briefly captured an oil field south-west of kirkuk last week. the governor there has told al jazeera it was a major assault, and that he expects more. >> for the city of kirkuk it belonged to islamic state of iraq and levant. the attack was part of a major i.s.i.l. offensive. last friday i.s.i.l. fighters pushed out from their stronghold. they laid claim to territory where many oil installations. >> actually it was from five if we count the oil fields. >> reporter: kurds recaptured the ground with the help of air strikes. commanders had to call in reinforcements from other provinces to deploy to kirkuk. it. >> translation: they came and took the area. they were helped by the arab veil and villagers. >> we can't confirm, because the arab villages are empty. but it shows deep suspicions. there's a massive amount of oil. which ise many are vying for control of the city. for now, the kurdistan government in the north and others have put aside their differences and agreed to share revenue if from the oil production in the north. >> most is pumped fro

losing 300,000 barrels a day in kirkuk. the agreement is important if it's implemented, fully libel. it's thick or thin. important for iraqi government important for kirkuk as well. they need the money to fuel the war against i.s.i.l. it's important for i.s.i.l. - it too, wants money >>> the country has not been able to unite five years after a civil war when the tamil tigers and the civil government came to an end. the president made the comments as it celebrated independence day. he read the declaration of peace to pay respects to all ethnic groups killed in the civil war. the president defeated the former president who held office for a decade. we go to the sri lankan capital colombo. >> a simply but colourful ceremony. for a new president and government very much the challenge mapped out is uniting the hearts and minds of those in the country, despite an end to the war. they are willing to bridge the gap. >> it's bringing together the people of the north and south. it's a way to move forward and reach understanding. >>

it's important for iraqi government and kirkuk as well. they need the money to fuel the war against i.s.i.l. war is important for i.s.i.l. it too, wants money. no one doubts that the armed group will take kirkuk again >>> now to the aftermath of the killing of a jordanian pilot by i.s.i.l. jard an jans have today, taken to the -- jordanians have taken to the streets waving flags as they watch the convoy carry king abdullah drive through the streets of ayman. this was a while ago. the king cutting short a trip to the united states after hearing news of moaz al-kasasbeh's killing by i.s.i.l. in response they have executed two prisoners. let's speak to rula joining us from imam. calls for revenge were quick after news of moaz al-kasasbeh's killing emerged yesterday. what is the reaction to the apparent killing by the government in response. are people satisfied? >> some are. they feel they want more. it was an horrific crime. and something that touches each family. so actually that killing and the way it was presented. ooep those questioning

massoud barzani said his fighters would never give up kirkuk. >> translator: kirkuk is in kurdistan and it will never fall to the enemy again. it is as important to the enemy as it is to us but they must know that either we will all die or kirkuk will never fall to the enemy again. we will keep kirkuk even if we have to withdraw forces from other areas. >> u.s. president barack obama says his country is not at war with islam but with those that have perverted islam. he made that comment at a three day summit at the white house patty culhane reports. >> reporter: this summit was supposed to happen last year postponed without explanation but the attacks in canada, paris and copenhagen gave the summit more urgency. assuring the muslims in the room that they were not at war. >> we are not at war with islam we are at war with those who perverted islam. >> not using the words islamist extremism, that has some activists concerned. >> we are concerned with the potential backlash that this will have especially in light of the recent spur of hate crimes we have seen across the nation. >> the whit

al jazeera kirkuk. >> more now on the aftermath of isil's killing. we are joined from jordans capital amman. >> tell us the reaction of jordan after the execution of two prisoners in retaliation for the killing of muath al-kaseasbeh. >> well, they're in shock definitely a great shock at the way he was killed. there's a lot of anger. the focus of the people have shifted from questioning the role of jordan in the alliance and whether jordan should have join that had alliance against isis. now the whole focus is what jordan should do to isis for the killing. even the father of muath al-kaseasbeh was very clear today. he said the only punishment that would satisfactory him he called for the elimination of isis. a few days ago, he was making some questions rewarding what was his son doing there joining the coalition. now obviously this very cruel killing has shifted people's focus and made them more angry at isis. >> the jordanian government had been walking a very tightrope. there was look warm support for jordans participation in the fight against isil.

