in the city of kirkuk. kurdish forces have been battling i.s.i.l. >> talks between libya's two rival parties have been postponed after one side failed to show up. the meeting in morocco was halted after the absence of a delegation from the u.n. government. the u.n. envoy met members from the tripoli based general congress. delegates from the gfc are concerned with the appointment of general khalifa haftar >>> iran agreed to give the country $1 billion in aid, backing the building of power stations and the supply of fuel. protesters have been speaking out against a houthi takeover and a rally was held in the coastal city with similar protests elsewhere. the houthis took control and resolved the government last month. >> nigeria is getting help from foreign mercenaries. there's evidence that the so-called soldiers of fortune are playing a vital role on the front line. victory in baga. nigerian troops sweep into the town of borno state, and regain control from boko haram. >> you go for confidence. you of how i

it was part of an offensive against kirkuk which the kurds have held since june of last year. >>> yemen'sr president sala has accused the current president of destroying the country. he says the president should leave the country and go into exile. mohamed vall sent this update. >> reporter: former president saleh is very clearly aiming for a strong baum comeback to the political scene this he probably doesn't want to be president again, but he has his son. and we have seen thousands rallying for his son to run for president. we have seen loyalists showing their presence and power. here in aden a general refused hadi's orders for him to move from his post and be replaced. abdullah abdullah saleh has said that hadi is a separatists and he should leave. he compared the situation to the civil war. >> translator: the people cannot afford to eat or drink, you have suspended their salaries brought their livelihood to stand still. investment to halt and tourism too. is this what you call the modern civil state where universities and schools are ruined. they are liars. liars. >>> ivory coasters f

in iraq four strikes hit a unit near kirkuk. four attacks near mosul. hit vehicles in a building under i.s.i.l. control. iraqi forces are close to closing in. the military is holding its positions. until reinforcements arrived. i.s.i.l. fighters are not giving up easily. >> essentially iraqi commanders need this time. they managed to take back part of the city but i.s.i.l. remains in control of half of it. even in areas where it's not in control. they have left behind booby trap buildings, explosives. and neighbourhoods ring by snipers, that's why it's taking so long. it's the iraqi military with militia members, and they are calling for more enforcements and explosive residents. they want to though go neighbourhood to neighbourhood and street to street and clear some explosives. demanders say it's expected to take a few more days. the worry is who is going to maintain control of the city. which force will hold it after they drive out the focus. i.s.i.l. has been engaging in battles in other areas as they have been driven out. near kirkuk there has been

the critical piece will be when they turn toward kirkuk.etween kirkuk and the other dot in the middle is a small town. that seems to be the coming, the operational capital of isis. they have moved some forces forward there. it was already a problematic area. it was a bad area when we were there. and what you'll see is continual action to drive isis out of territory, the retaking of ground. >> the key will be, will the locals agree. >> that's the tribal groups. the bathi officers, and they're watching. >> why the u.s. towards the end was able to reverse a lot of the gains al qaeda had made is because of disenchantment by these tribal groups and payments made to the tribal groups. that was the sunni awakening or the tribal awakening. >> they, we are talking to the tribal, sunni tribal groups approved by the al baddi government. the sunnis have to show abeyance to the shia government, and they're discredited. and we do not know what they're going to do when the army comes in. if they move in with militias, the death cults, i think it's going t

group currently occupies the cities of tariq fallujah, and areas around the kurdish held city of kirkukonday iraqi forces and shia militia advances towards at that creek took back the nearby downs. this as kurdish forces drove isil fighters back from kirkuk in an attack backed by coalition air strikes. and the iraqi troops have massed outside a town in the anbar province part of a push towards the city of fallujah which has been under isil control for several months now. meanwhile the influence al shia cleric says his militia will help in the planned offensive to recapture mows ill from isil. he comes from a family of shia scholars and is the son of the late grants ayatollah who was allegedly killed by sadam hussein's government. he rose to prominence in 2003 when his militia began a violent campaign against the u.s.-led invasion of iraq. since then the controversial cleric has built strong political support and was instrumental in the election of former shia prime minister nouri al-maliki. he was an islamic democracy. his blends of iraqi nationalism and shia ideology has taken root amo

the critical piece will be when they turn toward kirkuk.rkuk and the other dot in the middle is a small town that seems to be becoming the capital of isis. it was already a problematic area. it was a bad area when we were there. and what you'll see is continual action to drive isis out of territory. >> the retaking of the ground? >> the key will be, will the locals agree -- >> the tribal groups, the baathi officers, they're watching. >> but they -- i mean, the u.s. toward the end was able to reverse a lot of gains that al qaeda had made was because of disenchantment by the tribal groups, and payments made to the tribal groups. the sunni awakening, the tribal awakening. are we seeing any evidence that there's this disenchantment? >> we are talking to the sunni tribal groups approved by baghdad. we're not talking to the al anbar tribes at all. because we have to pass through the so-called democratic process. which means the sunnis have to show abeyance to the shia government. and they're discredited. we do not know what they're going to do wh

