isil had already lost across kikuk province and isil lost on oil refinery. we saw forces, so far isil has lost 40% of the populated areas that it once controlled in iraq. and it will lose more. iraqi forces are now fighting their way deep center ramadi, they're working in fallujah and to cut off supply routes in mosul. these are urban areas where isil is entrench: our partners on the ground face a very tough fight ahead. and we're going to finance to back them up with the support that they need to ultimately clear isil from iraq. isil also continues to lose territory in syria. we continue to step up our air sport and supplies to local forces syrian kurds, arabs, turk men are now having success. after fighting isil in kobane they've pushed isil back from almost the entire border region with turkey, and we're working with turkey to seal the rest. isil has lost thousands of square miles that it once controlled in syria, and it will lose more. we began supporting local forces that push south, cut off supply lines and tighten the squeeze on raqqa. meanwhile peopl

jihadi john come and isil executioner, and isil's leader in libya. like previous actions, these strikes serve notice to isil that no target is beyond our reach. finally, even as we work to defeat isil in syria and iraq where it's parent tumor has grown, we also recognize isil has metastasized elsewhere. the threat posed by isil and groups like it can span regions and own combatant commands. that's why the defense department is organizing a new way to leverage infrastructure we've already established in afghanistan, taliban, east africa and southern europe into a unified capability to counter transnational entrance regional threats like isil. an example of this network was a recent strike where assess from several locations converged to successfully kill this isil leader in libya. as the strike shows there's a lot of potential, but to do what we need to be creative and consider changes to the defense department works and is structured. this could be an important focus of a new goldwater-nichols type reforms. which i know this committee and particularl

counter isil campaign. currentlyunford is visiting our troops deployed around the world this holiday season. to them the thanks of a grateful nation for all that they do in our defense. i will soon be doing the same. chairman, you are right. ranking member read, we are intensifying the campaign and have since the six week that i last appeared before you. i am happy to be here with you today. this is along the lines of what you just described. , to conductcompany counterterrorism strikes. and train and equip. i will describe those actions which were taken. the attacks in paris and san bernardino were in assaults on the civilization that we defense. isil requires and will receive a lasting defeat. the president has directed us to intensify and adapt the military us togn -- had directed intensify the military campaign before the paris attacks. the necessity of accelerating our efforts has only been made more playing by the recent attacks. we are urging others in the region and around the world to do the same.

and nabil, isil's leader in libya. like previous actions, these strikes serve notice to isil that no target is beyond our reach. finally, even as we work to defeat isil in syria and iraq where its parent tumor has grown, we also recognize isil has ma tasty sized elsewhere. that's why the defense department is organizing a new way to leverage infrastructure we've already established in afghanistan, east africa and southern europe. an example of this network in action was our recent strike on abu nabil were as sets from several locations converged to successfully kill this isil leader in libya. to do more, we need to be creative and consider changes to how the defense department works and is structured. this could be an important focus of any nickels type reforms which i know this committee and particularly chairman thornberry is exploring. i look forward to working with you on it as we complete our i don't even on going reform initiatives in the department. these are eight areas, just eight, of the adaptations we've hea

, general dunford, we have not contained isil. mr. secretary, do you agree with general dunford? >> i agree with what general dunford said, yes. >> so if we have not -- we have not contained isil, how are we to know -- believe that we are succeeding against isil? >> i think that we are building momentum against isil, i'm going to be very careful about describing, describe it had trajectory of that success all around iraq and syria. some actions we're taking in libya. it's not my principal responsibility but i met with director of the fbi t director of national intelligence and other initials to talk about what we could do more to strengthen the defense of the home lan as the department of defense, but as our principal responsibility, i described the action that is we have taken and i think they are building momentum. >> thank you, how long do you think it'll be before we take mosul and raqaa? >> it's hard to say because it depends on the iraqi security forces in building themselves into a more capable combat force. with respect to

counter-isil campaign. it is quite a good for members of this committee to express their disagreement and disapproval of the administration's strategy. however, the tone of the and disapproval is impotent. politicians know that relentless personal attacks on the aesident himself provoke visceral reaction by the people against the president, and that is part of our campaign process. what effect does the unprecedented level of attack on our commander-in-chief have on our relationships with our allies, for instance? what if that is it have on our ability to galvanize our nation supporters the strategye in we are leading? what impact does it have on the enemies of america we are leading the fight against? if i may ask that question of you, secretary carter and general dunford? >> you can ask the question but i'm not going to respond in and i will tell you why. i serve at the pleasure of knowing obama into obviously support his policies. we're coming into an electoral season now in the united states, which i res

