talks with iraqis on how the fight something going. as we've seen in tikrit, militias have made clear that it has and wants to remain a key partner in this fight particularly in places like western anbar. >> the u.n. envoy to libya has warned all parties against carrying out attacks while sensitive negotiations are taking place in morocco. we go to the country's two rival governments appear to be making proking. >> factions have agreed on a road map to peace and stability in that country. it has been beset by violence and stability and civil war. basically they have agreed to form a national unity of government. then they will implement a peace fire across the country. they'll disband the militias, pull them out from the cities, set up a new national army that will take over security arrangements across the country. now, we have to wait and see what happens in the coming days because

that is continuing on sites like bag are -- baghdadi and a lot of other places. >>> jane arraf live in baghdadi >>> parties have been warned about carrying out attacks while there are negotiations happening in morocco. the two rebel governments appear to be making progress. >> reporter: libyan rival factions are close to clinching a deal. they have agreed to implement a ceasefire, pulling out and forming a government. two delegations need to travel to libya, to consult with their government. if things go well, they'll return to the moroccan capital for a final deal ceremony. >> there are signs of a deal. we have moved to a new phase, and with the u.n. we are starting to talk about guarantees. once there is a deal we'll have a government with a c c clear mandate. we'll submit a draft to the united nations on a comprehensive deal with all the guarantees and form a government as soon as possible. >> reporter: a deal was almost unthinkable a few days ago. the governments of the east and west libya don't trust each other. the tobruk government is recognised by the international community. t

that there is still fighting going on around al baghdadi. that is all due to be discussed by general martin dempsey the top military officials who comes here for talks on how the fight against isil is going. as we've seen in tikrit, the u.s. has made clear that it has and wants to remain a key partner this fight. particularly in places like western anbar. >> political factions are meeting face to face and u.n.-backed peace talks in morocco. the european union said it will step up it's role in security issues. we have reports that libya's two rival government do appear to making some progress. >> libyan rival factions are closeer to clinking a political deal. they have agreed in principle on implementing a cease-fire, putting out militias from the cities, and forming a national unity government. but the two delegations need to travel to libya to consult with their governments. if things go well they'll return for a final deal ceremony. there are signs of a deal. we now have moved to a new phase. with the u.n. we're starting to talk about guar

says iraqi forces also drove isis from seven villages near al baghdadi. that's located south of hadithi. >> some u.s. leaders are nervous. barbara starr has the story. >> reporter: the latest u.s. military intelligence assessment most of the fighters here are iranian backed shia militia with iranian weapons fighting to reclaim the city of tikrit. signs of iran's influence everywhere, field commanders review their plans. the pentagon watching iran with a close eye. happy to have the iranians doing the bulk of the ground fighting. but worried it could again open up a cauldron of shia versus sunni violence. >> for the sunni and shia sectarianism that has happened for thousands of years, it could be strategically disastrous. >> reporter: u.s. officials also worry the fragile iraqi government in the long run will become a client state of tehran with the u.s. spending millions to train iraqi units, the risk is it all falls into iranian hands. >> in terms of insuring our resources don't migrate to shia militia, there's no easy way to be absolutely certain that k

his ambition spread beyond iraq to the chaos of syria, and al baghdadi changes the name again this time calling it the islamic state in iraq and syria and takes the first syrian city the and the black flag is now hanging in the eastern city of raqqa which is a strong thehold for the growing city. >> we are going to be successful there. >> president obama is asked about the threat in an interview in "the new yorker" in january of 2007 and he compares it to the junior anniversary ti team. and he says it is a as if the j.v. team puts on the laker's uniform, it does not make them kobe bryant. and then isis launches a massive offensive capturing large swathes of land in iraq and ta takrit. and time and again, they rare seen running away by the tall ban as they flee in terror as the fighters approach. in a rare public message al baghdadi proclaims the new the ter roirritory as a caliphate with him as the head. isis is the most prolific group with recruitment with estimated 20,000 fighters joining their ranks. then in 2011 president obama showing videos of their attacks. and then isis releases

