a day earlier release of clashes in baiji. the iraq government has yet to show evidence proving its claims today its forces took full control of the area. >> there will be back and forth. you will see instances where they move into retreat but elsewhere in iraq you see them on the offense and eisele, theice isil heading out in caravans. >> reporter: today the iraqi government announced its forces killed former baathist leader about ibrahim, he was later linked to isis. the king of clubs in the deck of cards of the u.s. most wanted members of the iraqi regime before the fall of saddam hussein. now, in the last 48 hours, the u.s.-led coalition launched five attacks near the baiji oil refinery and only two near the city of ramadi. you see where their priorities are. tonight senator john mccain blasted general dempsey for disregarding ramadi's strategic importance calling it an insult to the families of americans killed in previous war in iraq battles al qaeda there and gross mischaracterization of the situation on the ground now.

baiji is a little different. it's part of the iraqi oil infrastructure. once the iraqis have full control of baiji, they'll control all of their oil infrastructure both north and south, and deny isil the ability to generate revenue through oil. so baiji is a more strategic target. >> and how serious is the isil threat to the refinery right now? >> well it's serious in the sense that they've penetrated the outer perimeter. you've been there, i think. it's an extraordinarily large, expansive facility. the refinery itself is at no risk right now. we're focusing on air support there. >> a follow-up question on iraq. i wanted to ask you about the proximity of u.s. military personnel to the fighting that's changed in recent days or weeks. were there any u.s. military control areas or people calling in strikes in tikrit? has the u.s. offered to do that in ramadi? >> first of all, with respect to tikrit and this is the more general answer to your question our troops that are there are in the locations that we've previously identified there for train, advise and a

so baiji is more strategick and that's why the focus is now on baiji. >> so the u.s. offensive of what's going on in iraq is a much more strategic manner. and they're trying to secure the route up to the north in mosul, and they want to exert influence over anbar province, but a lot of this has to do with the iraqi government to get a multicultural force together one that the pentagon insists has to take orders from baghdad and not any outside source, for instance iran. >> jamie mcintyre at the pentagon for us, and in iraq now, as jamie was mentioning, thousands of families have fled the city of ramadi. taking control of three villages from outside of ramadi and in the northern city of mosul, a battle against isil is being fought by a success group of volunteers as the military leaders try to recruit all of the strength that they can. reporting now from northern iraq. >> in step with each other and now with the iraqi army too. these volunteer fighters have for the first time taken orders from baghdad to unify countless militias. this group is diverse with arab christi

baiji is a more strategic target and that's why the focus is on baiji. >> reporter: these surprising gains coming three weeks after isis suffered a major below in tikrit. iraqi prime minister al abadi still in washington acknowledged defeating the islamic state will be elusive. >> this is a war and a war you can win in a place and lose somewhere somewhere else. >> reporter: abadi delivered a veil krit is sichl of his veiled allies. a criticism which he also leveled at u.s. bombing missions. >> we're talking about time scale between asking for a mission and actually getting the mission. that's especially when our people are on the ground. >> reporter: ash carter in his first press conference at the pentagon today offered one possible explanation for those delays. >> we're not using our own forward controllers to do that in tikrit or anywhere else in iraq. >> reporter: but congressional critics say we should be more hands on. >> we're talking about having our people more engaged in helping the iraqis fight the fight. directing the targets, helping access -- their access on the ground i

coalition air strikes hit isis targets in baiji and city of madi on thursday.on yemen's port city of aiden tell cnn they are so overwhelmed with casualties as rebels battle for control they have given up trying to count the dead. chief moon calling for cease-fire on all sides of yem yn's civil war. >>> flags are flying at half taf across germany today as national memorial service for the victims of the downed germanwings flight. german chancellor merck el and about 500 family members of the victims are expected to attend the service. >>> an australian man died fighting for isis after leaving a promising career as model and deejay from his home country. cnn has the story. >> i'm active. health wise, i like to go to the gym. >>. >> reporter: his future looked bright but somewhere along wait he chose the life on battlefield over a life on the cat walk. former model and deejay from melbourne is the latest australian believed to be killed fighting along side isis militants. his parents learning of their son's death via a text message and phone call, they told austra

