not be silent about erbil.is a base for the islamic state and terrorist organizations. [ technical difficulties ] >> just the latest in a series of attacks in that area, which has forced many people to decide they will be safer elsewhere. >> reporter: it seems that these people were looking for supplies. they came here at night, burned this classroom behind me. they burned several houses as well. they stole food from the stool store, medical supplies, and stole six firearms from guards who were guarding the civilians. there has been massive security operation here in the county. more boots on the ground. the military has been deployed. more police units have been deployed. they have been navigating through the thick forrests looking for the attackers. since the operation began this week, 69 people have been arrested. so you can feel the government presence, but people are still fleeing from their homes. this woman's husband and 12-year-old son was shot at point-blank range. she watched helplessly. the gunmen th

we will not be silent about erbil. it's a base for islamic state and terrorist organizations and those talking about working for unity should stop the criminals. >> we know there has been tensions between baghdad and the kurdish reasons. statements like that will not help to patch things up. >> absolutely not. the kurds have responding strongly to the statement, saying that it's up to them to decide what to do. there has been a surprise in baghdad. i spoke to sunni politicians who are wondering what nouri al-maliki are talking about. none of the groups, the sunni rebels or the islamic state admitted to having forces within erbil or kurdish territories, saying "we are not there." i have spoken to western diplomats and one said something stark, saying "we are as surprised that he wept that far. s" this statement is seen as a thinly veiled threat to kurdistan. saying that kurdistan, and iraq must remain together to fight the threat. everybody within the kurdish territories, within the political scene in the kurdish territ

as a passport holder in erbil, you can lapped in erbil and walk out without a visa. if you are from the arab world, you need a visa. they don't have embassies, but trade officers. it's effectively a different country. there's not much that can be done about this. he has put pressure on him using the budgeted. and withdrawing money that the kurdish people use to make salaries. that angered the kurds. we have the oil, we have a revenue stream, why do we rely on baghdad. >> this is at a time he's facing so many other challenges. imran khan speaking to us from baghdad. >>> fighters from the islamic state are now in control of syria's largest oil field. video on a social media website is showing fighters in control of the oil field. the area used to be the stronghold of al nusra front which is linked to al qaeda. >>> a bomb exploded on a train in alexandria in egypt, on the one year anniversary of the ousting of the mohamed mursi as president. someone had put the bomb under a seat n o the passenger train, in -- seat, on the passenger train, injuring five people. >>> suppo

he left erbil when the, there are not enough toilets. the u.n. figures are quite staggering. violence in iraq has displaced iran 1.2 million people since january. more than half of them came from anbar province. when the islamic state. despite the misery there is time for fun. children do what they know best, cooling down in the scorching heat. they are too young to understand the conflict that surrounds them. maybe next week, things will be better. al jazeera, in a camp south of erbil. >>> they were told repeated throi stay in the sinking ship, they say they had to escape after the cab insz flooded, facing charges ranging from negligence to homicide. more than 300 people died when the ship sank in april. >>> france's foreign minister says the staff on board were told to turn back before all was lost. officials say analyzing the black boxes andks could take weeks. >>> in sudan there is a gold rush underawa underway. the gold rush is unregulated and causing damage to historic sites. are bernard smith reports. >> the ancient town of k-ush, what evidence remains of the kushites.

and those who are talking about working for unity -- [ technical difficulties ] >> here is more from erbil reporter: very strong words from prime minister nouri maliki, directed at kurdish politicians here in erbil. however, the legislatures in the region here, particularly their president reject the claims made by nordy maliki that this is a hub of terrorists or extremism. they say where iraq finds itself now in terms of the sectarian conflict, and the militants that seem to be running riot across several cities, that the reason for the situation is the failure of the prime minister nouri maliki. it was the authoritarian approach that maliki has taken as far as he is concerned that has led to this problem. there was a message directed towards his own people, towards the kurds of iraq, saying it was never his intention to move unilaterally towards independence, and that the decision taken to start preparing for some sort of proposed referendum was done because he was forced to do so, because, he said, that we're seeing an iraq that is splitting up, and increased violence, and animosity tow