that is what groups like isil want. isil does not speak for islam. they are thugs and killers, part of a colt of death. -- cult of death. they account for a tiny fraction of more than one billion muslims around the world, including patriotic muslim americans who reject the hateful ideology. the vast majority of terrorist victims around the world are muslims. if we are to succeed in defeating terrorism, we must communities as some of the strongest allies, rather than push them away for suspicion and hate. that does not mean denying the fact that an extremist ideology has spread within some muslim communities. this is a real problem that muslims must confront without excuse. muslim leaders here and around the globe have to continue working with us to decisively and unequivocably reject the hateful ideology that groups like isil and al qaeda promote. to speak out, not just against acts of violence, but also those interpretations of islam that are incompatible with the values of religious tolerance, mutual respect, and human dignity. but, just as it is t

jihadi john, and isil 's leaderer, and isil from libya. like previous actions, the strikes serve notice to isil that no target is beyond our reach. finally, even as we work to defeat isil in syria and iraq, where its parent tumor is grown, we also recognize isis -- isil as metastasized elsewhere. isil and groups like it can expand to regions operated by our own combatant commands. that is why we have new infrastructure we have already established in afghanistan, the labonte, east africa, and southern africa -- in afghanistan, the levant. in action wasthis a recent strike were assets from several locations converged to kill this issa leader in libya it shows there is potential, but to do more we need to be creative and consider changes to the way the defense department works and is structured. this could be the focus of reforms, which i know that this committee and particularly chairman thornberry, is exported. i look for to working with you as we complete our own ongoing reform initiatives in the department. these are eight areas -- just e

isil is expanding. it serves as a direct rebuttal to the president's statement just hours before the mass murders in paris we had, quote, from the start our goal has been to contain isis and keep them contained. what specifically does containment of isis mean to you and in practical terms what is d.o.d. doing that it should do to contain isis? >> our strategy is to destroy isil. in syria and iraq. and anywhere else it arises. and with respect to the homeland, while we don't have any credible imminent threats that i can relate to you today, fortunately, we do take homeland security very seriously. and we particularly take the protection of our own personnel seriously. for, among other reasons, the fact that they were -- many of them were singled out by these guys like general aid hussein. i went to chattanooga where there was a ceremony for six of our service members gunned down by somebody who had been radicalized basically online. born and raised in chattanooga, tennessee. so this is serious business,

that, too, is what groups like isil want. isil does not speak for islam. they are thugs and killers, part of a cult of death, and they account for a tiny fraction of more than a billion muslims around the world -- including millions of patriotic muslim americans who reject their hateful ideology. moreover, the vast majority of terrorist victims around the mof terrorist victims around the world are muslim. if we're to succeed in defeating terrorism, we must enlist muslim communities as some of our strongest allies, rather than push them away through suspicion and hate. that does not mean denying the fact that an extremist ideology has spread within some muslim communities. this is a real problem that muslims must confront, without excuse. muslim leaders here and around the globe have to continue working with us to decisively and unequivocally reject the hateful ideology that groups like isil and al qaeda promote; to speak out against not just acts of violence, but also those

isil. mr.secretary, do you agree with general dunford? >> i agree with what general dunford said, yes. >> so if we have not contained isil, how are we to believe that we are succeeding against isil? >> i think that we are building momentum against isil. i'm going to be very careful about describing -- i've described the trajectory of that success all around iraq and syria, some actions were taken in libya. it's not my principal responsibility but i met yesterday with the secretary of homeland security, the director of the fbi, the director of national intelligence and other officials to talk about what we could do more to strengthen the defense of the homeland as the department of defense but in our principle responsibility which is to take the fight syria and iraq, i've described the actions that we've and the since i appeared the last time and they are building momentum. >> thank you. how long do you think it will be before we retake mosul or raqqah? >> with respect to mosul, mr. chairman, it

is isil losing ground now? >> it is not losing much ground. in fact, it continues to get more recruits and i would guess with more bombings and focus on isil rather than the undoing of assad, i think probably earned isil even more recruits. today, we heard that isil is in coaching on and probably might enter libya. with this what i would call a spin group, kegmented non-idealogyic, they continue to grow. i think we're seeing more of isil, but let me make one point really clear. while the british just like the french and the russians and the americans and the turks are making themselves indispensable in syria, more and more, the syrian people themselves seem to becoming more dispense i'll. they are paying the heavier prays as president putin fails and continues to act like a bear in the china shop in syria. >> thank you very much for that, as always. another aspect is the row between russia and turkey over the downing of a russian jet, which has topped the agenda, nato's two day summit in brussels. we are live for us at nato headquarters and jo

