air strikes in iraq and syria and special operators on the ground in iraq. in congress see it as inadequate. >> our efforts militarily have been anemic so far. we could have been using special operations and air power in a much stronger way in order to roll back isis capabilities and strengthen the more moderate elements. there can be really no solution in this region until we address the assad issue. >> we've got 60 countries that have said they're part of the coalition against isil. in truth, about 20 of them are providing effective military capabilities. frankly, a focus right now to get the coalition partners to do more. >> do we have allies in the middle east that will help us? not the europeans or nato but allies in the middle east to be helpful to us in this fight. >> jordan is a good partner. israel is a good partner in this fight. the united arab emirates has been a good partner in this fight. >> another country that should be a partner in the fight against isis is a nato member. >> turkey is a part of the effort to address the flow of foreign fight

combat ground operation there in iraq? >> jim, the reason they are in different base is simply a design of geometry. so this position was selected because of the geometry necessary to support that particular location. with regard to providing support to iraqi offensive capability. once again there is no inconsistency between what this unit did and what our aviation support does every day. we said we are providing support to iraqi forces as they conduct operations, which is exactly what this unit was doing. >> reporter: but we have all indications that this is a pretty permanent position right now, that after a short period of time, u.s. army personnel are going to replace the marines there, and it still has all indications that the u.s. military is directly involved in the ground operations with the u.s. -- with the iraqi -- >> let me quickly add. even since last week now as the iraqis have started to consolidate their positions, the situation on the ground has changed in terms of where the iraqis are in the sense of the su

in iraq and syria, twofold. detainees picked up on the battlefield, questioning them in the right way, getting information from them and any documents and computers they have, that's one way to do it. the other is the old fashioned way when you recruit spies inside of eyes to tell you what's going on there. that's the job of the central intelligence agency. that's the job i used to have. >> what's the overview of those you have and those you know and professionals about the strategy against i.s.i.s. so far? because the argument is being made that they have lost 20% of their ground is the administration argument. the argument is some of the financial sources are drying up. is i.s.i.s. less strong? my second question, does that impact what their strategy is? >> i said this morning on cbs this morning that the terrorists are winning, and, boy, that's spread all over the place now. here's what i meant by that. >> rose: because that went against conventional wisdom at the time? >> i don't know why it's spreading throu

elsewhere in iraq, funerals have been held for more than 40 people killed when an is ill suicide bomber starting a ball stadium south of baghdad. is ill appears to be on the tree treat. in palmiera, one place, government forces have taken several districts. details on that in a moment. first, our correspondent in baghdad has more on the attack on that military air base in iraq. >> reporter: 8 to 10 fighters have succeeded. some say they blew themselves up and some were killed. they said clashes have been between those before they are killed and also iraqi forces. some fighters, some soldiers from iraqi forces killed in these clashes before iraqi forces killed all of those people. but he didn't say exactly how many iraqi soldiers have been killed in this operation. the source did not talk about whether those fighters reached their facilities or to the offices under the cover of american forces. another source said those fightersr or to the offices are under the cover of american forces in this air base. around 300 or 400 trainers are based in this base. but this moment, the clashes happe

is losing ground in iraq and syria but don't kid yourself. it is far from defeated as a global force of violence. after blitzing across both countries in 2014 i.s.i.l. fighters have spent the last six months getting killed or driven out of some key places. like ramadi in iraq and aleppo in syria. what's more, i.s.i.l. last lost some key road connections, linkining the iraqi city of mosl with territory it controls in syria. american special force he are helping the iraqi government and cusht kurdish informs rolling i.s.i.l. back. and syrian troops are fighting both i.s.i.l. and the u.s. backed rebels. either way, i.s.i.l. is on the defensive now in both syria and iraq butter the group is very much on the offensive everywhere else. the i.s.i.l. ideology is morphed into a franchise that's being taken up by the likes of boko haram in nigeria and grille la guerilla groups. the same story in libya. the new local i.s.i.l. franchise announced itself last year when it murder twuf 21 egyptian christians in front of cameras. but as i.s.i.l.' i.s.i.l.'s f