captured an oil field south-west of kirkuk city. the government there says it was a major assault and expects i.s.i.l. to try again. zeina khodr reports. >> for two days the oil field belonged to the islamic state of iraq and levant. the attack was part of a main offensive. i.s.i.l. fighters pushed out from their strong hold. they laid claim to kilometres of territory, where there are many oil installations. >> it was very serious. actually was four or five fronts, if we count the oil field. and initially they did maying progress. kurds captured the ground with the help of air strikes, but lost a lot of men. commanders had to call in reinforcements. the terrorism unit had to deploy to kirkuk. >> they came and took the whole area. they were help by arab tribes and villages. many left. i.s.i.l. recruits them saying the kurds are the enemy. >> we cannot confirm that the arab villages are empty. it shows deep suspicions that exist between the communities. >> kirkuk has a massive amount of oil. many are vying for control of the city. the

echoed in his home province of kirkuk visited. this is where they wanted to celebrate his return instead it's a place they are receiving condolence after the islamic state burned him alive and the king paid respects to the tribe in the southern province of kirkuk and said the royal airforce just shelled i.s.i.l. forces in the syrian province of iraka and the king had already promised what he called a relentless response to avenge the merge of muath al-kaseasbeh and appears to have more public support for going to war. . >> translator: forces arrived after bombarding them and god willing we will end the existence in syria. >> reporter: visited female members of the family but wife of muath al-kaseasbeh is inconsolable. she is 25 and they were only

>> to control kirkuk if you were in fact to control kirkuk you would have free access to the kurdisheale. the oil is a major factor as well but almost not quite equal distance but kirkuk is between ir beale and baghdad. >> of course we've seen isis in the past six months taking control of some major oil fields and selling some of that oil on the black market adding to the vast wealth that has helped energize and carry on isis as a broader organization. you personally you are a former marine and out there now frankly risking your own life to report these stories. we just heard of another journalist kenji goto being beheaded by isis. do you fear for our own life on the front lines, matt? >> today's fighting was quite intense, but the kurdish forces seemed in control of the situation. i know the reports and i wasn't there two days ago to be fair but i know the reports were that they had taken up somewhat of a defensive position. today from what i saw, they were almost entirely on offense, and there was coalition air support as well that was coming in quite heavy. the kurdish forces on t

wants kirkuk. they have been telling the supporters it's a matter of time before kirkuk would be theirs. >> kurdz pushed on three different fronts around kirkuk. it was an aggressive attack. the worst in months. >> i.s.i.l. attacked from many directions. in the beginning they were able to surround us and we lost our positions. >> kurdz managed to recapture most areas. including an oil field. the peshmerga are facing a well armed enemy. i.s.i.l.'s offensive has not ended >>> a similar story in northern syria. a battle end with anti-i.s.i.l. forces in control of kobane. the city as you see there, is in roou jens i.s.i.l. fighters may have lost the battle but the yate is not done yet. >> translation: we decided to withdraw from kobane a little bit. heavy forces continued. the killing of the brothers is not a loss it's a win. >> look at the destruction behind me. our islamic state will remain. i tell that to mr obama. >> the four month battle destroyed the town so families could move home. >>> i.s.i.l.

commanders had to call the anti-terrorism unit had to deploy to kirkuk. they came and took the whole area. they were helped by the arab tribes and the villages. many left. i.s.i.l. recruits them. telling them they were the enemy. >> the arab villages are empty. it shows suspicions that exist. kirkuk has a massive amount of oil. which is why many were between the city. the kurdish and regional government put aside the differences. they shared revenue from the oil production. >> most is pumped in kirkuk. production here has been suspended because of damage by the fighting. the iraqi budget based on the kurdish region producing 300 barrels a day in kirkuk. >> this agreement is important. it's important to both sides. that is a critical thing. it's important for iraqi governments. >> reporter: oil is also important for i.s.i.l. they too want money. no one counts that they'll try to take kirkuk again >>> tunisia's prime minister-elect announced a gas which lawmakers confirmed later on wednesday. the vice president which will be included in the cabinet will exp

we saw push-back in kirkuk. no one has ever said these guys aren't smart. it appears they used some bad weather when they knew there wouldn't be surveillance and the u.s. air force couldn't strike them, to attack kirkuk had initial success, and the push back from the kurdish forces pushed them out of this town. i think we're going to see more of this. we should expect ebbs and flows in this fight in northern iraq and elsewhere. >> sreenivasan: there were also reports in the last couple of days about isis fighters in mosul ransacking libraries, and really trying to decimate any history that existed in that area. i mean we're talking everything from ottoman empire maps to burning books and bonfires. >> that's right. this seems to have a dual purpose. in one sense, they are looting wholesale and selling artifacts on the tblak market to raise money. but where they seem to not have any value, we seeing destruction. we saw the destruction earlier of the tomb of jonah. we have seen tales of these books being burned. there is a historic wall evidently being torn do

