isil, which hardly existed before the u.s. decided to invade the country, still controls huge swaths of territory in northern and western iraq. makes matters worse isil controls half the territory of neighboring syria. iraqi forces have had recent success in rolling back isil in places like tikrit or kurdistan, but the u.s.-trained iraqi military can't seem to get the job done on its own, not without backup from u.s. air strikes, iranian backed militias, kurdish paramilitaries or kurdish fighters. that's the problem from the point of view of washington. the u.s. is banking on iraq's military to hold its own and keep iraq from imploding. the security vacuum left in iraq since they left in 2011, since the u.s. troops invaded in 2003, make that a pipe dream. al jazeera america national security course dents jamie mcintyre joins me from the pentagon. ash carter said over the weekend that iraqi fighters have lost their will to fight. >> ali, to say that the u.s. is disappointed in the performance of those iraqi fighters in ramadi w

, isil command. you've seen those countries put in place, new laws, new surveillance, new balance between national security and privacy and so forth. but often those come after an attack has occurred within one's borders and we need to make sure again the international community are doing things proactive. >> rose: is it true high officials who come to this table as you know and instead the assad government is no longer our priority. it is no longer our top property. our top priority is stopping isil or al nursa in syria. that's what they said with me. >> i don't agree with that. >> rose: you don't agree that's the priority. >> if that's characterizing the administration's position >> rose: what do you mean, he is still >> he must go. i'm not going to talk about priority this or that. but the core belief, president obama's core belief is he will not deal with the isil problem sustainably until the assad problem has been resolved. because part of the reason the foreign terrorist fighters are flowing i

charlie: isil? ambassador power: people are chipping away at isil holdings.he coalition has not made as much progress in syria. the regime is not putting anybody on the ground to fight isil despite their claims to be contrary. charlie: the regime is not putting any forces to fight isil? at all? ambassador power: the syrian campaign generally against insurgents or terrorists has been by and large and air campaign. i don't want to generalize. isil is now on the outskirts of damascus. while anybody would be very concerned about having isil on the outskirts of your city center, the regime response has been to use, just in the last week, aerial bombardment against a palestinian refugee camp. it is not the case the regime is fighting isil nowhere but it is absolutely the case that their priority target has been moderate opposition over terrorists. charlie: now they are trying to make the argument it is either us or isil. ambassador power: we need everybody to throw their weight until we get a political solution, which throws their collective weight against isil unt

though its power and influence expanded in syria, it's here where isil was born. during the nearly nine-year long u.s. occupation. fault lines travelled 600 miles across iraq to look at the consequences of the fight against isil -- and how u.s. allies are also helping to divide iraq more than ever. >> when isil advanced this summer people across the country's northern provinces fled, some of them to neighboring syria. >> we're on a floating bridge between syria and iraq and this is the bridge refugees are flooding through every day into the country. how long have you been coming? how many days? >> the u-s began bombing isil in part to rescue stranded yazidis on a mountaintop. but as refugees continued to leave the area two weeks later they said the help was not enough. >> there were so many allegations about what went on on mount sinjar, president obama called it an impending act of genocide others called it a humanitarian crisis. unfortunately it seems the entire incident was used as a sound bite in a presidential speech to justify us intervention once that sound

isil says it was responsible.n get more now from our correspondent hashem ahelbarra who is live in the capital reed a for us. tell us more about this attack hashem. >> reporter: eyewitnesss say they were performing the friday prayers in the eastern part of the kingdom of saudi arabia when they heard a huge explosion. there were about 150 inside the mosque 20 were killed dozens injured. now, that same area the eastern part of the country, about -- about two months ago, arm mentioned targeted shia worshippers, killing seven of them. they also attacked foreigners and security forces. about a few weeks ago, saudi interior minister said it had arrested dozens of people affiliated with isil that were planning to launch attacks across the country, including the united states embassy in riyadh. >> and what are we to make of the fact that isil has claimed responsibility for this attack? >> reporter: this is going to raise more concerns here in saudi arabia. saudi arabia has been battling al-qaeda for many many years. the c