squeezing them in iraq and syria. ou have in libya right now are largely focused on gaining territory, possibly conducting attacks. over time they will develop the same external focus on europe and the united states that isis and iraq and syria have. over time they will start sending those people to western europe. the biggest flow of foreign fighters is into libya. no longer into iraq and syria, but into libya. the same problem we had in iraq and syria now playing out in libya. that is the story on the safe haven and their territory and their movement. on terrorist attacks, think about it this way, in the last 4.5 months, since late october, they have brought down a russian airliner over the sinai one of , their groups. they directed an attack in paris. san bernardino, a connection. somebody who thought they were doing it in their name. against -- four attacks against the west and 4.5 months. al qaeda never achieved that. charlie: so isis is the greatest national security threat to the united states? mike: right now,

in both syria and iraq we are seeing important steps to shape what will become crucial battles in theonths to come. as our partners move forward, we're continuing to bring relentless pressure on isil commanders in mosul. and we have taken a significant number of actions this week. one of which, i have already mentioned, but second, we targeted abu sara, one of the top isil leaders paying fighters in iraq. and these precise actions came after recent strikes that destroyed a significant quantity of improvised explosive devices and bomb-making equipment that could have been used against our partners headed for mosul. we believe these actions have been successful and have done damage to isil. as chairman dunford noted earlier this week, the momentum of this campaign is now clearly on our side. the united states military will continue to work intensively with our coalition partners to build on this progress, as our counterparts throughout our governments work to defend our homelands at the same time. one final note before we turn to questions. yesterday i spoke with my saudi counterpa coun

but it's believed that was never in the cards. iraq'siki, had a new set of patrons, his fellow shiites in tehran, and they made him an offer he couldn't refuse. >> that was part of iran's deal with maliki, we'll give you a third term, but the conditions are no american soldiers. that was what tehran had demanded. there was no way it would have gone through the parliament. >> one thing is clear, it was only iraq's army that could have stopped isis. instead the iraqi soldiers threw down their weapons and ran. [ phone ringing ] >> hello -- >> next on "blindsided," what drives these people, what makes them tick. you'll go inside the mind of a radical. meet a man who was prepared to die for a fantasy. the idea of an islamic caliphate. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ geico motorcycle, great rates for great rides. the possibility of a flare was almost always on my mind. thinking about what to avoid, where to go... and how to deal with my uc. to me, that was normal. until i talked to my doctor. she told me that humira helps people like me get uc under control and keep

isis owns territory in iraq and syria, about the size of indiana. and in addition, areas in libya and other ungovern governed spaces they're trying to continue to expand to. >> isis all but erased the borders drawn up after world war i by diplomats. >> the thrust of the strategy is cutting off their heads. we have to cut off their head figuratively by the strength and leadership and territory in iraq and syria. >> up next, general dunford joins us to lay out a path to victory and for a limited time, you can get a great deal on this passat. wow, it looks really good... volkswagen believes safety is very important... so all eleven models come standard with an intelligent crash response system... hmm. ...seven stability-enhancing systems... hmmm... ...and equipment for two child seats. hmmm... for those who take safety seriously. like we do. the volkswagen safety in numbers event... is happening now! get a $1,250 volkswagen reward card and 0% apr on new 2016 passat models. if time is infinite, why is ta john deere 1 family tractor can give you more time

is taking the same path it did in iraq and syria. failed state mired in conflict and chaos with no real authority standing in i.s.i.l.'s way. warned it took years for an effective strategy to emerge in iraq and that is a still tough fight. it will be very difficult to root it out. >>> the korea harold this the u.s. should allow south korea to arm itself to counter the north korean threat. the paper says seoul cannot helplessly keep turning to beijing and the u.s., it's time to give south korea a real defense against the north korean threat. >>> paper says the supreme court's citizens eunld decision opened up the door to oligarchic control of the american political process. something that drove the russian economy to ruin. the paper warns americans to be wary of donald trump whom it describes a populist much in the same vein of putin, motivated by narcissism and personal gain, no wonder the two admire each other. >>> george martin would produced all but one of the beatles albums died if england today, 90 years old. paul beban looks bac

it's slightly different from the situation in syria and in iraq. in pakistan these terrorist groups splintered away from that, they have been attacking all kind of minority communities and christians are one of them but also attacking the shoo ya who are a minority in pakistan. some cases sikhs. they are going after all of the minorities they can possibly target. but in this instance they specifically targeted the christians on a holy day in a place they knew christian families would be out with the children having a picnic, enjoying easter sunday. this has never happened before. this easter sunday has been observed in pakistan in lahore for decades. i'm sure christians in that city and pistan in general are looking over their shoulders and with a great deal of concern and anxiety. >> i have been to lahore and the park and it was a popular place but i'm not sure it will be popular right now, sshlgly for christians. what does it say? you studied this and know what is going on. it is heart-breaking to see the christian community and in syria and iraq

