and every step the united states has taken is to support the iraqi government and the iraqi people as they take back their country. i think what is clear from this incident is that a lot of innocent people have been killed and injured. and it certainly is consistent with isil's strategy of wreaking havoc and sewing chaos and violence and sectarian tension. in many cases they do that by killing innocent people. by targeting them specifically. those tactics are abhorrent. and it's a good illustration of exactly what the united states has rallied behind the united states to defeat. reporter: lastly, are you worried that the iraqi government's inability to provide security in the capital is going to fuel the political instability that's been going on and which has been hampering critical elements of the anti-isil offense? mr. earnest: what is clear is the top priority of the government is the national security of iraq and protecting the citizens of iraq from this sort of sirens is their government's top priority. the administration, the united states government, has been of the strongly h

keep in mind, there are iraqi sunnis for a number of reasons would prefer isis to the iraqi government. it is not just a battle. it is a battle for hearts and minds as well. that is a long term struggle. >> a complicated situation there. cnn's ben wedeman. thank you. >>> the governor of virginia terry mcaullife is under investigation looking into the campaign donations to see if laws were broken. cnn has learned investigators are examining mcauliffe's time with the clinton global initiative. that was set up by former president bill clinton, who is not accused of wrongdoing. >>> a not guilty verdict in the freddie gray trial. officer nero sobbing in court after the charges were ruled against him. nero was one of the three cops on bikes who arrested gray 13 months ago. he put out a statement saying he and his family were elated by the verdict. the attorney for the gray family said the judge followed the law. >>> bill cosby and his accuser could come face-to-face this morning. a pre-trial hearing is scheduled for 9:30 in philadelphia to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to ta

i i think the iraqis are aware, i'm confident the iraqis are aware that they need to liberate falluja where it falls into this sequence, falluja, falluja before or after muzzle, it is unclear. the iraqis are working with falluja right now. they haven't surrounded they are pressuring it but they have not been able to make a real move. this will continue to be something we'll watch. we know the iraqis have attempted on several location to open up to humanitarian corridors to allow some of the civilians to come out. those have met with generally not much success. isil isil has done things like set up snipers to go down on those quarters to kill people as they are trying to get out. so that is really discouraging. it is a difficult problem. but they are coming full circle. to answer your question our sense is that the iraqi certainly understand falluja needs to be liberated. we see some reporting that the iraqis are ignoring it or whatever the case, don't think that is the case. i think they know that they have to go and be liberated. >> do you understand why they would not do falluja bef

are we seeing more iraqi troops returning to baghdad? >> what i was saying was that the daesh strategy in terms of mounting a suicide bombing campaign in the capital will be designed to fix an excess of troops focused on the security of the capital. >> which is currently what is -- it's at least one third or more of the iraq he army deployed around baghdad. >> that is not a statistic i recognize. >> as far as most soul and raqqa -- mosul and raqqa -- [indiscernible] are we moving towards being able to do that? >> there are two principal fronts in iraq -- three actually, in iraq alone. forces are onrity axes both of the euphrates and tigris river valley, and also the kurdish regional government, in terms of stabilizing its frontlines. it's also threatening mosul from the north, east, and northeast, and it is perfectly feasible for the security forces to manage that degree of simultaneity. at the same time, across the border in syria, daesh is having to absorb the coalition air campaign against it, and the prospect of having their main sup

as you see iraqi tanks and yes, they are going into the city with support from iraqi artillery, we don't think we would have seen after the rebuilding of the iraqi army, mixed with coalition air power, especially the american ones. it's precisely targeting the isis forces inside the city of fallujah. as fred mentioned, estimates are between 400 and 1,000 fighters. that's what the intel estimates are saying but certainly holding human shields within the last couple of days, in fact, executed some of the men and boys within the city of fallujah who refuse to fight for isis. this is going to be a tough fight. the iraqi government says they should close it down within two days and clear the forces. i doubt that, jim. >> are you worried about iran supporting our iraqi allies on the ground and the u.s. in effect on the same side as iran in this battle? >> truthfully, i am not. i think a lot of the iranian, shia militias, i don't want to call them iranian, it's coming out of the core and supported by the iraqi government. i think they have actually been relegated to a secondary role which is a