isil renewed their offensive on ramadi in april.zeera's zana hoda has the latest. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: the symbol of government authority in ramadi is now under the control of the islamic state of iraq and the levant. ramadi has long been a city that has been fought over. it was also the iraqi government's main strong hold in anbar province. but isil fighters launched an all-out assault early friday taking over the ramadi come pound which houses most of the city's government buildings. they managed to ben trait using suicide bombers. government forces and local allies were not able to stop isil's advance. it is a strategic blow to the authorities who have been losing ground in other areas of the province. the assault on ramadi was part of a large-scale attack on government forces on multiple fronts in the prosince. late thursday isil used 22 suicide bombers to target the barracks of security forces in the town. it is clear that isil considers anbar strategic. after all it borders territory it controls in neighboring syria. it's

taking on isil. presumably there are going to be more u.s.-led airstrikes. how easy is it going to be to drive isil out and reverse this takeover? >> it's not going to be an easy fight. we understand that a few hours ago they tried to advance from their stronghold east of the base. that's where the shia-led militias have been gathering. isil is still very much defiant. it was a message that they were not going to go away. they're not going to make this an easy fight. we have to remember that isil is deeply entrenched in anbar. it's not just ramadi. they do control a lot of area in ramadi. it opens supply lines in syria. it will not be an easy fight. we've heard the h. down play the games that isil made over recent days. but we have to remember when u.s. forces were in iraq their greatest challenge was in anbar. they lost a lot of men in the fight, and they weren't able to win militarily. they were only able to win when they got the support of the local population. >> thank you for that. in baghdad. >

isil seems to have a strategy. losing the base would be a major military set back for the government which does not have many areas to stage attacks from in the province. isil would also be able to link ramadi to fallujah. which has been under its control since january 2014. all that would move the group closer to the iraqi capital of baghdad. military fighters are in anbar. these men will lead the fight because regular forces are weak and not ready. and government have failed to bring sunnies in to the forces. they are now rethinking strategy to fight isil. >> the only way to stop them is to give them guarantees. they need to trust the government's promises. mistrust is deep. real reconciliation is needed to stop isil's gains. the sunnies need to know what will happen after isil is defeated. >> sunni leaders opposed to the government have repeatedly demanded a say in running this country. they don't want to join the fight against isil only to give the territory back over to shia militia. they need to come together

isil on the offensive. the government on the defensive. council asking shiias to join the fight. this will not be welcome by many sunnis who we have to remember they are allied to the government and the council is not preparerepresentative of all sinni tribes in anbar. some cooperate with the government. many influential ones do not. so, it's a decision that will not help reconciliation in iraq. at the end of the day, there has been a long history of animosity between the shia led capitol and anbar. we have to remember that before isil's takeover of much of "the sun"ni hartland last june, the islamic state of iraq in the leaf ant was strong in anbar and there were proceedtestsvant was strong in anbar and there were protests. making demands for the government not to marginalize them. there was a lot of hatred and, at the end of the day, if these two sides do not reconcil, the decision to send in shia malitias will only exacerbate and inflame sectarian tensions. we have heard some warn that they will consider this an iranian occupation. it i

plan a counter offensive against isil.s asked for more international help to fight the group. >>> and columbia's farc rebels have suspended their ceasefire with the military after 26 of their men were killed in an air strike. >>> the latest round of talks between the united states and cuba are into a second day in the u.s. capitol. the aim of course is to restore the official embassies in washington and havana. normalizing relations between the two a decisions were announced by president barack obama in december. >>> guatemala is in political turmoil after three key ministers were sacked amid a corruption corruption scandal has gone to the top of the government. the chief of the central bank are among 14 others who have been arrested. david mercer is in the capitol. >> reporter: guatemala's political crisis deepened on thursday. the president announced the dismissals in the wake of corruption scandals that are battering his administration. >> translator: this was my request, it's important that this is made clear. it's not

isil spreads its message, the u.s. is concerned that others will continue to attempt to travel to fight. in regards to financial intelligence. from the early days of tea foss it became apparent to us that financial intelligence was instrumental in identifying the hijackers and others involved with 9/11. you often hear about the critical role of signals intelligence with regards to detecting and disrupting terrorist activity, but not nearly as often as you hear about the role of financial intelligence. financial intelligence is much more complex than simply reviewing bank accounts. the to build a complete picture of the threat. we have all seen the reporting of isil's financing. extortion, theft taxation. today, the outside financial support is minimal compared to those fund-raising activities. however, the tracking of isil and foreign fighters is not the broader picture behind those immediate areas. by following the money, we are now able to identify the interest supporting the operation but also to identify foreign fi