>> correct, but isil's location, we know where isil is. in the case of al qaeda, they blended into the country in a much different way than isil is. >> gotcha. in my last six seconds, still trying to get the jordanians' drones, unable to do so because we're using chinese reapers instead of ours. i think we ought to fix that if we can. thank you, mr. chairman. >> mr. ashford. >> thank you, and thank you mr. secretary, and thank you, general dunford. i have asked this before, and i was in the middle east in february, and we were briefed on these various topics, the intelligence mission, the general's efforts to form up a sunni force, and some of the internet issues, the forming up of an internet combative force there in baghdad, i believe, at that time. and, you know, i'm the home of the 55th air wing is in omaha, and has a significant role in this effort. and i too support the aumf issue, i think you're absolutely right, i think you've mentioned that before, it's clear that congress needs to act as quickly as possible on this effort. here's

isil had already lost and at tikrit, isil lost at sinjar losing a strategic highway. isil last at baji with its oil refinery. we saw during the daring raids supported by our special forces which rescued dozens of prisoners from isil and which master sergeant joshua wheeler isil has lost about 40% of the populated areas it once controlled in iraq. it will lose more. iraqi forces are fighting their way deeper into ramadi. they're working to circle fa lucia. these are urban areas where isil is entrenched. our partners on the ground face a very tough fight ahead. and we're going to continue to back them up with the support that they need to ultimately clear isil from iraq. isil also continues to lose territory in syria. we continue to step up our air support and supplies to local forces. syrian kurds, arabs are having success. they've pushed isil back from almost across the entire border region with turkey and we're working with turkey to seal the rest. isil's lost thousands of square miles of territory it once controlled in syria and it will lose more. ordered to syria h

we are coming to liberate mosul to defeat isil.will achieve final victory over the group with the determination and resolution of our great people. >>> the united states is warning that there is more work to do to secure ramadi. our correspondent is in the iraqi city erbil, and says the hunt for fighters in ramadi continues. >> reporter: when the prime minister made his way to [ inaudible ] his helicopter came under fire. there were isil fighters present in the area, who tried to attack the plane, but they couldn't really, because it was out of range. but it gives you an indication that this area is not completely under their control yet. in parts of central ramadi, east ram, and northern ramadi, there are still large pockets of isil fighters who have always been there, and there have been some fighters who fled from the southern areas. so it's very much an ongoing fight. yes, it's a symbolic victory, but there is still a lot of work ahead of them to completely secure ramadi. ♪ >>> in pakistan, at least 22 people have been killed a

we're also taking out isil them from their strongholds in we took out the isil leader there. the point is, isil leaders cannot hide, and our next message to them is simple -- you are next. every day, we destroy as well more of isil's forces, their fighting positions, bunkers, staging areas, heavy weapons, compounds and training camps. many places isil has lost its freedom of maneuver, because they know if they mask their forces, we will wipe them out. in fact, since this summer, isil has not had a single successful major offensive operation on the ground in either syria or iraq. in recent weeks, we've unleashed a new wave of strikes on their lifeline, their oil infrastructure, destroying hundreds of their tanker trucks, wells, and refineries. and we're going to keep on hammering those. territory in iraq. isil had alrlrdy lost across kircut province and tikrit. more recently, isil lost at sinjar and baiji, where its oil refinery. we saw a daring raid supported by our special forces which rescued dozens of prisoners from isil, which master sergeant sacrifice. of the populated a

out the isil leader there. the point is, isil leaders cannot hide and our next message to them is simple. you are next. every day...we destroy, as well, more of isil's forces. their fighting positions, bunkers and staging areas, their heavy weapons, bomb-making factories, compounds and many places isil's lost its freedom of maneuver because they know if they mask their forces, we will wipe them out. in fact, since this summer, isil hasn't had a single successful major offensive operation on the ground in either syria or iraq. in recent weeks, we've unleashed a new wave of strikes on their lifeline, their oral infrastructure, destroying hundreds of their tanker trucks, wells and refineries, we'll keep on handling those. isil continues to lose territory in iraq. isil had already lost across kirkuk province. we saw during the daring raid supported by our forces which rescued dozens of prisoners from isil in which master sergeant so far, isil has lost about 40% of the populated areas it once controlled in iraq and

nabil, the isil leader there. is isil leaders cannot hide and our next message to them is simple, you are next. every day we destroy as well more of isil's forces, their fighting positions, bunkers, and staging areas, their heavy weapons, bomb making factories, compounds, and training camps. in many places isil has lost its freedom of maneuver because they know if they mask their forces, we will wipe them out. in fact, since this summer, isil has not had a single successful major offensive operation on the ground in either syria or iraq. in recent weeks we've unleashed a new wave of strikes on their lifeline, their oil infrastructure destroying hundreds of their tanker trucks, wells, and refineries, and we're going to keep on hammering those. isil also continues to lose territory in iraq. isil had already lost across kirkuk province and at tikrit. they lost a strategic highway. they lost an oil refinery. we saw the daring raid supported by our special forces which rescued dozens of prisoners from isil in which mas

