and there is an important supply line that isil uses to move from its capitol, to the iraqi city of mosul translator: what is happening now is that there is a real fight against isil. it controls about 30% of the province. kurds are fighting on one front, and regime soldiers based in the province are also attacking them from another front. isil cannot afford to lose her because it needs to keep its supply lines open. >> reporter: it also borders the iraqi city of sinjar. the crossing is in sinjar. it connects syria to iraq and it is being used by isil fighter fighters. it seems the offense is part of a broader military plan. if isil is defeated here and sinjar it would severely restrict its freedom of movement between its strong holds in iraq and syria. the u.s. lead coalition and its partners on the ground need to cut the groups supply lines before any major military assault. it's hundreds of kilometers from mosul and other isil strong holds in iraq but defeating them here would weaken them there. >>> back to that abduction in iraq. our correspondent has reported extensively from iraq ea

. >> they released a video showing their fighters destroying ancient statues in the iraqi city of muzzlesul. unesco is comparing it to the destruction of giant buddhas in afghanistan in two dozen one by the telegram, and they want the un security council to take action. >> they used sledgehammers and electric drills to destroy ancient statues and other priceless artifacts in the museum in the iraqi city of mosul. the group's propaganda division don't the ransacking -- filmed the ransacking. here, a militant uses a jackhammer to do face an assyrian statue that is more than 2600 years old. there is a copy of the statue in the pergamon museum in berlin. the director says it is an icon of ancient near eastern art. >> the terrible thing is, it's not just the statues and the museums being destroyed. it is the cultural heritage of an entire country. illegal excavations and looting have also caused irreparable damage. >> leaders have devastated sites across northern iraq and syria. with crude equipment, they destroy as much as they steal. they then sell the artifacts on the international black m

he is now arrived in an iraqi city, that's country number 145 for him.ready been through asia europe south and north america. and he hopes to keep safe in iraq by sticking to roads in the south. >> i'm russsell beard, in southern kenya, where the latest development in human elephant conflict resolution is creating a real buzz. >> and i'm amanda burrell in indonesia,

it's also very close to the northern iraqi city of erbil. if the isis militants wou

mosul, a city of more than a million people is the largest iraqi city in isil hands and the militarypaign to retake it will according to the pentagon begin in april or may and require up to 25,000 iraqi forces. given the military's usual reluctance to discuss any combat operations that level of detail seemed to take even the white house by surprise. >> i'm wondering why detail this? doesn't that just give your play book to isis and make it easier to defend themselves? >> josh i think i saw many of the same reports you may have seen on this. >>reporter: for months the pentagon has been talking about the offensive to retake mosul but always refused to say how or when >> i'm not going to forecast the date and time or week it's going to happen. >>reporter: but a u.s. central command official sketched out the report in broad terms what is own as the concept of operations. the plan calls for five iraqi brigades more than 10,000 troops to form the van guard of the force attacking the isil fighters in mosul. it may sound like giving up the secret plan but the pentagon says it's obvious to an

there is a goal to retake the iraqi city of mosul. 20,000-25,000 troops will be needed. u.s. advisers will be training the iraqi brigade. the cleveland browns general manager has apologized for texting at least one browns coach during the game. that's a violation of nfl rules about game communications. cleveland could even be docked a draft pick. intuit reports sales gains in the second quarter, but a wider loss of $66 million. meanwhile intuit says its sales of turbotax online is a 19% so far this tax season. desktop sales fell 7% after a price hike. now to the lead. it is apple versus a123 systems. they sued apple, claiming they illegally poached information. the case has been moved to a federal court in boston this week. how serious are the allegations? tim has all the details from the newsroom. this is really interesting area first, how serious are these allegations? just the notion these guys cannot take services, like lebron james, they move their talents to cupertino. >> access one of the beauties of silicon valley, the lack of a noncompete clause. this is something you

iraqi forces pushed out i.s.i.l. fighters and two villages. the area is closed to the city. the army says the villages will be used as launching pads to recapture the city. they are preparing for a major operation with the support of around 2,000 shia fighters. well, across the border in syria, kurdish forces are advancing to take back territory from i.s.i.l. they are aiming to cut one of the main supply lines. zeina khodr reports. syria's kurds have been at war with the islamic state. i.s.i.l. fighters were defeated. now kurdish forces are trying to defeat them. they have retaken some areas and lost villages. u.s. coalition air crafts have been targetting the kurds. it is a projoints in north eastern syria. home to kurds, arabs and christians and where i.s.i.l. controls pockets of territory. it is strategic for i.s.i.l. and the fight against the armed group, bordering territory by the group. there's a splay line that i.s.i.l. uses to move from capital in the syrian city to the iraqi city of mosul, a strong hold in northern iraq. what is happening now is there's a fight agai