it is clear that isil considers anbar strategic. it controls territory that it controls in neighbor be syria. it controlled most of anbar province before this latest assault. now isil controls most of the capital of the sunni heartland. people were caught in the fighting and the fear is that isil will punish those who cooperated with the authorities. council, officials in anbar are blaming the central government in baghdad for isil's huge gains. sunni tribes allied with the government have been warning that isil would make gains if military reinforcement and weapons weren't sent to ramadi. but the government won't give sunni tribes weapons because they're suspicious of their loyalty, and regular forces are too week to fight this war alone. >> there is no coordination with the members. >> after suffering military set backs in other provinces isil can now claim a victory just weeks after the government declared a military campaign to recapture anbar. al jazeera baghdad. >> america will provide rockets ammunition and other supplies to

which leads the coalition against isil played down the significance of isil gains.t says that the armed group is inflating the importance of its successes, and says that the coalition strategy is working but there are those who disagree. >> we need to give the weapons to the tribes. the sunni tribes are unable to defeat isil. the government should approve the plan to create the so-called national guard. that means local people joining security forces. >> earlier this month the government said that hundreds of sunni fighters were the province would now fight along side the security forces. but anbar's influential tribes were not among the men. they want to fight the battle alone. they want the army to give them weapons. anbar was the greatest challenge to u.s. forces when they were in iraq. they lost a lot of men in years of fighting. they were only able to succeed after they received the support of the local population. a military solution alone failed. and sunni leaders believe it will fail yet again if the iraqi government does not bring the people to its side. >>

it is clear that isil considered anbar strategic.borders territories it controls in neighboring syria. it has controlled most of anbar province before this latest assault, now isil controls most of the capitol of the sunni heartland. people of ramadi were caught in the fighting and the fear is isil will punish those who cooperated with the authorities. council officials in anbar are blaming the central government in baghdad for isil's huge gains. sunni tribes have been warning that isil would make gains if military reinforcements and weapons weren't sent to ramadi. but the government won't give them weapons because they are suspicious of their loyalty, and the regular forces are too weak to fight the war alone. after suffering military setbacks in other provinces, isil can now claim a victory just weeks after the government declared a military campaign to recapture anbar. >>> the united states says it is watching the situation in anbar closely, but as rosiland jordan reports from the state department, the fighting is flew it with and

isil are said to be about 15 kilometers away. >>> isil has already taken control of the last remainingernment-held border post between syria and iraq. the recent gains in both countries have prompted calls in the u.s. for washington to the rethink its strategy. >> reporter: some of these men will be sent deep into the sunni hart -- heartland to fight isil. for the shia militiamen this battle is not just about recapturing territory. they are protecting routes from anbar towards southern iraq to prevent an isil attempt to advance on shia holy sites. >> translator: i volunteered to join this battle to protect our holy shrines. we don't want isil to advance further and threaten the sites. >> reporter: it was a controversial decision to use shia militiamen but the government had no choice because the regular forces are weak. this area also lies on a junction with roads south to saudi arabia north to an anbar's provincial cap tol, and to neighboring jordan and syria. isil has captured the last border crossing between syria and iraq and it's fighters move freely between the two countries. the

a day before isil took ramadi u.s. forces killed a isil leader.mer republican presidential candidate john mccain a senior senator says the loss of rah mad is a a significant defeat. >> the owe obama administration seems unwilling or unable to grasp the extra strategic significance as isil terrorists ran sacks ramadi by the way the pentagon's news page ran a story with the headline, quote strategy to defeat isil is working. >> reporter: the state department insists things are improving. >> in a conflict like this, you have ebbs and flows on the battlefield and what matters mallly is if we can get back on track. get the iraqi back on track and help them retake rah made. >> reporter: you are not degrading to the extent where they can't launch major offensive to retake an important strategic city. >> this is a process to degrade them. we have degraded their abilities, cut off their main source of funding that's having an impacts. we are taking fighters off the battlefield every single day. >> reporter: the whites hossa mounded its rushing 1,000 anti--