it's the baiji refinery, when the chairman of the u.s. joint chiefs of staff indicated is one of the most strategic places in iraq right now. it is, it controls a drat de s of iraq's economy. we've seen what the defense put out trying to airlift supplies to the defenders of that area after isis succeeded in captures at least portions of the compound in the last couple of days, and we're also getting reports about the iraqi government and how it's trying to send reinforcements to the embattled city of ramadi, just an hour's drive west of baghdad, where city officials were making panicked, desperate calls for assistance after isis managed to capture some eastern portions of that city in the last couple of day, and it just shows how difficult it is for the iraqi government to try to hold on territory, while also trying to reclaim territory that isis captured months ago. paula? >> sure does, ivan. thank you for your insights on that, and what could be now another example of perhaps isis widening its influence. it is now claiming responsibilit

the battle for baiji's far from over. the government said it is in full control of that refinery, however, we've seen a number of attacks by isil in which they breached all the security arrangements and reinforcements in that refinery. >> thank you for that update live from baghdad. >> syrian government planes bombed areas in and around damascus killing 17. these pictures show the aftermath of shelling in residential areas of the suburb of douma. activists say 17 were killed and dozens injured. >> at least 10 people have been killed in six attacks on the rebel held area on the outskirts of the syrian capitol. opposition activists accused bashar al assad's forces of more than 1700 strikes across the area in the past three weeks. >> the trial against al jazeera journalists mohamed fahmy and baher mohammed has been adjourned again. they have been charged with harming national security and aiding the outloud muslim brotherhood. they and al jazeera deny those accusations. joining us is the middle east and that program coordina

and baiji is different. once they have full control of baiji they will control all of the oil structure north and south and deny isil the revenue through oil. baiji is a more strategic target. that's why the focus is on baiji. >> how serious is the isil threat to the refinery? >> it's serious in the sense that they've penetrated the outer perimeter. you've been there, i think. it's an extraordinarily large expansive facility. the refinery itself is at no risk right now. but -- we're focusing a lot of our isr and air support there. >> craig whitlock. one question after that. >> a followup question on iraq. i wanted to ask about the proximity of u.s. military personnel to the fighting and if that's changed in recent days or weeks. were there any u.s. military controllers or jtags or people calling in strikes in tikrit? has the u.s. offered to do that in ramadi? >> first of all, with respect to tikrit and this is actually true, the more general answer to your question our troops that are there are in the locati

as he said the more important target is to retake baiji because of oil production. >> we heard the iraqi government talking about an offensive to retake anbar, and ramadi is the capital. and iraq's prime minister mentioned it on a visit to the united states. if i.s.i.l. retakes towns and anbar threatening to take over the capital, is there a disconnect? >> i don't think there's a disconnect of the i think i.s.i.l. is watching and listening to the broadcast coming out. there's the two main fighting areas. the yew frayedies valley and the tigris river valley from tikrit to moss ol. and you frayed yeas goes to anbar, anbar fallujah, and it's a choice the u.s. makes on which valley to fight in first. the belief of i.s.i.l. was they saw so much activity that they sense an opportunity to create mischief by going against ramadi and upsetting plans. >> how is the choice effected? will the iraqi forces be able to go after the baiji refinery and move north. >> i think that's what i.s.i.l. is trying to do, pull off enough of the iraqi security force, fighting in yew frayedies, fighting in ramadi an

campaign should it fall, we need to get it back. >> dempsey says the more important area is towards baiji, where there has been progress. it's an oil-rich region including a refinery and dempsey says that it is more strategic. >> once the iraqis have control of baiji, they control the structure north and south and deny generating revenue through oil. >> in meetings this week, it was stressed that iraqi forces battling i.s.i.l. must be multicultural and report to baghdad. >> we support forces under the command and control of the iraqi government irrespective of their sectarian make-up, which is the whole point. the way things got, the way they did in iraq is the collapse of a multi-sectarian approach. >> and in the speech in washington al-abadi called it an offensive to get everyone to fight together. >> in many ways the victory of tikrit shows how the rest will be helped and how federal and local forces work together to ensure the safe return of people to their homes. >> the pentagon says it's investigating reports from some shia militia burnt and looted in tikrit after pushing i.s.i.l. f