the popular mobilization units who are gathering and building for a major operation just south of kirkuk at bashir. i'm not going to talk about the progress of the war against isil. we'll do that in other forums, on other days, through our written products. i believe the war against isil in iraq initially is highly winnable. and, in fact slowly, slowly, we or that trajectory now. for many people, the velocity will not be fast enough. but the vector, the direction is in that direction towards cutting them down to the stage that they are a serious insurgent and terrorist movement. unfortunately, today's best-case scenario were 2013's worst-case scenario. the goal posts have shifted dramatically over the last few years. what we're hoping is that in the next year or so we can cut isis down until it is our worst nightmare from 2013 and then we start again and we start working our way to cut them down to where they were in 2009 when the security operations were at their most effective, probably and then finally to get them down below that to the hopes that we had in 2009. what i'm going to tal

kirkuk has long been a dangerous city. over the decades years various groups have laid claim to it. >> it is a matter of time before kirkuk would be theirs. >> kurds did lose ground, it was an aggressive attack. the worst in months. >> i.s.i.l. attacked us from many directions. at the beginning they were able to surround us and we lost our positions. >> reporter: kurds have since managed to recapture most areas including a small oil field but only possible with the help of coalition air strikes. the peshmerga are facing a well armed enemy and i.s.i.l.'s strength has not been defeated. >> i.s.i.l. fighters say they may have lost the battle but islamic state isn't done yet. >> translator: we decided to withdraw from the city of kobani a little bit. heavy shelling of air forces continued which killed some of our brothers. the killing of our brothers is not a loss. it's a win. look at the destruction behind me. but our islamic state will remain. i tell that to mr. obama. >> once again a four month battle destroyed the town. th

he believes firmly they are trying to take the city of kirkuk. so they are still showing, isis this organization that it is able to move on the front foot to go on the offensive despite being under consistent attack by kurdish forces on the ground and international forces from the air. christine. >> phil black, thanks for that this morning. >>> before leaving washington jordan's king abdullah met with president obama at the white house. the president said that the video of the execution of the jordanian fighter pilot, if authentic, confirms the depravity of isis. jordan says it believes that the pilot, mu'ath al kaseasbeh, had been dead for weeks by the time isis began bargaining for his life. officials say they think he was killed january 3rd. let's bring in pentagon correspondent barbara starr. barbara. >> john, christine, if the claim the pilot was killed back on january 3rd is true, that's a very specific date. how would anybody know that? the u.s. intelligence community looking for any clues it had some intelligence, officials say, but nothi

the threat is not only at the edges of kirkuk. these kurdish security forces also patrol it in a strip. because isis has shown it can hit the heart of the city. last week government stormed the local police. no one but the three attackers was killed. but their ability to strike backs up what security forces here suspect. isis already has people inside the city. the captain tells me he's sure isis members have entered the city pretending to be refugees. on front lines across northern iraq isis has been losing ground to the peshmerga. but this offensive and the proximity of that flag to a key city shows isis has suffered little damage to its confidence or mission. kirkuk. >>> officials are postponing the elections in nigeria. the rescheduling comes no the wake of increased attacks by boko haram against troops and civilians in the weeks leading up to the election. >> if the security of personnel, voters election materials cannot be guaranteed the life of innocent young men and women as well as prospects for free fair credible electio

they've launched an offensive in kirkuk. iraqi forces along with the kurdish peshmerga are fighting back. just a few miles from that front, international correspondent phil black with the latest. phil. >> reporter: john across this region of northern iraq a combination of kurdish fighters on the ground and international air power have significantly slowed down and contained isis attempts to keep advancing, as they did when they first charged across this region last year. but there is still daily fighting on a number of fronts and their presence here is still sustained. it is significant. just to the west of where i'm standing is the iraqi city of mosul, the country's second biggest city firmly under iraqi control. around that city that is where kurdish fighters are trying to cut it off, to choke it off, to encircle and separate it from isis-controlled territory just across the boarder in syria. that's the goal and they've made some progress towards achieving that. yet despite that pressure isis has still shown that it can la

the threat is not only at the edges of kirkuk. these kurdish security forces also patrol its inner streets because isis has shown it can hit the heart of the city. last week gunmen stormed a temporary headquarters of local police, detonating a car bomb outside. no one but the three attackers was killed, but their ability to strike backs up what security forces here suspect. isis already has people inside the city. the captain tells me he's sure isis members have entered the city pretending to be refugees. on front lines across northern iraq, isis has been losing ground to the peshmerga, but this new offensive and the proximity of that flag to a key city shows isis has suffered little damage to its confidence or ambition. you saw just how close those isis and kurdish positions are. during the day neither side can move without the other noticing. but at nighttime it is very different, and the peshmerga tell us they have little access to night vision equipment. they say that's another example of their great need for further assistanc