the incident taking place near kirkuk and the u.s.-led coalition says it staged eight air strikes on i.s.i.l. and iraq, the attacks taking place in the last 24 hours, targetting i.s.i.l. units in kirkuk mosul, fallujah and another. we look at allegations that i.s.i.l. used chlorine gas on attacks in iraq. kurdish officials say an example was january 23rd, between mosul and the border. a truck racing down the road coming under fire from peshmerga fighters. there's more smoke as the truck explodes. al jazeera america syrian contributor and journalist in washington d.c. joins us this evening. where would i.s.i.l. have gotten chemical weapons. >> first of all, it's important that the o.p.c.w. has not verified that this really happened. given this it's not difficult for i.s.i.l. to get its hand on chlorine gas. it's available online unfortunately anyone can get it. it's available in abandoned factories. it's not where did i.s.i.l. get its hands on chlorine gas, which is available, it's how did it weaponize it if it did. that's the danger.

the critical piece is when they turn to kirkuk.n kirkuk and the other dot in the middle is a small town. that seems to be the coming, the operational capital of isis. they have moved some forces forward there. it was already a problematic area. it was a bad area when we were there. and what you'll see is continual action to drive isis out of territory, the retaking of ground. >> the key will be, will the locals agree. >> that's the tribal groups. the bathi officers, and they're watching. >> why the u.s. towards the end was able to reverse a lot of the gains al qaeda had made is because of disenchantment by these tribal groups and payments made to the tribal groups. that was the sunni awakening or the tribal awakening. are we seeing any evidence that this disenchantment -- >> anderson, we are are talking to the sunni tribal groups approved by the al baddi government. the sunnis have to show abeyance to the shia government, and they're discredited. and we do not know what they're going to do when the army comes in. if they move in wi

kirkuk is known to be one of the, in the iraqi context, a disputed area between the central government iraqi kurd stan. and it's very rich with oil and its resources. however, i.s. always told that they are launching attacks there to take it from the peshmerga. peshmerga considered a jewel in the crown. so that's why there's the feuds ongoing from time to time. the problem is strategically, we don't know now, is isis just doing this opening a front in tikrit and iraq and kirkuk and other places inside syria, or just come through and away. because it seems to us if there's no sort of coordination between those who are fighting in tikrit and those who are fighting in peshmerga side. >> now, somebody who wants to get an update on this is the u.s. top military man, general martin dempsey. he's flown into baghdad this morning? >> indeed. and yesterday, he said that one or two pushes from the iran-backed militias could take control of tikrit. and this is an interesting development, if you like. iranians put on the table as if they are the confronting forces for the i.s. >> this is amazing to

kirkuk. they launched the assault around tikrit weeks ago. they lit oil fields on fies. isil is spread thin as it tries to to defend itself. isil is being fractured by coalition efforts. the defense department believes u.s.-led air strikes contributed to personal measures. jamie mcintyre joins us from washington to tell us about the isil. >> reporter: the evidence is anecdotal and it paints a picture of a group losing some cohesion. the signs are things like tensions rising between some indigenous fighters and some of the foreign fighters that have come to join them. and the difficulty isil has recrews new rekrutcruitrecruits. they have crediting the u.s.-led coalition air strikes putting a squeeze on isil. >> the amount of pressure we placed on isil over the past several months we know for a fact has generated internal pressures that continue to contribute to their inability to maneuver effective and their inability to make new ground so the air campaign is having an effect. >> one of the an

military reported success on the battlefield in another part of iraq oil rich region of kirkuk. peshmerga fighters took a key ridge line just west of kirkuk, two days ago now they control critical supply routes. another step on the path to ultimately defeating i.s.i.l. antonio, stephanie. >> thank you to jamie mcintire at the pentagon. >>> meanwhile a spokesperson says the u.s. military looking into report that 40 fighters were killed in ramadi, joint task force says it has no additional information at this time. >> a video reportedly released by i.s.i.l. shows the apparent murder of afternoon israeli individual by a juvenile. his family denies allegation, he disappeared in turkey after traveling there as a tourist. we spoke to a senior fellow at the project about the video. >> we have a very dangerous phenomenon, we have a lot of people in the arab world muslim world who are helpless they do not have a vision towards a future. what is happening now is the most alarming, the most clear wake-up call for countries like the united states or continents like europe to get involved in

and -- governor of kirkuk. and he brought with him photos of kurds who had been victimized in fallujah. and i write about it in the preface of my book, civilians who perished during the chemical weapons attack. these photos depicted old men in traditional kurdish garb sprawled in piles kurdish women and girls in colorful clothes and head scarves lay dead in the streets, faces twisted in anguish, foam running from their mouths pained expressions frozen in death. 5,000 kurds perished that day, but the attack was not an isolated event, it was part of a broader campaign that was launched by saddam hussein and implemented by his nephew, chemical ali, who was called the finish. [inaudible] which means the spoiled. and over the course of more than a year, 182,000 kurds perished and 4,500 villages were destroyed. is so my first assignment in washington was to respond to this gruesome attack using wmd. because of the close personal associations that i have with kurds, including a visit just soon after the attack, i stay