. >> reporter: it borders the iraqi city of sinjar as well. crossing is in sinjar it corrects syria to iraq. it seems the offensive is part of a broader military plan. if isil is defeated here it would severely restrict its freedom of movement. the u.s.-lead coalition and its partners on the ground need to cut the group's supply lines before any major military assault. it is hundreds of kilometers from mosul and other isil strong holds in northern iraq defeating them here would weaken them there. >>> let's get more on the abduction of more than 100 people from iraq. with me is a reporter from iraq. what more do we know about the circumstances? >> we know for the last few days isil waged raids and searched through houses and kidnapped about 127 people mainly from the tribe. we understand also there were some change taken. a few days later about 20 were released and the rest according to the tribal leader are still under isil's captivity. >> and we don't know where these people are? the >> we don't. and there are fears that they could have been

commanders have carried out air strikes against isil fighters near the iraqi city of mosul. iraq's second largest city and has been controlled by isil since last june. im has more from bagdad. >> reporter: what we have seen in the last 24 hours is coalition air strikes, mainly the americans and british, helped kurdish peshmerga forces take over three key bridge heads towards the north of mosul near the dam itself. we're seeing a big push from the kurdish peshmerga fighters and the isil fighters being put under pressure in mosul, and it feels as though there is a preparation for a ground offensive going on now. iraqi officials say they expect a ground offensive to take place within the next three weeks. we have also heard general john allen, say the taken of the citying will be a key morale boost. and when that happens they will need coalition ground support. that's the strongest statement we have heard when it comes to ground forces in conjunction with kurdish and iraqi forces. so there seems t be a real push to take back mosul. in syria we're seeing a lot of pressure being

central commander official has given a timeframe for a potential offensive to recapture iraqi city of from i.s.i.s. fighters iraqi and kurdish military force have 25,000 troops is currently being prepared, the u.s. official said it could be ready to fight for control of iraq second largest city by april and roslyn joins me now from washington. jordan do we know why the u.s. is releasing this information now? >> well it's not clear why they decided to announce this apparent spring offensive, but it's not uncommon for the u.s. military to have done so in other conflicts. they talk about an annual spring offensive in afghanistan and they did talk about a similar action every year in iraq during the last war. so it's not unusual. but it does raise some questions about whether or not it's too soon to try to do this given that u.s. advisors started working and training these iraqi forces at the end of september. just about five months ago. >> any indication what kind of shape this assault might take? >> well, the official didn't get into specifics. but there were enough hints dropped during

she just wants it to get better >>> there has been fighting near the iraqi city of somali. forces attacked the outskirts of the city more than 100km from the capital baghdad. this shows a point in the road between samala and fallujah. the group claims to have taken over an iraqi army check point. . >> 48 soldiers have been killed in a fight. the iraqi forces trying to secure al-baghdadi, close to an air base used by u.s. and iraqi forces. >>> police in mexico captured the leader of the knights templar drug gang. they have been trying to re gain control. as john holman reports, latuta has been a prime target. >> reporter: one. mexico's wanted me. tape without a shot. >> today we an achieved an important the objective in the fight against organised crime. samanda gomez allegedly rapping a powerful organization. the knights templar. the car tell branched out from drug trafficking. shopkeepers and anyone who they could psychiatries protection money from. i proudly represented the knight templar. our intention is to make this work. we want the people to live in piece and move fre

an offensive to capture the iraqi city of mosul from i.s.i.l. could be ready by april. a force of up to 25,000 troops is currently being prepared. >>> now the world has to confront the warped ideology of groups like i.s.i.l. and al qaeda. that was u.s. president barack obama's message on the last day of a summit on extremism being hosted by the white house. but the u.s. government also wants to take on groups like i.s.i.l. on social media. our white house correspondent patty culhane reports. >> one of the main messages from the summit attended by 60 countries is that the u.s. is losing the being coldlosing the technology war against i.s.i.l. >> we need to open up especially online and that's why the united states is joining for example with the uae to create a new digital communications hub to work with religious civil society community leaders to downer propaganda. >> turns out they're not sure yet. >> there are going to be conversations with our partners in the region, i'm sure we'll have more to say about it as the details become more finalized. >> the obama administ

iraqi kurdistan, but they're all that stands between isis and its goal of taking another major iraqi city. and this one rich in oil. the commander tells me isis attacked in thick fog and also set oil wells on fire to hide their advance. when conditions cleared, he says, his men and coalition airstrikes killed hundreds of isis fighters. the bodies of some lie nearby. hastily covered with earth. the threat is not only at the edges of kirkuk. these kurdish security forces also patrol its inner streets because isis has shown it can hit the heart of the city. last week gunmen stormed a temporary headquarters of local police, detonating a car bomb outside. no one but the three attackers was killed, but their ability to strike backs up what security forces here suspect. isis already has people inside the city. the captain tells me he's sure isis members have entered the city pretending to be refugees. on front lines across northern iraq, isis has been losing ground to the peshmerga, but this new offensive and the proximity of that flag to a key city shows isis has suffered little damage to its c