. >>> they say the community would never give up kirkuk. >> kirkuk in kurdistan will never fall to the enemy again. it is as important to the enemy as it is to us, but they must know that either we'll all die or kirkuk will never fall to the enemy again. even if we have to withdraw forces other areas. >> u.s. president barack obama is calling on nations around the world to stand together and tackle radicalization. there is a summit of extremism at the white house. obama is appealing to young people not to legitimatize to ideas of isil by falling for their propaganda. >> this summit was supposed to happen last year, postponed without explanation but the obama administration said that the attacks in canada, australia, paris and copenhagen gave the issue new urgency. as u.s. president barack obama took the stage he went to great lengths to insure muslim leaders in the world to make sure that they knew his fight was not with their religion. >> our fight is not with islam. it is with. radical islam. >> we are concerned about the affects and potential backlash that this will have, especially

on saturday isis seized an oil field southwest of kirkuk and took 15 workers hostage. analysts say isis may be attacking kirkuk to detract them from mosul which isis controls. >>> demonstrators are on the march through hong kong. it is the first mass rally since the occupy campers were cleared out. well, they are back. we'll take you there live and show you what they have to say to the government yet again. also ahead, the measles continuing its spread in the u.s. an update on this highly contagious disease and which u.s. states are affected. but it doesn't have to be. because now you can post to over 50 of the top job boards with just one click- with ziprecruiter. find candidates in any industry, nationwide. just post once and watch your qualified candidates roll in to ziprecruiter's easy to use interface. find out today why ziprecruiter has been used by over 250,000 businesses. they even offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. and right now, you can try ziprecruiter, for free. go to ziprecruiter.com/free50 >>> a mass rally in the streets of hong kong. the first major de

the threat is not only at the edges of kirkuk.se kurdish security forces control the inner strip. isis has shown they can hit the city. last week they detonated a car bomb outside police headquarters. no one but the three attackers was killed, but their ability to strike backs up what security forces here suspects isis already has people inside the city. the captain tells us he's sure they've entered the city pretending to be refugees. they've been losing ground to the peshmerga but the new offensive and the proximity of that new flag near a little city show they've not lost any confidence. >>> we have this from baghdad. a suicide bomber blew himself up at a busy restaurant in the city's southeast killing 30 people injuring dozens more. another suicide bomber struck at a market in a city center killing six people. just hours after the attack iraq's nightly curfew which was aimed to limit violence was completely removed. it's been in place since 2003. >>> australia's prime minister is attempting to fight for his job. tony abbott ha

they've attempted to occupy kirkuk.ut leading military fighters december it seem as if they're diverting forces or they're claiming new ground? >> reporter: it's not entirely clear. either way, it's a bold move on the part of isis. so the iraqi city of kirkuk to the sergeant of irbill where i am standing is where isis tried to seize more territory over the last week suddenly opening a you in front in this conflict. it has done so at the same time as i say, as kurdish fighters are putting pressure on them surrounding mosul. the occur issue strategy, if you like is to try and cut mosul off from isis-controlled territory in syria. to effectively cut mosul and the isis territory off from syria, to control the iraqi/syrian border, to prevent resupply that sort of thing. they've had significant success really to some degree. it's not -- hasn't been achieved entirely but they are making headway. putting isis under pressure and suddenly you have isis launching attacks around kirkuk. a significant city because of its oil reserve

later in the video you el seem they paraded what we believe is a town south of kirkuk. this video, their brief flash frames of the beheading of some of those 21 egyptian christians killed in libya last week. there's no indication from this video, however, that these 21 kurdish prisoners were executed. old battlefield it's much less rosy. we understand overnight there was an attempt by isis to break through kurdish lines to the south of here. in that instant we are -- among them also foreign fighter, this is the second time in less than a week where isis tries to brake through the southern defenses of kirkuk rather erbil, unsuccessful in this instance. the kurds have regained hundreds of square kilometers from isis in recent months. >>> back here at home the movie "american sniper" is up for best picture in tonight's oscar award show but the real chris kyle murder drama will take place in court tomorrow. it's closing argument time. will the jurors believe the killer's plea of insanity? and multi-layered security. it's how you stay connected to each other and to your cust

digging in here after isis recently surge north with a major offensive to try and take the city of kirkuk flag is just there. you see how close the opposing lines are. the kurdish fires repelled the isis attack. they've taken back most of the territory. they tell us that almost every night isis still tests their defenses. and the fighters here believe this in the next few days there's going to be another major push forward. these peshmerga are yawn their traditional lands, outside the iraqi borders. they're that you will stand between isis and the goal of taking another major iraqi city. this one rich in oil. the commander tells me isis attacked in thick fog and also set oil wells on fire to hide their advance. when conditions cleared, he says his men and coalition air strikes killed hundreds of isis fighters. the bodies of some lie nearby. hastily covered with earth. the threat is not only at the edges of occur kick. these kurdish security forces also patrol its inner streets. last week gunmen stormed the temporary headquarters of local police, detonating a car bomb outside. no one but t