near kirkuk, there have been frequent battles with peshmerga forces. in is samara, there are airstrikes. isil captured more than 10 iraqi soldiers. that's not the only place, in the north, in the town of guer, isil has blown up part of a bridge. that bridge was previously blown up by peshmerga foes but repaired. it was blown up to halt the advance of isil fighters toward erbil. the fact that isil has destroyed the remaining part of the bridge could indicate that they are coming back into areas where they have been driven back previously by kurdish forces and u.s. airstrikes. >> we reported just now and our other report over the years the battle against isil is taking place on numerous fronts. shia clerics are calling for more support for the militia backing the army. an iranian general rarely seen on cam race leading those militia men. his story now. >> this is how iraq's military wants the word to see its advances in isil held tikrit. iraqi forces making headway despite attacks and booby trapped buildings. >> i think the tide has turned in tikrit and

shelling near the oil-rich city of kirkuk. kurdish forces say they have recaptured a christian village that has been under i.s.i.l. control and are making inroots towards tikrit >>> kurdish officials are offering proof of chemical weapons usage by i.s.i.l. >> reporter: the accusations have been around for months. now the proof. it's the plumes of orange smoke exploding into the air, which iraqi and kurdish officials say is chlorine and proves fighters are using the gas against them. iraqi fighters filmed this video, claiming an i.s.i.l. suicide bomber was driving an oil tanker filled with chlorine one of the world's leading chemical weapons experts say they are not surprised. >> islamic state was attacked by the regime in december last year using chlorine stopping them in their tracks. i.s.i.l. has seen how effective the weapons have been and it was a matter of time before they used them themselves. in january an attack on forces contained levels of the agent. a lorry containing the cannisters exploded on a highway. the kurdis

meanwhile, kurdish forces are attacking around the oil richity of kirkuk. the city itself is under kurdish control but i.s.i.l. still controls areas nearby. >>> the advance of the iraqi army against i.s.i.l. is forcing a growing number of people from their homes. it's a situation that aid agencies say is only going to get worse. jane arraf reports from baghdad. >> reporter: aman is trying to get by on her own. since she left anbar province. it is nottest for a widow with four young daughters and with a growing number of iraqis displaced as the iraqi government takes on i.s.i.l. there's less and less aid. aman ask a bit luckier than most after being helped to leave the town of baghdadi. the teachers there give her money to help pay the rent. more than $200 a month for this converted kitchen in a house. but she said she had no choice but to leave home. >> translator: no one came to tell us to leave. we left because there was no water and no electricity. there were a lot of families who left. i was afraid for children. >> reporter: her husband was a border gua

peshmerga forces have blown up a heavily arer moed truck said to be driven by isil fighters near kirkukis video is said to show the truck which was being driven towards the front line on a suicide mission. [ explosion ] >> but instead it exploded after an attack by kurdish forces. the kurds have held kirkuk since june of last year. >>> the shia cleric is urging the government to investigate attacks on sunnis. he is push for anyone who damages sunni mosques or uses excessive violence against sunni muslims to be punished. the statement comes after homes were ransacked in a newly liberated sunni town near tikrit. >>> hundreds of police have been involved in protesters in myanmar. state media say 227 people have been arrested. demonstrators are calling for more freedom in education. florence loui has more >> reporter: a tense standoff between protesters and police turns into a confrontation. for more than a week the protesters have been camping in a town 3 hour's drive north of yangon. they are unhappy with the newly elected education law which they say restricts educational freedom and ban

isil has been engaging in battles in other areas as they're driven out of tikrit near kirkuk there have been battles in the past few days with peshmerga forces. in samarra there were airstrikes on an army post. isil managed to capture more than ten iraqi soldiers. that's not the only place. in the north in the town of gwar 40 kilometers from erbil peshmerga kurdish force commanders say that isil has blown up part of a bridge. now that bridge was previously blown up by peshmerga forces, but then repaired. it was blown up initially to halt the advance of isil fighters towards erbil. but the fact now that isil has destroyed the remaining part that have bridge could indicate they're coming back into areas where they have been driven back previously. by kurdish forces and u.s. airstrikes. >> now, to the devastation caused to dozens of tiny remote islands in the south pacific ocean. vanuatu is trying to pick up the pieces after being struck by cyclone pam. eight people so far are known to have died. venturing out of their hopes to assess the devastation left by cyclone pam. van knewvanuatu wa

fighters back from kirkuk. >> and iraqi forces have massed outside a town in anbar province. >>> the influential cleric muqtada alsadr, comes from a family of shia scholars and is the son of the late grand ayatollah mohamed rose to prominence in 2003 when his militia the mukti army began a campaign against islamic state of iraq and the levant. insistence then, instrumental in the he election ever of neweri al maliki.nouri al maliki.its humanitarian situation that aid agencies say is only going to get worse. jane arraf reports from baghdad. >> reporter: aman has been trying to get by on her own since she had to leave her home in anbar province. the mats will help cover her bare floors. it is not easy for a widow with four young daughters. iraqi government taking on i.s.i.l, there is less and less aid. aman is a bit luckier than most. after being helped by the iraqi military to leave the town of baghdadi she is given some money to help pay the rent. more than $200 for this converted kitchen in a house. she had no choice but to leave home. >> translator: no one came to tell us to leave.