above tikrit is baiji. that's where iraq's largest oil refinery is and there has been a bloody type of war for control since june between iraqi forces and isis militants. but iraqi forces at this point, according to officials, this came out today, have reportedly secured the perimeter around the oil reserve so this is a major development. general martin dempsey of course, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said yesterday that baiji is a quote, unquote, strategic target because controlling baiji and the oil refinery means controlling iraq's oil infrastructure to the north and to the south and if isis was to take control of that, that means isis would not only control the flow of oil but also make money a ton of revenue, off of selling that oil and of course, continuing to fund the terror group's operations. julie? >> thank you so much for that report. kelly? >>> meantime, in afghanistan another deadly isis attack taking place there. at least 35 people are dead after a homicide bomber on a motorcycle targ

oil refinery. >> once they have control of baiji, they will control all of their oil infrastructure both north and south and deny isil the ability to generate revenue through oil. >> isis is growing and they are growing ideologically. they are growing in libya in afghanistan. >> reporter: in erbil, an attack that injured one american school teacher, in ra maud deemadi they continued to flee isis as the fighters over take the anbar province capital. >> translator: people continue to flee in droves over the past few twoo days because of fear and panic. >> they have released a couple of names deeming the name to be inappropriate at this time. bret? >> jennifer griffen live at the pentagon, thank you. >>> still ahead, they saw a better life and what they got was no life at all. first, why two supreme court justices are being pressured to sit this one out. >>> now to an unusual story, two supreme court justices are being asked to remove themselves from debate over a highly controversial issue. correspondent shannon bream is us who and why. >> there are appeals to ginsburg and kagan calli

if it's going along to baiji and i.s.i.l. can they do it without u.s. aid. >> that was part of prime minister haider al-abadi's objective to get the aid with deferred payment plan. his argument is you can see where we are. we had a responsible budget and all of a sudden the bottom falls out of oil, we no longer have the prices. oil will not stay at $50 forever, we are good for it at long term. that's the argument. it's unclear where it will go from here. >> what about the role of iran. the president warned iranians that fighters have to report the sovereignty and obey baghdad. you have been in iraq. is iran running the war in iraq when it comes to combat troops? >> it's too strong to say they are running it. iran has made a lot of hay with the situation in iraq, it was incumbent on the united states to contest iran for the influence. the iranians have influence. the united states needs to fight the iranians not in a literal sense, we don't need to blow up the iranians but contest the iranians. >> i am sure you see reports on how shia militias have taken

they targeted positions around both baiji and ramadi. norah. >> thank you. >>> doctors have a new tool against heart failure. the fda has approved its first new drug in ten years for those affecting 5 million women. dr. tara narula is with us this morning. good morning. >> good morning. >> how does this drug affect humans? >> it's a pill to be taken twice a day. basically what it does is target the heart rate. we know patients with heart rate don't do well when their heart rate climbs. it slows the heart down as much as 15 points. the reason this is nice is the other drugs, the standard ones we have for heart failure, in addition to slowing the heart rate, it drops the blood pressure. so it's meant to essentially be added to the regimen, not to replace it. >> do you think there are any side effects to this? >> certainly there are side effects studies have shone. they're low. first is break card ya and defibrillation irregular heart rate and heart failure. >> will you prescribe it? >> absolutely. it can decrease a chance for a heart attac

oil refinery. >> once they have control of baiji, they will control all of their oil infrastructure both north and south and deny isil the ability to generate revenue through oil. >> isis is growing and they are growing ideologically. they are growing in libya in afghanistan. >> reporter: in erbil, an attack that injured one american school teacher, in ra maud deemadi they continued to flee isis as the fighters over take the anbar province capital. >> translator: people continue to flee in droves over the past few twoo days because of fear and panic. >> they have released a couple of names deeming the name to be inappropriate at this time. bret? >> jennifer griffen live at the pentagon, thank you. >>> still ahead, they saw a better life and what they got was no life at all. first, why two supreme court justices are being pressured to sit this one out. people ship all kinds of things. but what if that thing is a few hundred thousand doses of flu vaccine. that need to be kept at 41 degrees. while being shipped to a country where it's 90 degrees. in the shade. sound hard? yeah. does th

