. >> thank god we took them by surprise and the iraqi forces with the help of the iraqi air force and coalition support have managed to deal heavy blows today on the enemies of iraq. our ground forces have managed to liberate land with the blood of iraqis, iraqis alone. >> isil fighters have been driven from the central city, although three neighborhoods remain under their control. as the iraqi advance continues shia militias have returned to their ate. the iranian back fighters that suspended operations claims the u.s. was planning airstrikes on the city. while a direct cooperation would be a step too far for washington and tehran, a victory in tikrit would boost hopes for mosul. u.s. led airstrikes in the de facto capitol can only do so much before ground troops are needed. >> palestine is now officially a member of the international criminal court. it's part of a move by the palestinians to put more international pressure on israel. al jazeera's jonah hill sent this update from the hague. >> with palestinian becoming the 123rd member state of the i.c.c. the mechanism is in place po

with the help of the iraqi air force and the coalition air support. ey managed to deal heavy blows on the enemy of iraq. ground forces managed to liberate the land with the blood of iraqis. iraqis alone. >> the prime minister says i.s.i.l. fighters have been driven out of the central city. three outer neighbourhoods remain under their control. >> as the iraqi advance continues. shia militias returned to their aid. the iranian backed fighters suspended operations after claims the u.s. planned air strikes on the city. direct cooperation would be a step too far for washington and terrain, all know a victory in tikrit would boost hopes for mosul. u.s. led air strikes in the capital can only do so much before ground troops are needed >>> in syria, i.s.i.l. fighters killed 30 people, including women and children. carrying out a raid on a village controlled by government forces. the syrian observatory for human rights says people were burnt, beheaded and shot. >> al jazeera gained exclusive footage following air strikes on idlib. 30 were killed on tuesday. th

reinforcements send by baghdad, and air strikes by the international coalition, as well as the iraqi air force the other hand the humanitarian situation for the people there is getting worse. the number of people who fled ramadi and the vournding areas has reached more than 113,000 people according to the u.n. they live in tough conditions in areas of baghdad on the outskirts of baghdad. meanwhile there has been a car bomb in baghdad, and also a roadside bomb in the area to the east of baghdad. there were a number of people killed and dozen injured; >>> thousands of ethiopians have protested against the treatment of ethiopian christians by isil. our correspondent reports. >> reporter: people's grief and anger turned into violence on the streets. people began gathering at dawn on wednesday. it's the second day of a three-day national mourning period for isil's victims. a video was posted on line on sunday that appears to show the armed group shooting and beheading nearly 30 ethiopian christians in libya. two-thirds are christians many others are muslims in ethiopia. >> i want to say that they a

enforcement sent from baghdad and also airstrikes by the international coalition as well as by the iraqi air force. now on the other hand the humanitarian situation there for people its getting worse. the number of people who fled ramadi and the surrounding areas have reached 113,000 people according to the u.n. they live in tough conditions in areas in baghdad on the outskirts of baghdad. meanwhile there has been a car bomb in baghdad and also a roadside bomb in areas to the east of baghdad. there were a number of people killed and dozens injured. >> world trade why the london worker in this van has been charged with a multi dollar fraud in the u.s. >>> and the hong kong government fails to bring about vital reforms. we'll be back in a bit. am am just because i'm away from my desk doesn't mean i'm not working. comcast business understands that. their wifi isn't just fast near the router. it's fast in the break room. fast in the conference room. fast in tom's office. fast in other tom's office. fast in the foyer [pronounced foy-yer] or is it foyer [pronounced foy-yay]? fast in the hallway. i feel

reinforcements sents in from baghdad, and airstrikes from the coalition as well as well as the iraqi air force. on the other hand, the humanitarian situation is getting worse. the number of people who fledry mad di fled ramadi and the surrounding areas they live in tough conditions on the outskirts of baghdad. meanwhile there has been a car bomb in bag cad and a roadside bomb where a number of people killed and dozens injured. >> it's been a hundred years since lethal chemical weapons were used in world war i. in the u.s. engineers are working to eliminate the last supply of must tar gas something that could take four years. >> a small army of workers in protective gear assisted by pro significance row bats robots is fighting chemical weapons. >> we have agent hazards we spent a lot of time training, making sure that the workforce is ready to complete chemical weapons destruction. >> mustard gas and chlorine were not particularly effective on the battlefield but they demoralized the men in the trenches. the vast majority of remaining u.s. poison gas is stored near the colorado plant. workers t