we begin in iraq where there have been two major attacks. one at a football steam and one at the air base where dozens of people have been killed. the air base is located in anbar province 120 kilometers from ramadi. hundreds of u.s. military advisers and trainers use the base to support iraqi troops. however, the u.s. military is saying that there were no attacks in or near its site of the base. last week they would retake anbar province. 67% of the have vince is now controlled by isil. the attack comes from an attack south of baghdad. 30 people were killed when a suicide-bomber clu blue himself up. >> the explosion killed dozens of people. it happened south of baghdad. the losses on the battlefield may have provoked the increase attacks like these. the u.n. secretary general arrived, ban ki-moon said that isil is exploiting sectarian division. he called on iraq's government to nuclear reconciliation between sunni and shia communities. in northern iraq the army said that they started clearing out the isil-held city of mosul in preparation of

general rodriguez, one of the results of centcom's operations in isil in iraq and syria has been isil metasthesizing into libya and other places. your command has undertaken a number of operations against isil in libya, with the lack of a functioning government in tripoli makes it difficult to sustain progress and i hope you'll give us your insights on this irve u. while in djibouti i was made more familiar with the operations of somalia and as you know, general rodriguez the african mission union in somalia is becoming under increasing pressure. we've in turn been helping them. recently a significant air strike by u.s. forces to help support their efforts. so i would like your assessment of our situation there and as we go forward what we can do. the one issue that cut across all the areas i visit and that was the, with he seem to be losing the information war, messaging, of getting our message to the people of all these countries about our support for legitimate government, for reasonable decent government, that is ironic to say the least so your comments about how we can reverse th

isis owns territory in iraq and syria, about the size of indiana. and in addition, areas in libya and other ungovern governed spaces they're trying to continue to expand to. >> isis all but erased the borders drawn up after world war i by diplomats. >> the thrust of the strategy is cutting off their heads. we have to cut off their head figuratively by the strength and leadership and territory in iraq and syria. >> up next, general dunford joins us to lay out a path to victory and "why are you checking your credit score? "well you don't want to live with mom and dad forever, do you?" "then she says...bazang!" "ok, good one." (laughs) "bazang. remember?" "bazang...you get it?" "bazang?" "yeah!" "uh, how do i check my credit score?" "credit karma, don't worry bud it's free." "ohhhh." "credit karma. give yourself some credit." family road trip! fun! check engine. not fun! but, you've got hum. that's like driving with this guy. all you do is press this, and in plain englis"coolant" , you'll know what's wrong. if you do need a mechanic, just press this. "t

in iraq and syria. in 2014 when they began to sweep across iraq. that's when president obama ordered the initial bombing that stopped them. and since then, we have recouped about 40% of the territory in syria, which they had captured. and we are taking out about one liter every throw days of -- of isil that doesn't mean they're not a threat. they are. a threat in some of the areas where they try to prove their viability. >> you suggested the latest create a caliphate are falling, collapsing. >> it is not only that. part of their plan. they put people in other places. those attacks will take place whether or not they're collapsing or hurting but i think there are a number of people who believe that there need to reinforce their narrative. that even though they're under pressure, there is still this viable force. is the only way for them to recruit. the only way for them to try to -- provide added morale to people that we know are very much having -- morale problems. in syria and iraq. >> want to ask you about russia where you were. let's not leave eu

hello, fighters from the islamic state in iraq and the levant have killed at least 18 iraqi soldiers. ten suicide-bombers stormed the air base in anbar province. eight were killed and the other two blew themselves up. this is what we know about the air force base. it's located in anbar province 120 kilometers from ramadi. hundreds of advisers and trainers use that base to support iraqi troops. however, the u.s. military said that there were no attacks near the u.s. side of the base. they launched an operation to retake anbar province, 60% of the province is currently sold by isil. we have more from the capital of baghdad. >> around 1 8 to 10 fighters for isil succeeded in entering the base some of them blew themselves up and others were killed. the clashes between the fighters before they're killed and also the iraqi forces. some soldiers from the iraqi forces killed in these clashes before the iraqi forces killed all of the people. the sources did not talk about whether those fighters reached the facilities, but another source from the area say that those isil fighters, it is known t