zena hoder, erbil. >> state department counselor ernest shannon is meeting. soldier who spent nearly five years as a taliban captive in afghanistan has returned to regular duty. the army says sergeant boarveld is working at -- bowe bergdahl is working at fort sam houston. coming up citigroup admits to lying about the deals that helped spark the great recession. but the bank's punishment may not help people hurt from the fallout. the woman amelia earhart and her trip around the world. >> okay, let's look at the markets here. stocks rose on news of corporate mergers, better than expected earnings from citigroup. the dow gained about 112 points. you can see it there for yourself. the nasdaq and s&p 500 were also higher today. >>> one of the biggest banks in the world will pay a huge fine, citigroup, and the justice department announced a $7 billion settlement today. as part of the agreement the bank admits it down played the risks of subprime mortgages and sold them to mortgages. rosalyn jordan reports. >> $7 billion, that's the cost to citigroup for its role in

outside of erbil. >> the mood is somber. there are no signs of celebrations.e children managed to put on new clothes but for most of the 5,000 displaced who live here it's a sad day. he has two wives and 14 children. he escaped the government bombardment in sala hadeen province. >> we don't have eid, our conditions are very bad. the government has to be just to all people or quit. >> reporter: this is a transit camp between erbil and mosul. it has 1,000 tents. the u.n. council is building a permanent camp not far from here. they are desperate everyone with a story to tell. he left mosul when the islamic state took control in june. >> the conditions are disastrous, no basic needs, can't go back to mosul, i want to leave this country. >> reporter: there is running water some food and aid but there are not enough toilets. the u.n. figures are quite staggering. violence in iraq has displaced about 1.2 million people since january. more than half of them came from anprovince. anprovince -an--anbar province. children do what they do best, cooling down in the scorchi

. >> this is a secure and thriving city, erbil, in the north of the country. it is the capital of what people call kurdistan, a semiautonomous region with its own local government, force and security line separating it from the rest of the country. this is the border? >> yes, this is the border. >> of kurdistan. >> no, now not the border, the security line. it's not the border of kurdistan. >> reporter: all right, security line. this is the lieutenant general, spokesman for the pesh merga. despite the fact that iraq has lost most of the territory to the rebels, the kurdish north is still technically a part of iraq. like most officials, his criticism of the government and armed forces grows by the day. >> translation: i mentioned the main reasons the iraqi army is week. there are splits between the shiites and the kurds. they are used to surrendering. it's like part of the culture and has been like it science the second world war. >> given what has happened in iraq, do you see this as an opportunity for kurdistan to declare independence. >> every nation has tha

he said the city of erbil was becoming a terrorist base. it infuriated many, and a statement was released: jamal is in erbil for us. clearly tense relations between baghdad and the kurdish region, they have been like that for some time, but this statement from nouri al-maliki inflamed the situation. >> indeed. this is probably the most tense relationships have been since the formation of in semiautonomous region, and the taking of office. the comments that you read - he fell short of calling nouri al-maliki crazy by saying he's historical and lost his balance. it goes in line with two other decisions that the government here, local government here have taken. number one - they have suspended all their participation in the ministerial meetings in baghdad. there are several kurdish minister in that government. and, number 2 - this is probably more significant - is that they have ordered not to send oil revenue to baghdad. bear in mind there are several oil-rich cities and production bases in the kurdish region. withholding the money from iraq

well the sunni tribal groups that are based in erbil. they have long been very critical against prime minister maliki. if you want to win against the rebels you need to enlist the help of the sunni shakes who command a number of fighters. they say they won't help until maliki goes. and they say he is directly to blame for the crisis that iraq faces right now. it's likely to be aimed at them. also, this is likely to be aimed at the kurds as well, because they pursued a policy of looking at least at a referendum for independence. now prime minister nouri maliki and the kurdish president used to be very good friends. they fought against saddam hussein together. but their relationship has deteriorated as of late. these words are perhaps stronger than we have heard before. >> outsourcing it making it tougher these days to find a job, but one area is bouncing back. >>> and washington has program in place to help americans in need, but wait until you hear how much they having spent on people who didn't deserve. >>> the government says it paid o