footage from the iraqi ministry of defense showing how they're airlifting supplies and assistance to baiji, that's the sprawling refinery compound in the north of iraq, where isis seemed to have captured some areas around the perimeter of that very important economic, strategic target. we're getting reports that both sunni and shiite militias are moving there in an effort to try to clear out that area. but in fact, in the last week, isis have succeeded in making a push into baiji, and they've also succeeded into making a push into ramadi. that town that is only about an hour's drive, some 70 miles west of baghdad. a push that led the city leaders there to make panicked appeals to the iraqi governments for marine forcements. we're starting to hear that some of those reinforcements are starting to arrive. but what it does show despite an injection of a sift france a u.s.-led coalition from powerful allies like iran to the iraqi government security forces, you're still seeing that isis are allowed to not only hold on to some territory, but also make advances. and it just shows what a difficul

baiji is the target. >> iraqi security forces were aided by coalition airstrikes.st nine days the coalition conducted 47 airstrikes in and around baiji according to a coalition statement which clearly made all the difference. from the military perspective iraqis are back in control but there are some isis fighters we're told still believed to be in the complex. bill: we're hearing a about a development in the case after car bombing that took place near the u.s. con so you late in northern iraq. what happened there jennifer? >> reporter: bill we're learning despite initial indications no americans were killed or injured in the attack a popular american teacher in his mid 30s was wounded in the car bombing. today the kurdish government issued a statement indicating that it arrested perpetrator of the attack. the kurds have not identify the suspect. isis got within 20 miles of erbil back in august. until united states got involved pushing isis back from the kurdish capital. bill: jennifer griffin from the pentagon. thank you. martha: presidential hopefuls set their si

further north near baiji, isis fighters have also broken into iraq's largest oil refinery. iraqi officials say there is fighting inside this facility. the pentagon recently claimed that u.s.-led air strikes and iraqi ground forces have made significant progress recapturing the city of tikrit and retaking more than a quarter of the territory seized by isis in iraq last year. u.s. air strikes on tuesday and wednesday targeted isis positions around both baiji and ramadi. norah? >> holly williams in istanbul thank you. >>> doctors have a new tool in the fight against heart failure. the fda has approved a new drug for the condition affecting five million americans. taraer in er in runauru la is a cardiologist. how is this different? >> this targets patients with systolic heart failure. it's an oral pill to be taken twice a day and it targets the heart rate. we know patients with heart failure don't do well when their heart rates climb so this drug specifically targets the pacemaker cells in the heart, the ones that produce the heart beat to slow them down as much as 15 points. t

in baiji, told the refinery itself remains under iraqi control but isis penetrated the perimeter.he kind of back and forth war you're coming into now. yes, got back tikrit took a long battle. ramadi has been contested for months. just as isis hasn't been aible to control it it's not like iraqi forces have been able to control it either. a constant back foornlgd. >> and now news from erbil. horrifying stuff. appreciate it. >>> turn to the politics lead now where foreign policy especially isis said to play a rather dramatic role for the 2016 candidates. right now new hampshire voters are getting their first listen to republicans who want to win the white house. no fewer than 19 republican potential hopefuls are making their way through the granite state. 19 for the national republican leadership summit. mike huckabee has not strummed in yet, making announcement tonight and jeb bush from florida already up there doing the best he can to avoid questions how he might be different from his brother, the former president. athena jones in new hampshire. what did governor bush have to say w

. >> once the iraqis have control of budget yi of baiji, they control the structure north and south and deny generating revenue through >>> defense secretary ash carter stressed that iraqi forces battling i.s.i.l. must be multicultural and report only to baghdad. >> we support forces under the command and control of the iraqi government, irrespective of their sectarian make-up, which is the whole point. the way things got, the way they did in iraq is the collapse of a multi sectarian approach. >> reporter: in a speech in washington. the tikrit offense is was called a model. >> >> in many ways, the victory of tikrit shows how the rest will be helped and how federal and local forces work together to ensure the safe return of people to their homes. >> the pentagon says it's investigating reports from some after pushing i.s.i.l. forces out. >>> jamie mcintyre at the pentagon. a grim reminder of the toll from syria's 4-year civil war. the syrian observatory for human rights says 220,000 people have died in the conflict. more than 67,000 were civilians, 11,000 were children. . >> the dead inc