>> well, our strategy is to destroy isil. in syria and iraq and anywhere else if it arises and with respect to the homeland, while we don't have any credible eminent threats that i can relate to you today, fortunately we do take homeland security very seriously and we particularly take the protection of our own personnel seriously for among other reasons the fact that they were -- many of them were singled out by these guys like hussein that were trying to recruit americans. a few months i went to chattanooga where there was a ceremony for six of service members gunned down by somebody who had been radicalized basically online. born and raised in chattanooga, tennessee. this is serious business the violent extremist tendencies and while we need to get its heart in syria and iraq, we need to recognize that this is elsewhere and protect ourselves and our people. >> thank you very much. ms. bordallo. >> thank you very much for being at the hearing this morning. gentlemen, having just return from a trip last week to egypt and sau

that too is what groups like isil want. isil does not speak for islam. they are thugs and killers, part of a cult of death. and they account for a tiny fraction of the more than a billion muslims around the world, including millions of patriotic muslim americans who reject their hateful ideology. more over, the vast majority of terrorist victims around the world are muslim. if we're to succeed in defeating terrorism, we must enlist muslim communities as some of our strongest allies, rather than push them away through suspicion and hate. that does not mean denying the fact that an extremist ideology has spread within some muslim communities. there's a real problem that muslims must confront without excuse. muslim leaders here and around the globe have to continue working with us to decisively and unequivocally reject the hateful ideology that groups like isil and al-qaeda promote, to speak out against not just acts of violence but also those interpretations of islam that are incompatible with the values of religious tolerance, mutual respect and human dig

should human isil in syria. david cameron said the campaign has been a success and civilian casualties limited. he repeatedly refused to apologize for calling opponents terrorist sympathizers and said britain would be safer if balling in syria took place. >> since november last year, our security forces have foiled no fewer than seven plots against our people. this threat is very real and the question is this, do we work with our allies to degrade and destroy this threat, and do we go after these terrorists in their heart lands from where they are plotting to kill british people or do we sit back and wait for them to attack us. >> the be a accepts of credible ground troops, missing diplomatic plan, failure to address the refugee crisis, it's becoming increasingly clear that the prime minister's proposal for military action simply do not stack up. >> we are joined live from outside west minister in london. charlie, this session has been going on sometime now, a rowdy session. tell us what's been happening and the

many isil commanders were killed during the battles, including the brother of an isil leader.vy weapons were also seized, which the peshmerga are now using. they say most of the captured military equipment is u.s. made which isil stole from the iraqi army. the hardware is a reminder that they can defeat isil, also known as daesh. >> translator: daesh does not have the strength or morale to attack kurdish areas, bah they know we will crush them. >> reporter: these are some of the symbols that they have captured during fighting. but isil still remains strong in other areas on the outskirts of various peshmerga strong holds. isil has carried out many coordinated attacks across several fronths to breach peshmerga lines. peshmerga forces say they have repelled several isil attacks across the kurdish region. isil fighters are using armored vehicle bombs, followed by bulldozers to fill trenches dug by isil. for now a push towards mosul remains on hold, but soldiers say they are ready. >> translator: this is a critical decision now, peshmerga and the coalition, se support of the iraqi

france is upping its commitment to pounding isil.omestic conversation in the united states increasingly 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 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 about a scenario which youal looted to, whic

territory isil captured.onday i spoke to the president of iraq and he expressed his thanks. and when our planes reach the border with syria, we can no longer act to defund his country or our country even when we know that isil's headquarters are in raqqa in syria, and it's from here that many of the plots against our country are formed. >> there's no doubt that the so-called islamic state has imposed a reign of sectarian and imhuman terror. and there's no question that it also poses a threat to our own people. the issue now is whether extending british bombing from iraq to syria is likely to reduce or increase that threat to britain, and whether it will counter or spread the terror campaign isil is wages across the middle east. the answers don't make the case for the government motion. on the contrary. they are warning to step back. >>> charlie angela is live for us outside of the houses of parliament in westminster where that debate is going on. more than 150 members of parliament want to speak in this debat

this map shows ramadi in isil's support zone.s is where it's fighters are allowed to move freely. this helps isil maintain these areas, where it has enough of a presence to control local populations. these no longer include sinjar. and there are the attack zone areas where isil conducts offensive maneuvers. zana hoda has more. >> reporter: it has been described as the final assault to recapture ramadi from isil. [ explosion ] >> reporter: the iraqi military says it's troops are moving in on the center of the city. the provincial capitol of the maintain sunny anbar province has been under isil control for months. ramadi is an urban battleground, progress has been slow. isil is fighting back using suicide bombers. it's not known how many armed men isil has in the city, but it is believed it could be up to 300. there are also civilians trapped inside. the iraqi government dropped leaflets calling on people to leave, but isil is reportedly stopping them to they can use them as human shields. ramadi's fall was an embarrassment for the

but some say needs to be done to try to tackle isil.ut there are divisions on how to do it. >> perhaps the toughest political decision. the chamber was packed. mps waiting to hear the british prime minister's argument for striking isil. >> these terrorists are plotting to kill us and radicalize our children right now. they attack us because of who we are not because of what we do. >> refusing to apologizing for branding terrorists. >> not only is that offensive, it is dangerous and it is untrue. >> this is a debate which has divided opinion inside and outside the house. no one here doubts the dangers posed by isil, and that some something needs to be done. but how to do it has caused disruptions in british politics. >> whether it's a strategy worth a name, the absence of credible ground troops, the plan of syrian settlement. the failure to address the impact of the terrorist threat, it's becoming increasingly clear that the prime minister's proposal for military action simply do not stack up. >> many in parliament wanted to know more ab