releases some of the sunni men it kidnapped four days ago near the iraqi city of tikrit. >>> you're watching al jazeera, live from headquarters in dough hoe, also coming up backing president abd-rabbu mansour hadi the u.n. security council describes him as the legitimate leader of yemen. how south africa is spying on russia over their joint satellite projected >>> and the french president presses for action. we look at how raising sea levels are damaging malaysia's coastline. >> hello, the islamic state of iraq and the lef hand released some of the men it kidnapped. 50 were released. it was thought they were taken, because their relatives had been fighting against i.s.i.l. the armed group holds 66 men and 10 boys, belonging to one of the largest tribes in iraq. we are hearing that yili.s.i.l. fighters are tried to protect a bridge. jane arraf joins us to explain that. >> we have word in the last hour and a half there has been an attack after i.s.i.l. took the brim which is between the town of baghdadi and haditha, along the euphrates valley. after taking the bridge and killing 20 soldiers th

dogs helping dogs help people >>> pentagon is making an unusual move to push isis out of a key iraqi city. it is the second largest in iraq. joe has details of the plan outlined by u.s. officials. >> reporter: in a conference call with reporters the pentagon is tight lipped and provides support for up to 25,000 iraqi troop to try to recapture mosuc. it was overrun last june. >> they lost mosul. there was concern they would lose baghdad and that would be a huge win for isis. maybe this is a move to get ton offensive. >> reporter: the announcement proceedly drew confusion. they say the plan the timing and number of units involved and could give isis fighters a chance to flee. the terror group could strengthen their positions inside mosul. >> they are going to fight. they are willing to die. i don't believe that our flagging and upcoming attack would break their will. >> there's no indication yet that the u.s. could provide fighting forces on the ground. the u.s. relied on air strikes perhaps to sign the obama administration itself believes that strategy is not working. it also comes at a cu

commanders have carried out air strikes against al jazeera america fighters near the iraqi city of mosulpeshmerga forces have also reportedly retaken areas nearby. the nearby mosul dam controls the water supply for several large towns. imran khan has more from bagdad. >> reporter: what we have seen in the last 24 hours is coalition air strikes, mainly the americans and the british, help kurdish peshmerga forces take over three key bridge heads. we're seeing a big push now between -- from the kurdish peshmerga fighters and the isil fighters being put under pressure in mosul, and it feels like there is a preparation for a ground offensive going on now. iraqi officials say they expect a ground offensive to take place within the next three weeks. we have also heard one of the top u.s. military commanders say the taking of mosul will be a key morale boost for the iraqis and the kurds, and when that happens they will need ground support. so there seems to be a real push now to take back mosul city which was taken over by isil in june. in syria we're also seeing the jordanians mounting at least

in the south-west of the iraqi city of erbil. the attack happened late tuesday night. the fighters tried to enter two villages in the region where they face resistance from the kurdish forces. a fighter was killed. coalition airplanes were reportedly involved in the offensive. >> the u.n. envoy to syria says the government is ready to temporarily suspend bombardment over aleppo. it was a financial hub and is divided between the east and the west. they described the move as a glimmer of hope towards ending the conflict. >> they have indicated to me its willingness to halt all aerial all area of bombing. all the time. all aerial bombing. for a period of six weeks. all over the city of aleppo. from a date which we will see in damascus. >> where? >> damascus and hopefully as soon as possible. >> back to the top story. ukranian troops are pulling out of the east. they can join us live. paul brennan is in debaltseve. what do you see in your sights. >> it's been presented from entering the international - we've been prevented from entering. it's over my left shoulder. on the

meanwhile, we are learning more about an operation to retake the iraqi city of mosul. the campaign is going to involve 25,000 iraqi troops trained by the american led coalition. >>> and in the last 30 minutes, the libyan army says a car bomb in eastern part of the country killed at least 30 people. meanwhile, the u. n. arms embargo against libya will continue until a national unit of government is the n place. it's coming -- is in place. it's coming from u.s. and britain. and both countries are concerned that there's a high risk of those weapons falling into the wrong hands. >>> there are new revelations about government hacking this morning. they show the nsa helped britain steal cell phone codes that allowed both governments to spy on cell phones around the world. and that's according to leaked documents from edward snowden a former nsa subcontractor. no evidence of any spying against american cell phone customers. >>> house minority leader nancy pelosi and eight other democratic lawmakers held talks this week with the man who's likely to be cuba's next leader. it to