iraqi forces drove isis from several villages south of al baghdadi baghdadi. of this while the u.s. is keeping an eye on iran in iraq. iraq's military reliance is making some leaders quite nervous. >> reporter: the latest u.s. military assessment, most of the fighters here are iranian backed shia militia with iranian weapons fighting to reclaim the city of tikrit. iran's farsi language heard here and field commanders look at their plan. iran watching them happy to have the iranians do the bulk of the ground fighting but worried again it could open up a cauldron of shia versus the sunni violence. >> for the sunni and shia sectarianism that has happened for years, it could be strategically disastrous. >> reporter: they worry the government could become a tragic country of iran. the risk is that it all falls into iranian hands. >> in terms of ensuring that our resources don't migrate over to shia militia, there's no easy way to be absolutely certain that that can't happen. >> reporter: the u.s. wants iraq's prime minister to guarantee a government and military wi

iraqi forces pushed isystem out of baghdadi. and that is where american forces are training iraqi troops. isis tried but failed to attack the base. the u.s. led coalition launched air strikes in the area to help push the terrorist back. and to the southeast, the battle for tikrit rages on. the pentagon is optimistic that iraq will take the key city. martin dempsey said the government forces with the help will push isis out. john? >> reporter: 23000 iraqi ground troops and iranian shiite fighters are battling for the control of tikrit. and they are confident they will win the fight, there is concern about iran's involvement. tikrit is south of mosul and eat of a l- baghdadi. the u.s. is sitting on the sideline. because iran forces are involved in the training and the army of the shiite and iranian fighters. iran media is reporting that the general is leading the operation. he's the commander of iran's force and rev lougzary guard. the iranian involvement is a concern including the united states. general martin dempsey is in iraq

they want say that they and iraqi partners have taken back the town al baghdadi.a military base where the u.s. and other coalition members operate. but sources on the ground there including provincial and local politicians say it is around al baghdadi. as we've seen in tikrit, iran are back in the lead, but the u.s. has made clear that it has and wants to remain a key partner in this fight particularly in places like western anbar. >> isil tonight stepping up its attack on christian villages. they say they launched a new assault near hasaka where isil kidnapped hundreds of assyrian as last months last month. we'll look at the deepening crisis in syria tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. 5:30 p.m. a fifth explosion from outside of the city wounded a soldier and members of a defense unit. >> in northern nigerian these are victims of the latest attack by suspected boko haram fighters. medical workers struggle to save those they can. a scene that has become routine in the north. >> the dead are in the morgue, and the injure ready being treated. there are reports that it was the wor

the town is al-baghdadi in western iraq 140 miles from baghdad and is just a few miles from them iraqi weeks other, where hundreds of u.s. marines are training iraqi troops. officials say iraqi fighters successfully reraptured the police station and three bridges which isis held since september. theyles say -- also say that more than who dozen coalition airstrikes, including from united states, helped the iraqis take back the town. meantime iraqi troops with the help of iranian fighters are said to reach saddam hussein's hometown of tikrit, from a local governor, who says the forces expect to reach the town this weekend. all the while the united states is sitting on the sidelines. we have been reporting that tikrit is smack dab in the mid of baghdad and mosul, very important strategically analysts say wing it back will help secure supply lines for the supposed upcoming battle of mosul, but as we reported american troops are not part of the fight for tikrit. iraqi official says the islamic state militants bulldozed an ancient city south of mosul famous for royal tombs and other treasure

and they name baghdadi as their leader. he claims to be a direct dee se ents of the knew haw med. and he changes the name again, calling it the islamic state. their black flag now hangs in raqqah, which becomes the stronghold for their growing movement. >> we're going to be successful. >> president obama is asked about the threat in an interview with with "the new yorker" in january of 2013 and compared isis to a junior varsity sports team, saying, quote, the analogy is that if a jv team puts on lakers uniforms, that doesn't make them kobe bryant. those remarks would come back to haunt them as five months later, isis launches a massive attack. including in tikrit. time after time, iraqi troops are defeated or runaway in the face of isis forces. the brutality of the group so well-known, many iraqi forces flee in terror as they see them approach. in a rare public message, al baghdadi claims the territory part of a new muslim state, a caliphate with himself as the head. [ speaking in foreign language ] >> isis is the most horrific terror group in history. in august, president obama a