. >>> and drew simmons from erbil in the north of iraq. how relevant is this dispute with all that's going on in the country and the sunni military offensive saz you put it out there, this is a dispute that isn't new. never before has it been so relevant with the central government in such a difficult position now militarily with the sunni uprising and the islamic state making some gains, it needs an economic situation that's more stable and, of course, there are millions and millions of dollars going out of the central reserves being brought in to kurdstan by these oil dealsistan by these oil deals. as far as kurdistan is concerned, it made gains because of this offensive, in the kirkuk area especially where there are a lot of oil fields and a lot of profits to be made. so what's happening now is that kurdistan is trying to work out what to do with the situation. the tanker, which has something like $100 million worth of crude oil on board isn't in u.s. territorial waters. it's in international waters. it's unclear about what action may b

. >>> i'm here in central erbil. in front of the citadel. how do you think about the possibilities of kurdistan gaining its independence? >> we want independence from iraq. >> reporter: while erbil is peaceful the effects of war are still felt every day. >> reporter: so how long have you been waiting for gas? >> eight. >> reporter: you've been waiting for eight hours since 2:00 a.m? >> yes. >> reporter: lines of cars stretch for miles, as people wait for rationed gasoline in one of the most oil-rich areas of the world. people can only fill up half of their tank with the allocated amount of gas. they are going to park their cars and do there all again tomorrow. -- do this all again tomorrow. >> so some people don't even have any gas left. have to push their cars the buyer way through the line. there are high hopes among the kurds that this will all be over. during the turmoil, kurdish peshmerga force he, we went there to see how the kurdish fighters are digging through their territory and have no plans to let it go. we just passed the securit

let's go to our correspondent in erbil - no, the attack on the convoy, first. tell us what happened and who may be responsible? >> we don't know who is responsible. we do know it took place north of baghdad in a town called tajjy. the death toll is 60, some say up to 63 of the inmates, including soldiers. their convoy was attacked by a series of i.e.d.s. then opening fire from the side road, some sort of an ambush, if you will. there's no claim of responsibility yet. >> and politically, ban ki-moon is in the region to put pressure on the government in baghdad to hurry up and come up with a new inclusive government. >> yes, that's right. now, ban ki-moon met with prime minister nouri al-maliki, and met with the speaker of the iraqi parliament as well as the acting foreign minister, trying to put pressure on iraqi leaders and the prime minister, but prime minister nouri al-maliki remains defiant, not only now, but before when president obama had made similar remarks with regards to nouri al-maliki, with regards to the iraqi leaders, that they need to sit together

jamal talking to us from erbil. >>> japan announces that it will ease some sanctions against north koreain exchange for the reopening of an investigation into the disappearance of japanese citizens during the cold war. >> reporter: it's an issue causing a rift between the two countries for decades, the disappearance of a doze in, maybe more japanese citizens. no one knows the exact number or what happens to them, but tokyo wants to find out. in 2002, after years of denial. north korea admits it kidnapped japanese people to train as spice. it returned five, but tokyo wants to know the fate of the others. new reports suggest some are alive. >> translation: in terms of missile development for nuclear development the stance is to try to solve all of that, that has not changed. the other issue is a serious human rights issue. >> the two sides met in beijing for talks about reopening an investigation into the abduction earlier this week. a step which has been promised and reneged pon. this time japan's government, pyongyang, would follow through. >> translation: as a result of the japan-north