top story, 27 minutes past the hour isis repelled after launching a fierce assault near a major iraqi cityn kurdish forces keep isis at bay? when it comes to medicare, everyone talks about what happens when you turn sixty-five. but, really, it's what you do before that counts. see, medicare doesn't cover everything. only about eighty percent of part b medical costs. the rest is on you. [ male announcer ] consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans it could really save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. so, call now and request this free decision guide. discover how an aarp medicare supplement plan could go long™ for you. do you want to choose your doctors? avoid networks? what about referrals? [ male announcer ] all plans like these let you visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients, with no networks and virtually no referrals needed. so, call now request your free guide, and explore the range of aarp medicare supplement plans. sixty-five may get all the attent

the iraqi city of mosul. there is a picture posted to his official facebook page showing him with a very angry expression on his face in combat gear. we cannot say at this point whether he actually flew missions. >> and at the same time the united states is being pressed to do more. in fact before the king left the united states on his brief trip out of here he stopped and asked for more. >> he asked for more. here is the problem, the essential problem the coalition is going after i.s.i.l. from the ground.the iraqi military trying to stand.them up to a position where they could be taking i.s.i.l. on the ground which they cannot now do. the problem is even with all those air strikes over the course of six months i.s.i.l. has gathered territory in syria. they are at more or less of a stalemate in iraq but they have become more powerful in syria. the question is: how long can you run combat missions ta at a cost of $-- at a cost of $500,000 permission when you're only taking out trucks at a cost of a couple thou

iraqi forces now getting ready to try to retake mosul. iraq iraq's second largest city. now the plan is for iraqi brigades and iraqi forces more than 20,000 iraqi troops to go to mosul perhaps as soon as early april or may. pretty specific information. more than 20,000 troops. also peshmerga forces who will try to cut off any isis escape routes north and west of mosul. the big question of course is what role will u.s. troops play besides the ongoing coalition air strikes. still on the table, not decided, no recommendation to president obama as to whether a group of military advisers going to mosul functioning as target spotters. helping spot the isis fighters on the ground. it is an important area figuring out where isis is. raising the spector in the minds of some that it will bring u.s. troops perhaps closer to a combat environment. the pentagon says it's revealing all of this information to show the commitment that iraqi forces have to the battle. john, christine. >> thanks, barbara starr. >>> president obama is walking a fine line in the violent extremism. the preside

trainers and advisers iraqi forces are going to try to take the city back. the war plan according to a u.s. military official in late april or may, 20,000 to 25,000 iraqi forces begin to converge on mosul. peshmerga forces will cut off escape routes north and west of the city. the unknown whether president obama will order a small number of u.s. troops on the ground to help iraqis find isis targets in the densely populated city. and questions about why the pentagon was signaling the coming battle at all. >> i certainly think it's a roll of the dice. obviously signaling your intentions to the enemy is unorthodox unorthodox. >> a u.s. official insists, so no that isis knows the coalition is aiming for mosul. >> there are a lot of civilians up there who don't want to get caught in this fight. so allowing some time for those who want to get out of there this can help the iraqis prevent collateral damage by giving them a head start. >> isis fighters continue their training what about iraqi force sns. >> they can handle things at small unit levels. when you're brin

. >> video released on thursday shows militants thought to be in the northern iraqi city of moses -- mosul destroying a priceless collection of ancient statues and sculptures. the fighters can be heard saying they were civil to idolatry in that they must be destroyed. some of the artifacts are said to have dated back the seventh century bc. well, to eastern ukraine now where there are signs that the warring parties are implementing an important part of the cease-fire. the ukrainian military announced today that it has begun withdrawing heavy weapons from the front line. >> this follows claims by the separatist that they have already pulled back 80% of their heavy weaponry. observers from the osce have not been able to confirm these reports, but it does appear that the cease-fire is holding now. >> these ukrainian tanks are moving away from the line in the east of the country. the pullback should have happened last week, but the government in kiev says the time is now right. the last two days have seen a significant reduction in shelling. >> we are approaching the goal of fulfilling t

. >>> ten people have been killed and 12 injured in the iraqi city of fallujah.here was heavy shelling by the iraqi army. the iraqi army has been trying to drive isil forces out of fallujah for more than a year now. >>> two bomb blasts in northern nigeria have killed 22 people. there have now been three attacks in the last four days. let's go live to nigeria's capitol abuja. ivan? >> reporter: well, adrian more details coming in of precisely what happened. starting with the first blast, we are now getting confirmation that it was a male suicide attacker. there were initial reports that it could have been a female suicide bomber. it's not clear whether the attacker boarded a bus or planted a device in the bus. in carno, two male suicide bombers were behind this attack. these individuals had arrived on a bus that went into this bus station where they exploded their devices. we also know speaking to the police that the area where the bomb went off has been cordoned off and combed through, and has been deemed safe. people are kind of moving around but still on edge.