so, again, retaking al baghdadi is an important and significant victory because anbar province largelyains under isis control. all that said, uma, we're still awaiting more word from general dempsey on the ground in iraq who has plenty to talk about obviously with iraqi commanders. uma? >> all right, john, thank you so much for that update from our middle east bureau. and this note, former defense in intelligence agency director michael flynn tells us that the white house may have missed the growing strength of isis because of the white house's desire to downplay the strength of al qaeda. flynn explains the white house was so married to the narrative al qaeda was close to defeat that it clouded how the administration fought against the ideology as it spread. >> who is briefing the president? how does he get to those sentences? >> for me to sit here and tell you why he says what he says, i don't know. what i know the init tell generals said was not necessarily what we hear. >> it was diametrically opposed, wasn't it? >> i would say from my perspective it was just the opposite. you can't

boca haram stated it is pledging its allegiance to al baghdadi. what does that even mean? these other groups can work in concert with isis. >> that's exactly what has emerged. we're seeing al qaeda becoming less relevant. still very potent. what has emerged is isis in places like libya, yemen, nigeria. this doesn't necessarily mean isis and the so-called caliphate that al baghdadi runs of iraq and syria has any operational control over these places. but the fact that isis is now capable of inspiring groups in these countries to become even more extreme and to wave the isis banner and the isis ideology in the names of the attacks they're carrying out, that's going to be a much more destabilizing factor across the region. isis has a presence in egypt and libya and yemen. it is completely expanding at a rate that i think very few people who have imaged given the fact the coalition has been trying to target isis in iraq and syria. >>> we're watching local fbi officials in mississippi starting this press conference. let's listen. >> i would like to talk a little bit about our p

aman ask a bit luckier than most after being helped to leave the town of baghdadi. the teachers there give her money to help pay the rent. more than $200 a month for this converted kitchen in a house. but she said she had no choice but to leave home. >> translator: no one came to tell us to leave. we left because there was no water and no electricity. there were a lot of families who left. i was afraid for children. >> reporter: her husband was a border guard. he was killed on an attack on his post three years ago. her father and her husband's parents stayed behind. she hasn't been able to reach them since. after school, she helps the girls with their lessons. her daughters are able to attend classes here. the tens of thousands of other displaced children don't have access to schools. the iraqi military and kurdish forces are making gains against i.s.i.l. but as they do there are actually more civilians displaced by the fighting. aid agencies felt it couldn't get much worse than it was last year but it has. plans for helping residents of tikrit and mosul once that b

repelling i.s.i.l.the armed group is forced from the town of al baghdadi by coalition air strikes. i'm shilly gauche. welcome to the program. edging closer to a deal. common ground that may help to end the fighting.

>>> history remembered 62 is >> repelling i.s.i.l, the armedgroup is forced from the town of al baghdadi welcome to al jazeera from doha. >>> edging closer to a deal, rival forces find common ground that might end the fighting. >>> taiwan and

yeah, i was interested in hearing more about the actual lineup and particularly baghdadi. we know very little about him actually. but, you know it's striking that you've had organizations. the latest one is boko haram in nigeria declaring allegiance to a supreme leader that we know little about, and they don't know any more than we do. what happens to isis if he's killed f he disappears? is he replaceable? i just i'm curious to know what your train of thought is about the leadership and his significance. [inaudible conversations] >> shorter answers. >> shorter answers. [laughter] >> i think everybody within isis is dispensable. isis has established itself organization as a group that can get rid of anyone and everyone, and it kind of keeps that core that can, you know grow over time. they have learned from the lessons of the awakening councils and so on. so they can dis appear, they can be eliminated almost entirely. they can resurrect again. al-baghdadi is dispensable because he has, like, a shura council, he can be replaced if he is killed even if the whole sure are coun