isil has taken some towns in the district.ces loyal to the government are trying to prevent the armed group from getting closer to a main base a few kilometers away. the islamic state of iraq and the levant hasn't lost its momentum. just days after seizing the capitol, ramadi. there are those two believe the armed group may not just want to grab territory. it wants to drain the resources of its opponents. >> does isil want to settle or to be a moved group? this is the idea of to be a moving combat or let's say a moving group, that you are always threatening so many fronts especially when the defensive military forces are not equipped and not ready. >> reporter: shia militia commanders are moving some of their troops from the front lines across iraq towards anbar as part of ongoing operations for the promised counter offensive. these men are known as the popular mobilization force, and they will lead the fight in the sunni province. they were called in after the regular forces and anbar's local police were not able to hold off

all these feed directly into isil's strengths. >>> it's getting on for twelve months now since isil was front-and-center and, a lot of things were happening and particularly, in mosul and those parts of iraq, and in many ways we hear about the assassination of the operation and, retaking certain bits of territory, it would be fair to say, it is far worse than it was one year ago. >>> all the stratgists they have not yet grasped the real nature ofssism it is not a terrorist group, this is as new phenomena it has its international links and it is feeding on a region that is full of chaos and feeding on the sectarian tension between iran and, saudi arabia and, many agenda days, that are pushed on iraq, that wants to weaken the government, and army. so that beast is something that doesn't fit any textbook, that they have. and unless some shift, in the way it is dealt with take place there will be more carnage. >>> thank you. >>> now, a e.u. naval operation from stopping people from smuggling people, into europe, could be launched in just a few weeks. >>> e.u. ministers backed it, in a meeti

they return to isil-held turf.ales of stolen antiquities further booey their a coffers. >> they buy loyalty through providing public services. but a lotting antiques has become its second largest source of income, and it's a formula that allows isil to meet its biggest expense and that is meeting its payroll. >> and that's why palmyra matters so much. we spoke with archeologist who lead restoration efforts in iraq and syria. >> the majority of their attacks, over 90% are directed at islamic heritage a small percentage is directed at the preislamic period. all the while they are acting as a capacity builder for the looting of archaeological sites and cultural depositories. reportedly they do have that kind of reach where they can deal fairly directly with potential buyers but most of the sources we have talked about on this issue have told us isil has a number of ways of drawing money from these efforts. they tax the traffic of illicit cultural properties and they get a cut of the sales, that includes art, antiques

they're not going to fight or stand up to isil because they're afraid if isil comes back they're thene who is are going to suffer. the sunni of iraq do not feel represented by the government even though the government says it's going to change. >> even ifthere is some truth about it, but even if it was not complete true they'll have to go overboard because they'll take whenever the prime minister does not focus on them, they'll say see we can't count on him. that's how this whole thing got started when the iraqi fighting forces just laid down their arms and left. >> and now we're hearing that the government is controlling these two districts in ramadi. where do you think this is going? do you think isil will eventually conquer the whole of ramadi? or is it a sign that it is coming back? >> well, i think if the government can use the air power provider with the u.s.-led coalition to go after them, i think that basically they have a chance of turning them around. they don't control the whole thing yet but if they can push them back with heavy casualties, then this would signify to the

isil has taken some towns in the district. the forces lo ill to the government are trying to prevent the group from getting closer to a main base a few kilometer away. the islamic state hasn't lost it's momentum, just days after seizing the potential. it wants to drain the resources of it's opponents. those isil want to settle or to be a moving group. is that you are always threatening so many fronts, especially, when the defensive military forces are not equipped. and not ready. and they will leave the fight in the province. they were called in after the regular forces and an bar's local police were not able to hold off the isil assault. they ares are now asking for volunteers to join. they also say they will speed up the training and arm and recruit sunni tribesman, it is not the first time abadi makes such a promise to integrate into the security forces. many are skeptical that this plan will work, especially because there has been long time p osix from shia politician. >> on the front lines they are seen fighting alongside

a day before isil fighters swept in the city the u.s. killed an isil command never syria.t's part of the strategy to degrade and destroy isil. providing training and equipment to iraqi army. but former republican presidential candidate john mccain a senior senator says the loss of romadi is a significant defeat. >> the obama administration seems unwilling or unable to grasp the strategic significance as isil terrorists ran sacked ramadi by the way the pentagon's news page ran a story with the headline, quote strategy to defeat isil is working. >> reporter: the state department insists things are improving. >> in a conflict like this you have ebbs and flows on the battlefield and what matters ultimately is if we can get back on track, get the iraqi army back on track and help them retake ramadi. >> reporter: you are not degrade to this ex-at the end where they can't launch major offensive to retake a major city. >> we have degraded their capabilities we have cut off their main source of funding that's having an impact. we take fighters off the battlefield every single day.