this video appears to show the inside of a museum in the iraqi city of mosul. the extremists strip the ancient statues of their protective coverings. then shatter the priceless relics. a religious spokesman for the group condemned the treasures as sacrilegious. these idols were worshiped instead of allah he said. when allah ordered to destroy and remove them, it was an easy matter. we don't care even if it costs billions of dollars. here a militant add an archeological site is seen destroying an ancient-winged bull. it's believed to date back to 700b.c. >> this is a loss of some of the world's oldest and greatest antiquities. >> reporter: an organization devoted to the preservation of art and antiquities. >> it roots us. we're part of a much larger picture, a picture as diverse as the world itself. >> reporter: since seizing control of mosul last june, isis has been ma particular lousily purging the city of its diverse history. last summer the militants blew up this ancient tomb believed to be the burial place of the prophet known as jonah in the bible. >> when

secretary ash carter has clarified that there is no time frame from the operation to recapture the iraqi citymosul from isil. his comments came after two republican senators criticized centcom for revealing operational details. >> that is one that will be iraqi led. and u.s. supported. and it's important that it be launched at a time when it can succeed so i think the important thing is that it will -- it get done when it can be done successfully. and i -- even if i knew exactly when that was going to be, i wouldn't tell you. >>> british police are appealing for help to find three school girls thought to be on their way to join the fight in syria. the teenagers were seen at the airport in london boarding a flight to istanbul. turkish media is being used to try to contact the girls. 600 british muslims are thought to have traveled to syria and some to fight alongside isil. >>> in syria it december. rebels have attack government positions north after help owe. video on social media appears to show fighting between two villages. >>> the united nations is considering pup are publically naming peo

just to the west of where i'm standing is the iraqi city of mosul, the country's second biggest city firmly under iraqi control. around that city that is where kurdish fighters are trying to cut it off, to choke it off, to encircle and separate it from isis-controlled territory just across the boarder in syria. that's the goal and they've made some progress towards achieving that. yet despite that pressure isis has still shown that it can lash out. as you mentioned, in kirkuk that southern city significant because south of where i'm standing i should say significant because of its significant oil reserves. that is where isis has launched a new operation to try and claim new territory, and seemingly to try and claim that city and the oil reserves surrounding it. now, kurdish fighters have fought back. they are now trading fighting on a daily basis there. they've managed to take back some of that ground that isis first advanced upon. but what it shows, perhaps increasingly that this isn't just an attempt by isis to distract kurdish forces from their efforts around mosul. it does appear

. >>> we want to talk about this because a spring offensive is underway to take back the iraqi city of mosul from isis fighters and it could involve american boots on the ground. a senior official from the military central command said the move would be a last resort. u.s. ground and special operations forces would join as many as 20,000 iraqi military and kurdish forces as early as april. this would give u.s. officials time to train the iraqi and kurdish fighters. president obama has previously said that he would be willing to authorize ground troops if necessary. the u.s. is considering providing air support, intelligence and logistics. some 2,000 isis fighters are occupying mosul. >>> a new cbs news poll shows for the first time more than half of americans support boots on the ground in the fight against isis up from october when 47% were in favor of the strategy. >>> an nbc news/marist poll released last week showed 66% of americans in favor of boots on the ground. >>> health officials in california are trying to reassure the public this morning, they say there is no threat to publ

the first time they capture such a large number of christians but they targeted christians in the iraqi citymosul. they have targeted the minority community in northwestern iraq. they have also targeted shia and they have even targeted sunnies sunnies that don't support them, we have to remember isil fighters are sunnies, so at the end of the day, the community is worried there's little information about the fate but what is clear is that 90 people are missing, and believed to be held by the islamic state of iraq. >> there also been a mass kidding in the afghanistan. officials say armed gunman believed to be of foreign origin have kidnapped fort people. they were taken from a bus. >> two bombs have gone off at bus stations in north eastern nigeria, the first explosion lapped with a young girl blew herself up on sunday. witnesses say the bomb exploded on a bus filled with passengers at least 17 people were killed and 31 injured. and a few hours later police say two suicide bombers struck at a busy terminal. killing at least ten people. more from the capitol. >> well, eyewitnesses we spoken to

the latest offensive taking place in the iraqi city of mosul. >> we're learning that isis has blown up strategic bridge in the city of kirkuk. the militants have recently used the bridge to launch an attack. cnn's phil black is with us. he's one of the few western journalists in that immediate area. >> behind me is the most important piece of territory that isis still controls in northern iraq. mosul. it is iraq's second biggest city and you can see it here from the top of the mountain. where i'm standing it is one of the closest positions occupied by the kurdish fighters the peshmerga who have drawn a defensive line around that isis controlled city and from up here, there is a commanding view into mowsle from the south and the towns and villages which surround it and which are still occupied by isis as well. on this day, overhead has been the constant sound of aircraft fast-moving aircraft. we have seen what appears to be a slower-moving, larger reconnaissance aircraft of some kind and then frequently repeatedly often very close to one another, the sound of large blasts in the distanc