how important is this fight in fallujah for his seemingly fragile iraqi government? >> yes. it is a really important moment for the body right now. he is in the midst of a political crisis, and he is facing urgent demand for reform. he has got to, a sort of shaky basis on the shiite coalition and he really needs a win, so it is an important moment for him and also an important moment for the iraqi security forces. remember, two years ago, the iraqi army suffered a humiliating defeat when they largely collapsed in northern iraq ahead of the islamic state's advance there, so this is an opportunity for them to show that they can actually go into a rebel held city and defeat the islamic state. >> the mayor of fallujah, how desperate are things there? >> it seems like it is a very desperate picture there. as they have been in control of natural ja since 2014 but in recent months because of the huge fight by security force it is decide to isolate the city, conditions, humanitarian conditions, living conditions have gotten very bad, so you have a shortage of food, you have a shorta

and iraqi forces don't always see eye to eye on that risk. when you say the iraqis have a little looser idea of what they'll go after -- >> it's their country so -- >> reporter: what would they go after that we wouldn't? >> they're willing to destroy any building, mosques, schools, whatever else. they don't want to do it. they're more willing to do it when they see something happening. when we look at a target, with our rule of engagement, we tell item we can't hit that. it does cause frustration. >> reporter: the iraqi forces hope for even more air strikes in the future. what more do you need from the americans? >> air strikes. good air strikes. >> reporter: you want more air strikes? >> yes, very important. >> reporter: it's important. are they not doing enough? >> no, no, good, good. good. >> reporter: they're good? >> we need more. >> reporter: you need more. >> especially in mosul. >> reporter: in mosul. but whether the battle for mosul is this year or next, real success against isis or daesh, as they call it, will take the military and

iraqi forces with the help of u.s.ghter jets making their way into the city. >> iraqi troops began the effort about a week ago. fallujah is about 40 miles west of baghdad. it was the first iraqi city isis captured. it's also where some of the deadliest fighting of the iraq war took place in 2004, more than 100 u.s. forces died trying to take control of fallujah, and now as iraqi troops make their way inside, tens of thousands of people are reportedly still trapped. conor powell live in jerusalem. any word on progress iraqi forces are making? >> reporter: as you pointed out this operation began about a week or so ago and iraqi commander said they have secured 80% of the territory outside ovulum -- of fallujah and they control at least one of the many neighborhoods in fallujah. but it's the iraqi military were able to secure fallujah and retake it from isis, this i would woo be major blow to the militant organization in large part because in recent weeks isis used fallujah gentleman as a place to launch attacks in baghda

the iraqis have done a good job of integrating them in.the province. they've got to use them and get them out of there. >> okay, rick, stay with us for a second. i want to talk to you about what is going on in syria as well. what we're sharing with you here is a cnn exclusive. a secret trip to syria with the highest ranking general ever known to visit the battle torn country. barbara starr captured it on video. she and her team traveled along with the army general yesterday, as he flew into northern area, without the cover of darkness. while they were inside syria, again, this is new exclusive video here, he met with antiisis leaders where he got a first hand look at american efforts to train local forces to fight the terror group. i'm wondering what does his presence do to engage the troops and narrow the focus, and how many of a gauge do they have on the forces that they're working with, that there is no isis infiltration there? >> well, okay, this is two-sided. this is very important that he did this, because it does, it shows the flag

where the isis forces, that's critically important to the iraqi military. >> you think the iraqi military this year is going to be able to liberate mosul? because that was their publicly stated objective. >> it's very ambitious, wolf. i don't believe it's going to happen this year. they may continue to try and tighten that noose around mosul, but in order to clear and secure that town, it's going to take a long time. >> it's been two years already. >> they're building up their force. isis has had defensive positions there. the iraqi government is feeding forces in and around mosul but they've got fights elsewhere. they're fighting in romadi and secure the area around baghdad. there are many areas they've got to provide forces and we haven't helped them recover from this contribution. >> the former prime minister. you think the relatively new prime minister is better? >> he's better and desperately trying to fix things but boy, he has real competition from the other shia myly silitia. they need a jefferson and adams but he's attempting to try to put it together. >> malachi is a huge proble