isis owns territory in iraq and syria, about the size of indiana. and in addition, areas in libya and other ungovern governed spaces they're trying to continue to expand to. >> isis all but erased the borders drawn up after world war i by diplomats. >> the thrust of the strategy is cutting off their heads. we have to cut off their head figuratively by the strength and leadership and territory in iraq and syria. >> up next, general dunford joins us to lay out a path to victory and meet a brave man running an underground railroad to help save the innocent from isis terror. ♪ what backache? what sore wrist? what headache? advil makes pain a distant memory. nothing works faster stronger or longer what pain? advil. incredible bladder prthat lets from always diyou move like you mean it now comes with an incredible promise. the always discreet double your money back guarantee. always discreet is for bladder leaks and it's drier than poise. try it. we're so confident you'll love it, we'll give you double your money back if you don't. incredible bladder prote

but emma sky believes that was never in the cards. iraq'sshiites in tehran, and the mullahs made him an offer he couldn't refuse. >> that was part of iran's deal with maliki, we'll give you a third term, but the conditions are, no american soldiers. that was what tehran had demanded. there was no way it would have gone through the parliament. >> one thing is clear, it was only iraq's army that could have stopped isis. instead, iraqi soldiers threw down their weapons and ran. [ phone ringing ] >> hello? >> next on "blindsided." what drives these people? what makes them tick? you'll go inside the mind of a radical. meet a man who was prepared to die for a fantasy. the idea of an islamic caliphate. if you have allergy congestion muddling through your morning is nothing new. introducing rhinocort® allergy spray from the makers of zyrtec®. powerful relief from nasal allergy symptoms, all day and all night. try new rhinocort® allergy spray. you're all set to book a flight using your airline credit card miles. and surprise! those seats sometimes co

troops on the ground in iraq. why is the pentagon and senior military leadership reluctant to say it's more than 3800? >> we're not reluctant. what we track is the number in our force management level. that's 3800. this is nothing that's inconsistent with what's been going on the last 15 years. people that are in direct support of the embassy, those have knot nnot been counted. it's a consistent way of counting that's been going on for 15 years. at any given time we have 3800 directly in support of the mission. when units rotate, we don't double count them. if there's a unit of 200 replaced by a unit of 200, and they're being replaced at the same time, we don't count it as 400. the accounting of our people has been consistent. we're not denying that there's more people than 3800. you get the numbers from us. but in terms of what we count in the mission in -- that's in accordance with the direction, the 3800 is in the mission. i didn't say 5,000 was accurate. i said 3800. and there's some number above that as a resu

>>> >>> >>> burying the victims of a suicide bombing at a football match in iraq after i.s.i.l. attacks civilian and military targets >>> also coming up in this program we report on the battles of palmyra. syrian forces say they have taken control of three parts of that city. as brussels continues to mourn its dead, belgium charge three suspects with terror offences. tens of thousands of yemenis and a former president protest on the first anniversary of the saudi-led bombing campaign. a speed train that has been a long time coming. fighters from islamic state in iraq and the levant have killed at least 18 iraqi soldiers by attacking an air base and suicide bombers stormed the base. it is a base which is home to hundreds of u.s. military trainers as well as iraqi forces. elsewhere in iraq funerals have been held for victims of the recent bombings. syrian government forces have retain at least several districts in palmyra. our correspondent reports on the attack on the air base. >> reporter: around to on ten fighters from i.s.i.l. succeeded in gaining access to the base and some bl

forces on the ground in iraq to help fight i.s.i.l. turkey identifies the istanbul suicide bomber as a suspected i.s.i.l. member and detains five other people. why a futureistic hong kong film is raising concerns in beijing. >> reporter: disappointment for world number one in tennis and about a huge crash in formula one racing in australia >>> in the past half hour obama has arrived in cuba beginning an historic visit to the country. with the the rival he becomes the first sitting u.s. president to go to the island in nearly 90 years. obama is expected to meet his counterpart castro to discuss trade and political reform. our correspondent ask in havana-- is in havana. a trip people have been looking for and the president is finally in cuba. >> reporter: absolutely. it's a momentous occasion here in cuba. the arrival was broadcast live on the state television. obama and his family were greeted by a sundry all here. there was smiles all around. he was greeted by the foreign minister, the obama family, mrs obama and president obama's two d