i arrived in erbil on june 7th and i'll begin there. in meetings with local officials from mosul and kurdish officials on june 7th, we received early indications that isl was moving in force from syria into iraq and staging forces in western mosul. we immediately asked and received permission from kurdish leaders to deploy peshmerga forces on the eastern side of the city, but the government of baghdad did not share the same sense of urgency and refused the deployments. iraqi military commanders promised to send nine brigades of force to mosul in response to our warnings, we stressed however that the forces might not arrive in time. on june 9th, the situation remained extremely tense, and we continued to urge the immediate deployment of additional security forces to protect against an isl attack from west to east. in the early hours of june 10th, isl launched a complex suicide bomb attack against a strategic bridge and poured forces into the eastern part of the city. iraqi resistance collapsed, which led to a panic and snowballing effect

i arrived in erbil on june 7th and i'll begin there. in meetings with local officials from mosul and kurdish officials on june 7th, we received early indications that isl was moving in force from syria into iraq and staging forces in western mosul. we immediately asked and received permission from kurdish leaders to deploy peshmerga forces on the eastern side of the city, but the government of baghdad did not share the same sense of urgency and refused the deployments. iraqi military commanders promised to send nine brigades of force to mosul in response to our warnings, we stressed however that the forces might not arrive in time. on june 9th, the situation remained extremely tense, and we continued to urge the immediate deployment of additional security forces to protect against an isl attack from west to east. in the early hours of june 10th, isl launched a complex suicide bomb attack against a strategic bridge and poured forces into the eastern part of the city. iraqi resistance collapsed, which led to a panic and snowballing effect

here is for from erbil. >>> he was an ethnic kurd.is a kurdish politician involved in the kurdish movement since [ inaudible ]. now they have 15 days to nominate a prime minister, and this is a challenge, because all iraqis could not agree on who to nominate for the prime minister's post. the outgoing prime minister maliki is keen to secure a third term, although his opponents are calling on him to step down to allow the formation of an ininclusive government. ba bank ky moon called for them to meet the needs of all iraqis. >> more to come in this hour. they are facing a police crackdown, but mexico's black market workers say it's the only way they can make a living. >>> and meeting skenya's entrepreneurs. how any -- the government is trying to create new jobs. >> it's a chilling and draconian sentence... it simply cannot stand. >> its disgraceful... the only crime they really committed is journalism... >> they are truth seekers... >> all they really wanna do is find out what's happening, so they can tell people... >> governments arou

sponsons and on this particular day the blackhawks were going about one hundred miles to the town of erbil inside deep inside northern iraq and so they attached external fuel tanks to the blackhawks and these little wings and that changed the shape. what shapes what we see every day it's largely shaped by our expectations. by what we want to see what we expect to see and also then the ultimate you know sort of the physical stimulus that actually enters or i so it was a very ambiguous stimulus the speed the distance and everything camouflage in a very strong set of expectations the visual identification pads have of the intersection of a strong set of expectations possibly a little desire to maybe see an enemy aircraft and a very ambiguous stimulus that actually came in the eyes of what we do as humans we fill in the blanks. and then finally both shooter and target aircraft were quipped with. a specially designed electronic equipment something we call. a den a five friend or foe and this is equipment designed specifically to prevent this type of accident remember so how in the world could t

sponsons and on this particular day the blackhawks were going about one hundred miles to the town of erbil inside deep inside northern iraq and so they attached extra fuel tanks to the blackhawks and these little wings and that changed the shape what shapes what we see every day it's largely shaped by our expectations. by what we want to see what we expect to see and also then the ultimate you know sort of the physical stimulus that actually enters or i so it was a very ambiguous stimulus the speed the distance and everything camouflage and a very strong set of expectations the visual identification has happened the intersection of a strong set of expectations possibly a little desire to maybe see an enemy aircraft and.