in and of itself nothing wrong with that but they're holding it up on the main road south of kirkuk and taunting kurdish drivers with it. this isn't smart and it is not helpful. and it is indicator even when these guys are not out abusing civilians, and undertaking counterproductive military operations or at least military operations with counterproductive elements they're also a source of constant friction in many of the places they're operating alongside the krg. likewise the second main point, these iranian-backed militias, if not put under some form of control, will ultimately undermined the strategic independence of iraq and potentially state stability. i think, you know, we see some of the images here. behind the eagle in the top left-hand side sits deliberately concealed abu mahdi. a u.s. designated terrorist since i think 2009, who has been pursued for various terrorist offense right the way back to 1983 involving kuwait. up there at the front lines taking iraqi senior leadership on a tour of pmu successes, but carefully, carefully hidden in this picture because it was recognize

. >> bit the will of god as we liberate diyala we liberate kirkuk and mosul, and liberate anbar. and we will defeat the vicious gangs in the land of iraq. at the will of those gangs will be broken on the will of the iraqi people >>> what are the prospects of an offensive in mosul or anbar with a large presence. >> they would like nothing better and the head of the organization, and the militia that plays a crucial role tells us that they were ready to work the tribe, go into mosul, and he said that no foreign troops would be allowed in iraq. i asked in the conversation whether that included iranian troops. he said advisors were fine but troops on the ground. that is where things are caught up a little in the fact that the iraqi army essentially collapsed. they are being trained. they are being equipped. and sunnis have to get on board. it is a work in progress. suspected to take on. >> jane arraf live for us in baghdad. thank you >>> the head of a u.n. inquiry looking into war crimes has resigned. canadian academic has been accused of israel of bias for consulting work with the p

it appears they are south of kirkuk itself. you see them in the orange jumpsuits. their hands are chained. they are being led by what appear to be isis fighters. they are in cages at one point being interviewed by a militant, a bearded militant who is holding a microphone with an isis logo on it and they are asked what their names are, where they are from and they are basically prompted to say that they regret fighting for the peshmerga and they call upon their comrades to put down their arms and switch sides. now, obviously, these are statements made under duress. we don't know the fate of these fighters, although later in this nine-minute video, we do see them in cages on the back of pickup trucks, paraded through, we believe, the streets of the town of hawaji. at one point during the video, you do see flashes showing the beheading of egyptian christians in libya last week but no indication these fighters are actually killed. the question is this going to have any impact on kurdish morale? from my experience on the front line with peshmerga fighters, i don't thin

isis is also trying right now to overrun the oil rich iraqi city of kirkuk. but kurdish and coalition forces are fighting back in the air and on the ground. a kurdish website says at least 30 isis fighters have been killed and 15 captured since they stormed the city on friday. two peshmerga generals have been killed in the past two days and on saturday they took 15 workers hostage. analysts say isis may be attacking kirkuk to get them from mosul, which isis controls. further west into syria, isis admits to defeat in the keyboarder city of kobani. the flight for control between the militants and kurdish forces on the ground lasts some 112 days but two purported isis fighters said it was the constant barrage of air strikes that drove isis forces out. what militants are saying of the air strikes, they targeted everything. a syrian opposition group says almost 1,000 isis fighters died in kobani. the defenders lost less than 300. >>> more tragedy for whitney houston's family. her daughter was found unresponsive at home. >>> plus one u.s. family with a daughter bac

and yet despite that as you mentioned, around kirkuk to the south of erbil there has been a sudden new attempt to seize territory by isis. with some degree of success, though they've been pushed back a little they also launched a significant and successful suicide attack in the center of the city as well. all of this while supposedly being under pressure on other fronts. some have theorized that it could be a diversion to try and move those kurdish forces away from mosul, or it is simply another tampa to open a new front in this campaign. either way, a bowl move given to varying degrees isis is on the back foot in some ways and under significant pressure on the ground and from the air, as well. >> we'll continue to watch the situation there. many thanks to phil black reporting from erbil. >>> there is growing concern in the u.s. about home-grown terrorism. ahead, a top fbi official tells us who isis is targeting and the challenges the fbi faces. >>> plus rescuers struggling to pull survivors from a deadly plane crash in taiwan right now. we'll bring you the latest. >>> at least 13 peop