that isis portrayed when it moved into iraq's largest oil refine you were talking about earlier in baiji, managing to penetrate those defenses and the fighting there is still ongoing, erin. all right, arwa damon, thank you very much. ar arwa and her fearless reporting on the ground. i want to go to jim sciutto in washington. dempsey spoke at his first press conference. you heard arwa in iraq give a very different readout of the situation on the ground right? she said they have made significant gains in al anbar province, she is talking about isis how important ramadi is a very different message than we are getting today from the defense department and the president. >> no question jeep dempsey secretary carter said today is that the trend line is positive. they will cite successes like taking back tikrit say they are making a big effort in concentrating forces to preserve the baiji oil field, which is critical, where ramadi is not. it is difficult to gloss over the loss of the largest city in the anbar province ramadi, and particularly in impression and to echo arwa's point of a shiite-d

baiji is one of the primary refinery and distribution facilities.' perspective, holding territory. they want that facility. the isf, the iraqi security forces need to get them out of there. >> general marks, thanks for coming in to us on a saturday morning. see you again soon. >> we want to talk a little more about the suicide car bomb attack at the u.s. consulate in erbil. for that we want to go to mitch pethero a bureau chief of mcclatchy newspapers in erbil. what can you tell us? what have you learned more at this point about this blast. >> kurdish security officials ways talking to have revised the timeline of what happened last night. it was around 5:40 p.m. the bomb did go off directly outside the pedestrian entrance for the u.s. consulate in erbil. at the time they were saying it was three bombers in a car trying to mount an operation. now they've revised that saying it was one bomb anywhere a car and two of the dead they thought were part of the operation were in fact were just innocent passersby. and we've had an announcement from the turki

. >> he says the most important battle is around the city of baiji to the north an oil rich region that includes a major refinery. he said that is a far more strategic prize and where the focus is now. >> once the iraqis have full control of baiji, they will control over the oil infra infrastructure and deny isil the ability to generate revenue through ail. meeting with prime ministerial abad di, he stressed that forces must be multi-cultural and report only to baghdad. >> we support forces under the command and control of the iraqi government irrespective of their sectarian makeup, which is the whole point. the way things got the way they did in iraq is the collapse of a multi-as hesectarian approach. >> in a speech,al abadi called it a model to fight with soldiers getting together. >> federal and local forces can work together. >> al jazeera, the pentagon. >> al-qaeda is taking advantage of the war between houthis and government forces in yemen taking control of an airport oil terminal and military base in the south. the fighting is happening as the united nations lines up a new speci

the refinery in baiji is the largest in iraq.ound forces today pushing into the facility and securing the perimeter amid heavy clashes with isis militants. hello, everyone. welcome to a brand new hour of america's news headquarters. >> this comes as isis militants launch a rare attack in erbil, detonating a car bomb outside the u.s. consulate there and killing three people. john huddy joins us with the very latest.

also isis is attacking a top oil city of baiji. it's a more strategic target. gregg: what is the pentagon trying to do to protect this oil-rich town? >> reporter: u.s. aircraft conducted five airstrikes in the city and destroyed owl five targets. iraqi fighters managed to repel the bulk of the attack, then they got some help from above. there were airstrike that took out one tactical unit. there have been big question on capitol hill about how much help these airstrikes are. a lot of these airplanes aren't dropping bombs. >> right now in our airstrike in iraq and syria. of the 12,000 sort why sorties 3,000 drop weapons. is that true? >> that's about right. >> reporter: . they are outlining a strategy that gives the iraqis control. >> we are talking about having our people more engaged in helping the iraqis fight the fight. directing the targets. helping access -- their access on the ground in terms of their movement. >> reporter: we are still keeping an eye on ramadi. ramadi. citizens are fleeing towns so quickly it looks like i-95 on memorial day weekend. peop

soviet union thaiunni that have to be part of this fight if we ever expect to defeat them. >> the baiji oil refinery is more important strategically than ramadi. the point he was trying to make. when i heard that my ears perked up as well. >> does it mean that we have to spend -- we have only the assets to defend the oil refinery and not worry about the capital of anbar province? if it falls to isis what effect do you think that has on the sunni population that we allow their capital to fall and that a refinery is more important? in some ways you might make that argument but what do you think it does to the desire of the sunni who we have to have to fight against isis when they are portrayed by the top military leader in the united states as of secondary importance and what does this mean when the chairman says not part of the caliphate? does that mean he recognized a caliphate? i certainly don't. >> let me move to an issue closer at home senator. i have the confirmation of president obama's nominee to become the next attorney general top replace lynch. the senate will vote soon, maybe