control. [ gunfire ] >> kurdish forces are attacking isil positions around the oil-rich city city of kirkuk seizing villages as they go. troops began amassing outside of the town in anbar province. they tried to push forward to the city of fallujah, which is just ten kilometers away. fallujah has been under isil control for months now. the advance has forced a growing number from their homes. it's a situation that aid agencies in iraq i is a will only get worst. jane arraf have reports from baghdad. >> this woman has been trying to get by on her own since she had to leave her home. the mattresses will help to cover her floors. it's not easy for a young widow with four young daughters. with the growing number of iraqis displaced as the glory government takes on isil there is less and less aid. she is a bit luckier than most after being held by the iraqi territory to leave the town, she found work as a school janitor. the teach efforts there help give her money to help pay the rent. more than $200 a month for a converted titch. but she said she had no choice. >> no one came to tell us to leav

this incident took place south of the oil-rich city of kirkuk. let's talk to our correspondent jane arraf, in the iraqi capital. first of all, tikrit how credible is the optimism from the iraqi forces that they could liberate this important town within three days. >> well liberate is a sweeping word. what they are saying is they believe that they are confident in eradicating the i.s.i.l. preps in tikrit. the major pockets of i.s.i.l. i.s.i.l. holds half the city. it's not a huge number of fighters. the reason this is taking so long, and the offensive started a week ago, is i.s.i.l.'s main tactics are explosives and snipers, and people willing to blow themselves up. as iraqi troops and shia militia members have gone in to tikrit. they can't advance because of explosives and the snipers. the iraqi army called for reinforcements. they are expected to make progress. clearing neighbourhood by neighbourhood, and basically it is a rough oud line of when the army expects to raise the iraqi flag. it doesn't mean the battle will be over. >> and the force t

near kirkuk there have been battles with peshmerga forces. in samarra there were airstrikes that followed an attack on an army post. isil managed to capture more than ten iraqi soldiers. and that's not the only place. in the north in the town of gwer 40 kilometers from erbil they say that isil has blown up part of a bridge. that bridge was previously blown up by peshmerga forces, but then to halt the advance of fighters to erbil. the fact now that isil has destroyed the remaining part of that bridge could indicate they're coming back into areas where they have been driven back previously. >> well, the battle against isil is taking place across several fronts, and shia clerics are calling for more support from militias who are backing the army. we have that story. >> reporter: this is how iraq's military wants to build advances in tikrit. iraqi forces making head way despite suicide attacks and boobie-trapped buildings. >> i think it will be liberated soon even sooner than expected. >> reporter: what the videos don't show are the shia-backed m

. >> kurdish peshmerga fighters retook villages south-west of kirkuk. they have been bat lining i.s.i.l. this video shows the flag flying in one of the villages as peshmerga forces move in. all three villages have been under i.s.i.l. control for the past nine months. the iraqi army paused the offensive on tikrit to give civilians time to leave. the coalition of iraqi force, shia militia and others are trying to recapture the city from i.s.i.l., which took control last june. tikrit is strategic because it's on the road. the fight against i.s.i.l. is taking place in libya. militias are preparing for an assault on i.s.i.l. affiliated fighters. we have this report. >> reporter: getting ready checkpoints have been set up around the exits and entrances to from escaping and receiving reinforcements. for months now, the fighting in libya has been between the pro-revolutionary groups backing the government and shows supporting the u.n. recognised government. both reaching a deal through talks in morocco. the appearance of fighters meant that if the talks succeed

positions around kirkuk in northern iraq. the kurds have been advancing from several areas to the west of the city, seizing villages as they go. the city is under kurdish control, but i.s.i.l. controls areas around it. in baghdad, u.s. and iraqi commanders discussed joint effort to destroy i.s.i.l. also known as daesh in arabic. >> daesh will be defeated when supply lines are cut, leaders are attacked and it fails to hold on to terrain. that is happening now. a sacrifice by iraqi security forces and coalition members. >> translation: we are convinced that mosul is the last stronghold for the terrorists. there'll be pierce resistance in this province. >> barrel bombs have killed many. civilians have died, many injured in alhab ib and idlib. it's one of many targeted by barrel bombs, despite a resist use banning them. also four people inside a refugee camp has been hit by shelling four killed, 20 injured. >> those loyal to abd-rabbu mansour hadi managed to retake a city from al qaeda. three were killed in the fight, al qaeda ti