iraqis. fighting together. are the politics back home martha raddatz on the front lines, askings, are we close to defeating the enemy? >>> from abc news, it's "this week." reporting from baghdad, co-anchor martha raddatz. >> good morning to you from iraq where the fight against isis terrorists is intensifying. the enemy, voters see as one of the most important challenges our next president will surely inher inherit. with a growing number of u.s. forces, nearly 5,000 u.s. troops on the ground in iraq, and several hundred headed to syria, the decisions our next commander in chief will make about this fight will have life or death consequences. we have seen the battle from the air. but this week, for the first time, we saw the american ground forces up close, as they helped the iraqis push back isis. it's battle that continues to claim american lives. the two weeks ago. half a dozen bombings and shootings of late. a sign that the terrorist threat is evolving yet again. we'll have exclusive interviews with american

in falluja, striking back against iraqi government troops.re is a growing concern over the fate of the civilians trapped in the city. this small town in ethiopia has produced some of the world's best runners. we are put through the paces with the next generation of champions. >> they have been going down this slope five times this morning. i'm struggling to keep up. ♪ katty: welcome to our viewers on public television in america and around the globe. the labor protest which has gripped france for weeks could become worse. the national railway strike is getting underway. it takes full effect on wednesday. president ollanta says he will not back down on the reforms, france's 35-hour work week. with a sporting event days away the troubles are getting global attention. from paris, lucy williamson. lucy: from france's northern cities to the southern ports, oppositions to the reforms have spread along the industrial veins. the tactics are as simple as the message, stop. the government is trying to unblock france's economy by giving companies more f

the iraqi army. intended to avoid the sort of consequences that we saw elsewhere. errol. >> and we still have the possibility that this will be a prolonged and messy fight. what are the chances isis militants will use the safe package cards, all these leaflets dropped by iraqi forces to allow residents to flee. what are the chances isis may use it as cover for themselves to get out? >> reporter: in fact we've seen in the past that that is what they did. if i just go back to the battle for tikrit which we covered last spring, there were instructions according to radio communications monitored by the iraqi army to isis fighters within the city to shave off their beards, to put on ordinary civilian clothing, and to try to sneak out with civilians who were leaving. so obviously those civilians who do leave and go through government checkpoints are going to come under quite a lot of scrutiny. we understand, however, that many of the isis fighters in falluja are, in fact, natives of falluja. so the chances

providing air strikes and watching the iraqi forces closely. >> we're seeing everything from iraqi securityorces, the regular army to the police, even to their elite court terror service parenting in this action. >> reporter: also involved in the fight is iran and the shia malitias it backed joining the fight to knock isis from the city. raising concerns as they move against the heavily sunni populated area. it could lead to more sectarian violence. to the north, a kurdish offensive under way around mosul, an attempt to squeeze isis and force it to fight in multiple locations. >> we do recognize the value of simultaneousty. if we present them with multiple dilemmas we see successful forces. >> u.s. special forces are accompanying and advising syrian rebel forces fighting on the doorstep of isis' self-declared capital. during a recent visit, the general said he's always looking at what more the u.s. could offer. >> as the conditions continue to change, as we continue to move into new phases of the overall operation, we'll continue to reevaluate that and where we identify the need for additio

the iraqi military and the iraqi militias are mostly shia. the government. can it keep its force together, and how does it handle the challenges in fallujah? because fallujah the only got about 60,000 civilians left. it was a town of about 300,000. mosul is the big prize. we've been talking about taking mosul for months and months and months. it's three times the size. probably has still several thousands of ams there. this is a warm-up. >> a warm-up. okay. it sounds like it could be a catastrophe waiting to happen when you talk about the civilians. the military dropped leaflets warning civilians to flee. easier said than done. isis is not letting them leave. so now what? >> i mean, they're going to have to pick their way through this. the first thing that you get in trouble with, is the use of heavy fire. when you fire mortars and artillery and drop bombs, the air force is indiscriminate. you send in the ground troops and they have to pick they're way through this. isis uses civilians as human fields. it's likely to happen again. >> they are

all are being shipped out as more iraqis show up for u.s. training. >> barbara's joining live from amman, jordan, barbara, if the i iraqi forces retake fallujah, will that have an impact on isis ability to launch terror attacks, let's say, in baghdad, in the green zone, for example? >> reporter: well, it may well be just that, wolf, with fallujah as you know west of baghdad, it's a major route in to the capital. now, baghdad 6 million, 7 million people. impossible to completely seal off but the iraqis trying to gather more intelligence all the time on where these ieds and bomb factories are just outside the city so they hope if they can regain control of fallujah that does a couple of things. it lets them move more towards baghdad and ensure that road is secure and it can help ensure to give them a jumping off point to try to bring further security deeper in to western iraq so it's something they very much want to do but the u.s. also pointing out to them votel also pointing out to them, mosul, that major city north of baghdad, still lies ah

