will it help to degrade isil or not? is the views of our closest allies, our military, our intelligence experts and those responsible for our domestic security, all those people are saying that we should take this action, as part of a coalition, to help make us safer. that is why i am bringing forward the statement, and with the support of the house, i will bring forward a vote. mr. mitchell: following the limited but important progress on the political track in vienna and the unanimous adoption by the united nations of resolution 2249 on isil, is it not clear , mr. speaker, that the prime minister's considered response today is absolutely compelling? is this not the way in which we discharge our responsibility to protect innocent civilians, both here in the united kingdom and in syria? i am grateful for my right honorable friend's support. this is about discharging our responsibilities, chiefly to our own citizens. it is my considered view that this action will help, over time, to make us safer. we will never be safe wh

isil has a steady supply of money.ntrols big pieces of territory in iraq and syria, corrected by travel corridors. men and women have filtered in from around the world to take up arms and join the convoys of white toyota suv's flying the group's black flag. weapons acquisition, oil sales. it's more than just an army and the conventional approach of killing men on the other side is only of limited use, since isil fighters are prepared to die in order to take large numbers of enemy lives. colonel did we underestimate how hard it was going to be to build an opposition army on the ground in that part of the world? >> i think we potentially did underestimate it. but i think we also have several examples to draw from. because really what you outline ray in your opening is this is a internet work. and how do you attack an network? it's a systemic approach. just as you have to turn the tide for recruiting, for young european men and women,or western men and women that want to join this fight. it's not as simple as dropping a b

how to fight isil? it's the "inside story." ♪ 12 am next ext >>> welcome to "inside story" i'm ray suarez. isil has promised more attacks like the one in paris last week including attacks aimed at the united states. in iraq and syria, the group has left a bloody trail of terror, suppressing some, murdering others in great numbers, and isil has reached out to the world, forging alliances with groups like boko haram in northern nigeria which are ready and able to destabilize governments in their home countries and bring murder and destruction to many more. just dropping bombs, obviously hasn't been enough. just trying to squeeze the flow of money hasn't been enough. and monitoring international communication to cut off the flow of willing recruits also hasn't been enough. so how does the world fight isil? that's our focus today on "inside story." we'll begin with jamie mcintyre at the pentagon. jamie moments after the attacks in paris on friday right, the president of the united states offered aid to the

we won't win on the short term militarily against isil. it's about a political and diplomatic solutions. >> hollande plans to meet german chancellor angela merkel. he'll no doubt cult her about the prospect of putin being onboard. the russian president backing bashar al assad is likely going to want lifting of sanctions for his actions in crimea and ukraine. that may be too high of a price to pay. >> there's been a further development. let's go live to paris concerning the french aircraft carrier, the charles de gaulle. >> that's right. you heard there the french president saying he would strike and strike hard by using this aircraft carrier. it appears that may have started. there are reports that missions have already begun, it's likely that the first strikes from the carrier have begun. the capacity for this aircraft carrier will make three times the effect, in other words triple the amounts of airstrikes in syria against isil from this vessel. ed ad to that is that assurance from the u.k. that the royal air force base can be used in cy

isil is the face of evil.ur goal, as i've said many times is to degrade and ultimately destroy this barbaric terrorist organization. as i outlined this fall at the united nations, we have a comprehensive strategy using all elements of our power, military, intelligence, economic, development and the strength of our communities. we have always understood that this would be a long term campaign. there will be setbacks and there will be successes. the terrible events in paris were obviously a terrible and sickening setback. even as we grief with our french friends, however, we can't lose sight that there has been progress being made. on the military front, our coalition is intensifying our airstrikes, more than 8,000 to date. we're taking out size as i will leaders, commanders, their killers. we've seen that when we have an effective partner on the ground, isil can and is pushed back, so local forces in iraq backed by forces issue sinjar, working to take back ramadi. in syria, isil is pushed back from the border w

turn your attention to isil.we'll watch what they do particularly in the aftermath of the attack on its own jetliner from sharm el sheikh that was brought down by a bomb reportedly by isil over the sinai peninsula. >> thank you very much. an hour ago attorney general loretta lynch speaking out about the attacks in paris as well. >> this, indeed, was a crime not just against paris but against civilization. this department of justice is committed to do everything in our power to assist colleagues in bringing those responsible to justice. >> and the french president promising that the bombing campaign that you heard mike talk about in syria will continue. ing a command center in red sox aqqa, isil's de facto capital. and isil threatening more attacks to countries that take part in those airstrikes against syria, including here in the united states. we turn now to jamie mcintyre who is live in the pentagon. do we know more about france's new strategy against isil? >> well, france's new strategy, del, is essentially t