forces loyal to the president al saleh coming out with the houthi rebellion you against abu bakr al-baghdadi. >> al saleh is a masterful player in war and now he's again resorting to the same tactics. the reports coming from yemen today and overnight are suggesting that his troops have vanished, the troops that were loyal to him in the south have almost vanished. you know, they -- you can't distinguish them from the civilians. he used the houthis according to every account used the houthis to strike against his enemies in the government that came to power after his removal and the houthis ever succeeded in doing exactly that. now that the houthis are under attack al saleh can try to lie low and say that he's not part of this conflict. he's trying to save whatever he can save of his power and men until this storm passes, but we don't know if that calculation will actually work for him. >> calculation has been pulling arab troops to fill sort of the vacuum there is a very complicated calculation, is it not, especially when if we talk about the possibility of egyptian troops, ground troops gett

. ♪ repelling i.s.i.l.the oormd group is forced from armed group is forced from the town of al baghdadistrikes. i'm shilly gauche. >>> edging closer to a deal, libyan rival groups. and weakening russian

last weekend under the cover of bad weather, isil launched an attack on the town of al baghdadi, near the air base in al anbar where our forces are located with the danes and australians to help to train iraqi soldiers and tribal volunteers. isil as it has done over and over again rampaged through the town, killing civilians and driving hundreds of families into the safe haven of the air base. but the iraqis did not sit idle. they organized and fought back. the prime minister went to the joint operations center in baghdad and ordered an immediate counterattack. the minister of defense flew to al assad to organize available forces and iraqi army commander sent an armored column from baghdad to road march to al baghdadi to join the attack. and sunni tribal volunteers organized to support and in some cases led the attack. today, much of al baghdadi is back in the hands of the local and tribal forces and as i was at al assad last month and my deputy was there just three days ago, i would tell you that all americans would be proud to see what our troops are doing there, helping the iraqis

last weekend under the cover of bad weather, isil launched an attack on the town of al baghdadi, near the air base in al anbar where our forces are located with the danes and australians to help to train iraqi soldiers and tribal volunteers. isil as it has done over and over again rampaged through the town, killing civilians and driving hundreds of families into the safe haven of the air base. but the iraqis did not sit idle. they organized and fought back. the prime minister went to the joint operations center in baghdad and ordered an immediate counterattack. the minister of defense flew to al assad to organize available they organized and fought back. the prime minister went to the joint operations center in baghdad and ordered an immediate counterattack. forces and iraqi army commander sent an armored column from baghdad to road march to al baghdadi to join the attack. and sunni tribal volunteers organized to support and in some cases led the attack. today, much of al baghdadi is back in the hands of the local and tribal forces and as i was at al assad last month and my deputy was

a day after iraqi troops took control of al baghdadi.e on these and the rest of the stop stories on "america's news headquarters" live from the nation's capitol. >>> i tweeted out congratulations to her, it went off the rails quickly. it was every kind of vulgar, despicable commentary you can imagine about rape and sex and all that other stuff. >> i just couldn't believe that anybody would ever actually say that to someone. not even someone but to a girl's father about their daughter. >> well, talk about tweets going viral, former baseball all-star kurt schilling look at possible legal action against the cyberbullies attacking his daughter. people would never say vul fwer stuff like this this person how do we stop them from doing it from hiding behind a keyboard. >> i think we have an issue where there's a disassociation from reality and we think if we type it online it's not real life and doesn't affect others. this is the cockroaches of society are coming in and saying whatever they want and not understanding that it's affecting people

i think ultimately this movement will collapse, but in the meantime baghdadi is portraying himself ase defender of sunni islam, so everywhere you see a political vacuum you see them at the very least, you know, getting a political propaganda. look at yemen where there are groups swearing allegiance and that's because there's a huge power vacuum there. some force, local force, needs to fill this vacuum and it will crush the islamic state or isis or isil, whatever you want to call it. but it will take time. but not with american troops. >> chris. >> not with american troops but isis loves a vacuum and all these groups are. the nigerian army is weak. boko haram took advantage of it. the chatti army moved in kick the ass of isis. when isis is up against a real army it will fight, it may fight well but it doesn't win. the problem is it took advantage of an incredibly corrupt army in iraq to roll into mosul last year. it took advantage of a civil war that was already waging in syria to -- >> failed states and that's where it has progress. >> in failed states it thrives. the issue is how to-