it is hard it see, frankly, how iraqi forces could do both at the same time. so whether it's a tactical shift or what, not entirely clear, mosul would be a much harder battle for the iraqi forces and maybe see an opportunity. but there's a shift here they have done their best to conceal. >> it appears as you point out that winning fallujah may set the stage for a protracting concerted effort to retake mosul. which is the second largest city in iraq. but a major offensive was launched against mosul and all the iraqi forces could manage was to see villages on the outskirts. do you see the fight for mosul unfolding differently? >> well that may be the reason that now the target is fallujah, that mosul was just too hard a nut to crack. but i think another aspect of fallujah that's important, at least we understand now, the disposition of forces that the iraqi government would use, there appears to be a heavy reliance on shia militia. not just regular army, which you shia dominated the sides but shia militia who in the course of this offensive against isis over the

an iraqi commander says the fighting was fierce.ll have a full report on the battle, after the news summary. in the day's other news, officials in afghanistan reported more than 50 police killed in a string of taliban attacks, the first since the group named a new leader last week. the militants hit checkpoints in eastern helmand province, killing 33 officers on sunday, and up to 24 others today. residents in the provincial capital said artillery and machine gun fire could be heard close to the city. on this memorial day, president obama made special mention of the americans who died in the past year in iraq and afghanistan. it was the last time this commander-in-chief would lead the nation's observances on a day of time-honored traditions. william brangham has our report. >> every day there are american families who pray for the sound of a familiar voice when the phone rings. instead a car pulled up to the house and there was a knock on the front door and the sound of taps floated through a cemetery's trees. ( trumpet plays "taps"

there were two iraqis hanging by their arms.eir whole chests were completely open in circular lines where obviously somebody had whipped them. it was a dreadful, dreadful sight. tom was completely freaked. >> he really was so, so afraid, so scared. he was quite uncontrollable. >> i felt complete abhorrence that anyone could do this to someone else. a serious desire overcame me to get the people who did this and to tear their eyes out. it was most overwhelming and draining series of emotions i've ever had. finally they moved us. we were brought on to this prison bus. as we sped out the front gates, suddenly a mean looking guard as we sped out the front gates, suddenly a mean-looking guard came into the back shouting and roaring loudly at the top of his voice. he stamped down the center of the bus. he blocked off all the ventilation hatches in the roof. now effectively, we were in a steel coffin with no air getting in. the internal air temperature started rising and rising and rising. temperatures were probably around 50 degrees.

katty: the white house said it is time for the iraqi governments to work effectively for all iraqis. political consequences of the breakdown of the iraqi government. they do not seem to be doing it. the sunnis persuade and the shiites. >> there are having trouble reaching out to sunni citizens. it is issues of capacity. doing things like securing citizens against bombs. there is still using magic wands that they were scammed by. they're not investing in real bomb detection technologies to keep these events from happening. katty: what are the chances that the prime minister can consolidate the political games that need to be made? >> slim in the coming year or two. he will stumble through. i do not think his government will fall, but we will not see the political bargain we need to. i do not see any event that triggers that in the future. katty: if we don't see that, the chaos continues. >> military successes could have a life of their own. we don't know what happens when basel falls. -- when most will josh when -- itn mosul falls. >> katty: would have to follow and be held for a sign

six significantly with the iraqi government with that impact of the iraqi security forces that are on whom based on sectarian of that military with the establishment of the government to prioritize with the abilities to work together would be critical to their success our government philosophy that is why it has been supportive of his efforts but ultimately they need to be responsive to the concerns of the priorities of the iraqi people. he is the leader of a sovereign nation that is why united states can be supportive of his efforts listing to the iraqi people. >> i think he has demonstrated during his time in office to a multi sectarian iraq and with that vision is a national said -- security pyridium he in the stands and i also think it is unjust for his own personal preference or national-security of the country but because it is a reflection of the iraqi people with the success of this country to depend on the success to unify the country with the challenge is that they currently face. remember it is said just isis that poses a threat but it is creating challenging challenges in