they're believed to contain some of the 1700 iraqi air force cadets killed by islamic state militants last year. so far officials have found eight graves all located in the complex of palaces along the tigris river north of baghdad. >>> at least six people have been hurt in a massive explosion at a chemical plant in china. hundreds of firefighters were called to the plant that produces a toxic chemical used in making fibers and plastics. concerns over the safety of the chemicals have prompted several protests in china in recent years. the blast was so powerful, it could be felt up to 30 miles away. >>> now there are two declared g.o.p. presidential candidates. kentucky senator rand paul made the announcement first on his website. he made it official at a rally that's going on right now in louisville. nancy core advertise reports. nancy cortis report. >> it's time for a new day, a new set of ideas, a new leaders are one you can trust. >> reporter: a new campaign video gives an early glimpse into senator rand paul's announcement earlier today. the kentucky republican will officially ann

reinforcements sent from baghdad and also air strikes by the international coalition as well as by the iraqi air force. now, on the other hand the humanitarian situation for the people there is getting worse. the number of people who fled ramadi and the surrounding areas has reached 113,000 people. they live in tough conditions in areas in baghdad on the outskirts of baghdad. meanwhile, there's been a car bomb in baghdad and also a roadside bomb in an area to the east of baghdad. there were a number of people killed and dozens injured. >>> the trial against al jazeera journalists in egypt has been adjourned. they are being retried for allegedly harming national security and aiding the banned muslim brotherhood. proceedings will resume april 28th. >>> still to come this half hour protests against isil's killing of either adequate and appropriate yaps in libya turns violent. violent. just because i'm away from my desk doesn't mean i'm not working. comcast business understands that. their wifi isn't just fast near the router. it's fast in the break room. fast in the conference room. fast in tom's office.

iraqi and coalition air strikes. now he is saying that isis fighters are advancing toward the government complex. he says they tried to launch an assault on the complex. being backed by the iraqi force for the time being. this force is out gunned and out manned. if they do not get assistance they will not hold out longer. a saudi warning which would make them withdraw and allow for isis free reign in ramadi. that would be devastating for a number of reasons. it would be a significant blow to the iraqi government but perhaps an even more difficult blow and situation to the residents that are still stuck there. upwards of 150,000 have fled, but many more remain behind. the battle to take back ramadi if there are additional troops will be devastating. we are talking about street-to-street combat and air strikes inside the city in and of itself. we spoke to a number of people fleeing the violence yesterday as the isis onslaught began. an old woman burst into tears. she was sitting inside a metal cart to be pushed across a bridge surrounded by children. many piling their belongings elderly or children too tired or too weak to go across the bridge. a great source of frustration to the lac

iraqi troops in the city center could not hold off isis. isis did advance into the city from multiple fronts overnight. he said if reinforcements do not arrive if air strike by the iraqi air force and u.s.-led coalition do not take place, he said they would be forced to withdraw. >> they reached tikrit. a scary and strategic retaking of tikrit. there are concerns in tikrit that isis still has a foot hold there. they need to take mosul. they want advance and retake mosul. how big of a setback is this if they are able to take this town? >> reporter: it would be a big blow to the iraqi government that is feeling a boost in morale after this victory in tikrit. tikrit has always been something of if one can say this simple battle when it comes to the areas that isis controls. isis did not necessarily want to maintain a firm grip on tikrit. it was a luxury for them to have control over it. when it comes to anbar province and mosul, mosul is the capital of the islam caliphate. you have the civilian population which a majority has not fled. it will be a more complicated battle in ramadi. that is the key issue. these are not battles that will be happening anytime soon. it will take mont

scars of what seems to be the aftermath of massive explosions bombing by both coalition and the iraqi air forcering sporadic bursts of gunfire, explosions in the distance. we're being told that there are small pockets where isis fighters are still holding out, not very large in number though at this stage, and the iraqi security forces most certainly confident that they will eventually be able to secure the entire city. as you were saying earlier, the prime minister already declaring victory but given the widespread devastation, given the costs that just this city alone has already paid in the fight against isis well this is pretty much what victory at this>>> all right. arwa damon reporting from tikrit. i'll be right back. urtures her mind. and the johnson's® scent lather and bubbles help enhance the experience. so why just clean your baby when you can give her so much more™? now? can i at least put my shoes on? if your bladder is calling the shots ... you may have a medical condition called overactive bladder ... ...or oab you've got to be kidding me. i've had enough! it's time to talk to the

reinforcements sent from baghdad and also air strikes by the international coalition as well as by the iraqi air force. now, on the other hand the humanitarian situation for the people there is getting worse. the number of people who fled ramadi and the surrounding areas has reached more than 130,000 people according to the un. un. >> still ahead, why the london financial worker this man is being charged with multibillion dollar fraud in the u.s. >>> broken promises. we meet struggling south africans who blame the government for recent as tacks on foreign workers. oreign workers. >>> activists say at least seven people killed were in residential areas in syria. dozens were more injured. >>> northeast of the capital in a rebel held area at least ten have been killed in six attacks there. opposition activists have accused assad of the strikes in syria in the past three weeks >>> a man arrested in frances was planning an attack on one or more churches. he was flagged by security officials last year. police had been told the man was also planning to travel to syria. here's more now from paris. >>reporter:

what seems to have been the aftermath of massive explosions bombing by both coalition and the iraqi air force. now, we are still hearing sporadic bursts of gunfire, explosions in the distance. we're being told there are small pockets where isis fighters are still holding out. not very large in number though at this stage. and the iraqi security forces most certainly confident that they will eventually be able to secure the entire city. as you were saying there earlier, the prime minister already declaring victory. but given the widespread devastation, given the cost that just this city alone has already paid in the fight against isis well this is pretty much what victory at this stage looks like. >> arwa just made her way back from tikrit to baghdad where she's joining us now. and also with us we have cnn global affairs analyst bobby ghosh, managing editor of "quartz." this was a very dangerous assignment for you. in some of your other reports, you could hear gunshots. there are booby-trapped buildings around where we saw you there. your producer and your photographer there with you embedding

but also because he and others have been requesting for quite some time now additional iraqi air forceikes and coalition air strikes on isis positions before they were even able to breach the city. entering this morning from the east in something of a surprise attack that sent according to the official, 150,000 people fleeing. we saw some of those individuals that were trying to escape earlier in the day, trying to cross a bridge that you're not allowed to use a vehicle on. so they were on foot absolutely exhausted, wolf shocked, understandably given what they had been through. women, the elderly, children piled into metal carts being pushed across this bridge. one older woman we spoke to just burst into tears when we asked her about the situation. another man describing how isis fighters walked into his house, didn't say a word and then set up a sniper position on his rooftop, wolf. >> it's a shocking situation, tens of thousands of people now made refugee status and the question is where is the iraqi military? why are they m.i.a. missing in action allowing this to happen to their own

heavy fighting between iraqi ground forces and isis around the country's biggest oil refinery. new video in this morning shows iraqi airanes dropping military supplies to troops in the northern city of baiji. which is located on the main road to mosul. the refinery has remained under government control. but militants are surrounding the entire complex preventing access to iraqi forces. right now troops, backed by shi-ite militias and coalition airstrikes are gradually pushing their offensive north to secure the rest of the province. >> marty:coming up on kron 4 news tours to catching a styx concert. we've got some getaway. coast. female announcer: get on board for better sleep! it's sleep train's interest free for 3 event! get three years interest-free financing on beautyrest black, stearns & foster serta icomfort even tempur-pedic. plus, get free delivery, and sleep train's 100-day low price guarantee. you'll never find an interest rate lower than sleep train's interest free for 3 event, on now! ...guaranteed! ♪ sleep train ♪ ♪ your ticket to a better night's sleep ♪ >> reporter: fog this morning a little hole of the

. >> reporter: thank god we took them by surprise the iraqi forces with the help of the iraqi forces and the coalition air strike we have advanced in iraq. we have managed to liberate land with the blood of iraqis iraqis alone. >> reporter: the prime minister said fighters have been driven out of the city although three neighbourhoods remain under their chrome. -- under their control. the iranian backed fighters suspended operations after claims the u.s. planned air strikes on the city. while direct cooperation would be a step too far for washington and tehran. all know a victory in tikrit would boost hopes for mosul. u.s.-led air strikes can only do so much before ground troops are needed >>> here is what is coming up on al jazeera. saudi-led air strikes hit houthi positions in yemen. the misty upham warns the country is close to collapsing. first the spy scandal that led to the removal of the peruvian prime minister. >> al jazeera america, weekday mornings. catch up on what happened overnight with a full morning brief. get a first hand look with in-depth reports and investigations. start weekday morning

coalition air strikes seem to have provided the iraqi forces with that air cover and precision air strikesrequired to make that push into the city. as you recall, that operation began a month ago on march 2nd. we saw great advances around tikrit, gained territory, encircled the city. they did not seem to be able to push forward. there seemed to be a stall in the operation that was described as a tactical pause by iraqi officials. last week, the coalition and u.s. air strikes began after a request for the iraqi government. following that, we did see that push into the city. it does seem that there was this collaborative effort. iraqi forces on the ground, they had iranian advisers alongside the popular mobilization units. the group of iraq's shia militias that are backed and supported by iran, also the iraqi security forces, some sunni tribal forces also joining the battle. last week we saw the air strikes taking part. perhaps we're seeing what iraqi officials could be copied in other population factors trying to push isis out while they seem to have declared liberation yesterday. it seems