this was not only important for iraq, baiji was also in on that.at city. at its peak it can produce 15 million to 18 million barrels of oil a month which is certainly needed by the iraqi government as it attempts to stand up. but the other important piece, if it does fall to isis, they have that oil revenue. and what we're trying to do is starve isis of all of their monetary revenue so they can't pay their fighters. they can't do the types of things they're doing. so that baiji oil refinery is say strategic target for both sides. iraq needs to maintain security of that facility. and isis desperately wants to gain control of it. i think general dempsey mentioned this, there are targets it's an ebb and flow. there are some cities that are going to be fought over. and it's going to be definitely a considerable fight in ramadi, in fallujah and other cities as well. really, baiji say strategic target and must be defended. >> thank you so much, general mark hertling, good to have you here. >>> president obama is slamming the senate calling the refusal to

targets various cities including mosul and baiji, hit in nine attacks. five were carried out near the northern border town of kobani as well as the town of haskah. >>> fighters from islamic state of iraq and levant have taken over more of the yarmouk refugee camp. the camp is home to many refugees who have been there since 1957. i.s.i.l. controls most of the area and are supported from rival armed group al nusra front. stefanie dekker has more. >> reporter: it's a fight they are losing. the palestinian group has been fighting i.s.i.l. over the past few days in the yarmouk camp. i.s.i.l. controls most of it. in a twist, there's reports that i.s.i.l. fighters are supported by the al qaeda-affiliated al nusra front. they do not like each other. but it appears they are working toots to try to take control in yarmouk. . >> translation: it was an agreement under the table between al nusra front and i.s.i.l. many were shocked. al nusra front released a statement claiming they were neutral. in reality it is not true. they have several check points. i.s.i.l. came

that are out of the control of the iraqi government, like you would see around the oil refinery in baijind ramadi. >> a long protracted battle. appreciate your update from erbil. >> always a pleasure. >> thank you. >>> we want to bring you breaking news just in to cnn. there are reports that a migrant boat has capsized off the coast of libya. officials in malta say that boat capsized overnight with as many as 650 migrants on board. malta's local newspaper reports at least two dozen people have been rescued. so far. the italian coast guard is handling the rescue operation. we are joined now from rome with the latest. in terms of what transpired here, i understand there was a merchant vessel in the area and it was able to rescue these people. but there are reports that they had seen bodies in the ocean. what more can you tell us about that? >> the operation going on right now, coasted guard told cnn they can confirm several bodies have been pulled from the water, several victims have been pulled from the water. 28 people they have rescued so far. several merchant ships involved in the oper

the javan tigers won't either, just as the baiji river dolphin will never grace our waters. saving these rhinos and other animals from extinction isn't about cute animals or tree hugging. biodiversity is considered crucial to human health, from medical implications to providing food to air and water purification. the list goes on, and the world wildlife fund says half of the earth's wildlife has been lost in the past 40 years. as harvard university professor edward wilson says about ants, we need them to survive, but they don't need us at all. the correct answer to the "gps" challenge question is, b. all four presidents listed were former secretaries of state, but james buchanan was the last one taking office in 1857. if hillary clinton takes office in 2017, 160 years after buchanan, she will be the seventh secretary of state to do so. thomas jefferson, the country's first secretary of state, became america's third president, and the one not mentioned so far was james monroe. thanks to all of you for being part of my program this week. i will see you next week. >>> good morn

the military said it is battling fighters inside the facility in the northern city of beige baiji. we have this report. >> on the outskirts of the refinery the war is not over. the target is isil fighters inside this sprawling energy complex. plumes of smoke arise from a distance while the fighting continues. these iraqi special forces backed by shia paramilitaries of part of the government's reinforcements after isil stormed parts of the refinery last week. the plan is to attack from three directions. on the western front these men need to clear the surrounding areas. while hitting isil positions. >> we're in the third front for beige eye refinery. we're trying to clear and control parts of it. we've been attacked by isil but our forces are advancing. >> security source the in the area suggest there are isil fighters still inside the refinery. the u.s. led coalition said army forces are now in full control of the refinery and are fort filing defense positions. they describe isil's latest in fill reaction as an families to boost its on line propaganda, but it proves the group is st