isil's biggest stronghold. peshmerga seized parts of the road and blocking positions. >> the targeting of highway 47 over sinjar mountain funneled fighters into iraq, and cut off an important means of funding their terrorist activities. >> forces of 8,000 troops, led by the kurds, is going up against 40600 dug in and determined isil fighters. the battle plans taking two to four days to take the city. and then another week or so to clear bombs and booby trapped houses. unlike the prison rescue last month, no troops are on the front lines, according to the u.s. military spokesman, reached by skype in baghdad. >> the number of u.s. forces in combat is close to zero. so we have forces specifically behind sinjar mountain, and this is behind friendly lines, and a few forces that are on the mountain, are far enough back from the actual fighting that there's no expectation whatsoever that they will encounter anybody. >> the u.s.-led force has a volunteer militia of 1,000. the minority were run out as they ensleeved som

isil does not represent islam. it is not representative in any way of the attitudes of the overwhelming majority of muslims. this is something that has been emphasized by muslim leaders, whether it's president erdogan or the president of indonesia or the president of malaysia, countries that are majority muslim but have shown themselves to be tolerant and to work to be inclusive in their political process. so to the degree that anyone would equate the terrible actions that took place in paris with the abuse of islam, those kinds of stereotypes are counter productive. they're wrong. they will lead, i think, to greater recruitment in the terrorist organizations over time if this becomes some how defined as a muslim problem as opposed to a terrorist problem. now, what is also true is that the most vicious terrorist organizations at the moment are ones that claim to be speaking on behalf of true muslims. and i do think that muslims around the world religious leaders, political leaders, ordinary people have to ask very

isis, or isil.began capturing territory in syria, and then the group swept into iraq and took mosul. and that is when they declared the caliphate. and at that time the group controlled a territory the is size of jordan. then the u.s. launched its first air strikes against isil, and the strikes continued after the group beheaded two american journalists. but thanks in part to those air strikes, isil began suffering a series of defeats by the kurds in the north. the city of kobani, which is right on the border with turkey and syria, fell to the kurds in 2015 after it was controlled by isil for months and it was isil's first major defeat in syria. by july of this year, however, the number of refugees that had fled syria topped 4 million and at least 6 million more had fled their homes but stayed in syria, and some 250,000 had been killed. at the end of september, russia began launching air strikes in syria, targeting not isil, but instead supporting the syrian government by strike rebel forces mainly i

what it has done is ramp up its strikes against isil. it has been hitting raqqa pretty hard, and oil r refineries. we should look at the political changes this has brought about. over the next few days we're going to have vladimir putin going to tehran to talk with the iranian leadership. then the syrian foreign minister is going to be coming to russia next week, and franÇois hollande, the french president, is going to be going to moscow, too. there is a growing partnership at foment between russia and france. both of these countries bristling after being hit by isil recently. they want to create some sort of grand coalition. they want the united states to be a part of this as well. this is something for the moment that the united states is wary about. it doesn't want to work too closely with russia because of course these two countries differ very, very strongly on what they think the role for president assad's role is going tis going to be in that country's future. >> thank you very much. rory challenge lanerrorhorrorry challands from

is isil's latest threat very credible? can the united states prevent isil from attacking washington, d.c. or any other city? all of that and more ahead. ♪ >>> and welcome back to paris, everyone nch the investigation into friday's attack is still in the early stages, of course. already we have seen arrests, and raids, but that's only part of the story. there's also a political reaction here in europe and back home in america. for that we go back to david david in new york. >> john two republican presidential candidates both announced new legislation today to block the united states from taking anymore syrian refugees. over the past four years only about 2,000 syrian refugees have entered the united states, and as it stands the screening process averages nearly a year and a half. but president obama says despite the paris attacks his administration will still push forward with plans next year to bring in 10,000 syrian refugees, and so there is that opposition in congress and push back from several governors. today 16 of the

that is the de facto capital of isil.il posting a new video threatening more attacks to countries taking part in airstrikes against syria including the u.s. al jazeera's jamie mcintyre has more from washington. >> at this point it appears that the french airstrikes are more symbolic than strategic. french fighter jets took off from bases both in jordan and saudi arabia, ten jets dropped 20 bombs on several targets in raqqa. we're told by the french defense ministry that they hit a command center, a storage and training facility. but those french airstrikes in raqqa one of several locations hit by coalition planes yesterday. when i say coalition largely i'm talking about the united states. the u.s. has done the bulk of the bombing in syria. there have been 2800 airstrikes in syria since the beginning of this campaign. only 150 or so were done by other countries. only a handful of by france. by comparison yesterday the usa, strayed the line of fuel strong along the syrian iraqi border destroying, according to the u.s. centr