dedefense second has clarified there is no time frame for the operation to recapture the iraqi city oful from isil. his commends came after two republican senators criticized sent come for revealing operational details. >> that is one that will be iraqi led. and u.s. supported and it's important that it being launched at a time when it can succeed. the important thing is that it get done when it can be done successfully. even if i knew exactly when that was going to be i wouldn't tell you. british police are appealing for help to find three school girls thought tha*ut to be on their way to join the fight in syria. they were seen at london's airport last week boarding a flight to istanbul. turkish media is being used to try to contact the girls. 600 british muslims are thought to have traveled to syria and some to fight a long side isil. >>> in syria itself, rebel are rebels have attacked government positions north of aleppo. video appears though fighting near two villages, the united nations is considering publically naming people involved in war crimes in syria. a new u.n. report said

the pentagon says operations to retake the city will begin in april or may 8th. iraqi soldiers will be the ground operation but only when they are ready. senior advisor christian whiteman joins us now. they laid out the battle plan and there's a great deal of criticism because of that. it is a plan that many people approve of because they say let them kill each other. keep our guys out of it. the conover is there. lead and take care of it. that is the president's policy. what do you say? >> the problem is the iraqi shiite army is even less receptive than marian hugo. i can tell you bunch of iraqi rifles only dropped once. they lost every significant battle when you get out of she areas. if we are talking about seriously taking the fight isis that is great, i hope for the iraqi army but the track record is terrible and this is another recipe for conflict. stuart: it is the essence of president obama's policy, we stay out. we won't put ground troops there, we stay out let them fight their battle. in principle but the state to that? regardless of performance of the iraqi

so the people who lose from that are inner-city iraqis especially sunnis.n other side places like yemen, you see absence of government structures only people with practical power, those with weapons, al qaeda and houthi rebels, those at the basic level of civil society want to look out for their own lives are forced to submit to that rule the gun, or, to essentially have to give up any sense of engagement with society. it pushes people into binary choice. whether they yield to the gun or do they simply just use late themselves fundamentally. that is hopeless. jenna: tom certainly our government, perhaps not this administration but other administrations have been criticized trying to create little americas all over the world and i wonder what the broader goal should be, if the president should speak directly to these regimes you say, others say, help foster this terrorism, what model should we be saying they should being emulating? is it our own model or something different? >> i think that's a fantastic point. i think one of the lessons that most people wou

. >>> an offensive is under way to take back the iraqi city of mosul from isis fighters and could involve american boots on the ground. a senior official from the military central command said the move could be a last resort. u.s. ground and special operations forces will join as many as 20,000 forces as early as april. this would give u.s. officials time to train the iraqi and kurdish fighters. president obama had previously said he would be willing to authorize ground troops if necessarily. the u.s. is also considering providing air support, intelligence, and logistics. some 2,000 isis fighters are currently occupying mosul. >>> a new cbs news poll shows for the first time more than half of americans support boots on the ground in the fight against isis. that's up from october when 47% were in favor of the strategy. an nbc news poll released last week showed 66% of americans in favor of boots on the ground. >>> health officials in california are trying to reassure the public this morning. they say there is no threat to public health from a super bug the cdc is calling a nightmare bacter

and a new picture posted online, show they are destroying rare artability fas in the iraqi city. some are 3,000 years old. we begin with the late nest fighting in am bar province. the iraqdy military is continuing to evacuate families from the city of baghdaddy in western. amido fierce fighting there. isil has taken according to security forces a bridge between the city of baghdadi that's in that vast western province where tribes combined with iraqi military are trying to fight isil. but it still controls most of the province, but the fighting has been specially force. it is home to u.s. military trainers as well as it's coalition partners and there is an attempted suicide bombing attack there as well. according to security, isil retook that bridge on the river, after that they sent a military truck seized from the military with suicide bombers to try to bomb a gate to the base. they didn't make it to the gate but they did make it to a check point nearby. they say several iraqi soldiers were also killed in that attack, that's where families have been under siege, without food and

iraqi army troops this time to get the job done? >> wolf we have to. it's their country. it's their city. we have to. now, what did they not have last time is air power. that's what we bring in. air power, isr in the intelligence that these iraqi soldiers did not have. and that gains a lot of confidence for ground soldier to have these combat enablers on the ground. we have to because at the end of the day this is not our fight. we are an enabling force for the next piece. >> bob, there's criticism of the military for releasing this detailed information and telling isis get ready. the iraqis are coming in. the iraqi army's coming in in march or april or may or whenever they go in there. is that giving them advance notice to prepare, they can get their ieds, they can get booby traps, all of their stuff ready? >> well wolf i think they're already ready. we have been talking about the mosul offensive for a couple of weeks now, putting a date to it before the summer heat is -- won't come as a surprise to them. but i'd feel a lot better if there were american forces on the ground you know something like de