when baghdadi, the leader of isis came out with his manifest even extremist organizations completelyacked away from what he said. he has nothing to do with the tenets of islam. itis tolerance that reaches to other people. >> how should the west respond to this? arab response, muslim response, or should the west be in the lead? this has to be unified. i've said this to leaders both in islamic and arab world and to the world in general. this is a third world war by other means. this brings muslims, christians, other religions together in this generational fight that all of us have to be together. so it's not a western fight. this is a fight inside of islam where everybody comes together against these outlaws so to speak together. it's a short-term part of this, military part of the issue. there's medium part, which is security part to it. there's a long-term element to this, which is obviously the ideological one. that's the one more complicated and more difficult. >> in sunni islam, as you know, there is no priestly hierarchy. there are no popes or really anything like that. but there

baghdadi told the colonel, i will see you in new york. if you believe ist is not just a regional threat, why wouldn't you conclude an american component to defeat them? it is a generational struggle. [indiscernible] >> i want to keep the war over there so it is not come here. we need to supplement regional forces, give them the capacity they don't have and have an intelligence network that can pickup chatter before the attack comes. we need a presence in the region to build up those who would live in peas with us so they can have the capacity to say no to this ideology and the good news for us -- most people want to say no. >> does it worry you that putting american forces there is exactly what the radicals want? they can rally the faithful and recruit against the crusaders. >> not really because how do you defeat them without going on the ground? somebody has to dig them out of these cities. if the security forces seen now as a shia army goes into mozilla without an american component, i am afraid the sunnis will start fighting them. the

military and iraqi partners have taken back the town of el-baghdadi, it is close to a military base where u.s. and other coalition members operate. sources on the ground. including provincial politicians say that it has not been freed, that there is fighting going on. all of that is due to be discussed by mitchell dempsey, the top u.s. -- by general martin martin dempsey, the top u.s. official. the u.s. made clear that it has and wants to remain a key partner in the fight. particularly in places like western anbar. >> jane arraf in baghdad. >> australia, china and malaysia may need a new strategy for the missing malaysia airlines flight. if the underwater search turns up nothing by the end of may, it will go back to the drawing board. the plane disappeared on march 8th on a route from couple pure to beijing. all on board are assumed dead. >>> tomorrow two journalists from the al jazeera media group go on trial for the second time. mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed return to court in cairo on charges spreading false news. charges al jazeera strongly denies. they were charged with a thi

allegiance from the nigerian-based terrorists, boko haram according to a recorded message by al-baghdadi'spokesman. all of this comes as an iranian- as iranian-led forces are reporting more progress in their battle to retake the iraqi city of tikrit from the islamic state. the government troops tonight taking control of western neighborhoods, leaving only one area that includes a former complex saddam hussein's complex which is in the hands of the islamic state. military officials say they're confident that they will declare victory within a few days. the united states is not involved in any way in that assault, creating considerable problems for u.s. policy in the region. iran's supreme leader, ayatollah khamenei, in lockstep with the new times, both simply irate over the letter sent by 47 republican senators to iranian leadership warning them of the dangers of trying to strike a nuclear deal without the approval of congress. the times' editorial board refers to it as a republican idiocy on iran and writes this: the ayatollah today condemning republicans and voicing concerns about a u.s.