force base that many of you served in, al-assad air force base, we are training iraqi forces, who in turn are mobilizing sunni fighters. iraqi national security forces training sunni tribesmen. we are also bringing iraqi pilots to the united states who are in advanced stages of flight training in arizona to enhance their capacity to defend their country in the air. we are not doing it alone. we lead and mobilized a massive national coalition, over 60 partners, nato allies, arab nations and many others to help take on isil. it is not just a military coalition, it is a global effort to weaken isis across the board from undercutting its messaging to tracking foreign fighters. several nations are providing significant support in iraq. a coalition partners have launched over 500 airstrikes in iraq -- spaniards, danes australians, and others have provided training inside iraq. the dutch and italy are working with us to resupply the peshmerga. several countries, including japan and saudi arabia, have made significant nonmilitary contributions in areas such as development assistance

iraqi government says it sent reinforcements. those reinforcements have yet to appear. they've also been begging for air strikes from the iraqi air force and from the u.s.-led coalition. and those have not been happening in any sort of significant or decisive manner. the city right now very well could fall to isis. and if that happens, chris, it would be absolutely devastating to the iraqi government and to the civilian population. >> arwa you've been reporting from the beginning that coordination is still very difficult on the ground. thank you very much. we'll stick with you on this. >>> in other news two active members of the army national guard are due in federal court today after allegedly trying to sell guns ammunition and body armor to mexican drug cartels. it's alleged they made more than a dozen sales to informants working for the bureau of alcohol, tobacco and firearms. officials say they were so brazen they wore their army uniforms while conducting some of the transactions. >>> also potential hurdle for hillary clinton's presidential campaign despite mounting criticism, a lot of news headlines, the board of the clinton found

we've been trying to get trainers on the ground additional equipment to the iraqi security forces and with air strikes is try to create the space for the iraqi security forces to regroup, but also very importantly to have a more inclusive political process in the country so that those sunni communities are not disaffected from the government in baghdad, rather working together. >> stand by. i want to continue this conversation. ben rhodes president obama's deputy national security advisor. looking at al qaeda in the arain yab peninsula, an around under their control. what is going on? stay with us's to unlock the possibilities of tomorrow......"lift tab." fiber-rich bran. answered by the perfect quantity of sun sweetened raisins. tomorrow is waiting. ♪sun'll come out, tomorrow♪ own it, with kellogg's® raisin bran see you at breakfast™. "ride away" (by roy orbison begins to play) ♪ i ride the highway... ♪ ♪ i'm going my way... ♪ ♪i leave a story untold... ♪ he just keeps sending more pictures... if you're a free-range chicken you roam free. it's what you do. if you want to save fifteen percent

there are not jtacs imbed with iraqi security forces and there were not in tikrit. we're still able to be effective in providing air support to iraqi forces because we do have americans in their command centers, and practiced the methods by which we would ensure that the targets that were given to us were valid targets did everything we usually do to ensure there are as no collateral damage or collateral damage is minimized. so we're going through all the steps we normally do to ensure that air strikes can be both effective and precise, but we're not using our own forward controllers to do that. in tikrit or anywhere else in iraq. that hasn't changed. >> last question. matthew. >> mr. secretary -- >> my question for you, prime minister abadi came out today and said tikrit was a model. is that your assessment given there have been reports of looting and executions happening in tikrit? and if you could speak more broadly about the strategic threat that is posed in yemen such that it demands the u.s. provide intelligence saudi arabia? what is the u.s. strategic interest in that fight in yemen. >> i'll start with the q

possibly years till you see major pieces of territory claimed back by these iraqi forces and that's with this major u.s.-led airt's with the training that u.s. military advisers are doing of iraqi forces. it's going to be very slow going here. you're going to see setbacks. you're not going to see constant advance. ramadi is still precarious, even if it is contested. >> jim chute toe, thank you very much. retired general james spyder marks, my question to you is the iraqis in ramadi say it's fallen. jim chute toe is reporting major owe offensive led by the u.s. coalition against isis delayed from spring to maybe fall to maybe next year. the u.s. government says isis is in retreat. it doesn't seem that way from the reporting on the ground. what is the u.s. going to do about it? just say this coalition's working? or put boots on the ground? >> i think the united states has already demonstrated what it intends to do. and you know erin that is to provide what i would hope would be punishing air strikes matter of routine. certainly the pace and cadence of those air strikes could increase. they are necessary but they'

there are not jtacs embedded with iraqi security forces and there were not in tikrit. we're still able to be effective in providing air support to iraqi forces because we do have americans in their command centers and practiced the methods by which we would ensure that the targets that were given to us were valid targets, did everything that we usually do to ensure that there is no collateral damage or that collateral damage is minimized. so we're going through all the steps we formally do to ensure that air strikes can be both effective and precise. but we're not using our own forward controllers to do that in tikrit or anywhere else in iraq. that hasn't changed. >> last question nancy. >> my question is for you, general dempsey. prime minister abadi came out today at csis and said tikrit was a model. is that your assessment given there have been reports of looting and executions happening in tikrit? and i was wondering if you could speak, both of you, a little more broadly about what is the strategic threat that is posed in yemen such that it demands the u.s. provides intelligence? what is the u.s. strategic in that