we tell people that we are coming to liberate you from isil and isil will flee ramadi. >> analysts say the failure to mention the u.s. wasn't an oversight. >> i think what the prime minister is trying to say, this is iraqis taking control of their own destiny, because if it looks like this was more u.s. operation than an iraqi operation, this, again, would feed into the narrative that it's the west that is struggling with groups like isis. >> while iraq and the u.s. celebrate what they call progress against isil, there is a split on the way forward. al abadi said 2016 will be the year iraq kicks isil out of mosul. the u.s. view, it might take longer. rosalyn jordan, al jazeera, washington. >>> iraqi forces and sunni tribal fighters say they are frightening their grip on ramadi after recapturing it, sweeping and clearing operations are underway there. isil said it launched a counter offensive. joining us from erbil, stamina, the government still celebrating their victory in ramadi, the p.m. visiting it, of course, raising the flag, but he seems to be unaware that there's still a lot mor

we're going to combat isil everywhere it appears. it must be destroyed in its birth place of the -- of syria and iraq. but it is metastasizing to other parts of the world. we'll combat it everywhere. of course, that includes in our own homelands. and so it won't have any place to fall back on. >> hi. thank you. two quick follow-ups actually and then a question. secretary carter, you said that the president has continued to tell you to come to him with proposals for fighting isis in iraq and syria. but on the hill this week, you essentially said if you had more options or ideas, you would offer them. what does that mean? does that mean that there's sort of a stalemate, you're at a logjam here? sec. carter: no. it means that we constantly develop through new intelligence very importantly new techniques and tactics for attacking isil. i'll give you a few recent examples. the attacks on the oil and other revenue streams of isil, our ability to do that in a way that subtracts from isil's ability to earn revenues while not affecting the li

we took out the isil leader there. the point is, isil leaders cannot hide, and our next message to them is simple -- you are next. every day we destroy as well more of isil's forces, their fighting positions, bunkers, and staging areas, their heavy weapons, bomb making factories, compounds and training catches. in many places isil has lost its freedom to maneuver, because they know if they mass their since this summer, isil has not had a single successful offensive operation on the ground in syria or iraq. we've destroyed eded hundreds of their tankers and refineries. isil also continues to lose territory in iraq. isil had already lost across kircut province and in tikrit and lost at sinjar, losing a strategic highway. isil lost at baiji with its oil refinery. we saw the raid supported by our special forces which master sergeant sergeant wheeler made the ultimate sacrifice. so far isil has lost about 40% of the populated areas it controlled in iraq and will lose more. iraqi forces are now fighting to circle fallujah an

the isil and nusra front will have to cross areas under the control of rebel groups.they are going by their military came to avenge the death of their leader. this whole debate about the deal between the government and isil comes against the backdrop of the renewed international push to put an end to the crisis in syria. the syrian opposition said they are going to geneva to talk with the government about a way out. however, they say there are two conditions that have to be met, first a ceasefire with the government should be committed to stop using barrel bombs and missiles against civilians. number two, a political way out from on opposition perspective is the following, a transitional authority with full executive power, assad has to go. assad has been saying in the past that he's been backed by the rapes and the russians, that it is only the syrians who have the right to say whether assad should stay or go. >> it is one of the most dangerous journeys in the world, the route central american migrants take to get to the u.s. brutal drug cartels and authorities are a

both to assad and isil.further assumption underlying this work is that for iran, keeping assad empower mainly has to do with assad's willingness over the years to subordinate syria to iran on all matters related to hezbollah in lebanon. keeping hezbollah to fight, israel and politically dominant in lebanon, are crucial iranian national security priorities. assad has delivered. iran feels there are no constituencies to this particular relationship in syria beyond the ruling family and its enablers. it sees bashar personally as embodying whatever residual legitimacy is left to this regime. fourth, for russia, assad's continued incumbency proclaims moscow's return to great power status. putin claims that washington has been on a democratization and regime change jihad since 2003 and iraq. he wants to stop a cold in syria. he wants ideally to confront president obama with a binary choice between the barrel bomber on the one hand and al-baghdadi on the other. he wants president obama to beat his 2011 words on ass

but isil is in a defensive crouch right now.y have been hit from the air, on the ground, we have taken away their ability to make money. we have taken away their leaders and eaten away at that so-called caliphate. >> what changed in ramadi that the iraqis and americans can maybe learn from in future operations? >> well, there was no single change. this was a gradual buildup. the iraqi army of 2014, which broke and ran when isil attacked through mosul is a completely different army. in that was an army we built in the early 2000s, that was trained and equipped to fight counter insurgency operations, clearing roadside bombs, manning check points, things of that nature. this is a conventional fight. it involves attacking, defending, it involves obstacles and the like. it took almost a year to rebuild this iraqi army. but now that they have been rebuilt and retrained, we have giveren them modern equipment, and sophisticated training, now we're beginning to see the fruits of that labor. >> you talked about mosul, are there enough tro