. >>> a similar offensive takes place around kirkuk footage showing peshmerga fighters launching a ground attack much the operation was supported by coalition air strikes. >> at the boston marathon bombing, scribbles made before dzhokhar tsarnaev has captured appearing in the boat, reading the u.s. government is killing incident civilians, i can't stand to see uch evil go unpunished. >> the bodies of 10 killed when two collided. three of the dead were world class. they were taking part in a reality tv show. >> the accident happened at the end of filming. the video capturing the moment the helicopters crashed. there were no survivors. the victim including french singing star camille muffat, who won cold silver and bronze apt the 2012 olympics. >> you don't really take it in. true i won by 400m title. the next day the president visited me. if you don't doe this for that it's another dimension. also on board was the united states woman. who in 1990 broke the record for the fastest solo crossing of the atlantic ocean. another was the boxer winning bronze at the 2008 olympics. the remaining vi

currently occupies the cities of tikrit, fallujah and areas around the kurdish-held city of curr kirkukay iraqi forces and shia in litsch a advances towards tikrit say they took back nearby towns. this as kurdish forces drove isil fighters back from kirkuk in an attack backed by coalition air strikes. >>> and iraqi troops have massed outside the a town in anbar province part of a push towards the city of fallujah which has been under isil control for several months now. >>> the influential iraqi shia cleric al-sard says his in litsch a will help in the planned offensive too take on isil. he comes from a family of shia squalors and his father was allegedly killed by sadam hussein's government. he rose to prom someones in two thoupt three when2003when they began a campaign of the the u.s. led co flings iraq. since then he has been instrumental in the election of the former shia prime minister nouri al-maliki. al sadr wants what he calls an he is clam i can democracy. his lend of iraqi nationalism and shia ideology has taken root among iraq's poor shia communities. let's get more to how ir

near kirkuk there have been battles over the last several days with peshmerga forces. in samarra there were airstrikes that followed an attack on an army post. they managed to capture more than ten iraqi soldiers. and that's not the only place. in the north in the town of gwer just 40 kilometers from erbil peshmerga say that isil has blown up part of a bridge. now that bridge was previously blown up by peshmerga forces, but then repaired. it was blown up initially to halt the advance of isil fighters towards erbil. but the fact now that isil has destroyed the remaining part of that bridge could indicate that they're coming back into areas where they have been driven back previously by kurdish forces and u.s. airstrikes. >> in libya there have been clashes between isil-affiliated fighters and militia groups backed by the tripoli. tripoli-based government. they came under attack long the coastline in sirte. [music] >> yemen houthi group which took control of the capitol last year has strengthened it's economic ties with iran. the move that is causing regional alarm it ha

control for several months. [ gunfire ] meanwhile kurdish forces are attacking else positions in kirkuk in northern iraq. fighters have been advancing in several areas, seizing villages as they go. the city itself is under kurdish control, but isil still control some areas nearby. >>> and the influential iraqi shia cleric said that his militia will help in the offensive to recapture mosul from isil. his forces fought against the u.s. military after the 2003 invasion of iraq, but now his fighters may work with american forces. juan coal is an expert on middle eastern history and he asked that the u.s. not be involved in the campaign. >> this is not unprecedented. the peace brigades as they call them, i have been involved in operations in the past, last fall where the u.s. gave close air support, but he suspended his militia operations in mid-february after the assassination of sunni tribal leaders in baghdad. apparently he's having problems with discipline. he has announced he wants to join the fight in isil and he has called on the u.s. not to participate in that campaign. >> there are

najmaldin karim is the governor of iraq's war-torn kirkuk province and told us that even if tikrit is recaptured, isis is a very long way from defeat. >> well, they have this ability to move around. i mean, we cannot take it lightly because you take them out of the place and that's it. that place is safe and they will never come back. >> reporter: secretary of state john kerry said today that the u.s. still considers iran to be a state sponsor of terrorism but, charlie earlier this week general martin dempsey the chairman of the u.s. joint chiefs of staff said that iranian involvement here in iraq might be a positive thing. >> rose: holly williams in iraq, thank you. ringling brothers circus elephants will soon be packing their trunks. and a dangerous new trick when the "cbs evening news" continues. lthy. yet up to 90% of us fall short in getting key nutrients from food alone. let's do more, together. add one a day. complete with key nutrients we may need. plus, for women, physical energy support with b vitamins. and for men, it helps support healthy blood pressure with vitamin d and

holly williams is there in kirkuk. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the front line here in kirkuk province is the closest we can get to the battles of tikrit. we can see the black flags of isis 30 yards in that direction and beyond that in isis territory is iraq's main north-south highway. iraqi forces need to recapture that road if they're going to defeat the extremists. a new isis video claims to show the militants fighting off the assault on tikrit. but on the city's outskirts, iraqi forces are still trying to encircle the extremists cutting off their supply routes. saddam hussein's hometown is a pocket of them since the invasion of iraq. since then tikrit has been an isis stronghold. fighting alongside the iraqi soldiers are troops from neighboring iran and iranian commanders are reportedly leading at least part of the operation. >> they realize their close allies are threatened, and i think that they would rather deal with isis here than they would on the gates of iran. >> reporter: retired colonel harry chuet took part in the invasion and told u