annan is luckier than most, to be helped by the military after she left the town of baghdadi. she found work as a school janitor. more than $200 a month for this converted kitchen in the house but she said she had no choice but to leave home. >> no one came to tell us to leave. we left because there was no water and no electricity. there were a lot of families who left. i was afraid for the children. >> her husband was a border guard. he was killed in an attack on his post three years ago. her father and her husband's parents stayed behind. she has not been able to reach them sense. after school she helps the girls with their lessons. her daughters are able to attend classes here. tens of thousands of other displaced children don't have access to school. the iraqi military and kurdish forces are making gains against isil. as they do, there are more civilians displaced by the fighting. aid agencies thought it could not get worse until last jean when more than a million people were forced from their homes but it has. >> the united nations are making plans to help residents of ti

its leader pledged to hear and obey in difficult times and in prosperous times the amir of isis al baghdadithis will give isis a scope of alleygiance allegiance. and it gives it an opportunity to strike another blow against al qaeda in that battle for international dominance. boko haram had previously sworn allegiance to hk. it has been pushed out of many of its gains. propaganda gains generally have translated into the lifeblood of foreign recruitment and foreign donations. and boko haram needs that now more than ever. whether that will help it to turn the tide against their african union force remains to be seen. >>> we want to turn your attention to northern iraq. a car bomb killed at least six people saturday and injured dozens more outside a coffee shop. in a separate incident an ied inside a car killed at least one person. this as security forces work to take back tikrit from isis's hold. ben wedeman has the latest. >> reporter: the offensive to drive isis out is making slow progress. five sunni tribes men and the iraqi army were able to retake a town south east of tikrit. this town w

you have the leader, baghdadi, abu bakr has been trying to imitate the leader of the islamic state.oing? how successful is this and can this encourage converts to boko haram like weave've seen those other foreign fighters go to join isis. >> the thing i'm concerned about is the broader ideology of isis. it's al qaeda on steroids. it's a more radical brand than before. although i think at the end of the day you are still talking about a distinction without much of a difference, because it is still islamic radicalism. it is jihadism, whatever you'd like to call it. and these two individuals seem to embody it. they have this very this, radical personality that they have devoted to the ideology. and so you can see how they're potentially a good match. but now what i'm watching that i'm perhaps even more concerned about is the amount of money, the networks and the recruitment ability that isis has had in the middle east, and perhaps being able to parlay that in africa. and that's something we're going to continue to watch. >> wow, and finally despite the air strikes and the west rising u

preacher the religious symbolism, the alcove setting, a mirror image of isis leader abu bakr al baghdadi preaching in mosul. >> for boko haram, emulating islamic state gains the group prom nance and places them on the same platform as the islamic state. but we can't discount the possibility that there are discernible linkages between the two groups and that using islamic state's imagery and making references to the leader might be a preamble to a more established linkage between the two organizations. >> reporter: there's no clear evidence of any direct link yet. in its magazine, isis writes of groups including one in nigeria swearing allegiance but doesn't specify which. a media strategy is easy enough to copy. operational success, less so. and though boko haram is capturing and seizing territory, it's not using the same kind of governance tools isis does and doesn't have the same kind of oil wealth that isis does. and crucially so far it doesn't have a trail of would-be foreign fighters flocking its way. analysts say that may change depending on how it's dealt with. >> if you see a mor

and certainly the top leadership, al baghdadi and folks around him, are formulating their concept of the caliphate on the basis of their interpretation of islam. >> okay. so some of them are. >> to a degree they are establishing a caliphate and hanging some of their notions of organization and discipline and battle based on that. there is a component of it that is a distorted sense of islam. >> who are the victims? >> well, but let me also point out. >> i'm sor -- i'm sorry, i want to get an answer for all three questions. >> i will give you an answer. and there are also criminals and thugs and adventurers and thrill-seekers involved in this as a criminal anarchy in all of it, notwithstanding the basis they want to claim with respect to islam. and it is important in coming at this that you not empower them through the language we use to be able to make the argument to their people that in fact we're at war with islam. and they are building that up as a recruitment tool and we're creating our own problem. i think that is what people are trying to be sensitive to. and when you get into