three villages near ramadi province, and the attempts to liberate anbar province, and the town of baiji before taking over mosul. iraqi forces are making gains despite isil's offensive. >> they are making gains with more territory and advancing further. more have been set and soldiers are ready to fight. but isil is holding tight. town's center is in, behind the lines is the battle front. jets from the u.s.-led coalition have carried out multiple airstrikes. the commander in charge of these men says that the plan is on track. >> our troops now are here, and we finished the first phase. we advanced four kilometers have from north to south. and now we're preparing to storm the city center. >> but more than 75% of anbar province is under isil control. it's fighters are entrenched and bombs, and houses are booby trapped with explosives. isil is also expanding control sweeping through more areas in the northeast of the prop visual capital. most of hamadi is now under isil control. the head of the professional council said that the iraqi army needs help. >> the battle is very big. the arrival

we are that many months later, and the iraqi military still can't hold ground it takes whether in baiji or ramadi or to protect in kurdistan from advances there. so it really does raise questions about how much of an effect the u.s. has been able to have on the shia, muslims in baghdad, the central government, and their able to unify the country against isis. >> you know when we got the new administration over there it was the hope of our administration that -- the stated hope there would be unity very quickly all would seem to have place because that's the only way it will work. and, chris, frankly, we haven't seen that. not in -- not widespread areas across the country, and you feel like these generals know at some point this country is going to have to be broken up. you wonder why they don't just redraw the lines right now to try to tamp 0 some of this down. >> reporter: i'm not sure i'm going to go that far but i certainly agree with you that we haven't seen that. the key to the iraq surge in 2007 and 2008 was when the sunni arabs turned on iraq. thesauri kawhi forces and that was t

assaulting the baiji refinery. this is a key piece of infrastructure there. and carrying out or claiming to carry out an attack on the coastal u.s. consulate in erbil, which we know is one of the most secure places in iraq. is the u.s. losing the war against ice snis. >> first, as you know my son fought in ramadi as a marine and enlisted rifleman. i was in afghanistan as an embed journalist in '04. >> a lot of americans died in ramadi. 75 any two-month period. >> my son was there '06-07 was a lot of very heavy fighting. we have to look at the conflicts in iraq and elsewhere in the region through the sunni-shia eye as well as simply the american perspective eye. and we need to get the countries on the ground over there to step up and help sort this out. i wouldn't say the united states is losing over there, but you are seeing a continuation from the sectarian violence that began when we invaded and then from the arab spring which threw everything up in the air again. >> is the coalition losing? doesn't sound like they're winning based on that. >> i think clear

. >>> this morning iraq's military says it has taken two key towns outside of the baiji area. 160 militantsere killed in the fight. the extremist group released a group that appears to show fighters on the attack inside the facility. its loss would be a major blow. it shows them firing into the building. u.s. officials warn that isis may be close ta taking over the city of rah ma d despite the u.s. air strikes going on over there. >> those gains come as the prime minister was in washington. they're working behind the scenes against air strikes. a coalition is bombing rebels backed by iran. >> this is an intense conflict. it doesn't help if you start bombarding that country. does it reduce or increase it? it's quite obvious it still increases it. >> so you don't believe the saudi air strikes helped yemen at all. >> not at all. it increased it. >> they shouldn't be doing it. >> yes i think they shourd. >> abadi refers to isis by its acronym da'esh. he supports being inside but not supporting troops. >> if you drive da'esh out of iraq, is iran going to have more influence than the united state

territory it once controlled in the north of the country including the contested cities of tikrit and baiji who's oil refinery is under government control. both are key cities on the road to mosul. >> four american security contractors who worked in iraq were convicted of killing 17 civilians in 2007 and were and. we have more. >> three of them were handled 30 year sentences another will spend the rest of his life in prison. although all four had cleans records before the shootings the judge said he needed to send a message because of the severe nature of the crime and large number of victims. >> in 2007, one of the mostly notorious incidents of the iraq war era took place, 14 iraqi civilians killed in a traffic circle in baghdad shot to death by four americans working on behalf of the state department for the private security firm black water. nicholas slat to know, a former army sniper from tennessee was found guilty of first degree murder last october now sentenced to life in prison for firing the opening shots. the other three dustin herd of tennessee, evan liberty and paul slaw were gi