i arrived in erbil on june 7th and i'll begin there. in meetings with local officials from mosul and kurdish officials on june 7th, we received early indications that isl was moving in force from syria into iraq and staging forces in western mosul. we immediately asked and received permission from kurdish leaders to deploy peshmerga forces on the eastern side of the city, but the government of baghdad did not share the same sense of urgency and refused the deployments. iraqi military commanders promised to send nine brigades of force to mosul in response to our warnings, we stressed however that the forces might not arrive in time. on june 9th, the situation remained extremely tense, and we continued to urge the immediate deployment of additional security forces to protect against an isl attack from west to east. in the early hours of june 10th, isl launched a complex suicide bomb attack against a strategic bridge and poured forces into the eastern part of the city. iraqi resistance collapsed, which led to a panic and snowballing effect

sponsons and on this particular day the blackhawks are going about one hundred miles to the town of erbil inside deep inside northern iraq and so they attached extra fuel tanks to the blackhawks and these little wings and that change the shape which.

why then are folks like former microsoft ceo, found erbil gates -- bill gates calling for a unlimited number of high-tech guest worker visa, when microsoft itself have month, slashed 18,000 jobs from its workforce. another "usa today" op ed, a group of university professors led by howard university process proes es es from or wrote, as long time researchs of stem workforce, and immigration issue who have sep rah atry done anal ses on the issues -- separately done an alcees on the issue, we feel compelled to report that none of us, none of us. has been able to find any credible evidence to support the i-t industry's assersions of labor shortages. our only hope, in high opinion is that our elected representatives in washington are listening, i hope you are making them listen to your voice. and hope they awaken to the agendav this administration and much of our establishment in this country. and i hope that you will refuse to be aligned with and i hope those elected officials will refuse to be aligned with, any part of the per fed that' perfis being perpetrateed on all of american, presi

. >>> i spoke to a political analyst from erbil. i asked how the president's call for full independence in kurdistan is being received on the ground. >> people are generally excited about the idea. kurds has long been oppressed during the saddam hussein era, and after 2003 they helped the americans to rebuild iraq and train a new iraq in the home for democracy and federalism and autonomy for kurds. what people usually say is they are disappointed of the process, and the withdrawal of the u.s. forces in 2011. the whole thing was changed. the government started to marginalise sunnis and kurds, and the policy of centralizing started again. kurds are generally looking forward to being separated from iraq. for them separation is not just a dream or a nagsististic aspire -- nationalistic operation, it's a tool of survival. >> you mentioned 2003 and 2005. this is it not the first time kurds have had a referendum. why should we take it more serious now? >> before there was a standing iraqi army, a u.s.-trained army on the border on the sout

we watched as 90% of the town's residents fled to erbil. killing christians and burning churches.two days later, we drove to kirkush as a few brave residents were starting to trickle back home. >> right now we're heading to the village, they're not allowing a lot of people in, we have a military escort, to get a peek into how this place looks like right now. as we're driving around it looks pretty much abandoned. >> there's one foot here the door is a little bit crushed. >> emir is returning to kirkush for the first time. you can see just looking at this car it's covered in shrapnel marks. if you look over here the entire wall is covered in shrapnel. this would have bean really bad place to be. emir said at least eight more tard wer mortarswere launched into kirkush. >> the mark here just sprayed all of the houses. a couple of the glass windows have been hit. >> look here. >> reporter: it's gone right through gate. >> we don't have water o or electricity. we are afraid but we have faith to god that he will never forget us. we are proud of being christian. >> proud of being christi

the kurdish representatives scheduled to fly to baghdad from erbil couldn't make it because of a sandstormthe parliament may have made a key step forward. representatives agreed on a new speaker of the house. once filled the iraq constitution says the parliament has 45 days to select a prime minister. the group calling themselves the islamic state is making gains. they claim to have taken a town 70 miles from baghdad. they claim to a taken over part of baiji refinery. it has not been confirmed. >> both afghani presidential candidates agreed to a revote. secretary of state john kerry brokered the deal after there was deadlock over the results. jennifer glasse reports from kabul. >> reporter: the breakthrough africans waited for. abdullah abdullah and ashraf ghani - after weeks of stalemate - timely in agreement on a process to evaluate the vote to decide the next president. in kabul's old city, the effect was almost immediate. prices dropped a fraction, and the afghan currency strengthened against the dollar. the shopkeeper says people are more confident. now that there's a political soluti