but for now isil controls the land between palmyra andrea mad di. in iraq the armed group is being led by shia militias. >> sunni politician who is want wanted to take arms a long time ago are now calling for a new strategy. >> today anbar has fallen, and that is of special significance because it's the third iraqi area and it's an area that dispelled al-qaeda years ago. and not just from anbar but from all over. and this is unacceptable and the capacity of the iraqis is very limited. there should be a new strategic plan for iraq and the international coalition forces. >> in syria the u.s.-led coalition does not have a partner on the ground. it does not recognize the government's legitimacy. over recent months isil may have been on the defensive. that has now changed. al jazeera baghdad. >> well, iraq's vice president said that many requests were made for help in ramadi, but they never came. >> there were contentious demands made by the people of ramadi and the armed forces in ramadi. i received many demands from the iraqi armed forces asking for we

are these sunni tribes going to fight alongside isil? the government needs to bring the people onboard to win the fight. a military option alone is not enough. >> thank you for that from baghdad. let's across to kimberly in washington d.c. tell us the latest on these adjustment led airstrikes in anbar province. >> it's been an intense 24 hours. according to the department of defense, the strikes centering in iraq, but some in syria, as well, we are told targeting isil tactical and staging areas using bomber attack and fighter aircraft. 18 airstrikes in total approximately six different locations. fallujah mosul rimadi all approved by the ministry of defense. this is part of the wider u.s. led effort going on now really since august of 2014, the goal to eliminate isil from iraq, syria, the wider region and also now the international community according to president obama who said this is going to be a long term project. indeed that has been the case. it's cost upward of $2 billion, roughly $8 million a day. when the u.s. is maintaining th

a town controlled by isil.es targeted a fuel tank in a crowded market which is said to have exploded. the syrian opposition has raised concerns about talks being held in geneva. meanwhile many peoples in rebel-controlled areas continue to suffer because of the war. >> reporter: for many syrian children this is the only way to find something to eat. some parents help them rummage through the garbage. this woman's kitchen has looked like this for months. and she says she struggles every day to feed her children. >> translator: what can we do we don't have fuel? electricity. food. we don't have it. >> reporter: but that's not what you see on syrian state tv. it looks like everything is under control. in this segment happy children are seen preparing for exams. there is no mention of the war that killed more than 200,000 people, and continues to add to the 12 million people who desperately need humanitarian assistance. activists say the conditions in many rebel held areas resemble those in [ inaudible ]. people in

and that's what isil managed to break down.ts are that they used bulldozers with steel plates on them and then suicide bombers. they started with artillery now they have moved on to advanced equipment and an endly supply it seems of suicide bombers, so it does tell you something about how difficult the fight is in places like anbar and other places as well. >> as you say, jane they have the man power in the form of suicide bombers and the weapons as well to i guess maintain control of the territory they have taken in anbar and perhaps elsewhere. but what then the options for the baghdad government in fighting them? >> that is the big problem. isil has managed to make those gains including more than 80% of anbar, not only because it is using suicide bombers and other tactics, but because it is faces quite weak resistance. iraqi forces are stretched very thin as the government spokesman said in our colleague's story just now, they are facing really -- they are using limited numbers of troops those special forces. highly trained.

iraq says isil's deputy leader has been killed by a coalition airstrikes. yemen's cease-fire appears to be largely holding. and there was an amtrak train that crashed in philadelphia, killing seven. >> well, the army has taken control in burundi's capital announcing that it has deposed the president after weeks of demonstrations. word of the coup first came in a radio prod cast where it announced that the president had violated the constitution by trying for a third term in office and it's mandate was now over. something that was denied on the president's twitter ago. he was in tanzania for a peace conference but said he was flying home now news of the president's overthrow was greeted by celebrations on the streets of the capital. balance come web sent us this update. >> dozens and dozens of soldiers on foot came in the city center with many clearing protesters. they say they have taken control of the country. here the last couple of hours there have been hundreds of hours of cheering protesters every time they see military vehicles. they're seen as a bene

