. >> that's right, this was a key meeting for haider al-abadi. what was discussed was prime minister haider al-abadi would have been talking about the idea of protecting the shrines here in iraq. these are key shrines. we saw some of them mentioned in my report. they are important to shias across the world. for iranians, they represent a red line. ensuring them is important. the prime minister haider al-abadi would have been reassuring the supreme leader that they were up to the job. it is a red line for iran, and they will send troops if the shrines get attacked. there was a message delivered from the top shia cleric. via haider al-abadi, to the supreme leader there. there were several things discussed. we are not privy to what they were. i can tell you that they are about the political nature of this conflict. it was a key meeting. he's met with security and political leaders in the country. a key ally and an important ally to the iraq in the fight against i.s.i.l. >>> other news from the region, i.s.i.l. says it has a cache of weapons airdropp

haider al-abadi spoke to the bbc about what has been achieved.orties have been of loan in the last week. now they push back. beyond baghdad. >> so they went to what is called the baghdad protection belt with some of your senior officials and they told us, some lesse i.s. fighters are than 10 kalama there's a way. >> yes, in pockets. threaten your capital? >> not now. the danger is -- i.s. you think that threatens iraq? , ihaving been in that battle cannot guarantee 100%. i am not taking any chances. that is why i am asking for all international support. i want an international coalition. i do not know what the next step will be. >> that uncertainty and fear have already forced millions of iraqis to flee areas not controlled by islamic state fighters. families in the northbound refuge in a camp on the outskirts of baghdad. they cannot go home until it racked's army wins this war on the group -- until iraq's army wins this war on the ground. would you think you will be able to go home? we will be here forever, she says. do you worry it will get wor

they have teamed up with forces of haider al-abadi. w -- khalifa haftar, who can carrying out his open campaign. forces are preparing to retake tripoli. loyal civilians have been called upon to join ranks with the soldiers. with two governments vying for power, the international community is concerned that oil-rich libya will descend into another war. the u.n. urged the rival militias and governments to talk saying it's the only way to solve the conflict >>> now, the pakistani cleric tahir-ul-qadri has called off his 2-month sit-in in islamabad. he said supporters will take the anti-government protest on the road to other major cities. scott heidler has more. >> reporter: in what is seen as a dramatic development, dr tahir-ul-qadri told supporters to pack their bags and leave the venue of the protest in front of parliament. he, himself left the venue and supporters are picturing their bags. they'll have to take care of the tension within which they were living for the past two months. importantly the city administration will be moving

iraqi prime minister, haider al abadi visited tehran for the first time since he formed a new government last month. he held talks with the iranian president, roe -- hassan rouhani. he called for iran's cooperation in fighting islamic state. he said the group is a threat to the entire middle east. rouhani said his country will provide all kinds of support to its neighbor. shia dominated iran sees the sunni militant group as a major threat. iran has been providing weapons to kurdish forces in northern iraq who are fighting islamic state in the region. >>> the northern syrian city of ayn al-arab or kobani in the kurdish language, is the latest focus of international efforts to halt the campaign by islamic state extremists. the city sits on the turkish border and the kurds are the majority of its population. kurdish forces are trying to defend the city with help of the u.s.-led coalitions. residents have been fleeing and taking refuge on the other side of the border. freelance journalist kenji goto reports. >> reporter: the city of ayn al-arab is just a stone's throw away from the turkish b

>> well, right and we have seen haider al-abadi the newly installed prime minister said in an interview in the past 24 hours that he wants to see more coordination between iraqi forces and the coalition air strikes. part of the problem there tony is there's not a lot of trust among the coalition, particularly u.s. forces, in the reliability, the viability or the willingness to fight. even as they creep across anbar province, that remains a major concern. the experts here in washington don't view the fall of anbar problems, strikes within baghdad, terrorist strikes within baghdad and even strikes or mortar fire. a delicate position. the u.s. continues to strike the positions moving further east towards the capital of being iraq, tony. >>> i.s.i.l. fighters have taken the majority of the hits over the last ten days but the u.s. coalition has been spreading out the damage. the coalition has launched 310 in iraq and 229 strikes in syria since early august. there have been 130 around kobani alone. and the critical mosul dam area. pentagon says its strikes are limited to preventing i.s.i.l, a

prime minister haider al-abadi visited the area to congratulate the troops. in many ways this was the easiest operation that the iraqi army mounted. this is the furthest south the group has been able to come. this town is very crucial. this is the jumping off point of the south and there are key religious shrines. defending them is crucial. they are sacred for shia muslims and represent a red line for the iraqis and iranians who threatened to send in ground troops to defend them. the push of i.s.i.l. to the south has been held back. but they are still in control of large parts of the country >>> most of the polls in brazil are closed. dilma rousseff is seeking a second term, seeking a tough challenge from governor aecio neves. as we said, the polls are closed in some parts of the country, why are we not getting exit polls so far? >> well, it's an interesting technicality. it's daylight savings time here now, which means that for another hour and a half, the final - the last polls in the west of the country will not close, and since exit polls are not allowed

haider had been making all the right noises.discernible] disbanding the supreme military command force. iraq is it is not [indiscernible] the whole system is rotten to the core. everything will soldier is appointed after paying a bribe. still being paid. the system of iraq is a right system based on corruption. militias,ack to the in 2014, iraq had four major shia militias. now they have 20 to 30. the same fragmentation that happened on the sunni side in syria monks the rebels is happening in iraq. why? people are pumping money into fighting isis. it will just create your own wishes to fight isis. -- it will just create their own militias to fight isis. amongst those were willing to fight isis. i pumping money come you just creating another layer of warlords to be added to the warlords who already exist. i know what i say sounds kind of two romantic am a but by sending more weapons and more money, you're just adding to the fuel of the war. you need a social contract with the sunnis of iraq. >> lastly, vice president joe biden ac

the u.s. is hoping that iraq's new prime minister, haider al- abadi, a shiite, can get iraq's sunni tribesmen to once again turn against isis. without their trust and support, the iraqi forces cannot win. >> without that trust between the shia and the sunni in iraq, without that trust between the leaders of the sunnis and the leaders of the shia groups in iraq, i think you're gonna create a vacuum that no one will benefit from that vacuum but the extremists. >> smith: are you an optimist at this point? >> no, i'm not an optimist. i mean, i'm 41 years in the military and i've spent, as i said, it seems to me, seven or eight of the last 12 years working these very issues in and around iraq or afghanistan and wherever else. this is the right campaign plan, but i'm pragmatic and every campaign's assumptions have to be revisited as the campaign evolves. and some of these assumptions are actually, i've no doubt, are going to be challenged. >> this morning, the committee receives testimony from the secretary of defense and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. >> smith: in recent testimony, gen

and shiite prime minister haider al-abadi met today with sunni tribal leaders urging them to defend ramadi the west. in washington, the head of u.s. central command, general lloyd austin, said the meeting is an encouraging sign. >> i'm hopeful that they'll continue to establish some confidence and build upon that going forward. this is what has to happen and i think the leaders understand that. >> woodruff: later, a string of car bombs in baghdad killed at least two dozen people. more than 170 have died in attacks since last weekend. >> woodruff: in hong kong, new clashes flared in the standoff between authorities and protesters demanding elections free of beijing's control. it started early today when police raided and cleared one of the protest sites. hours later, a large crowd tried to return, and police used pepper spray and batons to beat back protesters and make arrests. the prime minister of nepal pledged today to set up an early warning system, after a blizzard this week killed at least 29 people taking treks through the himalayas. rebecca barry, of independent television news, rep