she's lived here 18 months after escaping isil fighters who seized her home. she and her family are freezing in this camp. >> sometimes, we sleep in the kitchen. other times in the bathroom. we have no place to go, because of the rain and the storms. the other day our tent collapsed on the kids. when it rains, the power goes off. >> this camp is typical of many others across northern iraq, which are struggling to cope with the winter weather. the u.n. refugee agency has a cash crisis and cut back on the services it provides. winter is making the crisis worse. main is scores and falling prices means that the regional government is struggling to provide basic needs. >> the biggest challenge for this camp and others isn't the cold, it's the rain. the can come down very heavily. for the children, this is a real challenge. if disease takes ahold in this camp, it can spread quickly. >> the general manager of the camp doesn't have enough funding or infrastructure. >> we are much concerned from rain storms. we are doing our best to overcome such harsh conditions by pr

the world should be at war with isil.e commander in chief of the american component we will be part of a recalled wo-wide force to destroy isil and we will not leave assad in power. i am not going to give yet another arab capital to the irani iranians. i will not do that. >> senator, aren't you concerned if we rally this coalition, the united states, put it together to take out not only isis but assad, that will be a war with russia? russia, as you know, is now in syria, doing everything it can politic politically, militarily, economically to prop up assad. >> here's what i would do. i would tell the russians you're not going to use military force to keep assad in power. that disrupts the region. it gives iran more power at a time they should have less. it's a recruiting tool for isil to be able to fight the irani iranians, alawite control by iran, it destabilizes the region. the syrian people will not accept assad as their people. tell the russians you have bo bombed the people we have tra trained to take assad out who n

france is upping its commitment to pounding isil.estic conversation in the united states increasingly assumes a larger american involvement. and isil leaders and fighters have infiltrated into libya in a big way. joining us now robert manning and peter wilson. peter wilson, at what point does this become kind of intractable because the war aims, the desired outcomes as i was discussing with ambassador burns a moment ago, become irreconcilable. >> i think we haven't come to grips with the fact that basically the modern state of syria and iraq no longer exist, and the real issue here is what is our war aims and what is satisfaction, and i don't think we have a coherent view or one that is viable, for example, the call that we're going to reconstitute a democratic transitional government in syria, for example, i think is fantasy. and i also think frankly ultimately the idea that you are going to reconstitute an iraqi government in light of events is also very problematic. too much blood has been spilled too much violence. we are talking

. ♪ ♪ >>> fight against isil intensifies.firmation a french aircraft carrier will be operational in the eastern mediterranean. ♪ hello. i am david foster. you are watching al jazeera. the belgian security chiefs meteorite now. the capitol remains in a state of high alert. in crime a a, a state of emergences see. an e ledge translatesty pile-up leaving millions without power. argentinians take to the polls and gain in their country's first ever presidential run-off. the word out of france is that it's aircraft-carrier will be operational in the fight against isil monday. the announcement was made a week after the attacks in paris. the nuclear power, charles degaulle is the biggest warship of them all in western europe. planes and helicopters stationed in the eastern side of the mediterranean pretty close to syria. russia's intensifying it's bombing campaign, warships in the caspian sea right away across syria. activists say these strikes some of the heaviest they have been since it all kicked off in syria in 2011. in an interv

. -- publicity tube to isil.ary action is not the whole answer. proud as i am of our incredible service men and women, i will not pretend or overstate the significance of our potential contribution. i will not understate the complexity of this issue, nor the risk that are involved in any military action. mr. speaker, we do face a fundamental threat to our security. we cannot wait for political transition. we have to hit these terrorists in their heartland right now, shake ourt not responsibility for security or hand it to others. throughout our history, the united kingdom has stood up to defend our values and our way of life. .e can and we must do so again i commend this statement to the house. much, mr.very speaker, and i would like to thank the prime minister for providing an advanced copy of his statement which i got earlier today. attacks the despicable in paris a fortnight ago, the whole of paris would agree, our first priority has to be the security of the people in the future. when they consider the prime

because it was that vacuum that created isil. so after isil what happens next. >> perhaps maybe berlin after the second world war. they are going to have to carve out geographies that each of the higher nations, russia, unfortunately, possibly the united states, maybe france has control over. they should be thinking about that now, because there is limited resources in those places and those countries are going to want to have access to those resources. >> the european countries would have to vastly increase their military budgets. it's hard to see that happening, given the economic crisis that europe has been facing ever since 2008. >> so they want an eye for an eye, but they don't necessarily want to fill the tooth. >> yeah, or they don't have the gold to put in the tooth. >> so what happens to the vacuum? we're already sees shades of that vacuum in libya. people are saying libya is the next frontier where these lawless groups will go. and the same thing happened in afghanistan with al-qaeda. >> i think what mike just said is t