there has been air strikes targetting the area north of kirkuk. >>> taliban suicide bombers attacked a police station in eastern afghanistan killing 20 officers, happening in logarth province. there were two explosions, one at the main gate. another inside the compound. greece's prime minister declared that his government will not succumb to blackmail in a dispute with the eurozone. greece has been given until the end of this book or risk crashing out of the euro. the prime minister will not be forced into a bad deal >>> now, the united states is set to allow the sail of armed drums to a wider group of allies. it's called a major policy shift following months of internal debate. countries have been demanding u.s. armed drones but the government is reluctant to accommodate demands. why has the u.s. changed their minds. we have this explanation from washington. >> the u.s. government will authorise the sale of armed drones to friendly countries. the rules governing the process are the same rules that govern the sale of tanks, of fighter jets of weapons such as firearms. this is a situa

they believe this video was taken in kirkuk iraq.there, an attack inside there in recent weeks. and what is not known is what their fate is because, of course all other folks that we've seen in those orange suits have sadly met a very sad death, usually by beheading. you don't actually see that in this video, whether that's part of a change in their propaganda messaging, erin remains to be seen but last week we saw a number of christians beheaded. i wouldn't put it past them to see a later deadlier video. >> part of the problem is the lack of intelligence. you're talking about a terror analysis group who says this was in kirkuk. u.s. analysis is poor. you spoke with the head of the nsa today and he agreed with you that the u.s. has blind spots when it comes to tracking terrorists. he says it's because of the quote/unquote revelations released by edward snowden. let me play a clip of your conversation with the admiral. >> do you have new blind spots that you have prior to the revelations? >> yes. >> how much does that concern you? >>

a recent attack around kirkuk was launched in thick fog, and that really benefits them.possible to use airstrikes. it was four or five hours of fighting before finally airstrikes could be brought to bear and they scattered the remnants of those isis forces. until that point, the kurds basically had to hold on. and they're not very well armed. a lot of their weapons are very ancient. they don't have much in the way of heavy machine guns mortars or anything like that. outgunned. they have well fortified defensive positions, but it's tough to hold off these isis attacks at night. >> tell us a little bit how organized the isis -- the isis fighters are. you said earlier that they were able to coordinate from multiple angles multiple fronts showing that this is a fighting force with military training. >> absolutely it is. last night's attack on three fronts very complex, coordinated. we know because we've been listening. they have a lot of walkie-talkie and radio communications. the kurds even tell us that some of their radio communications are encrypted. so they can't even li

this one on the oil city of kirkuk in northern iraq. coalition pilots hit back with more than 30 air strikes. u.s. officials issued a statement on tuesday saying the operation was a success. >> so they are losing ground they're more defensive, they're more worried now about their lines of communications and supply routes. this is a different group than it was seven months ago. >> reporter: islamic state is calling on supporters to launch attacks around the world. extremists in libya have heeded the call. militants loyal to islamic state claimed responsibility for an attack on a hotel in the capital tripoli. nine people were killed. authorities in egypt believe islamic state inspired militants who attacked military and police facilities. about 30 people died. in nigeria, boko haram extremists carried out attacks on schools and villages. they say they want to establish an islamic caliphate, too. u.s. commanders say the military operation against islamic state could last for three to five years. but, they say it's even more important to el

purporting to show captured kurdish fighters paraded through the isis controlled streets in kirkuk, inages, similar to the one in which a jordanian pilot was burned alive. but jordan, a key ally in the region, is dramatically stepping up its role in the fight. this is the 100-mile border that jordan shares with iraq. it's why jordanian military has now been stationed along here. the tanks and troops we saw today, just a small part of thousands massing in the area, trying to prevent isis fighters from crossing into jordan and their own citizens from entering iraq and syria, to help the terrorist group. martha raddatz, abc news, on the jordan-iraq border. >> our thanks to martha. and martha will have much more when she hosts "this week" from jordan tomorrow morning, including an interview with a terrorist recruiter on how he's able to lure young men to take part in jihad. >>> turning now to the vet can.atican. tonight, a sea of red. pope francis welcoming 20 new members into the college of cardinals, during an ornate ceremony at st. peter's basilica. most come from the developing world.