the daily beast reporting that the operation to take back that critical iraqi city of mosul is being pushed back to next fall or possibly beyond. but have no fear, the state department says it is making progress in the fight. they're touting a "twitter offensive" that they say is shutting down thousands of isis accounts. pete hegsheth, a veteran himself, pete, great to see you. what do you make of this alleged change in strategy? >> shannon, think again, turn away. that's our hash tag strategy against isis right now. until you can take a hash tag, load it into a magazine, rack it into an m-4, charge it and put it in the forehead of an isis fighter, they can take their hash tags and sit on the sidelines. the reality is until you show the enemy that you're willing to kill them and defeat them, the ideological war, which is important, hash tags, online, social media is important in a comprehensive campaign. until you show you're willing to fight the fight, the online fight is just a tertiary, secondary component of it. the state department's touting this as a new front. congratulations,

it's the iraqi security forces who have lost ground. the cities of ramadi and fallujah both under isis control are key battle grounds if the iraqi government is to relieve the pressure on the capital and persuade the sunni tribes in this area it will come to their aid. the syrian battlefield is much more complex. and there are signs that isis is trying to reassess its priorities in the face of intensive coalition air strikes. isis prize raqqa is being pummelled from the air almost daily but doesn't seem in imminent danger of falling. elsewhere in syria, isis appears to be pulling out of certain areas of the northwest and northeast where it's under pressure. and it may well be reprioritizing in damascus where there's every chance that a complex battlefield will emerge in the coming months pitting different rebel groups against each other and against the regime. >> i want to bring in my guest. former fbi assistant director tom funentes and a retired colonel to talk about this. we see isis is spreading part of its theology that they need to retake te

a major push is under way to take back iraqi city of mosul from the terror group in the first stages right now it seems. coalition air strikes pounding isis positions from the air. on the ground kurdish forces are trying to surround the city to cutoff the isis supply lines. >> the aim is to weaken the terror group ahead of an anticipated ground battle in mosul, iraq's second largest city. let's discuss this and more on the isis front to bring in cnn terrorism analyst paul cruickshank and retired lieutenant colonel james reese. colonel, first to you. on the issue of what's going on in mosul, lie out why this is important in the fight against isis and what is the state of play on the ground there? >> mosul is the second largest city in iraq. it was the first major city that isis when they did their blitz across the north from the west took mosul down and it's become their staging place and their main city in iraq. right now with the iraqi army along with the coalition forces their aircraft and some iranian shia militia have worked their way north up the tigress river valley from baghdad

kurdish forces have taken fresh territory near the iraqi city of mosul. second largest city. s the currently controlled by isis and plans are now underway for iraqi and kurdish forces to try to re-take the city later this year. let's go to phil black who's live in erbil, in the kurdish region of northern iraq. phil, are the peshmerga making gains at least around the city of mosul? >> yeah, they really have, brooke. there's no doubt. various front lines across this region, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that isis militarily is really struggling. what those kurdish fighters have done is not just stopped the isis advance, but they have rolled back its territorial games to a significant degree, and have now dug in defensive lines, which they are holding. what they have done is taken away from isis, its ability to move forward and conquer new territory, which is so very different to the situation as it was last summer, when isis first moved in to this region of northern iraq really conquering all before it gaining ground so very quickly. the iraqi arm

there was heavy shelling by the iraqi army at the neighborhood in the city. there's been heavy fighting between the iraqi army and isil fighters in the town of al baghdadi. this video shows fighting which has now apparently reached a town center. iraqi officials say 20 isil fighters have been killed so far. nearly 800 iraqi troops are involved in the operation and helped by coalition airstrikes. isil fighters occupied large areas of the town early they are month. >> meanwhile a human rights group in syria says isil has kidnapped scores of people from syrian christian villages in the country's northeast. we have more from amman in jordan. >> according to the syrian observatory for human rights, at least 90 christians from the ancient syrian christian minority were kidnapped in northeastern syria. they come from the villages which are close to a town which is under kurdish control. we understand that early on tuesday morning isil fighters launched raids and attacks on the village clashes broke out with the kurdish-syrian fighters there and as a result, the kidna