hilliary clinton laid out her plans for defeating isil today. said airstrikes alone will not work, and she called for a diverse response using military resources, but the pentagon said that that is the current strategy, and it is working. jamie mcintyre has more on the pentagon's ground game. >> reporter: tony, france's new muscular contribution of the war against isil is certainly welcome here at the pentagon, though some officials quietly succeed that it's more symbolic than strategic value. >> the latest airstrikes hitting more targets in isil-held territory in syria, here, russia takes a page from the playbook, bombing trucks with fuel on the blacking market. without the leaflet drops that they plan to warn them away. and as any it student knows, air power has its limits, and they can not take or govern air territory. >> to be successful, airstrikes will have to be combined with ground forces actually taking back more territory from isis. >> reporter: aljazeera has taken the latest u.s. military map assessing how the ground game is going. is

isil says little gaining ground. they seem to be preparing to stay, as the recruitment is aimed at the very young. isil fighters seem comfortable in the village life where there is a constant fear of drone strikes, but their biggest enemy is the taliban. >> it is a caliphate now. we pledge allegiance to the caliphate fighting a holy war under the leadership. >> fighters are defending territory not just from the afghan military, but also isil gunmen. >> we don't agree with those brothers who want isil here in afghanistan, because the taliban are already here and if there's no need, why would you join them? >> al jazeera was given access to two of the group's bases. the numbers don't appear to be large, but they say many more are in hiding. >> there are many fighters all over this province, a large number of foreign fighters have come from saudi arabia and europe. they are here, but they can't talk to you face-to-face. >> more chilling are their methods. these 13 and 17-year-olds are ready to become suicide bombers. th

we didn't see any resistance from isil. airstrikes played a crucial role. >> a local journalist we spoke to said isil fighters were perhaps retreat to go reinforce mosul, which they control. >> what gave the kurdish peshmerga the advantage was airstrikes. the kurdish peshmerga need to clear the buildings. taking over the town was just the first step. >> that first step took months of planning. peshmerga commander says the airstrikes will be a useful tool in future operations. >> the coalition airstrikes are the most important factor against isil. the coalition bombed the make that roads and supply line between raqqa and mosul. without airstrikes, a ground offensive will stop. jewel certainly it's made a difference in sinjar. while those soldiers cover these areas, other areas remain under isil control. there the peshmerga want more u.s. help. in anbar, a main fighting force is the shia militia, called popular mobilization forces. the u.s. won't provide them with air support, so isil remain entrenched in anbar. al jazeera, s

make no mistake, we will win and groups like isil will lose. and standing with allies like france, we will continue to show the world the best of american leadership. viva la france and god bless the united states of america. mr. president. >> translator: ladies and gentlemen, please allow me first of all, to thank the president of the united states president obama. for solidarity he has shown during the terror attacks. he was the first one to call me. it was very late in france. 2:00 a.m. when barack called. the president of the united states. he suppressed his solidarity towards france, his emotion and his passion. and on that night he managed to stood by france that the help that could be provided to france would have no limit and that we had a duty to put our forces together and fight terrorism. i did not forget either all of the messages that the american people sent to the french people in the past few days. the french colors, the french flag, many gatherings, candles in places that represent france here in the united states, the marseill

a upssadng up a rather than focusing on isil. i had a conversation with president putin in turkey as i indicated to him at the time, that to the extent they make that strategic shift, focus on the vienna process where they had been instructed to bring the parties together, to try to execute a political transition, that all parties would agree to, and retirement this -- and refocus attention on going after isil, then there is enormous capacity for us to cooperate. until that happens, it is very difficult. it is difficult because it is their priority to attack the moderate opposition that might be future members of an inclusive syrian government. russia is not going to get the support from us or a range of other members of the coalition. i do think that there is the possibility for operations. the sooner we agree to this political process, the less likely you have the kinds of events that took place, apparently, today. president hollande: the event that took place is a serious one and we can only regretted. turkey is currently prov

if that's the case, is defeating isil or destroying isil a realistic goal?st of all, destroying isil is not only a realistic goal. we're going to get it done and we're going to pursue it with every aspect of american power and with all the coalition partners that we've assembled. it's going to get done. it will be helpful if russia directs its focus on isil. and i do think that as a consequence of isil claiming responsibility for bringing down their plane, there is an increasing awareness on the part of president putin, that isil poses a greater threat to them than anything else in the region. the question at this point is whether they can make the strategic adjustment that allows them to be effective partners with us and with the other 65 countries who are already part of the counter-isil campaign. and we don't know that yet. so far, over the last several weeks, when they started taking strikes in syria, their principal targets have been the moderate opposition that they felt threatened assad. their principal goal appeared to be, if you follow the strikes t

that is my isil exists today -- that is why isil exists today with the strength that it does. this problem will only get worse the longer this conflict rages on. we hear it said all the time, "there is no military solution to this problem." which is it sure was them. but that is also misleading. the real problem is there can be no diplomatic solution without leverage, and there is a clear military dimension to this problem. secretary kerry can take all of the trips he wants the geneva, but unless the military balance changes on the ground, diplomacy, as has been proven will achieve nothing. , changing those conditions is what the administration has consistently failed to do. instead, it is assumed our nation could withdraw from the middle east and avoid the conflict at its heart. mower over on those occasions , where the administration has felt compelled to respond after -- the use of chemical weapons or with the rise of isil, and now amid the worst refugee crisis since world war ii, the administration has merely addressed the symptoms of the underlying problem rather than the