one in tikrit and the other in kirkuk. u.s.-led air strikes are used in one of the fights. that may be a decisive factor. in the villages around tikrit, this is the best fighting force iraq's leaders can muster. a matched together army of government soldiers and tribesmen. u.s. led air strikes have been important in other battles on isis. there is no other direct u.s. involvement in tikrit. iraq has turned to iran for help with iranian officers on the ground reportedly commanding shi'ite muslim militias. the fight for tikrit is slow. to the northeast in kirkuk province kurdish forces made a lightning assault on isis positions yesterday. they claimed to have retain 40 square miles of territory. isis is countering the attacks with vehicles like this one converted into bulletproof truck bombs. the kurdish forces say they destroyed four of them with anti-tank missiles. operating independently from baghdad and closely allied with the u.s. the kurdish fighters coordinate american air strikes from the ground. in their sights is the town where isis recently paraded, captured and ca

this truck was stopped near kirkuk before it could carry out attacks. they captured more territory from i.s.i.l. it will take time before iraqis can benefit. people are afraid to come back to their homes, towns taken by kurdish fighters two months ago. >> translation: i came back to check. i dare not bring my family, it's still not safe. we will not move back. >> reporter: that sense of safety is threatened by hard line fighters and sectarians division. king abdullah addressed european council and called for unit by. >> translation: this is a fight that has to be carried out by muslim nations first and foremost. [ clapping ]. >> translation: this is a fight within islam. at the same time the extremism must be seep for what it is global. >> reporter: king abdullah says an iranian palestinian peace deal is essential from combatting extremism and it is serving as a rallying cry for i.s.i.l. and other groups. >> some 2,000 jordanians are on the front lines fighting for rebel groups in other groups. many hail from the home of the former leader of al-qaeda in

intersection of the highway leading from baghdad to mosul and another key road to the northern oil hub of kirkuk. it could take part in the mosul offensive later this summer. when one u.s. official at the u.s. central command indicated it could start sometime next month officials at the pentagon say they doubt the troops will be ready at that time and do not want to move to mosul until the troops are ready. stephanie. >> twitter, why is twitter in i.s.i.l. sites? >> will you know i.s.i.l. has been using soicial -- well you know siel is using social media very effectively. twitter has been taking down these sites almost as fast as they have been put up because of the horrific nature of the sites. co-founder of twitter jack dorsey, saying in the words of one of the posts we will make your virtual war into a real war against you but twitter says it is reviewing those threats with the appropriate law enforcement authorities. >> jamie mcintire for us, jamie thank you. >> australia has banned its operatives from traveling to iraq. latest effort to try to starve i.s.i.l. of foreign fighters. last year

that incident took place of the oil-rich city of kirkuk. fighters have blown up a bridge connecting it to erbil. kurdish peshmerga forces have taken grar from isil fighters. let me ask you about the news that the iraqi forces have paused their defensive in tikrit. why is that? >> well, it's really because of the nature of this fight, it's urban fighting at its most difficult. they have managed to get into tikrit. they did that a few days ago. now that the forces are there they're having to fight block to block. isil tactics really at this point rely on explosives, and they have vast explosive expertise as well as snipers. they need trained infant try men and experts in diffusing explosives. it's difficult and time-consuming work. they're waiting for reinforcements of trained troops, and that they still expect to get it back within the next few days. but really it's a matter of wording as well. they believe that when they finish all of this they will be in control of the city, but that does not mean that isil will be completely gone from it.

isil has been engaging in battles in other areas as they're driven out of tikrit, near kirkuk there have been battles over the past few days with peshmerga forces. in samarra there were attacks on an army post. isil managed to capture more than ten iraqi soldiers, according to security sources. that's not the only place. in the north. in the town of gwar, 40 kilometers from erbil peshmerga kurdish commanders say that isil has blown up part of a bridge. a bridge that was previously blown up by peshmerga forces but then repaired. it was blown up initially to halt the advance of isil fighters towards erbil. but the fact now that isil has destroyed the remaining part of that bridge could indicate that they're coming back into areas where they have been driven back previously by kurdish forces and u.s. airstrikes. >> sierra leone's vice president has sought political acelomate theasylum from the u.s. embassy. vice president said he was putting himself in quarantine for 21 days after one of his bodyguards died of ebola. >>> it's a finey nation in the south pacific flying more than 2,000 kilome

general that has been with the revolutionary front, and i mean, there's 30,000 strong going into kirkuk. they put their money where their mouth is. i think the baghdad government gave up on the fact we were never going to put boots on the ground over there to help. lou: turning to the sect committee on benghazi. secretary of state clinton, by day, by day it gets worse and worse on this e-mail scandal. what do you make of it, and what can your committee do to secure e-mails like the benghazi investigation. >> well, the thing about it is she tweeted that she wanted the state department to release all of her e-mails. well, we want to know where all of her e-mails are at? and you know she had her own server, she had the clinton.com e-mail address, and we don't know, and so we are sure, chairman gowdy made it quite clear to the members of the committee and the staff that we're going to find out where these e-mails are at and how far they go back. the other thing is that this about a year ago, i guess, or maybe two she put it on the backup server at google after it had been reported that the