many isil commanders were killed during the battles, including the brother of isil leader abu bakr al-baghdadi. weapons were seized from isil now used on the front lines. they say most of the captured military equipment is u.s. made, stolen from the iraqi army. it is a reminder that they can did he death isil, also known as daish. >> daish does not have the strength or morale to attack kurdish areas because it is known that the peshmerga will fight and crush them. >> peshmerga fighters are eager to show the gains they have made against isil. these are some of the symbols that they've captured during fighting, but isil still remains strong in other areas on the outskirts of various peshmerga strongholds. isil has carried out many coordinated attacks across several front. peshmerga forces have repelled several isil attacks across the kurdish region. besides suicide bombers, isil fighters use armored vehicle bombs to fill frenches dug by the peshmerga. for now, a push towards mosul remains on hold, but soldiers say they're ready. >> this is a political decision now, peshmerga and the coalition fi

getting rid of the isil fighters who had moved into those areas.hing the military also points out is that it's not just the cities that isil has been trying to take control of, in order to establish its so-called caliphate, it is also taking control of considerable amounts of this countryside both in western and northern iraq, and in the u.s. military's view, it's important for the iraqi government to regain control of that territory before trying to put their energies into trying to retake mosul. let's not forget, there had been talk earlier this year about trying to move in quickly to retake mosul, but that was pushed back in large part because the u.s. apparently persuaded baghdad that more training and support needs to be given to the iraqi military before taking on a mission of that size and scope. >> thank you very much indeed. we're going to take a look at some pictures inside of ramadi. the troops there inside the city, where it is said that some isil remnants remain. but the victory is probably the biggest success since seizing control in

isil stormed rimadi in may. at the time, much of iraq's western province was already under the armed groups control. rimadi's fall was an embarrassment for the iraqi government. the iraqi army withdrew quickly. months later, they are back on the front lines. a government spokesman said the fight is being led by iraqi special forces and paramilitary troops are not taking part. a member of parliament from the province said sunni tribal forces of involved. >> there is support from the tribal fighters, also. the attack was coordinated by -- they attack isil from areas they didn't expect it, so i think by the weekend, if everything goes as they plan, yes, they will retake it. >> rimadi is a strategic city on the doorstep of the capital baghdad and connects to jordan, on isil controlled territory across the border in syria. takingry dadi was isil's biggest victory this year. losing it would be a setback. this is a test for relying on iraqi ground troops in isil. victory here is not just about defeating isil. it will d

many isil commanders were killed during the battles including the brother of isil leader. heavy weapons were seized from isil. they said most of the captured military equipment was u.s. made which isil stole from the iraqi army. the hardware is a reminder that the soldiers here can defeat isil also known as daesh. >> daesh does not have the strength, morale to attack kurdish areas because it is known that the peshmerga will fight and crush them. >> peshmerga fighters are eagle for show the gains they've made against isil. these are some of the symbols that they've captured during the fighting. but isil still remains strong in the outskirts of the peshmerga strongholds. isil has carried out many coordinated attacks cross several fronts to reach peshmerga lines. forces say they've repelled isil attacks. besides suicide-bombers they're using vehicle bombs. the groups' main hub is mosul from where they're attacking peshmerga positions based in northern iraq. for now a push towards mosul remains on hold. the soldiers say they're ready. >> this is a place where peshmerga and the

effort to defeat isil. carter saying more special operations troops will be headed to iraq. >> in full coordination with the government of iraq, we're deploying a specialized expedestrian a decisionary targeting force. so assist iraqi and peshmerga forces to put more pressure on isil. they will overtime be able to conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence, and capture isil leaders. this force will also be in a position to conduct unilateral operations in syria. >> carter saying that is separate from the special operations forces the u.s. already says it will deploy to syria. carter saying the u.s. is making gains against isil thank in part to an increase in coalition air strikes. jamie mcintyre joining us by phone from the pentagon. are these new numbers or just a clarification on what the pentagon has recently announced? >> reporter: well, the way he phrased it, using the phrase a specialized expeditionary targeting force made it sound like they were deploying new forces. but when pressed secretary