ground involvement is focused solely on fighting isil.ecretary of state john kerry has said the u.s. is not entering the war. this is angering other opposition groups who are not just worried about the growing strength of the ypg but believe the prior to should be to fight the syrian government. zeina hodr, beirut. >> the mean union is to give jordan an extra $30 million in aid to help syrian refugees over the winter, humanitarian affairs commission made the announcement in northern jordan. home to around 80,000 refugees in syria. basic needs like healthcare, clean water, shelter, rent, and education. i have seen today with my own eyes the human suffering. the difficulties of syrians who have been forced to flee their country searching for sharoning wary here in jordan. >> we will assist for the needs of syrian refugees in their host communities. >> moving to iran where 7 civilians have been killed in coalition airstrikes and army army shelling. medical sources say eight other people were injured in the military assault. the iraqi army sa

and groups like isil will lose. and standing with allies like francece we'll continue t t show the world the best of american leadership. vive la france. god bless the united states of america. mr. president. >> translator: ladies and gentlemen, please allow me fifit and foremost to thank the president of the united states, barack obama, for the solidarity he's shown. immediately as we found out about the terror attacks. he was the first one to call me. it was very late. in france. 2:00 a.m. when barack called. the presisint of the united states. how he expressed his solidarity toward france, his emotion, his compassion against the horror. and -- on that night, he meant to tell me that the united states stood by @rance. that the help that could be provided to france would have no limits and that we had a duty, a joint duty, to pull our forces together and fight terrorism. i do not forget either all of the messages that the american people s st to the french peopop over the past few days. the french colors, the frenc

it had been besieged by isil. it's significant because it gives the assad government and allies control in the north where they've lost control to various groups. the rebels are fighting back, reject that they have completely lost the area and pushed back multiple advances. rebels have posted videos on line saying their fighters have made tactical retreats to higher ground. >> we contain to fend them off. we were inbe gauged in fighting that losed more than 10 hours. >> there is a meeting in vienna on friday to reach an agreement on the way forward. >> even if we wanted to, my friends, wean if you made the worst deal with the devil as one says, and said well that's what you have to do to try to make this pros go forward, i got news for you, it will not stop, because there are those invested in what has happened and in what has been done to them who see assad as the critical component of the transition. >> emboldened by russian air cover, the government strategy seems to be making headway in reestablishing control

and groups like isil will lose. and standing with allies like france, we'll continue to show the world the best of american leadership. vive la france. god bless the united states of america. mr. president. >> translator: ladies and gentlemen, please allow me first and foremost to thank the president of the united states, barack obama, for the solidarity he's shown. immediately as we found out about the terror attacks. he was the first one to call me. it was very late. in france. 2:00 a.m. when barack called. the president of the united states. how he expressed his solidarity toward france, his emotion, his compassion against the horror. and -- on that night, he meant to tell me that the united states stood by france. that the help that could be provided to france would have no limits and that we had a duty, a joint duty, to pull our forces i do not forget either all of the messages that the american people sent to the french people over the past few days. the french colors, the french flags, all abound in many gath

our focus is on isil. reporter: earlier in the year, secretary carter was pretty forward in terms of his feeling on russian jets buzzing turkish airspace. it seems like the russians it knew what was at stake if they continue to do that. col. warren: are you asking me if i knew what the russians knew? reporter: i'm asking you what the feeling is in terms of the u.s. military and russia's actions and terms of routinely going into turkish airspace. col. warren: the u.s. military's feeling is that our mission is to fight isil in syria and iraq, at least that's the feeling here. reporter: you said that the avenue 15th -- f-15s are not included with the russians and they are operating under european command rather than -- what would happen if russian u.s. aircraft were intercepting jets crossing the turkish border? with the action be the same? col. warren: -- those aircraft when they are conducting that mission are not under our control. reporter: do you have concern that russian aircraft will continue to cross

make no mistake, we will win and groups like isil will lose. standing with allies like france, we will continue to show the world the best of the american leadership. viva la france, and god bless the united states of america. mr. president. >> translator: ladies and gentlemen, please allow me first and foremost to thank the president of the united states for the solidarity he has shown immediately as we found out through the terror attacks. he was the first one to call me. it was very late in france. 2:00 a.m. when barack called. the president of the united states. i would like to sfres his solidarity towards france, his emotion, his compassion against. on that night he meant to tell me that the united states stood by france that the help would have no limit and that we have a joint duty to pull our forces together and fight terrorism. i do not forget either all of the messages that the american people sent to the french people over the past few days. the french colors, the french flag, all abound in many gatherings. these candles in place tha