to fight isil. some will protect a strategic town that islamic state of iraq and the levant has tried to control in the past. for these shia militiamen, they are protecting groups from anbar to southern back and holy sites. >> i volunteered to join this battle and protect our holy shrines. >> it was a controversial decision to use shia militia men in a sunni province. the regular forces are weak answered efforts to create a no one sectarian army have failed p.m. a junction with roads south to saudi arabia, north to anbar's provincial capitol ramadi, where there are highways to baghdad and neighboring jordan and syria isil has captured the last border crossing between syria and iraq and controls most of that frontier. it's fighters move freely between two countries. >> the u.s. has down played the gains. president barack obama has said that the loss of territory were tactical setbacks and insists that the war is not being lost. many disagree. isil has taken over two cities in a week. ramadi is 100 ki

we have the table here to speak specifically about isil. as the gentleman here asked we only talk about one of the many threats the fbi is tracking. we track all state-sponsored terrorism as well and are confirmed about the aspects of all of it. the rule with regard to that is critical as well in regards to partnering with the rest of the united states government. i agree with you to make sure just because isil appears to be the greatest threat that we can take our eye off the ball and continue among us. >> in terms of your remit the fbi agent responsible for finance investigation in the united states, it is much more likely to see terrorist groups changed in fund-raising come in fund-raising, in fund-raising, the ntc states abroad use the united states. that happens but it's less likely. >> absolutely. that's absolutely correct. >> i'm arrested them at the atlantic council and journalists. i was wondering what pressure you are putting on countries in lebanon. there's a million dollars that are smuggled through the airports to an organizati

or fight with isil.ttle can be won militarily until the two sides mend fences. it will be very difficult to defeat isil. and for isil holding on to anbar is important. they control much of the province. they control all the way up to the border with syria, and territory across the border in syria. so for isil it is strategic. the government hasn't been able to do much it's only choice is to send in iranian backed militias but that will inflame sectarian tensions, even the people of the city told us that they do not want the shia militias to enter their city. >> zana hoda many thanks. we spoke to a spokesman from anbar. >> we months we have been complaining and telling the security ministries there each part of the security forces there working along with its own leadership. there's no coordination. there is no [ inaudible ] with the tribal members either by weapons or even planning or training, but yet there is no solution. we all need a solution. with much a danger reaches the center, we will witness so

>>> iraq says the offensive to recapture ramadi from isil has begun. shia militias say they are leading the charge. ♪ >>> i'm lauren taylor this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up. malaysian investigators dig up the remains of dozens of people thought to be trafficked migrants. >>> the oil flows again as agreement is reached in nigeria's fuel dispute, but power shortages continue. >>> and rivers of fire flow from a volcano in ecuador's gallop goes islands. >>> iraq's military has launched an operation to drive islamic state of iraq and the levant from anbar province. the shia militias say they don't think the plan will take long. it takes up much of western iraq. anbar's capitol, ramadi fell to isil just over a week ago, a major defeat for iraqi forces. imran khan reports. >> reporter: iraqi security forces gather on the edge of ramadi preparing to retake the city which fell to fighters from the islamic state of iraq and the levant more than a week ago. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: it's likely to be a long operation. there are reports of isil f

isil sets fire to parts of iraq's

isil uses social media. if you don't want to travel or if you are not in a position to travel not in a position to join the fight, you do what you can to help the organization. by doing so, they have hashed out this marketing campaign by which they are asking folks to fund them through social media sites. i agree with you. they are not similar to their other social media campaigns and communications, spreading their propaganda. it gives us an opportunity to identify and target other individuals. mr. levitt: yes, sir. >> mike wiley. i have a question about your private sector partnership. i understand that the primary mode of communication that is suspicious activity reports, which often takes a fair amount of time to compile. when you are dealing with matters of financial crime and fraud, emergency may be less so than terrorist activity. can you comment on your relationship with the bank relating to urgent matters? mr. roberts: sure. our banks -- the world is flat, right? a lot of information out there. our