when i look at this when i see the skirmishes in baiji and ra mode ma /* -- ramadi.e can attack ate and place of our choosing. >> absolutely. the peshmurga the kurdish fighters have done a good job. you look at mosul into irbil and kirkuk. they call it the green line. they have established that security zone in the green line. right now what the iraqi and kurds have done is isolated isis in mosul. isolated them. because what i believe now is the next main effort moves up to anbar, once anbar, ramadi all the way out west are taken, then we turn our attention to irbil. >> can i ask a question have you this map fought inside iraq with isis and iraq is the home the birthplace of isis what about what is going on with isis beheading these christians there in libya, how is what is happening in iraq affect what is going on wellioened the borders? >> what libya becomes is that safe haven for isis other terrorist groups. i see libya right now is what afghanistan looked like pre9-11. it's just lawlessness, whoever the most power player can get in there and brings the money. the

. >> this morning, iraq's military says it has retaken two key towns outside the baiji oil facility from isis. that's a major refinery north of baghdad. an official says at least 160 militants were killed in the fight. the extremist group released a video that appears to show fighters on the attack inside the oil facility. its loss would be a major blow. the video shows militants firing heavy weapons into the refinery. abandoned iraqi military vehicles burn nearby and officials warn isis may be close to taking over the city of ramadi to fight those u.s. air strikes going on there. >>> those gains by isis come as iraq's prime minister wrapped up his first official visit to the white house. last night, i sat down with hider al abad diin washington and asked about reports he's working against the scene of coalition air strikes in yemen bombing rebels backed by iran. it doesn't help if you start bombarding that country. does it reduce the regional involvement in the country or increase it? it's obvious it will increase. >> it so you don't believe the saudi air strikes help the situation in y

what the chairman was saying you have strategic assets like the baiji oil refinery we've supported iraqi security forces in taking and holding and have a concern about ramadi. that's why we're taking actions through air strikes in vicinity of both of these places and working with iraqi security forces to provide them with additional support, and i think what we see now wolf is isil having been pushed ouch out of tikrit and put on defensive seeking to see it can go in offensive in other areas and we have positive respond. >> isis is moving in the city of ramadi. so many american lives lost there when the u.s. was involved in that war after 2003 and 2005 and 2007. why isn't the iraqi military after all of these years, more than a decade hundreds of billions of dollars the u.s. poured in there, left behind the most sophisticated weapons for them. why isn't the iraqi military capable of protecting their own people? >> well, wolf, remember ramadi is in that area of anbar province in western iraq eisele has been very active several months now. posing a threat to ramadi as they've been able to

morning shows iraqi air force planes dropping military supplies to troops in the northern city of baijis located on the main road to mosul. the refinery has remained under government control. but militants are surrounding the entire complex preventing access to iraqi forces. right now troops, backed by shi-ite militias and coalition airstrikes are gradually pushing their offensive north to secure the rest of the province. >> marty:coming up on kron 4 news tours to catching a styx concert. we've got some getaway. coast. female announcer: get on board for better sleep! it's sleep train's interest free for 3 event! get three years interest-free financing on beautyrest black, stearns & foster serta icomfort even tempur-pedic. plus, get free delivery, and sleep train's 100-day low price guarantee. you'll never find an interest rate lower than sleep train's interest free for 3 event, on now! ...guaranteed! ♪ sleep train ♪ ♪ your ticket to a better night's sleep ♪ >> reporter: fog this morning a little hole of the year by the xhosa live shot here long embarcadero 15 but stockton but no when ri

baiji is a more strategic target and that's why the -- >> and what about the threat to the refinery? general dempsey: it's -- it's an extraordinarily large expansive -- expansive facility. and we're focusing in air support there. >> one question after that. >> follow-up question on iraq. the proximity of military personnel to the fighting and if that changed at all. was there any u.s. military controllers or people calling in strikes in tikrit and has the u.s. offered to do that in ramadi? >> first of all, with respect to tikrit and this is through the more general answer to your question, our troops that are there are in a -- the locations that we previously identified. mr. carter: they're there to train, advise and assist. they are not jtaks embedded with iraqi security forces and they were not in tikrit. we were able to be effective in providing air support to iraqi forces because we do have americans in their command centers and practiced the methods by which we would ensure that the targets that were given to us were valid targets, did everything that we usually do to ensure tha