the iraqi government forces and iranian backed shiite militia launched in early march. u.s. led coalition forces began air strikes last week to support them. iraqi troops are now hoping to retake mosul. government officials in myanmar and ethnic rebel group leaders have come together to sign a historic peace deal. they're trying to end 65 years of conflict about. >> the government officials and representatives of 60 minorities signed a cease-fire agreement on tuesday, with the president -- >> everyone here will go down in myanmar's history for helping bring peace to our country. >> the agreement came after seven rounds of peace that started in 2013. this concludes the system that will give minor groups -- it also includes equal rights for all ethnic groups and establishment of the cease-fire . the struggle between the government and these groups has acted as a drug on the economic rule. myanmar is part of an asean economic community. planned to be launched at the end of the year. but it is important for myanmar to secure its border regions before the time. they hope the regional market of 600 million cons

force base that many of you served in, al-assad air force base, we are training iraqi forceswho in turn are mobilizing sunni fighters. iraqi national security forces training sunni tribesmen. we are also bringing iraqi pilots to the united states who are in advanced stages of flight training in arizona to enhance their capacity to defend their country in the air. we are not doing it alone. we lead and mobilized a massive national coalition, over 60 partners, nato allies, arab nations and many others to help take on isil. it is not just a military coalition, it is a global effort to weaken isis across the board, from undercutting its messaging to tracking foreign fighters. several nations are providing significant support in iraq. a coalition partners have launched over 500 airstrikes in iraq -- spaniards, danes australians, and others have provided training inside iraq. the dutch and italy are working with us to resupply the peshmerga. several countries, including japan and saudi arabia, have made significant nonmilitary contributions in areas such as development assistance h

something ground, over the course of the last week, despite the opposition of both iraqi security forces and u.s.-led coalition air strikes, paula. >> it was just a few days, ago, ivan, that certainly iraqi forces were touting the point that tikrit had been isolated and we have all this confusion in ramadi and the fact that isis may be taking over part of that city. how do you parse this, ivan at this point? how much can you believe and have faith in the iraqi forces and the kurdish fighters who are saying, look, we are taking a chunk of the isis fighting forces here? >> well, we were just showing you recent release footage from the iraqi ministry of defense showing how they're airlifting supplies and assistance to baiji, that's the sprawling refinery compound in the north of iraq, where isis seemed to have captured some areas around the perimeter of that very important economic, strategic target. we're getting reports that both sunni and shiite militias are moving there in an effort to try to clear out that area. but in fact, in the last week, isis have succeeded in making a push into baiji, and they've also succ

iraqi city 70 miles away from baghdad. that's a real concern. iraqi forces are begging the united states to perform more airover the country but will that really help? let's talk about this with major general james "spider" marks. hi general. >> hi carol. good morning. >> good morning. so are more air strikes the answer? >> no. they really aren't. clearly the united states has the capacity to do air strikes somewhat limitlessly. we have allied partners involved in that but that alone is necessary but not sufficient. we need to be able to make sure that the iraqi security forces are in place, capable of withstanding isis assault but primarily what's happening we see now is not just defense operational on part of isis but getting rid of them and what they are trying to achieve in ramadi. isisce iran had a strong physical presence on the ground in the form of fighters and advisers and the iraqi corps which is aligned with iran. so they were able to be successful in tikrit but they were able to do that because iran can get there. it's close to iran and tikrit was able to fall. isis still exists in mosul further

fight, so i'm not prepared to say the tide of battle has turned but i will say iraqi security forces along with the coalition airer have unquestionably inflicted damage on isil and began to push isil back. >> reporter: tikrit recently retaken by iraqi forces shown on the map as still contested. the next city is listed as isil controlled but the oil field is said to be in iraqi control. but the map also shows a different story in syria, where coalition air strikes have done little to diminish isil's region of influence, and where the group has actually gained ground. in an interview, john allen, insisted isil is losing power by the day. >>> the u.s. and the coalition powers are able to provide, really precise fires that not only accomplish the director, but also reduce collateral damage and reduces the likelihood of civilian damage. >> reporter: more than 6,000 isil areas have been destroyed. remember the question for the authorization for the use of military force, today ken mccarthy acknowledged they are not the votes to pass that in fact some people say it may never pass. but as the iraqi prime minister is pre

they are not protecting iraqi forces from mines and homemade bombs perfect 50 additional m-wraps. at the air force base many of you were part of securing come we are training, advising assistant iraqi army forces who are training sunni fighters. we are also bringing iraqi pilots to the united states who are in advanced stages of flight training in arizona to enhance the capacity to defend their country in the air. we are not doing it alone. we lead and mobilize a national coalition of over 60 partner -- nato partners to help take on eiffel. -- isil. it is a global effort to weaken isil across the board. in several nations, they are providing significant support in iraq. eight coalition partners have launched over 500 airstrikes in iraq. they have provided trainers inside iraq, others are working with us to train and resupply the kurdish, who have reclaimed a significant portion of the territory initially gained by isil. several countries including japan, saudi arabia, have made significant, nonmilitary contributions in areas such as development assistance to humanitarian aid. and majority wi