the iraqi prime minister has ordered authorities to arrest those who caused damage and also attacked members of parliament and police during the action. while the situation appears to have calmed since yesterday, it is by no means resolved, and there is overall concern about this political chaos, a fear that the iraqi government is losing its grip at a time when the u.s. wants it to focus on the fight against isis and it's counting on that saturday. arthel. >> emotions continue to run high there. kitty logan, thank you for the latest there from london. gregg. >> >> the growing turmoil in iraq could have major implications for the u.s. strategy in fighting isis in the region. that's because the white house leans on the iraqi prime minister al abadi in battling the terror group and his political viability could be a huge factor in whether our plans could succeed or fail. joining us to talk about it is ambassador john bolton and senior at the american enterprise institute and ambassador, it's good to see you. stated goal of the protesters is to bring down the government of the prime min

. >> what's the explanation for this reengagement with iraqi politics? it's about i.s.i.s. the purpose of biden's trip is to shore up a key ally -- that's the prime minister -- it's to get the iraqi politicians to focus on fighting i.s.i.s. and not each other, which is what they're spending all their time doing now, and it's to make sure the battlefield gains, when they come, are held. what we've seen over the last eight years and more is that the iraqis, with american help, are pretty good at taking territory, but there terrible at holding territory because, whenever they make gains, the governance, the politics that follow are so terrible. >> rose: we continue with andrew ross sorkin of the "new york times." >> with some perspective in historical context, we will look back at this period and say, frankly, that we actually have done better than we ever deserved to, almost, and i know nobody -- if you're going to be out there watching this, you say this guy is crazy to say this. >> rose: we conclude with ben harper, his new album is called "call it what it is." >> there's a

iraqi -- by the islamic state group. iraqi troops have surrounded fallujah for a week and they have just begun with what they say is a final push into the city center. if the mission succeeds, it would take fallujah back from the islamic state group for the first time in over two years. our correspondent has the details. >> it is a battle for fallujah. this video, taken by the iraqi army, appears to show government troops and shiite militias just outside the city, where they claim they have captured a weaponss shipment bound for islamic state fighters. kilometersust 50 west of baghdad, was the first city to fall into jihadist hands two years ago. >> our troops are ready to fight the extremists and morale is high. the elite troops and counterterrorism forces are ready to storm the city of fallujah and purge it from the islamic state group. we are waiting for orders to storm the city. theave a fighting over weekend has forced 3000 people to flee the city, and it is believed 50,000 are still trapped there with limited acces

kurdish forces and iraqi security forces are there. two iraqi army brigades that we trained are in initial phases of doing operations, clearing out villages, moving out to the tigress river. that is difficult. troops have to get their sea legs. there are a number of other things we are now planning. someone said it looks like the campaign is really hitting a pause. it doesn't seem to be making the rapid progress it was before. at times in syria we were clearing thousands of square kilometers every week or so. and that is true. there is is a natural strategic pause where you reset, you reassess and analyze. but when i was in iraq last week, our military commanders were putting the final touches on kind of the final -- what might be the final plan for the next stages of this campaign. and i know they feel pretty confident about it. we hope to do is as soon as possible. charlie: and the president said that, too. he wanted to get baghdad the same he wanted to get bin laden. he said yes, and 35 or 40 others who are leading isil because of w

so it's sending multiple messages here to the iraqi public as well in that the iraqi government and securityble necessarily of protecting them, not even in the capital baghdad that is among the most fortified of all of these cities, most heavily protected one would expect from the types of attacks that isis is attempting to launch. one must not forget in all of this, wolf, that isis is an entity that reinvents itself at every single stage when anyone claims that it has been defeated. it is an organization that has changed and thrived and grown from as far back as 2004 when its roots really began to be established in iraq, wolf. >> ar ra damon reporting for us, thank you very much. let's discuss what's happening, the awful situation of baghdad right now. my next guest is colonel steve warren. contr colonel, thank you for joining us. what more can you tell us about today's suicide attacks? >> wolf, this was another example of some terrible attacks. there are more than 50 killed and that many at least wounded. those numbers are probably going to go up. there were several car bombs, all targeted