>>> condition fronting isil, the u.s. to expand its use of special forces on the ground in iraq and potentially syria. ♪ >>> good to have your company. i'm david foster. you are watching al jazeera live from london. also in this program. back home 16 lebanese soldiers freed in a prisoner swap. >>> burkina faso elects his first civilian president in decades >>> and japan resumes its whaling in antarctic. >>> the u.s. defense secretary, ash carter has told congress he is prepared to expand the role of special operations troops taking on isil fighters in iraq and syria. here is what he said a short while ago. >> american special operators bring a unique suite of capabilities that make them force multipliers. they will help us garner ground intelligence, further enhance our air campaign, and enable local forces that could regain and then hold territory occupied by isil. >>> rosiland jordan live for us now in washington, d.c. it is important to distinguish between what is happening on the ground in iraq and syria, and in terms

isil claiming responsibility for it. theater, and also the whole area, and he has also believed to have fled to syria in november. whether it was before or after the attack on november 13th, we don't know. of course the attacks were orchestrated in brussels, perpetrated in paris, the french president declaring a state of emergency. that's all we know on that story so far. you can get more, of course, via the website, aljazeera.com, and you can also talk to us on facebook and twitter as well. we will continue to work that story for you. still to come here on this program, we'll tell you who did manage to concur the most treacherous downhill race of the season. ♪ ♪ >>> as promised time for sports news. >> peter thank you so much. manchester city can return to the top of the premier league if they late manchester city. the captain is likely to miss the game after a recurrence of a calf injury against is underland on saturday. >> they have important place, very good moment with high performance, was not easy for him, to beat

and not isil sympathizers, not under the thumb of isil right now can unite to defeat isil. next in line, and this is something that i have urged and the u.s. urged now for some months, would be for more ever sunni-arabs from the gulf states to become involved, not necessarily occupying territory but participating in enabling local forces there and -- >> have you had any luck there? any -- >> well, they have participated in the early days in the air war. i'm generalizing a little bit here. >> yeah. >> and not, generally disinclined to participate on the ground. now of course with the yemen conflict got preoccupied with that but. >> general? >> ma'am, i think your quote of mr. sar waa herry or zarqawi, i'm sorry, bringing americans is a blessing to the fight is the radical islamic view that isil portrays is exactly right. what don't do enough of is talking about who isil is and what they do, they're barbaric. they are they subjugate women, they sub. >> gate children. they engage in -- they subjugate children. and they engage in extortion. that is consistent with their narrati

we took out the isil leader there. the point is, isil leaders cannot hidedeand our next message to them is simple -- you are next. every day we destroy as well more of isil's forces, their fighting positions, bunkers, and staging areas, their heavy weapons, bomb making factories, compounds and training catches. freedom to maneuver, because they know if they mass their forces we'll wipe them out. since this summer, isil has not had a single successfull offensive operation on the ground in syria or iraq. we've destroyed eded hundreds of their tankers and refineries. isil also continues to lose territory in iraq. isil had already lost across kircut province and in tikrit and lost at sinjar, losing a strategic highway. isil lost at baiji with its oil refinery. we saw the raid supported by our special forces which master sergeant sergeant wheeler made the ultimate sacrifice. of the populated areas it controlled in iraq and will lose more. iraqi forces are now fighting deeper into ramadi and working to circlee fallujah and c

the coalition against isil is growing and widening by the day. paul brennan, al jazeera. >> the iraq prime minister said his country won't need foreign ground forces to five isil. abadi's comments came after john kerry said such forces would be necessary to defeat the group. abadi said government troops are able to fight isil on its own. >> lebanon's interior minister said the town on the border with sir. >> is being held hostage. it's been the scene of severe fighting as a result of the syrian war crossing the border town. isil and al-nusra front fighters have also been hold up on eastern outskirts for over a year. >>> the whole area is an occupied area. if someone says otherwise, they're wrong and not really in formed about the situation. in this area, there are 120,000 syrian refugees, more than double the original population. of course, there are also thousands of fighters inside and around the area. >> two civilians have been killed by army shelling in central iraq. the military was targeting residential areas in fallujah, west of baghdad. s

the air campaign against isil's war-sustaining oil enterprise, a critical pillar of isil's financial infrastructure. in addition to destroying fixed facilities like wells and processing facilities we've destroyed nearly 400 of isil's oil tanker trucks, reducing a major source of its daily revenues. there's more to come, too. we're also improving our capability to eliminate isil's leadership. since i last appeared before this committee in late october we have removed two more key isil figures from the battlefield, namely jihadi john, an isil executioner, and abu nabil, isil's leader in libya. like previous actions, these strikes serve notice to isil that no target is beyond our reach and as our military campaign intensifies on the ground and in the air, the department defense department is also developing more options in the cyber domain. these, then, are just nine areas of the adaptations we've made over the past six weeks to accelerate this campaign. and to simo men tum build. president obama is committed to doing what it takes as opportunities arise, as we see what works, and as th