isis owns territory in iraq and syria, about the size of indiana. and in addition, areas in libya and other ungovern governed spaces they're trying to continue to expand to. >> isis all but erased the borders drawn up after world war i by diplomats. >> the thrust of the strategy is cutting off their heads. we have to cut off their head figuratively by the strength and leadership and territory in iraq and syria. >> up next, general dunford joins us to lay out a path to victory and you both have a perfect driving record. perfect. no tickets. no accidents. that is until one of you clips a food truck, ruining your perfect record. yeah. now you would think your insurance company would cut you some slack, right? no. your insurance rates go through the roof... your perfect record doesn't get you anything. anything. perfect. for drivers with accident forgiveness, liberty mutual won't raise your rates due to your first accident. see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance. incredible bladder prthat lets from always diyou move like you mea

while isis lost considerable territory it once held in iraq the more difficult task is still ahead. in the coming months, the combination of a newly trained iraqi security force enabled by coalition intelligence and air strikes should be able to continue to make progress in evicting isil from population centers but i look forward to our witnesses' assessment what we can expect realistically in the coming months as iraqi special forces and security forces turn their attention particularly to mosul. in addition, iraq's political leadership must confront long-standing questions of political reconciliation in iraq and general austin i look forward to your assessment of the political atmosphere in baghdad and whether you believe the conditions are set for a political dialogue which will stabilize the political situation to compliment military actions taking place. in syria, the cessation of hostilities appears to be tenuously holding and tenuously at best. it remains unclear however this incremental step will be sufficient to set the stage for meaningful political negotiations which every

isis owns territory in iraq and syria, about the size of indiana. and in addition, areas in libya and other ungovern governed spaces they're trying to continue to expand to. >> isis all but erased the borders drawn up after world war i by diplomats. >> the thrust of the strategy is cutting off their heads. we have to cut off their head figuratively by the strength and leadership and territory in iraq and syria. >> up next, general dunford joins us to lay out a path to victory and before i had the shooting, burning, pins-and-needles of diabetic nerve pain, these feet played shortstop in high school, learned the horn from my dad and played gigs from new york to miami. but i couldn't bear my diabetic nerve pain any longer. so i talked to my doctor and he prescribed lyrica. nerve damage from diabetes causes diabetic nerve pain. lyrica is fda approved to treat this pain, from moderate to even severe diabetic nerve pain. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsen

we are squeezing them in iraq and syria. so inobably increasingly several months. the same time we are doing that, what are we doing outside of iraq and syria? grounde gaining elsewhere. up along the coast where they are continuing to gain ground that down in southern. squeezing them in iraq and syria. problem lee not enough. they are growing like wildfire elsewhere. -- probably not enough. they are growing like wildfire elsewhere. they are largely focused on gaining territory, possibly conducting attacks. time they will develop the same external focus on europe and the united states that isis and iraq and syria have. they will start sending those people to western europe. the biggest flow of foreign fighters is into libya. the same problem we had in iraq and syria now playing out in europe. we are eventually going to see it come out of libya. that is the story on the safe haven and their territory and their movement. on terrorist attacks, think about it this way, in the last october,s, since late they have brought down a russian airliner over one of their groups.

isis owns territory in iraq and syria, about the size of indiana. and in addition, areas in libya and other ungovern governed spaces they're trying to continue to expand to. >> isis all but erased the borders drawn up after world war i by diplomats. >> the thrust of the strategy is cutting off their heads. we have to cut off their head figuratively by the strength and leadership and territory in iraq and syria. >> up next, general dunford joins us to lay out a path to victory and don't let dust and allergies get between you and life's beautiful moments. with flonase allergy relief, they wont. when we breathe in allergens, our bodies react by over producing six key inflammatory substances that cause our symptoms. most allergy pills only control one substance. flonase controls six. and six is greater than one. flonase outperforms the #1 non-drowsy allergy pill. so you can seize those moments, wherever you find them. flonase. six is greater than one changes everything. and ca"super food?" is that recommend sya real thing?cedar? it's a great school, but