in the town of erbil hundreds took to the streets in protest. omar al saleh reports. [ chanting ] >> reporter: they want everywhere to know about the misery of their fellow christians in mosul. >> they want protection. the banners they carry say it all. >> we came out to say we christians must live in dignity or freedom, or die while trying. >> we are the people of peace and the original inhabitants. we lived in peace for years with muslims without problems. yes to peace, no to terrorism. >> this march is heading towards u.s. headquarters. organizers demand application. community leaders say 1,000 christian families left mosul since last week and describe the targetting of christians as a crime against humanity. >> the group gave them three options, convert to islam, pay tax or be killed. property was confiscated. this letter in red refers to the arabic word meaning criton. the writing in -- christian, they in black means "property of the islamic state", leaders met to discuss the latest crisis, voicing shock and fear. >> we are saddened, concer

we have this report from erbil. >> reporter: these days could be the last for irack to re -- iraq toemain united. it is preparing for a referendum. >> translation: we have suffered a lot as kurds, it's our rights for all states. >> at the kurdish parliament arrangements and technicalities are being worked out. we are going to hold the referendum in the areas that have come upped our control. the second stage we'll decides our futures as an independent nation. the kurdish region remained largely stable. the u.s. operation of iraq in 2003. that's the ability that brought billion. the discovery of oil reserves, start of application and building a pipeline. it has revived kurdish aspirations. kurds made gains in june. after collapsing after a light assault. kurdish forces moved into control all the areas it had disputes with the central government in baghdad. they controlled the oil city of kirkuk, including oil fields. the kurtish region exports between 100,000 and 150,000 barrels, and hopes to reach half a million by the end of 2014 and plans to increase production further. that would

peace for years, but never before has the fragmentation of the country been so clear, zena hoder, erbil. >> several meetings in vienna and one to finalize a long term deal in a week. negotiators say they have reached are few agreements. >>> the u.n. is withdrawing its staff from libya because of the worsening security situation. a police officer was killed, three soldiers are missing after an attack on libya's defense ministry. also tripoli's main airport remains shot out. several were killed after armed groups battled for control of the area. and forces loyal to a renegade general have bombed several militia bases, former general launched a major offensive against groups he called terrorists. >>> a court in egypt has ruled politician he who served under former president hosne mo barack's party camubarakcan run. egypt is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections before the end of the year. >>> to support 3 al jazeera staff jailed in egypt. calling on prievmen prments tont to intervene. >> adjournment is not journalit is not terrorism. and yet that is precisely what peter and his colleag

military has now set up a second joint operations center in kurdish erbil to the north deploying an additional 20 u.s. troops. >> none of these troops are per forri i forming combat missions. none will perform combat mission. president obama has been clear that american combat troops will not be fighting in iraq again. >> the iraqi air force claims to have carried out 121 air raids against isis targets in the past 24 hours, whose insurgency appears to have stalled. >> they're stretched now. stretched to control what they have gained and stretched across their logistics lines of communication. >> the chairman said iraq army could protect baghdad but will need outside help to go on the offensive. chris? >> thanks for that. the situation in iraq is unpredictable, but the situation here in washington is not. accusations are flying and fingers are pointing. who's responsible for the possible loss of iraq? and among the critic, one stands out, former vice president dick cheney has launched a new offensive against barack obama and what he calls the collapsing of obama dock trtrine. cheney writes rare