engaged against isil.when we were on -- it during that week of congressional recess the president sent to congress a war power letter indicating be attachment of 300 american troops to cameron to against thetivities boko haram which has pledged lisa and -- pledged allegiance to isil. have i left countries out that is either isil activity? >> we are watching isil all of the world. as you know, they use the web. we have had, the director has made it clear, americans who have self radicalized. that isa phenomenon around the world -- we're watching -- not just ourselves, but in law enforcement and intelligence circles, that is one of the reasons they need to be defeated. >> in terms of connecticut activities by the military, and my -- kinetic activities by the military, am i right that is currently deploying troops to cameron? secretary carter: it depends on what you mean. >> senator, we do not currently have operations ongoing in yemen. we do not have operations against libya against isil. isrsupporting camer

isil on the rise there.s not the only group, armed group on the ground in that border region near to the turkish border. and then further over in iraq. there are many, many groups. the peshmerga fighters there, the syrian opposition fighters, you now have the turkman, it's a very confusing picture, isn't it? >> it reflects the mosaic of the middle east. look at lebanon, you know. tens if not tuns of different ethnic, political, idealogical and various islamist groups. same thing with syria. a variety of ethmoiditis, and now we have various degrees of islamist extremism within. at the end of the day this is a richness as well as a challenge of the middle east. the fact that it is rich with diversity is a source of good, if you will for the culture there, but it also can become a source of friction. so between the kurds and the turkmen and the various opposition groups now resistant groups and the various isil, al-qaeda and others, it is a very complicated situation. now, of course, russia has been blamed for

it has basically been a conduit to isil. kurdish peshmerga won't go beyond kurdish territory, because they are not prepared to second their sons to die for iraq, a country they hate. in syria there are ground troops, but it would involve a change in strategy on the part of the west, which is to do in fact what the russians are talking about with the syrian foreign minister visiting moscow, to have a deal between the syrian government and a significant part of the opposition. if you could do that, then you might have a sufficient force to defeat isil in syria. it would still be a problem in iraq, but ground troops is what is required. >> the french are now saying that they have targeted at least 300 trucks used to transport isil. the americans are also saying they are now targeting oil-distribution capabilities. why does this not a target in the past do you think? >> because these trucks -- they don't carry huge amounts of oil, but the men who are driving these trucks are basically poor people, and if you are hitting the truc

will not relent in its fight against isil. he made the comments during a visit to malaysia. >> discrimination helps isil and undermines our national security. even as we destroy isil on the battlefield, and we will destroy them, we will particular back land that they are currently in. we will cut off their financing. we will hunt down their leadership. we will dismantle their networks and supply lines and we will ultimately destroy them. >> our correspondent is following developments from turkey not far from the syrian border. >> this is the first time that the russians have stepped up their military campaign against isil, particularly in the eastern part of syria in the city which is an isil stronghold. there have been fighters jets pounding oil installations. also cruise missiles fired from the caspian sea, the russians have been saying that they have managed to kill hundred was isil fighters on those areas. it seems that the russians trying to take on the oil installations knowing that the revenues of oil swell the coffers

the russians had several of their own people killed by isil. and the flow of foreign fighters of russian areas into syria poses enormous long term threat to russian territory. so there is a potential convergence of interests. between the various parties. it requires us working with them to make the kind of strategic shift that is necessary frankly i have talked to pattyn j about for five years now. it requires a recognition that the existing structure cannot gain the legitimacy to stop the war, and until you stop the war, you are going to have a vacuum in which these kind of organizations can operate more effectively. so let me say one last thing because i track the question you posed to president hollande about what could have been prevented. all of our intelligence personnel, here in the united states, across the atlantic, works tirelessly as i said earlier, to disrupt plot plotsd prevent terrorist attacks. you never heard about it. but we are not for the dedication of those spell jens, and law enforcement, and military professionals this wou

. >> french war planes overnight bombing more war targets in syria in raqqa, isil's defact-capital, isilo video threatening more attacks. >> lets bring in jami macintyre in washington. good morning. the french have been measured in the attacks with their attacks on isil. >> i don't want to underplay the effect 20 bombs can have on a target lock but in many ways these are more important symbolically than stretchically. ten french jets delivered those bombs to several targets in raqqa, including the commanding control center, an isil training facility and also ammunition storage dump. in the big scheme of things, it wasn't the heaviest air strike in syria yesterday. in fact, the u.s. conducted a separate strike which destroyed 116 fuel trucks along the syria-iraq border, an air strike that required multiple runs. on the list have airstrikes put out by the u.s. central command this morning, the raqqa strike is listed as one of those six strikes. it's important, because it does show that france is becoming more a part of this air campaign, because up until now, this has been primarily a u.s.