-led wars in iraq and afghanistan. ship with abad grew we began to speak about the parallel trajectories of our disillusionment, how ideals bogged down in the quar mire of dogma and sectarian bloodshed. after i had known abad for about a year, he invited me to his wedding. the summer before the revolution, he had met a swiss woman air, university student studying in damascus. they would be married just outside geneva along the banks of lake nucher, tel. a few days before the ceremony he called and asked if i would serve as his witness. we had become close, but his request was a surprise. when i arrived at the chapel, it made sense. the bride's family and friends filled the pews, but with abad's family trapped in damascus, i represented the entirety of the groom's party. as the wedding started there were four of us-- the maid of honor, the bride, abad, and me, on a single pew. the civil ceremony was in french, which abad is it not speak, and his bride leaned toward him, quietly whispering a translation. as abad struggled

ladies and gentlemen we are defeating this enemy in iraq and syria. we are pressuring isil on more fronts than in any other point in time since they march into mosul 18 months ago and we are doing so by degrading the enemy's military capability by taking back territory, by diminishing its economic resources and by removing its senior leadership from the battlefield. we are also slowing the flow of foreign fighters. all of these actions in combination are contribute contributed to a force that is less capable and increasingly demoralized and paranoid and prone to defection. while we are defeating isil in iraq and syria we see increased efforts by this enemy to expand into other areas of the globe namely north africa the iranian peninsula and south asia. and he is expanding into these and other areas in part because he knows he is losing in iraq and syria and finding other ways to maintain his legitimacy. holding the suspension will require a concerted effort by the international community going forward to in the meantime iraq security forces are perform

let's listen in. >> a still sizable territory in iraq and syria. it leaves a network to affiliates across the middle east and north africa and so in europe, asia and even here in north america. it's also part of a broader idea logical movement that includes other terrorist groups. we need to do battle on all these fronts. last year, in speeches in new york and minneapolis i laid out a three part plan to defeat isis in the middle east, around the world and here at home. resent events have only reinforced urjgency of this mission. first, we have to take out isis' strong hold in iraq and syria. we should intensify the coalition air campaign against its fighter, leaders and infrastructure. step up support for local arab and curdish forces on the ground and coalition efforts to support civilians and pursue a diplomatic strategy aimed at achieving solutions. second we must dismantle the global network of terror that supplies money, arms, propaganda and fighters. this means targeted efforts to deal with isis affiliates from libya to afghanistan. it means g

but emma sky believes that was never in the cards. iraq's in tehran, and the mullahs made him an offer he couldn't refuse. >> that was part of iran's deal with maliki, we'll give you a third term, but the conditions are, no american soldiers. that was what tehran had demanded. there was no way it would have gone through the parliament. >> one thing is clear, it was only iraq's army that could have stopped isis. instead, iraqi soldiers threw down their weapons and ran. [ phone ringing ] >> hello? am i seeing double? no ma'am. our at&t 'buy one get one free' makes it easier for your staff to send appointment reminders to your customers... ...and share promotions on social media? you know it! now i'm seeing dollar signs. you should probably get your eyes checked. good one babe. optometry humor. right now get up to $650 in credits to help you switch to at&t. in new york state, we believe tomorrow starts today. all across the state, the economy is growing, with creative new business incentives, the lowest taxes in decades, and new infrastructure

how and where he died. >> reporter: they gave know information about whether this was carried out in iraqria or how the operation was carried out, simply saying that he was eliminating. and ash carter said we believe we have killed him that is because back in may 2015 the iraqis at that point said they had killed him, although the u.s. said they had no information at that point to confirm, clearly knowing that history, the americans must feel they are in pretty safe grounds saying they carried out this operation. the americans believe they have been decapitating the leadership of isil. they are aware that there are a number of people who will continue to come through the senior leadership, but they believe every time that happens, it makes it much more difficult for isil to carry out operations. and they are particularly keen to stress that they believe he was also involved in funding operations not just in iraq and syria, but further afield. and so by -- drawing a direct line from his death to what happened in brussels, not saying that he recruited or was involved in any of the intricaci

there are two or more but two principle tracks in the campaign to defeat isis in iraq and syria. the military side. operations, air strikes, operations like the one yesterday morning early in syria when american commandos landed in syria and surrounded the car containing haji imam and killed him and others, and the many air strikes that have taken place. that's one side. the other political track is the attempt to have a cease-fire, and an attempt to have a lasting political settlement. those talks are under way. there have been a round of talks in geneva, and now russia seems to be more involved than before, if you remember, russia stepped in to back up the regime of bashar al assad. now, russia pulled its troops, the majority of its troops out of syria. so russia's position is stronger at the negotiating table. the syrian government's position is stronger at the negotiating table. frankly, the political dialogue has thus far not reached much fruition. this conflict has been going on for five years. the region is awash with refugees. refugees still in the thousands are leaving t