bagdad blames kurdish politicians of working to split the country and turning the city of erbil into base for terrorists. in response the kurdish regional government issued a statement on their website calling short of calling prime minister maliki a mad man. . .. >>> as the political tit-for-tat continued, iraq's deputy prime minister, foreign minister, and health minister say they will not take part in the cabinet sessions. >> translator: we cannot endure any more such behaviors. >> reporter: among the people the division is just as apparent. >> translator: the region was brought [ inaudible ] even the kurdish officials cannot deny such information. >> translator: the occasions made by maliki against self rule in iraq's kurdish region should be based on evidence and proof. >> reporter: iraq's recent history has been defined by decades of authoritarian rule and wars. for me the only thing different is that the country faces a real risk of being carved up. >>> three al jazeera journalists have now spent 195 days in the egyptian prison. they are all falsely accused of helping the outl

we have this report from erbil in the kurdish region. >> reporter: these days could be the last for iraq to remain united. the kurdish region is preparing for a referendum on self-determination. >> translation: we have suffered a lot as kurds. it's already. at the kurdish parliament, arrangements and technicalities are being worked out. >> translation: we'll hold a referendum in areas that have come under our control. and then the second stage - we will decide our future either as an independent nation or part of federal iraq. >> reporter: the kurdish region enjoyed autonomy since 2003. stability brought billions investment, the discovery of large oil reserve, start of oil production and building a pipeline it export oil has revived kurdish aspirations of kurdish independence. they make territorial yans in june -- gains in june when iraqi army collapsed. kurdish forces moved in to control all the areas it had disputes with the central government in baghdad. they controlled the oil city of kirkuk, including the oil fields. >> the kurdish region exports between 100,000 and 150,000 barrels

. >> erbil is peaceful. the effects of war are felt every day. >> how long have you been waiting for gas? >> eight. >> reporter: you've been waitingate hours, since 3am. >> 3am. >> reporter: lines of cars stretch for hours as people wait for gasoline in an oil-rich region of the world. we have been talking to people say they can only fill up about half of their tanks, so they are going to go home, park the cars and come back and do this all again tomorrow. some people don't have gas left, and have to push the cars the entire way through the line. there are high hopes among the kurds that this will be over soon. during the turmoil kurdistan peshmerga seized control of kirkuk. we went to see how the kurdish fighters are digging into the territory, and have no plans to let it go. we passed the security line which, for years, separated the kurdish region from the rest of iraq. we are on our way to kirkuk, which was in the hands of iraqi army up until a few weeks ago. this looks like part of an iraqi army uniform

. >>> i spoke earlier to a political analyst in erbil. i asked how the president's call for the full independence is being received on the ground there? >> people here generally are excited about the idea. kurds have been oppressed during saddam's era. after 2003 they helped the americans to rebuild iraq and train a new iraq in a hope for democracy and federalism and autonomy. what people say is they - they are disappointed of all that process, and the withdrawal of the u.s. forces in 2011. the whole thing brought change, the shia-led government and the prime minister started marginalizing soupies and kurds. the -- sunnis and kurds. the policy of centralizing iraq started again. kurds are looking forward to getting separated from iraq, and now, for them, separation is not just a dream or a nationalistic aspiration, it's a tool of survival. >> you mentioned 2003. looking back to 2005 this is not the first time iraq's kurds demanded the right to a referendum. why she we take the new calls for a referendum now. >> kurds have left -- less cha

that is because, as you say, the kurdish mps were stuck in erbil. they couldn't fly to baghdad. it's been postponed until tuesday. there's a silver lining about all of this. there may be an agreement for dr salem al-bajori to take over. that's a significant room. it ticks in a constitutional process where they are allowed to choose a prime minister by the end of 45 days. we have been here before in iraqi politics. in 2010 it took two months to choose a prime minister. this is the first stage. it looks like that first stage will happen on tuesday, as there is some agreement at least on the choice of the speaker of the house. whilst this is going on, of course, iraq faces its crisis in a town 70 miles outside of baghdad. rebels stay they have taken obvious, and have blown up a bridge. this is 70km outside of baghdad. on a pro-islamic stayed site they say there's a fight to overtake an oil refinery. it's been in rebel or government hands and has been switching hands for a number of weeks. there's a new assault on baiji oil refinery. >>> thank you. in syria the an shept city of alep