it was released by an activist group sympathetic to isil. >>> another online video appears to show isil supporters in mosul celebrating the success in ramadi. crowds could be seen cheering and waving flags in the isil-held city. the video is said to be filmed on sunday. al jazeera cannot independently verify the authenticity of the footage. >>> now, the european union is due to launch a naval force next month to stop people smugglers sending thousands of migrants across the mediterranean into europe. the ai meeting in brussels they approved the plan to use european warships and surveillance watercraft in libya. more than 10,000 people have been rescued in recent weeks as they try to get to europe in libya. >> we adopted the crisis management concept and the decision to establish the operation with headquarters in rome. this will allow us to continue -- well, actually to start the operational planning with the commander and in the headquarters, and to prepare for the launch of the operation itself. hopefully already at the next foreign affairs council in june we might be ready to adopt t

they targeted an isil base in the city. reported more than 140 isil fighters were killed in the air raid. activists say several people have been injured after syrian government planes dropped six barrel bombs on the yarmouk refugee camp. the camp is home to some 6,000 palestinian refugees. isil fighters attacked the camp last month. the syria government allegedly continues to use barrel bombs against civilian targets defying a u.n. resolution to stop their use. let's talk and syria then and in terms of the larger picture. does seem to be a sense -- and i know you touched on this in one of your pieces that the tide is turning against bashar al-assad. given what has happened today, should we still believe that? >> for sure and i think today the question is whether this bombing is tactical or strategic. my sense is it is going to look strategic. why? hazem? because the idea of scaring people off of isis they say the only alternative in syria or iraq is the central government or the government in baghdad. when you pose the ques

, and then taxes them up to 50% when they return to isil-held turf.ales of stolen antiques further buoy their coughers and the group is set for a bonanza with the capture of palmyra. the biggest financial strength is arguably what it doesn't rely on such as buying loyalty through providing public services, but looting antiques has become its second largest source of income and all together it's a formula that allows isil to meet its biggest expense that's payroll estimated at anywhere between 3 and $15 million a month. >> and the weapons they get that were left behind. >> exactly. >> isil makes a lot of money from looting ak teaks. michael dante lead restoration activities and iraq in syria. >> the majority of their attacks, over 90% are directed at islamic heritage. a small percentage are directed at the pre -- preislamic period. the material is flowing out of iraq and syria into transnational crime networks. reportedly they do have that kind of reach where they can deal fairly directly with potential buyers but most of the sources that we have talke

it's feared isil could push in to baghdad.prevent that from happening this man is securing the outskirts of the capital. the town just under 30-kilometers from baghdad is being fortified. >> translator: we are fighting a psychological war. isil have an effective media campaign against us, we have been accused of retreating. we are not. we are now backing up our troops here and preparing to take back ramadi. >> reporter: the forces here are mainly shia militia since prime minister abad-y brought in them they are flying a new flag. each militia has its own identity but all fight under this manner including this sunni fighter group. fortifying baghdad comes with a unique challenges. this is the bridge, the last safe place across from anbar province in to baghdad, with the operation now underway being it's likely that we'll see more scenes like this. fears of what comes next are common here. >> as long as we sunnis are mar yalemarginalized the fight will take a long time. sunnis are willing to fight. i would join the fight if the

in ramadi the regular army and the local police were no match for isil. many were seen escaping from the city. many sunni leaders are blaming the government for the fall of this city. >> right now we have very few options on the ground, but the best is to train armed local tribes. the only groups operating under the command of the prime minister is the shia militia coalition. unfortunately, the reluctance in bringing the local sunni tribes on board played a factor in the fall of ramadi, and the retreat of the iraqi security forces. >>> that decision will alienate many sunni tribes. manythere is concern. >> it's a sunni area. there is ethnic dispute definitely before it's long about ten years. and there will an clash definitely between the tribes and the shia militia. secondly, it's more weakening the central governments. why. it's not the army that's getting in. >> ramadi was isil's first major gain. the united states which leads the coalition against isil insists it is confident that the area will be recaptured. al jazeera baghdad. >> posting online appe

it is clear that isil considers anbar strategic.controlled most much anbar province before this latest assault. now isil controls most of the capital of the sunni heartland. people of ramadi were caught in the fighting and the fear is isil will punish those who cooperated with the authorities. officials are blaming the government for isil's huge gains. they've been warning that isil would make gains if reinforcements and weapons were sent but the government won't give sunni tribes weapons because they're suspicious of their loyalty and forces are too weak to fight the forces alone. >> after suffering military setbacks. other provinces ill can now claim a victory just weeks after the government declared a military campaign to recapture anbar. al jazeera. baghdad? >> the u.s. says despite the setbacks it is still confident that it can help iraq defeat isil. >> there will be good days and bad days in iraq. isil is trying to make today a bad day in ramadi. we've said all along we see this as a long-term fight in conjunction with our ira