this is an isil first strategy. no one predicted isil's rise, and we should not pretty said it is impossible to bring them to an end. they do not represent the drizzle -- true religion of islam. we are not naÏve to the complicity of the task. it will require patience and assistance. we will not be complete until we reach our true end goal, having governments in both iraq and syria that can command the confidence of all their people. in syria ultimately means a government without a thought. a missile can a terrorist, but only good governance can kill terrorism. as we discuss all these things, people want to know that we've learned the lessons of previous conflicts. what anyone thought of the iraq war, terrible war mistakes in the aftermath. we will never make those mistakes again. the political process in syria will in time your new leadership and that is the thing we must support. we have been hollowed out after 40 years of dictatorship. the big difference between libya and syria is that in syria time we have firm i

assad and isil could be the spark for a new wide war. there's a fight already between turkey and russia. >>> a spark for a wider war. al jazeera's senior washington correspondent mike viqueira joins us with more on this. nato had the meetings the turks asked for and put out a statement saying in early october russia violated turkish air space and the allies strongly protest these violations and condemn them into nato air space. they made a point of saying they're standing in alliance with turkey. what does this all mean? >> well, if there's going to be a further conflict, it largely depends on russia. it's up to vladimir putin, really. today we saw francois hollande at the white house. in the wake of the paris attacks, he met with david cameron. angela merkel and putin on thursday. they said it's their top priority to make sure this downing of a russian fighter does not escalate into a wider conflict. that's what they want to do. both leaders try to emphasize the fact that despite upping on isil targets, the air campaign, there will be n

isil, according to him, he's an isil celebrity. and probably the damage to isil is probably a lot greater than it is to their reputation than to the tactical situation because he is a celebrity and not a tactical figure. he called himself a human animal. now it's going to take a while to find out whether he's dead or not. there are no u.s. special operations forces on the ground and no troops in this part of the caliphate. they will eventually know. but it will take some days. >> the pentagon was also talking more about the strategy in going after isil in tar getting the oil fields. >> according to steve warren, this is not a new tactic. we also have pictures the pentagon has released and they're pretty dramatic as you can see. this is really more of a refinement of the operation going on rather than a direct switch of the tactics. but as i say, according to him, that really is more of a refinement than anything that is out right new. >> john, thank you very much. >> families of some of the hostages that killed at the hands of this

isil claims to have killed a norwegian.hey demanded a ransom for the release of the men two months ago. norway's prime minister has condemned the killings. >> there is no excuse for the treatment our countrymen have been expose did to. neither in religion or in ideology. this is a cold-blooded murder and the government strongly condemns the killing of a norwegian citizen. this is a despicable and barbaric act. >> russia is continuing to hit targets, oil infrastructure controlled by the group in syria. a 7ier military official says russia has already destroyed some 500 fuel trucks over the past five days, transporting oil from syria to refineries in iraq. isil relies heavily on oil revenues to fund itself. the u.s. has been hitting similar targets. its released pictures of air straikz against isil-controlled oil infra structure. it says more than 100 trucks were destroyed in monday's campaign. >>> france's only aircraft-carrier, the charles de gaulle has left to join. the vessel carries 20 aircraft allowing france to conduct

air strike goes after one of the most recognizable faces of isil. taking back sinjar, kurdish fighters claim victory over isil in a key city with u.s. help. >> how stupid are the people of iowa? how stupid are the people of the country to believe this crap. >> trump lashes out, the presidential hopeful takes the elect he let and rival ben carson to task. >> this is aljazeera america live from new york city, i'm stephanie sy. this morning, pentagon officials are trying to confirm whether one of isil's most know tore cuss figures was killed in a drone strike. his name is jihadi john. it was his covered face that appeared in momentum pell videos showing the killings of american and other western hostages. in august of 2014, he was shown in a video beheading journalist james foley. he was seen killing james sotloff and peter kasig. >> he moved to syria in 2012. it wasn't until 2014 that he began making headlines. >> otherwise this will become your nightmare. >> his british accent earned him the nickname jihadi john. he blamed governments for the hostage

we welcome all efforts to fight isil. our common enemy. is isil. therefore, i would also welcome all efforts to strengthen the fight against isil. >> have you had any contact with the russians or have you plan any contact with the russians? thank you. mr. stoltenberg: there has been contact with moscow. advisement. we have been in contact with turkey and its ally which has been in contact with russian authorities. more claritye any as to how the plane was shot down? whether it be surface to surface or service to air or ground to air missile? mr. stoltenberg: i will be careful going into specifics and too much into detail, but what i can confirm is what we have from allies which is consistent with what turkey briefed us about earlier today. >> thank you very much. mr. stoltenberg: thank you. announcer: four days of nonfiction books on c-span2 book tv. thursday morning at 8:00 eastern, all-day coverage of the 15th annual national book coverage from washington, d.c. it is the 32nd annual miami book fair on friday. it begins at 8 a.m. eastern beginning