come fight true jihad for al baghdadi for a $500 wage. some are driven.s one says in syria or if they ask me to in afghanistan i will. others aren't sure and just poor. i definitely need the money but will stay here and hope peace comes. there is a bit of theater here. isis application forms for them to complete on camera. but also a clear message to angry young of a gaps disillusioned with taliban, wars and even now a more ruthless choice you can make. isis. >> nick paton walsh is joining us live from kabul. nick does isis have any specific broad appeal to afghanis? >> reporter: i think if you look at the taliban's condition right now, they're potentially going to some of them talk peace maybe with the satisfy began government and also advancing in some areas militarily too. that may leave some of their more younger radical frustrated and disgruntled and that might mean isis i'd control gi is attractive to those. that's what i think has u.s. and u.n. officials most concerned. they weren't so much worried about isis military capability or territory, but m

the town is al-baghdadi about 140 miles from baghdad. it's just a few miles from an iraqi air base that came under attack a week ago. hundreds of us marines are training iraqi troops. one week after they released videos using sledge hammers to smash artifacts. city famous for royal tombs and other treasures is considered one of the 20th century's most significant finds in arcology. just heartbreaking. these latest attacks on history amounts to war crime. joining me now fox news analyst bill coone cohen. great to see you. those priceless pieces. i mean it breaks your heart and infuriates you more, doesn't it? >> i missed the opportunity to go there a couple years ago, lori. and i'm mad at myself. indeed, it does. it has to make everybody feel bad for what's going on. those war crimes they pale in comparison to the other war crimes that isis has committed in their rampage across iraq and in parts of syria. lori: that's important perspective. the situation in -- you have iran helping iraq. the us is not involved in this campaign. explain th

my take now if you ask me whether abu bakr al-baghdadi the leader of isil will accept boko haram, i would say yes. yes, because it's a win-win. it shows isil as the leader of the global jihadist movement, that islamists near and far and particularly militant activists whether talking about egypt yemen or algeria or afghanistan or pakistan and now boko haram are basically praising and saying they want to be a part of this winning horse. isil is being seen as a winning horse, as a powerful organization, so yes i mean most probably you're going to hear statement by isil in the next few days accepting. >> it was thought boko haram had links to al-qaeda. we saw groups like al shabab commit to al-qaeda, but it didn't really mean anything then. >> no, not at all. i don't think we should really basically invest this particular announcement, even if isil accepts the allegiance, very little will change. boko haram is desperate for legislation. it would like to be part of isil which is really seen as basically a winning horse. nothing would change on the ground, but the reality is you're talking abo

come fight true jihad for al baghdadi for a $500 wage. some listeners are driven.is to fight infidels one says. in syria, or if they ask me to in afghanistan i will. others unsure and just poor. i definitely need the money but will stay here and hope peace comes, one adds. there's a bit of theater here. isis application forms for them to complete on camera but also a clear message to angry young afghans, disillusioned with taliban's wars. there's now an even more ruthless choice you can make -- isis. nick payton walsh, cnn, kabul. >>> the man cleared in the shooting death of trayvon martin believes president obama was responsible for the racial tension which followed the verdict. george zimmerman gave his first interview since cleared. >> the neighborhood watch volunteer said that mr. obama's remark which was that if he had a son he would look like trayvon martin that remark pitted americans against each other. based solely on race. zimmerman says he has a clear conscience. >> as a christian, i brief that god does everything for a purpose, and he had his plans and

. >> one of al baghdadi's key chiefs. >> translator: he said i need you to help me out. just 2002 out got out of prise ago, and now i'm with islamic state. >> reporter: he wanted a house, a bride and someone to cover for him if a search was conducted. >> translator: i would drive him around mosul. he would always wear a suicide belt and a pistol. he wouldn't let me see anyone he was meeting. >> reporter: he knew something imminent was in the works. >> translator: i didn't have specific details, but he told me if there's an operation, don't leave. >> reporter: just days before the isis offensive on mosul, bilawi was killed. suleman was detained. he found the suicide belt he always wore. he was searching for it when he was taken. isis may not have captured iraq's second largest city so easily. also in federal custody, a al qaeda operative during the u.s. occupation then joining isis. >> translator: i was the main supplier for the suicide belts. >> reporter: he says he personally prepared and dispatched 19 suicide bombers. >> translator: and then we had an australian, a ger