the fighting was part of an offensive against kirkuk. >>> in syria more people have killed by governmentrel bomb attacks two civilians died and many more were injured in id lib. >>> also in syria, a camp for palestinian refugees have been hit by government shelling. the area has been under siege by assad forces for more than two years. >>> now to yemen where former president has accused the current government of destroying the country. he said president hadi who has fled from the capitol to aden should leave the country and go into exile. mohammed some very strong words there. he seems to be back in the political scene, how significant are his comments today? >> reporter: yeah, it's very significant even though when you ask people here in yemen, they tell you he has never been away from the scenes he has been behind the scenes pulling the strings. he has been accused of being behind the houthi take over of sana'a. and he has facilitated the houthi takeover of sana'a. now he wants to show that he is still here but because the houthis seem to have taken everything for themselves, we have h

house office building by a neurosurgeon with whom i became fast friends and is now the governor of kirkuk. now he is brought with him photos of kurds who have been victimized in fallujah. i write about it in the preface of my book. he brought gruesome photos of kurdish civilians who perished during a chemical weapons attack in the village of fallujah. these photos depicted old men in traditional kurdish garb sprawled kurdish women and girls in colorful clothing and headscarves laid dead in the street, faces twisted in anguish anguish, foam running from their mouse, pained expressions frozen in death. 5000 kurds perished that day that the attack on holub joe was not an isolated event. it was part of a broader campaign that was launched by saddam husein and implemented by his nephew. he was called in arabic means the spoils and over the course of one year 182,000 kurds perished in 4500 villages were destroyed. my first assignment in washington was to respond to this gruesome attack using wmd. because of a close personal associations i have with the kurds including the visit soon after the a

near kirkuk there have been frequent battles in the past few days with per measurega forces. isil managed to capture 10 iraqi soldiers. in gwer, peshmerga commanders say that isil has blown up part of a bridge. that bridge was previously blown up by peshmerga forces, but then repaired. it was to halt the isil movement. but the destruction of the bridge may indicate they're coming back to areas where they had been driven back previously by kurdish forces and u.s. airstrikes. >> shia clerics are backing the army. an iranian general rarely seen on camera is leading those militiamen. >> reporter: this is how iraq wants it's military to see to be seen. >> it will be liberated soon. even sooner than expected. >> the military videos don't show the iranian-backed shia militias. many believe they deserve more credit for capturing areas from isil. their unofficial leader is suleimani, he has been spotted at various key locations in iraq and now the commander of tehran's elite force is reportedly in tikrit. suleimani is believed to be leading the fight. but his influence goes beyond the

when kirkuk/ it was the kirkuk that came and took it back which by the way interestingly put a chat in their hands on future negotiations because they now control the oil they used to be iraqis. so we will deal with that issue down the road. that will make its way into negotiations over time. i don't think it's quite as bad as the gentleman laid out. they come see us often and when they came to see me here in washington i was pretty upset about the delivery schedule of arms and weapons. a set route and on the ground generals that i know well and generals who i know have an affinity towards talking to guys like me and telling us the truth, i don't think it's quite as bad as people say it is. the deliveries going into bag dad. there were stories that were taken a month or so for the equipment to get out to curtis fan. i think it is not that case at all. will be over time and there's a movement towards the end supply them directly? my guess is that will be the case. i will say we've got to be a little concerned about things getting out of balance. and he sat back. when i think it is not a

in northern iraq just outside of kirkuk there was a major battle where the kurds were able to retake take a large area of land. definitely in the north and central iraq isis is really being pushed back. what's interesting is that when organizations like these, when they're winning, when they're gaining ground they gain more support and they gain more followers. but as it seems that their fortunes are changed rather dramatically we are hearing from inside isis that there's beginning to be in fighting among, for instance the local fighters and those who come from abroad arguments over who gets the perks, who does the hard work. if you were here last year the atmosphere is much different. the threat of isis to many people does seem to be receding at the moment. carol? >> all right. ben wedeman reporting live from baghdad this morning. >>> that said isis is still playing games. example, on any given day if you visit iflow.com, it looks like this. they're from pittsburgh. imagine you're the company's ceo and you visit your site and this pops up. take a look. the site was hacked by isis. i

strategic importance because it's at the cross roads of a major road to mosul, and the oil rich region of kirkukit's really a stepping-stone on the way as iraqi forces prepare for what is expected to be an assault to retake mosul. >> reporter: iraqi militias backed by iran did the pentagon hope this attack is kind of a template for future assaults against isil? >> reporter: no not really because they are actually concerned that having iranian-backed shia militia, retaking tikrit an area which is predominantly sunni, could inflame some of the sectarian tensions there. so they are concerned about that especially if the forces are heavy handed and wreck a lot of destruction in the city they are afraid that could inflame tennings. so they would like to see a more inclusive force, the kind of force the u.s. is trying to help put together when the iraqs mount an assault on mosul again. >>> thank you. >>> now to los angeles, and the new video raising questions about lethal force by police. a warning we're about to show you the moments the shots were fired. [ gunfire ] [ shouting ] >> they say the man w

they could go to kirkuk, ultimately to mosul and a number of places. i think that's why you bring iran back into the discussion. what we want to do is provide this presence and the military leadership with every option available. they'll decide whether or not they should use it. this is another example where the president wants to publish what he won't do and over what period of time he will do it. >> this is a very important point you're britaining up. the iraqis have pushed back in tikrit and actually been effective. we have been talking for a long time about the iraqis needing to have boots on the ground from their middle eastern neighbors, boots on the ground from their middle eastern friends. and it cannot be ought about the u.s. and its boots on the ground, yet the partners in the fight against isis are the iranians. how does that complicate the situation, given the iraqis and iranians are working together against isis? >> i think it's very important. the american people need to know it's not the iraqis as a whole, it's the shia militia that prio