as we saw with the attack in mali, the terrorist threat goes beyond isil. this week i will sign legislation to sustain our support including air lift and intelligence to allies like france as we work together to root out terrorist networks in africa. we will do even more to prevent attacks at home. building on our recent intelligence agreement, the united states will continue to quickly share threat information with france and in the wake of paris and with the threats in belgium, there is also a growing recognition among european nations that they need to ramp up additional efforts to prevent the flow of foreign terrorist fighters. as part of that, i'm calling on the european union to finally implement the agreement that's been long in the works that would require airlines to share passenger information so we can do more to stop foreign terrorist fighters from entering our countries undetected. and i am prepared to send teams of our experts to work on this with our european partners to make sure we are redoubling our efforts together. regarding the broader

really members of isil, so many of them have gotten the message that smuggling oil for isil is more dangerous business now than last week. >> so president obama left the door open to join russian airstrikes. >> we're going to see if russia does end up devoting more attention to targets that are isil targets, and if it does so, that's something that we want. >> reporter: the pent gone just as quickly slammed it shut. >> the u.s. military of course has the greatest aviators on earth, so they're capable of flying with anybody, and that said, we have no plans for coordinated operations with the russians >> reporter: so the pentagon is still assessing what russia bombed in and around iraq, and whether any civilians were killed. but now it does not appear that russia hit any targets that were on the u.s. starting list. >> pj crowley is the former assistant secretary of state for public affairs, and joining me from washington d.c., it's good to have you back on the show, and russia's foreign minister reiterated that the west must stop calling for the removal of president bashar al-assad. a

that would be a victory for isil. laurence lee, al jazeera, on the edge of schengen zone in slovenia. >>> jason rezaian has reported been sentenced to prison by oon iranian court on charges of espionage. authorities there have given very little information or even the length of a sentence in a case veiled in secrecy from the start. paul is here with more of the story. have the officials in iran said anything? >> aside from the statement on the website of iranian tv, no. this is the latest twist in the case. jason rezaian's arrest, trial and conviction and now the details of the sentence have been kept largely out of view from the beginning by iranian authorities. news about the fate of jason rezaian came on send in a brief statement on the website of iranian state tv. the spokesman said only that rezaian and that the sentence is not yet final and sunday his brother slammed the confusion and lack of transparency surrounding the case saying, quote, my brother is an innocent man and a well-respected journalist as our fam

overnight, coalition airstrikes hit isil targets in and around sinjar, which isil controlled since august last year. the prays is on three fronts, the south, west and east. the iraqi kurds are confident they will prevail. >> today, it's our duty to liberate sinjar from injustice and this his the duty of every kurdish citizen. we are fully prepared to attack sinjar and liberate it soon. god willing, weapon help people rush back to their homes. >> while the more rail might be high, this operation is far from easy. it's importance is underscored by the rival of the president on the front line to monitor progress. >> sinjar is considered kurdish territory and success here seen as a victory against isil, but isil fighters have proved themselves resilient and rigged car bomb to say slow the offensive. sinjar is important. it is home to the yazidi community who practice a religion isil views at her particular. when isil took control of the area, it killed between 3,000 and 5,000 yazidi men according to human rights organizations. that pushed the u.s. a launch airstrikes in iraq and a month later

. >>> stepping up the fight against isil. france prepares to launch strikes from an aircraft carrier in the mediterranean. >>> the candidate for change versus the candidate for continuity. the argentinian presidency is decided shortly. >>> "the washington post" journalist sentenced to a prison term in iran from spying. >>> i'm robin adams with all the sport for you including the season to remember as the serbian finishes the year on top of the world. >>> hello. belgium's prime minister says the country will remain on the highest state of alert with schools, universities and the metro all shut on monday. soldiers and police have been patrolling the streets of the capital for a second day after warnings of an imminent attack. shops remained closed and people have been told to avoid large crowds. belgium's prime minister says there's a possibility of an attack involving explosions and weapons at several locations. >> translator: i can give you information about the position of the metro in brussels tomorrow. the metro in brussel

strikes and bombers at isil capitol. the attacks happening after russian officials confirmed it was a bomb that proud down that jet over egypt last month. all 224 people onboard were killed, isil claimed responsibility. today, russian president vladimir putin vowed revenge. >> the murder of our people is the bloodiest crimes in terms of victims. we will not wipe away the tears from our souls and hearts. this will stay with us forever. but lit not stop us from finding the criminal. >> also ordered russian warships to start coordinating their attacks with the french military on operations inside syria. al jazeera has more from moscow. >> we have very strong language from vladimir putin, the russian president's words like retribution, and destruction, and then later in the day, we saw that essentially being put into practice vat my putin visited a new shiny command center, defense ministry, war room essentially where he was given the latest information a update on what has been going on. over the last few hours the strikes