. >> iraqi prime minister haider al-abadi is complaining coalition air strikes is taking too long. to speed things up the u.s. is considering training iraqi forces to spot targets for american air strikes. we have had report on the refugee crisis from baghdad. >> reporter: in the we were suburb of baghdad, this football pitch has been turned into a camp. everyone here has escaped the fighting in ramadi and the surrounding areas. many were scared and criticized their government. this man has eight children, including a boy with leukaemia. he is unemployed and poor. he says he felt humiliated after sleeping two nights in the open waiting for permission from the government to let his family in. >> they demanded a sponsor. i said i have no one. i asked them to give me my papers and let me die in dignity back home. >> he and his family were allowed in after someone they don't know sponsored them. his wife said they had to flee. >> we asked the government to give anbar weapons, so people could defend it and not allow vepingers in. they ignored us. now we urge the government to do something. >> more than 113,000 left anbar since april 8th. the ghost ha

air strikes by the u.s. what is happening now? >> reporter: christine, the iraqi government forces are barrel barely hanging on to that city. that is according to an official we are talking to there calling for urgent reinforcements and more air strikes to help protect ramadi. he says the isis militants have held on to positions in the east of ramadi and the exhausted government forces are succeeding in holding on to the center. they have reinforcements from less than 40 humvees full of iraqi security forces in the last 24 hours. the chairman of the joint chief of staff martin dempsey told journalists that the bigger priority right now for the u.s.-led coalition aiding the iraqi government is the sprawling oil refinery which is an hour's drive north where an area that isis claims to have captured territory in recent days. arguing that is much more of a strategic target for the u.s. to protect rather than the city of ramadi. if it does fall it would be tragic. general dempsey saying it is not an end to the campaign against isis. of course the more than 100,000 refugees fleeing would argue otherwise. >>> thank you, ivan. >> th

iraqi security forces were able to take tikrit is wonderful, it's marvelous. we should celebrate that. but it happened because they were propped up by by the u.s. airer and logistics and longstanding relationship with them, but also because of iran. iran have shia fighters and other forces are side-by-side in terms of getting up next to the iraqi security forces in terms of how this operation took place. so after the liberation, you always see looting. you see the celebration. that needs to be tamped down. but i think what the real focus, the real focus is the iraqi security force is professional enough to take on the continued requirements of a fight, to establish security back in a country that they want desperately to try to retain. and isis, right now, has the upper hand, but the isf, the iraqi security forces, are doing a good job right now. but they have got to be able to maintain its professionalism moving forward and seeing the remnants of bad behavior in tikrit and probably see it again. >> does the u.s. have the interest or the credibility, the ability to separate these shiite ma liberias from the isf this fer unhappy with what they do? o

ramadi and anbar province those are two places where the united states is hoping that iraqi ground forces wants the u.s. air strikes - once they have done their jobs they will allow the ground forces to move in. it's a slow process, but the u.s. says it's pushing i.s.i.l. back. >> the iraqi prime minister made it clear he wants more arms and aircraft. how soon mite the u.s. deliver that weaponry. >> iraq is slated to get some u.s. f-16 fighter jets, but need the pilots to fly them. the pilots are undergoing training at luke air force base out in arizona. and it probably will be several months before the pilots graduate and are ready to take part in the operations. the fact is that this indicates in this - you know the campaign against i.s.i.l. in iraq and syria is not something that will be wrapped up this year. as pentagon officials say it will go on for several years, particularly in syria where the u.s.-led coalition has not been able to make much progress at all. >> jamie mcintyre in washington d.c. >> doug oliphant is a senior fellow at the new american foundation and a former director for iraq at the

forces and were not with n tikrit. we're still able to be effective in providing air support to iraqi forces because we do have americans in their command centers, and practiced the methods by which we would ensure that the targets that were given to us were valid targets, do everything that we usually do to ensure that there are -- there's no collateral damage or collateral damage is minimized. we're going through all the sthaeps steps to ensure that air strike can be effective and precise. we're not using our own forward controllers to do that in tikrit or anywhere else in iraq. that hasn't changed. >> last question. nancy hughes. >> my question is for you general dempsey. prime minister abadi came out and said tikrit was a model. is that your assessment given that there have been reports of looting and executions happening in tikrit? and i was wondering if you could speak, both of you, more broadly about what is the strategic threats that is posing yemen so that it demands saudi intelligence in saudi arabia? what is the strategic interest in the fight in yemen? >> let me -- i'll start with the question over whether t