in global jihad. he's from northern iraq. he's an ethnic turkman. d iraq for the group. a key figure, somebody that could have been poised perhaps to take over for baghdadi. because he's not set to be descended from the prophet muhammad, some think that would create problems for him. that's moot now because he's dead. this is a significant breakthrough in the war on isis. >> so, karen, does this weaken isis in any way significantly? >> what it does is to intensify what's been going on for the last couple of months which is that isis in iraq and syria is being squeezed more and more, pushed out of its so-called caliphate, and you're seeing the repercussions in europe, belgium, and france. it intensifies the entire conflict. it brings into the forefront exactly what the relationship between our advance is and our success is there, and what's that going to mean for europe where people will be told stay home, fight in europe, and maybe the foreign fighter issue may turn back onto the homelands? europe. it's essential to understanding this if you're going

troops on the ground in iraq. why is the pentagon and senior military leadership reluctant to say that it's more than 3800? >> we're not reluctant, jennifer. what we track is the number that are in our force management level, that's 3,800. this is nothing that's inconsistent with what's been going on for the last 15 years in terms of people in and out on temporary duty, people in direct support of the embassy. those have not been counted. in other words, consistency in the way we have been counting people has been going on for 15 jeers. at any time, we have 3800 directly in support of the mission. when units rotate, we don't double count the numbers. if there's a unit of 200 being replaced by 200, and they happen to be on the ground at the same time, we don't count it as 400, we haven't in 15 years because it hasn't counted against our force manageable. the counting of people has been consistent. we're not defyinying there's mo people than 3800, but in terms of what we count in the mission, in accordance with the d

he had worked under al qaeda in iraq. had been in prison and had been radicalized in prison further. he was a committed, experienced leader and obviously was having some success with isis in terms of controlling some of the terror attacks so that's why this is important. someone else will pop up, will have to go after him and we have to go after the ground troops in iraq and syria. abby: a lot going on in syria right now. russia's recent withdrawal from syria leaving many wondering about the future of that country still battling a civil war. many analysts suspect that and president bashar al-assad has been emboldened and would be weakened by its sudden withdrawal earlier this month what the new york times is reporting the opposite. that russia pulling its troops out won't stop us on confidence and ambitions and in fact syrian government forces on the ground have only gotten stronger. david, i want your thoughts on that.it seems when it comes to resident din, it's a battle of egos here. >> you would think with russia pulli

of musics are working debt praisely to preserve-- desperately to preserve their art >>> we begin in iraq where there has been a suicide attack at the military air base west of the capital baghdad. the air force base is located in anbar and been used in the past by the u.s. military. that comes after a blast in a football stadium in a town south of baghdad. i.s.i.l. says it was behind that suicide attack. at least 30 people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up. it happened as trophies were being presented after an amateur tournam ent. as many as 100 people were wounded. u.s. says it's stepping up its troop presence in iraq. it is helping iraqi to retake mosul. these are the latest pictures of the advance close to mosul. the retaking of mosul from i.s.i.l. would be a significant development for the u.s. and peshmerga mirrorss. the u.s. announcement to reinforce the presence on the grounds in iraq comes after a pentagon says a senior i.s.i.l. figure has been killed. in man apparently managed the armed group's finances. he is said to have been killed by a u.s. raid in syria. our

>> isis got its start as al quaeda in iraq in '04. it changed -- it morphed into something called islamic state of iraq in '06. so here's eight years between the start of ic and isis in '14. and all that time, this group has been raping, torturing, and murdering particularly targeting christians as a main civilian target. and one of the biggest ways they did attack christians is by taking hostages for ran some. and this is really a silent, one-by-one genocide. thousands, i think thousands of christians, i think, have been taken for ran some. and many of them have been tortured and killed. bishops and priests have been killed trying to redeem their congregation. wives killed bringing ran some money for their husbands. this has been going on all this time. one of my close friends from iraq, he's been featured in the knights of columbus ads on tv, he himself was taken hostage and tortured and beaten. shot in the leg. they came at him with hammers, broke his teeth, nose, and back. finally he was released with ran some. entire towns have be