. >> we're learning that isis has blown up a strategic bridge in the city of kirkuk.he militants have recently used the bridge to launch an attack. cnn's phil black is with us. he's one of the few western journalists in that immediate area. >> behind me is the most important piece of territory that isis still controls in northern iraq. mosul. it is iraq's second biggest city and you can see it here from the top of the mountain. where i'm standing it is one of the closest positions occupied by the kurdish fighters the peshmerga who have drawn a defensive line around that isis controlled city and from up here, there is a commanding view into mowsle from the south and the towns and villages which surround it and which are still occupied by isis as well. on this day, overhead has been the constant sound of aircraft fast-moving aircraft. we have seen what appears to be a slower-moving, larger reconnaissance aircraft of some kind and then frequently repeatedly often very close to one another, the sound of large blasts in the distance. it is a hazy day, not the best day to v

that supports the units that are gathering and building for the major observation just south of kirkuk i want to talk about the progress of the war against isil and we will do that and other forms in other forms in the written product. but i will say to reiterate i think the war against isil and iraq -- only is highly winnable and in fact slowly we are on that trajectory now. for many people, the philosophy will not be fast enough, but the direction is in the direction towards cutting them down to the stage that they are a serious insurgent terrorist movement. unfortunately, today's best case scenario is 2013's worst-case sorry of that shifted over the last few years. so what we are hoping is that in the next year or so we can cut isis down onto what is our worst nightmare and then start again and start working on a way to cut them down to where they were in 2009 when the security operations were the most effective probably and then finally to get them down below that to the hopes that we had in 2009. what i'm going to talk about today more is what if we defeat isis would lose iraq in

see them paraded in cages on the back of pickup trucks through what we believe is the city south of kirkuk. during the video, you see still photographs flashed on the screen of some of the egyptians who were beheaded in libya last month. obviously, the implication is this could be the fate of these 21 men as well. despite this in fact, on the frontlines it is a different picture. we understand there were two attempts to break through kurds lines. both were successful. one battle to the south of here according to kurdish officers more than 50 isis fighters were killed when they tried to approach the kurdish lines. coalition aircraft also came into play there. in a separate incident to the west of here near the syrian border isis force again, tried to approach the kurdish lines. more than 30 killed there. despite the fact the kurds tell you time and time again, that they need heavy weapons, they are able to keep isis at bay. christine. >> thank you, ben wedeman. >>> five minutes past the hour. chilling threat from the group al shabaab has shopping malls stepping up security. this video calls

microphone with an isis logo on it and then they are paraded through what appears to be a town south of kirkuk. and then at the end you see sort of flashes with biography biographycal information about them. as far as those fighters these 21 fighters are concerned, it does not appear that they have been executed. in fact the last frame is a tight shot of a man in his, appears to be in his 60s. so there's no sign from this video, at least, that they have been executed george. >> senior international correspondent ben wedeman in iraq. we appreciate your reporting on the ground for us. >>> turkey's military has successfully completed an evacuation of soldiers guarding a turkish held tomb inside syria. nearly 40 soldiers went back to turkey on sunday. this is according to the turkish prime minister. he released a statement explaining, quote, the ongoing conflict and state of syria posed risks to the tomb. the officials say one turkish soldier was killed in an accident there. >>> in ukraine's capital of kiev the city continues to remember the bloody maidan crackdown that has left parts eastern ukra

strong idea that before four days, isis made major attacks on four fronts in kurdish town, baghdad and kirkuk which means that we have a new problem is that if the sunnis on the ground are not supporting the actions of this militia, there will be no long term victory maybe a temporary victory. >> i think i understand what you're saying now but going back to my original question, who are these people? because from what you're saying, the government could be storing up a problem for itself for later on, once isil is cleared out of rack, it is believed that is have the case, it's going to have these paramilitary forces who are perhaps in better, more powerful positions than the iraqi national force. >> correct. it's correct. the original, originally, it's the fatwa from the clerics that made the militia working against isis and mainly shia. they are not what we might say highly trained persons. that is why the high casualty among them. there are the main force, what we call the national guard which is supposed to be a new construction a new system for the iraqi army, that it will be headed to pr

beheading, to the uncertain fate of the jordanian pilot and isis's assault of the oil rich city of kirkukre interfering with the global fights against terrorism. kimberly does it seem that isis continues to have the up er hand here? it doesn't appear to be there are any signs of defeating this organization? >> well the amazing thing is we have been so focused on the spectacle of the tragedy of the hostages apparently being killed t has to pull out just inside syria. they're no they are getting to capitalize on images of the hostages as a recruiting tool and also to make it seem like they have the coalition on the back foot. >> competing messages here. you're saying by isis losing its grip shows it has weakened yet the very public image is another beheading by the hands of isis makes it appear emboldened. which message do we believe? >> it actually said about that the border barrage and the barrage from the coalition air strikes was too intense and it's going to try to go after that city for another day. if you're a journalist or aid worker considering going into syria you'll reconsider yo