birthplace of saddam hussein has been the scene of intense battles between isis and iraqi forces for a month. the u.s. launched air aid in the effort. the pentagon would confirm only that iraqi forces are in tikrit, not that it is freed. >>> in boston, the defense rested its case in the bombing trial of dzhokhar tsarnaev. as expected attorneys called a handful of witnesses. the case resumes next monday with closing arguments as abc's tom llamas reports. >> dzhokhar tsarnaev's life may now depend on how jurors interpret this video from the day of the bombing. tamerlan the lead. dzhokhar following in his older brother's footsteps. it's the picture that defense painted that tamerlan called the shots in the evil plan. their evidence, tamerlan's fingerprints, not dzhokhar tsarnaev, on rolls of tape, a caulking gun, soldering gun and jar of nails. possibly bomb-making supplies all found in the tsarnaev family home. tamerlan's prints on the lid from the pressure cooker bomb. tamerlan's computer not dzhokhar's showing searches for detonator, fireworks firing system and boston marathon. on the younger brother's computer, t

air base where u.s. forces train their iraqi counterparts. thousands of iraqis are leaving ramadi the capital of anbar province as isil fighters continue to take over that city. they've been in control of 75% of the province. that's despite airstrikes for the u.s.-led coalition and new iraqi offensive announced last week. stale head, 35 years of independence. plus this is a story about yachts diamonds and money. in tunisia i'll be investigating what happened to the country's stolen assets. >> the peninsula, in arabic, is aljazeera. our logo represents courage. fiercely independent quality reporting. >> to take as much aid as possible... >> and standing up for the voiceless. when you see this symbol respected around the world it means you too can now count on all the things we stand for. aljazeera america. >> the top stories now on al jazeera. fighters linked to isil are claiming responsibility for a series of bomb blasts in eastern afghanistan. 35 people were killed in the city of jalalabad including government employees collecting their sala

. >> i will say that iraqi security forces along with coalition air power have definitely inflicted some damage on i.s.i.l. >> the u.s.led coalition is having an impact on i.s.i.l. lifting the ban. >> 300 is a defensive weapon, cannot serve offenses except israel. >> washington to tel aviv. a somber anniversary. >> we should you unite for the rescue of those girls. >> a year since the girls were abducted from nigeria and still no attempt to rescue them. >>> mainland shoppers from hong kong hoping to quell public outrage. >>> good evening i'm antonio mora. >> and i'm barbara serra. we begin with a new coalition against i.s.i.l. the figure represents around 6500 square miles of territory. >> meanwhile more sunni muslims in iraq say they are still under siege. they are accusing shia militias backed by iran of reprisal attacks. >> and expected to request additional weapons to fight i.s.i.l. >> jamie mcintire joins us now from the pentagon. jamie is this progress in iraq leading to more cooperation from the pentagon that this can be curbed in iraq and syria? >> they are saying what this shows

iraqi army and more air strikes by the u.s.-led coalition. today joint chiefs chairman martin dempsey conceded that iraqi forces may very well lose ramadi to isis. >> i would much rather that ramadi not fall, but it won't be the end of a campaign should it fall. we've got get it back. >> reporter: coalition forces on thursday cut routes used by isis. residents have given up on rescue. tens of thousands having fled the city in just two days. heartland.in iraq's sunni today the new defense secretary, ashton carter, expressing concern that iraqi government is still relying too much on shiite dominated militias. >> lasting victory over isil, includes governance in baghdad and respect for local populations of all there is liberated from isil control. >> as isis pushes on the oil refinery, important piece of infrastructure for the economy, the terror group released new propaganda video showing their rapid assault on the city. >> once the iraqis have full control, they will control all of the infrastructure both north and south and deny isil the ability to generate revenue through oil. >> as we mentioned, the largest oil refinery in iraq. our ivan wat

. >> rose: how does the coordination take place between these air strikes and iraqi armed forces and shi'a militias who are on the ground so they could be most effective as possible. >> that's the example what we have done is we have brought everybody, every fighter there under the control of the commander in that area. there's a commander which is appointed by the commander that includes the police force and this what you call militia. this would come from him. he has to designate, he has to get to us a target which he thinks and that target is approved by this commander who comes to the joint command center which is approved by an iraqi general and passed on to the international coalition. they have to approve it because they have to find out. >> rose: you also have to coordinate it with iranian advisors as well don't you. >> no. >> rose: you don't. >> no this is all done -- >> rose: the iranian advisors are there as you and i talked about before, your friend. you have to understand how the coordination takes place on the ground. mosul is coming up after ramadan, correct. >> we don