last year thousands of christians were forced to flee the iraqi city of mosul after it was captured byl. mass exodus from iraq was already underway since the 2003 war. it's a similar story in neighboring syria. >> christians say they will no longer be forced out of their areas. they say they intend to fight back. and they want the international community to help them do just that. abrute. >> at least 70 migrants, most syrians and iraqis have been rescued off of the coast of roman i can't. a group that included 30 women and 7 children was taken and packed into a small boat in danger of fishing after trying to cross frommist an bull in rough sees. the italianian navy says it's stationaried between italy and libya in preparation for a military exercise on monday. officials wouldn't comment on whether the ships were also sent there to defend italian interests. italy has an under water pipeline that carries crude off to sicily. isil has warmed it will conquer rome rome. >>> thousands of right-wing activists have been rallying in rome against immigration and the government. supporters of ita

iraqi brigades, three peshmerga. they know we have air power. you're talking about a giant city they're going to use humans as shields booby traps and ieds all over the place. if you understand the ideology lou, these people are willing to die. they think this is their place to put it in the nose of the west, and as a direct result. you know we could be facing a counterinsurgency which is going to make what we did in fallujah and ramadi pale in comparison. i spoke with a very senior official in the iraqi government and they said, we aren't going to be ready. but the people that are ready are the brigade and the shiite militias in that particular fight. lou: couldn't get that much more confounding, appreciate it gentlemen. thanks so much. thank you. >> thank you. lou: time for a look at our online poll results, whether you disagree with former new york city mayor rudy giuliani who doesn't believe the president loves america, 72% of america said you don't disagree at all. be sure to vote in tonight's poll, do you believe the leaders of nato and the united states have the will and

city. the unknown, whether president obama will order a small number of u.s. troops on the ground to help iraqislated city. questions about why the pentagon was signaling the coming battle at all. >> i certainly think it's a role of the dice. obviously, signaling your intentions to the enemy is unorthodox way of approaching this. >> reporter: a u.s. official insists, no that isis knows the coalition is aiming for mosul. >> there are a lot of civilians up there who don't want to get caught in this fight. allowing some time for those who want to get out of there, this can help the iraqis prevent collateral damage against civilians inside mosul by giving them a head start. >> reporter: as fighters continue their training what about iraqi forces? this time will they fight? >> they can handle things at small unit levels. when you bring in 25,000 forces into a city that's a division-size operation. i'm just not sure they have the leadership ability to control that type of operation. >> the iraqi army has not distinguished themselves as a fighting force. we did this once before. the finest fighting for

they still have very firm control of the iraqi city of mosul, the country's second largest city. only a relatively short distance to the west of where i am standing, battle lines between both sides in between. and despite being under intense pressure really because local kurdish fighters are working increasingly to circle mosul, to cut it off, to choke it off from isis-controlled territory across the border in syria, that's their goal. they're making steps towards achieving that goal. despite their pressure upon isis it has just recently lashed out in this new direction, opening up a new front line near the very strategically important city of kirkuk. it's important because of its oil reserves because it's such a big city on the road to the iraqi capital, baghdad, as well. new front lines fighting there. a new effort to try and seize territory. kurdish forces have fought back have to some degree dented that chance at an advance there. and i spoke to the governor of the region just a short time ago. he said he believes that they had not backed that advance but only for the moment.

. >> south-west of the iraqi city of kirkuk i.s.i.l. have been driven off. the government told al jazeera it was a major assault and a setback. and that they'd try again. >> reporter: the oil fields south-west of kirkuk belonged to islamic state of iraq and levant for two days. attacks were are won the installation were thwarted. they came from their stronghold laying claim to kilometres of territory. >> it was very serious. it actually was. initially they made some progress. >> kurds recaptured the lost ground. they lost a lot of men. commanders had to call the anti-terrorism unit had to deploy to kirkuk. they came and took the whole area. they were helped by the arab tribes and the villages. many left. i.s.i.l. recruits them. telling them they were the enemy. >> the arab villages are empty. it shows suspicions that exist. kirkuk has a massive amount of oil. which is why many were between the city. the kurdish and regional government put aside the differences. they shared revenue from the oil production. >> most is pumped in kirkuk. production here has been

25,000 iraqi troops to prepare for a springtime ordinancive against i.s.i.l taking back a major iraqi city. >>> pay raise for walmart employees but will it make any difference? you will hear from walmart workers. >> and danger. a battle erupts over this captive killer whale. her trainer says it would be a death sentence to set her free. >>> suicide, often the last chance to save them. we talk to a director of an oscar nominateed documentary. >>> and we talk to the daughter of malcolm x 50 years after his assassination. >> my father redirected a human rights agenda. >> we begin tonight with the wawr in iraqwarin iraq which has now given way with the war for iraq. day after pentagon said that forces are planning for a major offensive against i.s.i.l the city of mosul second largest in iraq, is been scared with fighting for years. today more than a decade later families in mosul are still under siege because the city is now controlled by i.s.i.l. refugees are trying to flee and the future for them and their city is uncertain. everybody has now been put on notice that a major battle this sprin