. >> reporter: this march is heading towards the un headquarters in erbil.say they demand protection. 1,000 christian families have left mosul since last week. the islamic state group gave them three options, convert to islam, pay tax, or be killed. those who tried to leave were stopped, their money and belongings taken before they were set free. property was confiscated. the writing in black reads propertierty of the islamic state. leaders of various denominations have met to discuss the latest crisis. >> translator: we are saddened, concerned and astonished -- >>> all right. so we now have a press conference -- u.s. secretary of state john kerry getting ready to speak about the latest ceasefire efforts. he is speaking in the egyptian capital of cairo where he has been having meetings with regional leaders, and so we're going to hear a little bit more about plans to bring the fighting in gaza to an end, recent reports suggest that israeli security cabinet after meeting today unanimously rejected the u.s. plans for a truce, but we understand that john kerry

we have this report from erbil on the voibilityy of a -- viability of a possible kurdish state. >> reporter: these could be the last days for iraq to be united. the kurdish region is preparing for a referendum. >> translation: we suffered a lot as kurds, it's our rite for all states. at the kurdish parliament, arrangements and technicalities are being worked out. >> translation: we are going to hold a referendum. we will decide our future either as an independent nation or part of iraq. >> the kurdish reason remains stable and prosperous after the u.s. occupation of iraq in 2003. that stability brought billion of dollars of investment. the discovery of large oil reserves. it's building a plank to exploit oil. kurds make territorial gains in june when iraqi troops collapse after an assault by fighters from the islamic state and sunni rebels on a number of cities and towns. kurdish forces control the oil city of kirkuk and oil foolds. the kurdish region exports between 100,000 and 150,000 barrels of oil every day and hopes to reach half a million a day by the end of 2014, with perhaps to incr

what do you think, erbil? >> shutting all its stores, one week after it was delisted.on is at one location in upper manhattan. hi, mary. >> reporter: hey there, tyler, open war outlets into existing stores are falling. that's did opened its stores in 20303, and went public in 202011. it gave birth to tv shows like "cupcake wars" and other gourmet chains, including magnolia's and melissa's. there were disappointed moments here looking for one last bite, but no-go there. crumbs cakes of course were huge, just about 4 inches high, and a hefty 780 calories each, including flavors apple cobbler and caramel mac ato. it went public in 2011, by merging with a company, lost money every year. after expanding initially, began closing stores last year. this month it defaulted on a loan and now it's out of business. no surprise to bruce benton, who has been tracking the stock. >> i always buy low, sell high, so i was watching it go down, and i was like, how low can it go? >> the firm changed up the original recipe, selling different size cupcakes, look with other treats. recently i

. >> reporter: those travelling from erbil to kirkuk have to cross a check point. it is guarded by the kurdish peshmerga and the iraqi police. there's two authorities, but it's been this way for years. the balance of power seems to be shifting. you needed an iraqi visa to enter kirkuk, outside the autonomous region governed by the kurds. the iraqi police didn't want to let us through. we entered. the kurds have the final say here. >> the oil-rich province has been disputed territory, claimed by baghdad. the kurd no longer feel obliged to april to the central government weakened by a sunni rebellion and plan to hold a referendum for independence. there's opposition, not just from the shia-led government. kirkuk-sunni-arabs say they will not accept a shia led country. >> we want the government in baghdad to lead pour, but don't want iraq to collapse. the kurds don't have the right to decide our fate. >> kirkuk has new borders. the arab stricts are in the hand of kurdish-armed troops. they have been moved to other areas. political leadership makes it clear they have n