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

iraqi soldiers have died in the town of anbar province. they were killed in artillery shelling by isil fighters. it was near u.s. air base where u.s. forcesrain iraqi counterparts. the shelling has killed eight soldiers. in a ramadi isil faters were fighters were ready to take over the entire city. what you see here is a video of a jet flying over suspected isil positions in ramadi. thousands of families have been forced to flee ramadi because of the fighting. residents can be seen carrying whatever they can. tents, food and other aid is said to be on the way. >>> christians in iraq are racing to save some of their oldest and most sacred artifacts. thousands of manuscripts were stolen when isil stormed in the area last year. >> in northern iraq, one of christianity most sacred sites comes into view. this is the monastery once home to a line of christian patriarch patriarchs who governed western mesopotamia. >> if isil reaches here they will destroy this historic place. it is so, so important to christians and to all of iraq's history. >> just 12 kilometers away is the front line with isil. the kurds, who in the 18th century ransacked this

if it wasn't for the air power from the coalition supporting the iraqi ground forces on the ground iraqld be a complete different perspective right now. >> yeah. just want to be precise, what fred said is iranian officials are insisting iranian commanders are insisting the u.s. led air strikes in iraq not all that important. what's important is what they are doing together with the iraqi military. what you're saying and i believe you are right, those air strikes have had a significant impact on what's going on on the ground. bobby, want to weigh in on that? >> yeah. it's understandble why the iranians are saying this. they need their messaging to their own people their view is iraq is now part of the iranian sphere of influence. iran you had iranian authorities senior officials saying in public that baghdad is now one of our cities. so it is important for them to project to their own people that they rather than the americans ors the rest of the world, are protecting iraq. it is their ground forces their commander who is the real savior of iraq. that is internal propaganda for political

president, those forces don't have an air force and saudis will continue to support those ground forces with close air support just like we're doing to help the iraqisst isis. so i don't believe that it will be a prolonged operation or attacks. i think it will be -- if those forces that are there to help get the president back into power come into contact with the houthies the saudis will support them with close air support and back off. >> you think saudi arabia has a plan and it's just not conducting these air strikes willy-nilly? there's some plan. >> there is a plan. there is a plan. absolutely there is a plan. the saudis are not just going in there to do this willy-nilly. >> all right. lieutenant colonel james reese, thank you for your insight. i appreciate it. >>> still to come italy overwhelmed. another boat full of migrants rescued at sea. where this boat was coming from next. (son) oh no... can you fix it, dad? yeah, i can fix that. (dad) i wanted a car that could handle anything. i fixed it! (dad) that's why i got a subaru legacy. (vo) symmetrical all-wheel drive plus 36 mpg. i gotta break more toys. (vo) the twenty-fifteen subaru legacy.

forces in tikrit. we are still effective in providing air support to iraqi forces because we do have americans in their command centers and practiced the methods by which we would ensure that the targets that were given to us were valid targets. doing everything that we usually do to ensure that there is no collateral damage, or that it is minimized. we are going through all of the steps that we normally do to ensure that airstrikes can be both effective and precise. we are not using our own forces for controllers to do that, in tikrit or anywhere else in iraq. that hasn't changed. >> last question. >> my question is for you general demspsey. the prime minister said tikrit was a model. is that your assessment, given that there have been reports of executions in tikrit? i wanted you both to talk more broadly about dietrich threat -- the strategic threat imposed in yemen? what is the u.s. strategic inference in that fight in yemen? martin dempsey: i will start with the question of tikrit as a model. it is a conventional brigade and that's part of the popular vote is under direct control of the iraqi gove

. >> i will say that iraqi security forces along with coalition air power have definitely inflicted some.s.i.l. >> the u.s.led coalition is having an impact on i.s.i.l. lifting the ban. >> 300 is a defensive weapon, cannot serve

iraqi official says mr. abadi did ask for air strikes as well. >> he requested coordination withy forces. he is s to meet with congressional leaders in the coming hours. >> meantime, a paramilitary force in iraq says hundreds of reinforcements are heading to the country's largest oil re refinery. isis began attacking the refinery. they controlled several buildings by sunday. the government denied that. the militia says iraqi troops in the refinery are holding their ground. >> defense ministry says security forces won back a small town north of baghdad. in doing so they have cut off an isis apply line. >> the white house says it is willing to give congress a say on any potential nuclear deal with iran. a bill headed for congressional approval would give congress up to 52 days to review any deal. during that time, mr. obama would not be allowed to waive any congressional sanctions against iran. >> we hope congress will listen carefully. and ask the questions that it wants. but also give us the space and the time to be able to complete a very difficult task. which has high stakes for our cou