, this apparently comes from a pro-isil news agency that is claiming that isil is claiming, right, so it gets a little tenuous here. jamie what about the information you are learning or maybe mentioned in the briefing today about the shooter's brother. >> well, interesting, this information came out very shortly after the shooting. but it turns out he had a brother also named syed farook. he joined the navy back in 2003. he served four years. he was an it specialist, he got out after one routine term. his service record is routine in both a good and bad way. and he got out in 2007. tail of two brothers, i guess. >> yeah, one serving the country, and the other -- at least according to what we're hearing today, this is an investigation about terrorism, and it's being investigated that way. yeah, a tail of two brothers, indeed. jamie appreciate. let's bring in j.j. green. he is al jazeera america national security contributor. j.j. what does this say to you? today the fbi comes forward to essentially say, one, we're taking over this investigation; and two, this is being investigated as a

a year later mps voted to carry out airstrikes in isil and reak. since then britain has carried out more than 380 airstrikes on targets in iraq. >> extending the royal air force bombing is a small element, and that over and above that we've got to put all that we're doing into a wider diplomatic and political framework to build a more secure future for syria and secure the region itself. >> but there is a an inevitability here that this motion will pass. but britain like many other nations is war weary. the conflicts in iraq and afghanistan still loom large. one newspaper poll suggest half the population supports military action. but assuming mp support airstrikes could begin within days or even hours. >> thank you for joining us this evening. can i ask you first do you think that these airstrikes will be effective? >> well, it certainly won't stop the problem that isis represents an as far as they're concerned. but the increased bombing is part of a larger plan and that plan will include a political process and eventually some troops on the ground

are isil coming back. that's necessary in iraq in syria. that's two different cases but that's why we pursue only set terry and governance in the state of iraq and why we are trying to find a political solution to the syrian civil war because while it's important to beat isil is important to do it in a lasting way. that is a critical part of the strategy and the reason why we are so intent upon identifying and enabling capable and motivated forces. >> chairman don -- chairman dunford what did general mcfarland plan to do. >> to disrupt, degrade and if you'd isil. >> we don't have a political plan that underlies what our military mission is. we have heard that from general petraeus and general mcchrystal and ambassador carter people on the left in the right have come before the committee and written about this problem. can you speak a bit to that coordination and that planning and your confidence that general mcfarland and others on the ground and see if what akel entity that will stick and make all their m

to call a broad coalition against isil. that's why the deescalation is so crucial right now. >> joining me live from brussells thank you. >> . >> back in the arms of their families, 16 soldiers freed by the front, the result of a dedicate prisoner exchange which took a year to negotiate. they were captured in the northern city, after fierce fighting broke out between the group and the lebanese army in august last year. pea thatching all those that helps our release. 13 presidents associated with the front, the syrian rebel group links have now been released by the lebanese government. in the all, 13 lebanese security personnel were captured in the summer of 2014. four were executed, one subsequently died of injuries, nine others remain in captivity. they are being held by isil, a group that is at war. the lebanese government says it is doing all it can to secure the release of the remaining. >> we have a target a big target, that is real challenge. we need to free them, the ever the sake of lebanon, and for thization of our

shows ramadi in isil's support zone.is where it's fighters are able to move freely, allowing support and reinforcement. this helps isil maintain these areas where it has enough presence to control the local population. this no longer includes sinjar, and finally there is the attack zone areas where isil conducts offensive maneuvers which have been concentrated around baghdad. zana hoda reports. ♪ [ gunfire ] >> reporter: it has been described as the final assault to recapture ramadi from isil. the iraqi military says its troops are moving in on the center of the city. the provinceal capitol has been under isil control for months. progress has been slow. isil is fighting back, using suicide bombers. it is not known how many men the armed group has in the city, but iraqi intelligence believes there could be up to 300. there are also civilians trapped inside, and reports of casualties. the iraqi military dropped leaflets a few days ago calling on people to leave, but isil is reportedly stopping them, so they can use them as

claiming that isil is claiming responsibility.de from that, here u.s. news agencies have been reporting also that one of the suspects, the 27 year old wife, posted to facebook, apparently her allegiance to isil as well. in that is what u.s. media here has been reporting. however it's important to caution that we're expecting the fbi to hold a press conference here within a matter of minutes where we hope they will confirm or deny that information. there's obviously a lot of speculation that has been circulating, and it is growing more intense over the past hour or so. both of these suspects, both of whom died in a gun battle with police on wednesday afternoon, one was from the united states, he apparently met his wife online. she is a pakistani citizen. they met -- they then went to saudi arabia together and traveled back to the united states. none of this in and of itself suggests any wrongdoing per se, but fbi officials have been looking at all of this, trying to connect the dots to see if there is any sort of connection to terr

the isil leader there. isil leaders can't hide and our message to them is simple, you are next.y day we destroy more of isil forces. their staging areas, weapons areas, and in many places they lost their ability to maneuver. isil has not had a single successful major offensive operation on the ground in either syria or iraq. in recent weeks we unleashed a new wave of strikes on their lifeline, oil infrastructures, destroying hundreds of their tankers, trucks, wells and refineries. isil also continues to lose territory in iraq. isil lost at tikrit recently and sinjar losing a strategic highway. they lost at baji. we saw the daring raid support bid our special forces which rescued dozens of prisoners from isil. isil lost 40% of the populated areas it once controlled in iraq and it will lose more. iraqi forces are fighting deep into ramadi. these are urban areas where isil is entrenched. our partners on the ground face a tough fight ahead. and we are going to continue to back them up with the support they need to ultimately clear isil from iraq. isil also continues to lose territor