it's high time that fallujah get retain by the iraqi government. from a u.s.nificance standpoint, we fought two battles over fallujah and quite few american service members were killed or wounded in those battles. there's an emotional and a strategic region for the iraqi government to go in and take fallujah. >> i remember hearing from families of u.s. marines. really sad for them to see that. bob, with a base of operations in effect so close to the capital for isis, has this helped them carry out these terror attacks we've seen with increasing frequency inside baghdad by isis and by retaking a city like this, does that reduce their chance to carry out acts of terror? >> oh, i think undoubtedly jim. they're building these car bombs somewhere. they're making explosives and filling these cars up. it's very difficult to control them, and they're using fallujah and they have for a long time going back to 2004 as a rare base for sunni radicalism. it's been just a very difficult place to control. i think this government, if it's ever going to reestablish control ove

yesterday's strike on the iraqi capital was the worst bloodshed the city has seen this year. mcspadden says that only strengthens the resolve of his new recruits. >> they're very motivated, you know, especially with the attacks that happened in baghdad. it angers them. they want to take their cities back over. >> reporter: that training may have looked rather basic, scott, but those tanks and armored personnel carriers play a vital role in any ground offensive. and that equipment was not just for training. it's the same kind used by iraqi forces against isis on the battlefield. >> pelley: charlie d'agata in baghdad tonight. charlie, thanks. two state troopers from new hampshire and massachusetts were placed on leave today after apparently beating a man at the end of a high-speed chase. the suspect appears to surrender, getting out of the vehicle on his knees, and then the police officers pummel him. the man, wanted on assault charges, had a swollen eye in court today. the nine millimeter pistol that george zimmerman used to kill trayvon martin is up for sale. the former neigh

troops have been training the iraqi army for 13 years. it has cost american taxpayers nearly $30 billion, and there is no end in sight. charlie d'agata saw some of that firsthand. [gunfire] >> reporter: on the outskirts of baghdad, iraqi army recruits took aim at an imaginary enemy. but for u.s. trainer sergeant first class josh mcspadden, it's all too real. >> i fought in it in iraq first time. [gunfire] >> reporter: he's been here before, during the worst of the fighting in 2004, and he remembers in vivid detail the day he thought he was going to die. >> it was the only die in my life that i ever thought i wasn't going to make it home alive, but it was just so, so intense. >> reporter: what's it like to have fought so fiercely and now you're back again? >> it's frustrating. you know, you want to see your brothers in arms, you know, the iraqi people, you want to see them have the same motivation. you want to see them fight the same way that you do. just to come back here and face the same problems, you know, it's just like, when is enoug

. >> isis has seized many iraqi cities. >> narrator: they seemed to come out of nowhere. >> in northern iraq, a number of districts have been taken over by fighters. >> militants have swallowed up territory, and they're pushing toward baghdad. >> narrator: the terror group isis started capturing key territory in iraq. >> the jolting gong was when they swept into western iraq and took control of a third of western iraq. the banks that were robbed and stripped, the assets that were stripped in that entire area was huge. and that was, as i said, the jolting gong that said, "wait a minute, how could this happen?" >> deep concern about isis pushing into baghdad. >> isis has been seizing territory in iraq. >> they were able to swiftly take over huge areas of iraq. it was shocking how the army didn't even fight, didn't even put a fight. >> and taking over mosul, the second largest city... >> i think washington was stunned when the second largest city in iraq, a city of two million people, fell in a day. to a terrorist organization that we had not imagined was in the first order of terrorist or

well, you don't fix iraqi politics by training iraqi troops and iraqi politics are broken.t's the fundamental promise in iraq that we need to fix. >> congressman seth moulton, thank you so much. our deepest condolences on the loss of your friend. >> thank you, jake. >>> postpone or move the summer olympics. that's what our next guest says needs to be done because of the zika epidemic. that story, next. the bud light party believes in change. that's why bud light has a new look... ...and we want to share it with everyone... jackpot! still the same refreshing bud light. with a new look. but i've managed.e crohn's disease is tough, except that managing my symptoms was all i was doing. and when i finally told my doctor, he said humira is for adults like me who have tried other medications but still experience the symptoms of moderate to severe crohn's disease. and that in clinical studies, the majority of patients on humira saw significant symptom relief. and many achieved remission. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes f