and also the vehicles that isil use are heavily armored. the weapons the army use can sometimes be ineffective. >> despite that the operation goes on. this is the major supply line to anbar province for iraqi security forces. it's used by both military and civilian contractors. military operations in anbar could come to a standstill if isil ever managed to close this highway. surrounding baghdad you see these. they call defense lines. now in many ways it's a very apt title because it's the last line of defense before the capital it is. after here you get the headquarters of the 4th brigades. they're in charge of reinforcements and logistics. keeping the road open between here and anbar province and keeping the military supply is crucial. >> but equally crucial is how to deal with the car bombs isil is increasingly using. adapting to new threats is a new part of warfare but it appears that's something that the iraqi security forces have yet to learn. al jazeera baghdad. >> isil fighters are reported to have killed 20 men in front of a crowd

ramadi is the capitol of anbar province, one of isil strong holds.r to the governor described the attacks. >> yesterday evening when many attacks to the front of surrounding ramadi officially from the north front from the area of [ inaudible ] and in the morning many suicide car bombers were able to come into ramadi and reach the center of ramadi which is debeneath the governmental compound. >> activists who recorded these images say isil members are searching the town for anyone who help the government fight against him. >>> yes, it was a fierce assault, islamic state of iraq and the levant managed to penetrate the ramadi compound. a compound that houses government offices. they raised their flag inside the compound. ramadi has long been contested but this morning isil used heavy weapons and suicide bombers to penetrate the come pound. this is really a military blow to the government and like you mentioned people trapped in the middle of the fighting desperate. some worry and fear they will be furnished if isil find out that some of them worked with

isil fighters can push in to baghdad. to prevent that happening this man is securing the outskirts of the capital. the town just under 30-kilometerskilometers from baghdad is being fortified. >> translator: we are fighting a psychological war. isil have an effective media campaign against us, we have been accused of reteeth, we are not we are backing up our troops and pretearing to take baca ramadi. >> reporter: the fors here are mainly shia militia since prime minister brought them under the command of the iraqi government they fly a new flag, each militia has its own identity but all fight under this banner, including this sunni fighter group. fortifying baghdad comes with a unique challenge. this is the bridge, the last safe place to cross from anbar poff towns in baghdad with the operation now under way. it's likely that we'll see more scenes like this, fears of what comes next are common here. >> translator: as long as we sunnis are marginalized the fight will take a long time. there are soup i forces willing to figh

it's fear that isil fighters could push into baghdad. to prevent that happening this man is securing the outskirts of the capital. the area is being fortified. we're fighting psychological war. they have been accused of retreating. we're not. we're backing up our troops here and preparing for the fall of ramadi. >> the forces here are mainly shia militia. each militia has its own identity but all fights under this barn including this sunni fighter group with the operation under way it's likely we'll see more scenes like this. fear of what comes next are common here. there are sunni forces willing to fight. and we'll join that fight if the government will accept us. there is no doubt that iraq has a huge challenge on its hands and defeating isil it's not just anbar province. many people say that if baghdad falls then else will have won. but there are other significant challenges. that includes finding homes for these people who are fleeing thify lens and making sure that they get back home eventually. al jazeera. the outskirts of anbar pr

target isil fighters and cut off their main supply lines. once the towns and villages are secured, the push to ramadi will begin. >> our aim is to meet our forces from other front operations have included shelling and advancing to isil hoytout. >> strategy said the tactics are failing, because they can't prevent suicide car bombings. the iraqi security forces lack the intelligence and row con sense to stop the attacks before they happen and vehicles isil used are heavily armored. the weapons used can be ineffective. >> the operation goes on. this is the major supply line used by both military and civilian contractors. military operations ins anbar could come to a standstill if isil manages to close this highway. >> surrounding baghdad, you see defense lines. in many ways, it's a very apartment title. it's the last line of defense before the capitol itself. after i have the you get the headquarters of the 24th 24th brigade in charge of reinforcements and logistics. keeping the road open between here and anbar province and keeping the military