. >>> there's been a large explosion in the iraqi city of kirkuk. plumes of smoke are being seen over the skyline. kurdish fighters are gathering before beginning an offensive in that city. >> in ramadi soldiers have been killed a suicide bomber has blown themselves up. >>> and in northern syria, isil fighters have taken control of a city which lies close to the turkish border. fighting has been going on for two weeks now. islamic state of iraq and the levant has released footage reportedly showing a young boy shooting a palestinian captive. the captive is identified as a 19 year old. israeli authorities say he traveled to syria in october to fight for the group, but isil accused him of working as a spy. his father say he was killed because he tried to leave isil. >>> in washington, d.c. the secretary of defense and top advisors are about to testimony before the senate. let's go live now to washington rosiland jordan is there for us. ros what are we expecting to happen today? >> we are expecting a very contentious hearing. that's because the aumf --

kurdish fighters did not have a hand in retaking tikrit but they did manage to retake much of oil rich kirkukax well and dylan hillard, a canadian that fought in the iraq war in 2006. some might say maxwell and hillard are foolhardy for fighting along the kurds and other say they are courageous for fighting terrorism wherever it lives. with me now, corporal dylan hiller. welcome, sir. thank you for being with me. >> thank you for having me carol. >> you volunteered to fight alongside the kurds against isis. why? >> there was a lot of reasons. i felt that i had the skills and ability to help and do some good and there was two instances that took place in canada. two separate occasions isis inspired criminals targeted and killed two canadian soldiers so that hit close to home. i felt that i should do something about it. >> i totally understand that. although it was incredibly courageous for you to fight isis alongside the kurds and we're seeing pictures of you from the battlefield. tell us about your journey there. >> i left on november 15th from calgary. it was a three-day trip over there. i w

most of them have been in the town of kirkuk. they ran away when isis came to town. home at last after eight months. cars packed with people trucks piled high with mattresses. "thank god," she says "we're home. we've been freed from isis. may god curse them until judgment day." another says "it's enough to see our land just sitting on our land. we won't leave ever again." this is a sunni town but the biggest tribe here have a long history of enmity first with al qaeda, then its successor isis. "their behavior," he says "was awful with civilians, with women, with children. we had to leave. they were ruthless." 23-year-old marwan returned a few days ago and was reunited with his horse. "isis came but had no backing here," he says. "they pretended to be revolutionaries, but all they did was destroy." the reign of isis seems to have crumbled quickly in al-alum. food of left to rot if stalls. the isis fighters fled or fell. this car wasity in an air strike charred body parts shown off by a pro-government fighter. al-alum was liberated by iraqi army soldiers and police shi

kurdish peshmerga, backed by thunderous coalition air strikes, have now retaken land just west of kirkukg the fight: the president of the semi-autonomous kurdistan regional government, masoud barzani. initially, his forces received little of the u.s. arms that flowed to baghdad, but chairman dempsey told colorado republican cory gardner today, that could be changing. >> we think we've-- we've managed our way through that. >> and, so, right now, you feel confident that the process which we've-- arms will reach erbil, or is now being settled and resolved? >> i am confident that we broke through the initial friction but it doesn't mean it won't recur. >> ifill: earlier this week special correspondent jane arraf traveled to northern iraq to interview masoud barzani. she began by asking him about the arms issue. >> reporter: you've said in the past that the u.s. should be playing perhaps a more active role here they should be doing more, should be supplying under weapons. do you still feel that way? >> ( translated ): we are satisfied with the air support. we are getting good support, but in

central command reported that kurdish peshmerga fighters seized a key west line of kirkuk. now they control key portions of route 80 a central supply route in iraq. one three-star american general said that it's one step on the path to ultimately defeating isil. >> jamie, this all comes as president obama's top military advisers were at capitol hill. how did that go over with lawmakers? >> predictbly, i think. secretary kerry said that they need this authorization, it's a profittal time. democrats predictbly were not willing to write what they said was an open--a blank check for the u.s. military to go as long as it wanted. republicans were concerned there were too many restrictions on the use of military force. at this point still no consensus on capitol hill. the pentagon, the obama administration insists it has the authority it needs to fight isil but it doesn't have the authority it wants in the form of a vote of confidence from the congress. >> defense secretary ash carter said that it could allow strikes on boko haram. the nigerian group pledge support to isil last we