there have been airstrikes near the city of kirkuk. >>> gunfire and opposition against opposition rallies have injured many people. it comes after a party rally in river state from nigeria's capitol abuja we have reports. >> reporter: well, it has been a particularlyly violent day in nigeria. a rally organized by the country's leading opposition party saying that there were gunfire following explosions that killed one of their colleagues and injured four people. this leads to 60 people the number of killed in election-related violence across into jeer i can't since december -- in nigeria since december 2014. a security source told al jazeera that as many as 0 people may have been killed in an attack that included young girls and boys who are walking along the highway. in the neighboring state, a suicide-bombing killing himself and two other people. and 13 people were injured in that particular attack. the escalation of acts from boko haram is making people nigerians in particular, wonder whether or not the nigerian military in cooperation with their counterparts from cameroon, are actuall

two people have been killed and another 10 wounded in the eastern city of kirkuk. a blast went off next to a mosque, one of many event marking a year since the ousting of former president viktor yanukovych. we have this report from kiev. >> reporter: in the eastern city of kharkiv, people gathered for a peace march. then a bomb blast. more lives lost. the authorities are treating it as an act of terrorism, they say, instruct by russia. some fear the war this the east may spread further. >> in kiev another march remembering the street protests and their victims. president petro porashenko was joined at the head of the march by some european leaders and other lower level guests. it wasn't the turn out he may have hoped for after promising the crowds that presidents and prime ministers will attend that the doors are open to ukraine, and that there will be victory in the east. president petro porashenko is under immense pressure. domestically, the state of the economy and huge losses in the east demand a response. internationally he is expected to hold the line in a sh

we see them still in their cages on the backs of pickup truck going through a town just south of kirkuk. and toward the end of the video you see flashes of still photographs of some of those egyptians who were killed early last week beheaded by isis in libya. now it doesn't appear from the video, of course that the kurdish prid nears have been executed. but it certainly suggested that may be their fate. >> well you're there with the kurds in erbil. a lot of pesh mer kba fighters are with you. what has been the reaction there among the kurds to the video? >> when this sort of video becoming public it'sup setting for many people. almost everybody here has a relative who is in the front lines. some of these peshmerga in fact were captured not on the front lines but while they were trying to hitch rides back home from their bases and the front lines. people are angry. but at the same time keep in mind that the peshmerga has been fighting isis since last summer that the peshmerga actually on the front lines are doing better than anybody else in syria or iraq when it comes to fighting isis. j

airstrikes isis regrouped and launched a strike on kirkuk, once again proving fighting against the radicalroup is far from over. and tensions flared against israel and hezbollah after israel launched a strike that killed militants, hezbollah responded killing two israeli soldiers, nearly igniting another war. and in israel, the fallout of netanyahu's decision to speak before congress took center stage. and it shocked some at fox news seen here as pro-netanyahu, would criticize the news. and there is a sense here in israel and across the middle east that u.s. has lost the ability and the desire to help shape and stabilize the middle east, chris, at a time when it needs it the most. >> con or powerful reporting from jerusalem. thanks for that. >>> and now top middle east experts discuss the situation on the ground and president obama's policies. former army vice chief of staff four star general retired jack keane. kelly ayotte on the armed services committee and dennis ross was a negotiator to four u.s. presidents. thank you for joining us. >> glad to be here. >> general i would like to star

video linked to the islamic state appears to show kurdish prisoners paraded through the streets in kirkuk, iraq. the prisoner convoy with the orange jump suits and iron cages is a carbon of the circumstances surrounding the jordanian pilot who was burned to death and this clearly shows a pattern, sean. >> katherine in washington tonight, thank you. with all of these disturbing developments of rise of radical islam, the obama administration wants you to know that they're taking terrorism very seriously. how? they're hosting a three-day-long conference on quote countering violent extremism. the post reported it's a three-day summit on violent extremism and social media. but the administration will not focus on islamic extremism. won't even mention the term. >> reporter: that's right. they said that again and again. and they pushed back by saying intelligence report e look, they're terrorists. whether they're islamic or not. we're just going to call them terrorists. so you've heard eric holder, the attorney general general, they're not going to give in on that point. interesting, because the

this is quite visible ins plays like kirkuk. we have seen the rise of casualties?ve incidents like dyala where there have been clashes that need to be investigated by the government and that could cost the lives of a number of civilians. this trend can be reverse did if the islamic state is pushed back more quickly by the iraqi forces and international coalition and security is brought to the areas that have been liberated from is ill allowing people to return back to homes. this is the top priority i think at this point. >> obviously, if you get all inclusive policies affecting all of the iraqis because we have seen so many revenge killings sectarian killings unfolding before us every day. >> indeed since the very beginning of this conflict we have been consistently saying it is not just the military solution that needs to be a political solution that allows people to feel integrated into the iraqi state. good news perhaps on this front is that the government which is inclusive in policies has put forward a substantial program of political action and legal reform