an incredible resilience by the iraqi people we have seen.hen it comes to optimism, the questions are directed by the iraqi people to their politicians because as we know the fight against isis is not only on the battlefield. it also has to be on the political scene. something we haven't really seen change in the past couple of years. no real reforms. no real change that would bring the iraqi people together. so the question is really to the iraq kwi politicians, are they going to be able to set their differences aside and come together to try and weaken isis and take away whatever support it has in iraq. >> that optimism incredible considering what the iraqi people have been through over the past 13 years. just past 10:20 in the morning there. thanks. >>> the united nations is condemning recent attacks on targets such as hospitals and other civilian sites in syria. >> in a statement, u.n. investigators say international laws requiring warring parties to distinguish between lawful and unlawful targets have been ignored. resulting in war crime

the city was handed over to the iraqi government. al qaeda before long leaving many, including u.s. soldiers feeling like american blood was spilled for no reason. let's talk it over with cnn military analyst cedric lay ton. good to see you. >> good to see you too. >> iraqis are telling civilians to get out ahead of the battle. does telegraphing it give isis a strategic advantage? >> potentially, at least it will give them a tactical advantage. what they can do with that, they can insist the civilians stay and there are indications they are doing that, they are keeping civilians in the city and preventing them from leaving and thus creating a situation where it's really a greater risk for the iraqi forces that -- and milit militia. >> as you said in the intro, this is a place where many american servicemen shed blood. this is a place where it really was the biggest single area where we fought during the iraq war. and it was also one of those areas where we really put a lot of our national prestige on the line. it's incredible and the

providing air strikes and watching the iraqi forces closely. >> we're seeing everything from iraqi security forces, the regular army, to the police, to even their elite counterterror servers all participating in this action. >> reporter: less discussed but also involved in the fallujah fight, iran and the shia militia it backs joining the fight to knock isis from the city, raising concerns as they move against the heavily sunni populated area. it could all lead to more sectarian violence. to the north, a kurdish offensive under way around mosul, iraq's second largest city. an attempt to squeeze isis and force it to fight in multiple locations. >> we do recognize the value of simultaneousity when we go after this enemy right here. when we present them with multiple dilemmas, then we generally see more success with them. >> reporter: and across the border, u.s. special forces are accompanying and advise be syrian rebel forces fighting on the doorstep of isis' self-declared capital in raqqah. during the recent visit to iraq and syria, the general said he's also looking at what more the u.s. ca

to take back the iraqi city seized by the terror group two years ago.o ahead, following the twists and turns of the campaign trail, our politics monday team breaks down the most recent developments in the presidential election. plus, pulitzer prize-winning poet peter balakian grapples with his family's dark past as survivors of the armenian genocide.

when the iraqis cleared tikrit, the city was almost depopulated. so we worked with the iraqi government, abadi and the local leaders of sal adean province to flush forces to the local level to get teampeople back into their homes because what is important is what happens after i.s.i.l and to have displaced people come back to their homes. we looked at how long it takes in these sectarian conflicts, it can take years for people to come back. one of the hardest things to do. but in tikrit, the combination flushing resources to the local level, the u.n. did a great job identifying what had to be done to get people back and now almost 95%, according to the figures from the u.n., 95% of the population is back in their homes in tikrit. it's really quite remarkable, and it's happened because the government of iraq and abadi had an agenda to decentralize, push resources down to the local level, trust the local leaders to bring people back to their homes. now in ramadi, we're trying to do the same thing to bring people back. what makes it so difficult, and

iraqi forces have surrounded the isis stronghold.hey're now trying to storm the center of the city to drive the militants out. but isis is mounting a strong counter attack. cnn's senior international correspondent ben wedeman is here with more. hi, ben. >> hello, carol. this offensive to retake fallujah from isis is now in its tenth day in the battle started nasty. it's getting nastier. there was a four-hour battle to the south of fallujah as iraqi forces tried to enter, penetrate the defenses of the city. there is a counter attack by isis. according to the iraqi army they were able to repulse that attack and inflict heavy casualties on isis. no word about casualties among iraqi forces themselves. but as you mentioned, the unhcr says they believe hundreds of civilians are being held as human shields in central fallujah. we've heard reports of summary executions of young men and boys who refuse to join the ranks of isis to fight off the iraqi army. we're also hearing from the unhcr that around 3,700 civilians have been managed to leav