al qaeda in iraq was defeated in 2010, 2011 when the americans left iraq in 2011, al qaeda in iraq was a spent force and what has happened is that al qaeda affiliated groups basically have hijacked the arab spring. what you have now is that i.s.i.s. is trying to say, trying the to take ownership of the arab spring, the millions of young and old arabs who basically risen against the failed political and economic order in the heart of the middle east. >> one important point you make is that i.s.i.l.'s ideology is pretty much the destruction of civilization, and also, the destruction of civilizations. the ethnic cleansing of the yazidis, of the christians, drudes, kurds and of course how they're exploiting the shia-sunni divide and how you're describing the genocidal desires when it comes to the shia. >> antonio, i.s.i.l.'s very simple. whether it's a minority or whether it's sunni, i.s.i.s. is a hyper-sunni organization. any sunni, any sunni muslim any believer who does not accept who does not believe in its totalitarian ideology would be killed. so i.s.i.s. or the so-called islamic stat

war in iraq with a 1990-1991, not to mention he was involvement in the iran-iraq war of 1880 to 1988.f one takes on board that entire experience, military, u.s. military experience in and ofund iraq over a period decades, it is hard for me to imagine that you can look at what is going on now and say, gosh, if we just a few isis, everything is going to be hunky-dory. the media is too focused on the immediate past and ignores the deeper past. amy: i want to go to your piece, "has trump already one?" playing twoart by short clips. this is trump this week responding to anderson cooper on cnn's question of whether islam is at war with the west. >> i think islam hates us. there is something there that -- there is a tremendous hatred. we have to get to the bottom of it. amy: and now i want to turn to donald trump at the republican debate in greenville, south carolina, denouncing the iraq war, calling it a big fat mistake. >> obviously, the war in iraq is a big fat mistake, right? you can take it anyway you want. it took jeb bush -- if you remember the beginning of his announcement when he an

has claimed responsibilities for a suicide bombing in a soccer stadium in iraq. 29 killed and 60 injured in a soccer field south of baghdad. the bombing came after iraqi military officials flounced they were making gains in anbar province. also preparing for a push against i.s.i.l. in mosul. >>> another i.s.i.l.'s senior leaders is dead, widely considered to be second in command. the minister of war was killed in an air strike earlier this month. al jazeera's jamie mcintire reports from the pennington. >>> in announcing the death of i.s.i.l.'s reputed second in command, defense secretary ash carter says this underscores the need in his words to hasten the defeat of i.s.i.l. wherever it exists in the world and the success in iraq and syria shows the momentum has shifted in favor of the united states and its allies. defense secretary ash carter says the war against i.s.i.l. is becoming more personal every day. >> we are systematically eliminating i.s.i.l.'s cabinet. >> man number 2, hajji imam, responsible for attacks outside iraq and syria, although officials could not connect him to pari

in iraq, i.s.i.l. says one of its teenage fighters shown in this picture blew himself up at a football match in a town south of baghdad. the attack in the stadium killed 30 people and injured many more. and one of the suspects be arrested after the brussels bombings, captured on cctv, fled when his suicide belt did not detonate. >>> activists released balloons across the demilitarized zone. tensions have been high. and the long range rocket launch last month prompting new sanction he from the u.n. security council. >>> not banning facebook and whatsap, but small business owners who rely on those sites say the ban cost them dearly. >> runs an internet company, his website is an online mark place that does most of its work on facebook. but a ban of the social networking site has called him money. >> translator: there are some fixed costs that you can't avoid. without shutting the whole site down. we had to keep paying our employees and other costs. >> be worth an estimated $8 million a month in bangladesh

it's the second largest city in iraq. e remains a fairly large civilian population in the city, which we have to account for, and it is very far away from baghdad, which is where the main supply lines are, so the iraqis have to figure out the logistics, and there is a major river that runs right through the center of mosul. so any type of combat river crossing is inherently complex and dangerous. >>> kurdish forces in iraq say they have captured a palestinian american man who fought with isil. officials say he turned himself in northern iraq. at the time of his surrender he had a large amount of cash, three cell phones, and three forms of identification, one a virginia driver's license. >> no. no. no. >> reporter: some 250 americans are believed to be fighting with groups in iraq and syria. the state department says it is looking into the case. >>> a new easing of restrictions with cuba this week. americans will be able to travel to cuba without a sponsor. it still has to be an educational trip. cubans will be able to make