analysts say tens of thousands of iraqi civilians still live in the city.eryone to evacuate if possible. in the past few months, iraqi troops have retaken several cities from isis with the help of air-attacks from the u-s, and other allies. breaking overnight - a major announcement from president obama during his historic trip to vietnam. the president announced that the white house is lifting the ban on weapons sales to america's one-time foe. mister obama said dropping the ban is part of a deeper defense cooperation between the two countries - and not a way to counter china's growing strength in the region. president obama will spend three days in the country, talking about discuss regional security and support for his trans-pacific partnership trade deal. in 20 years - opioid prescriptions in the u-s are declining. prescriptions of the addictive painkillers skyrocketed in the 90s, with oxycontin on the market. now -- an analysis from the new york times shows a peak in 2012, and decline after that. according to the times, doctors may be heeding the warnin

>> the iraqis struggled to retake tikrit and ramadi. they announced operations then they gone forward and backward. iraqis have a pretty bad track record of retaking these cities. but keep in mind isis is severely diminished in iraq. the number of foreign fight sellers joining the ranks is way, way down from thousands a month down to a couple hundred by most estimates. they have been getting pound for the better part of the year by the u.s. and coalition airstrikes. this will take some time. the bigger issue is fallujah is a sunni-held city and most of these iraqi forces are in fact shiite. so even if isis is driven away and pushed out of fallujah, the sectarian tensions that helped isis gain control of fallujah, they will remain. that's the bigger issue for the iraqis going forward. martha: president obama confirming a major hit to the taliban. the head that terror group has been taken out by a u.s. drone. he was killed in pakistan over the pakistan border which is thought to be the de facto headquarters. an area we haven't done have m

military is working with all iraqi forces to retake mosul. this is a big operation to try to kick isis out of the key city to create breathing space. it comes at a cost because the u.s. has to work with shiite militias back ped by iran. how long it takes is the big question. retaking cities of tikrit and ramadi took longer than expected. isis is at a much bigger disadvantage than a year ago, their forces are not seeing the enflux of foreign fighter ares coming through turkey and other places that they were a year ago. thousands were flowing in to iraq and syria. but isis is at a big disadvantage, jon and heather, how long it takes to secure fallujah, that is the question. but they are backed by the u.s. firepower that should take a lot less longer than the other cities. >> thank you, conner. >>> isis is claiming responsibility for a series of explosions that killed 80 people. in one town a car bomb went off near a bus station, and then a suicide bomber blew himself up inside. and around that time the suicide bomber detonated outside of an eme

in our world lead, iraqi security forces continue to intensify their offensive to reclaim the iraqi cityfallujah, a place where dozens of troops lost their lives in two different battles a couple years ago. the forces of isis are, unfortunately, not backing down. violent clashes between iraqi troops and isis today as the iraqi coalition recaptured key villages outside the city, just miles from fallujah, thousands of civilians are desperately trying to make their escape to avoid the violence. according to the united nations, isis gunmen are going door to door, yanking men, women and children from their homes and using some as human shields. let's bring in head pentagon correspondent barbara starr. we're learning two u.s. service members were injured over the weekend? >> that's right, jake. one in syria, one in iraq. for u.s. military advisers in this area, it is getting very dangerous as these battles intensify. >> reporter: syria's youngest caught in the line of fire in idlib, rescue crews work desperately. a small body pulled from the wreckage. at least 23 people were killed in air stri

all are being shipped out as more iraqis show up for u.s.-led training. army moves full speed ahead, the u.s. is worried that the fighting in fallujah and the unrest in baghdad could distract the iraqi government from getting their army fully trained and out in the field. pamela? >> barbara starr reporting from ahman, jordan. in the "newsroom," virginia governor terry mcauliffe responds to a story cnn broke. news of an fbi probe. why he says he's confident all his campaign contributions were legal. >>> first a quick check on the markets. we're off to a good start this tuesday. the dow now up about 200 points. we'll be right back. with usaa is awesome. homeowners insurance life insurance automobile insurance i spent 20 years active duty they still refer to me as "gunnery sergeant" when i call being a usaa member because of my service in the military to pass that on to my kids something that makes me happy my name is roger zapata and i'm a usaa member for life. usaa. we know what it means to serve. get an insurance quote and see why 92% of our members plan