officially, it's outside the borders of kurdistan. but two years ago, when the iraqi army fled as isis approached, the kurds came to the city's defense, and they've been in charge ever since. >> the kurds have proven they could govern themselves. we have proven that we can defend ourselves. we have every right like any other nation to be independent. we have to work on this with the government in baghdad and talk to them openly. we want to be good neighbors. we need each other. we have to talk to the neighboring countries-- turkey, iran, even syria when there is a decent government there. i think the time is overdue. >> reporter: but the time for what? for a state? for a kurdish state? >> yes, for an independent kurdistan. >> reporter: if that day comes, this 12-foot-tall concrete wall in the kirkuk province could become the new border. the peshmerga built it to keep isis out. it extends 30 miles beyond the official borders of kurdistan, becoming a de facto dividing line between their growing territory and the rest of iraq. meanwhile,

the commanding officer believes his first task is to defend kurdistan. for now against the islamic state group. >> it's the pesh mesha for now but i don't know if this is the border of kurdistan or what will happen next. perhaps it will be the border or just filled in or stay as it is. reporter: they take us to a village recently retaken from isis. in the courtyard of this house, a cannon has taken a direct hit from a coalition rocket. there are signs this was an armaments workshop. rockets at firing the mountain. you can see the batteries they were using from cars and motorbikes. >> they tell us they have the situation under control. but four hours earlier, just a kilometer from here, a furious gun battle has left 16 i.s. fighters dead on the plain. they've been trying to escape from behind lines. we counted 10 of the dead ourselves. two of them blew themselves up. >> don't touch them. >> is the area safe? >> yes, it's been checked but this guy still has an explosive vest on. >> this is his i.d. and this is money. it belongs to this guy over there. repo

do we want the kurdistan regional model multiplied throughout the country? a true federation. inherent in all of this is the kurdish question which has been raised although not lately by the president of the krg we have multiple opportunities over the past two and a half years, the president of the krg has talked about a referendum on independence. fair enough, i think most iraqis would concede if they have a right to independence if they want it. that would be their right. the problem is not that the problem has been that the kurds have neither quite been in nor quite out of the country and this is untenable. if they want their independence, fine, if not, i think that we need to be in a position where all factions actually begin to come together build a cohesive state, which we do not have now and i think that is something that the united states ought to press. i have one more point to make before i give up the floor. there's something that is unspoke than i know that i haven't articulated yet and let me do so so expressly. former u.s. ambassador to iraq ry

during the war against isis, iraqi kurdistan has extended its territory by about a third, has seized almost all of the territories that were previously disputed between the krg and baghdad, and there's a real risk that the iraqi shiite militias will, once mosul is liberated, will turn their guns against the peshmerga and try and retake kirkuk. there has to be a mediated diplomatic settlement to these territorial conflicts. we cannot afford to see iraq now on the -- having just retaken territory from isis but not tackled the root causes of the insurgency. we can't afford then to suddenly be distracted by this kurdish iraqi war over territory. and the united states is the power with the relationships, with the clout, with the international standing to be able to prevent actors from acting in an unrestrained way in this battle over disputed territory and to initiate a credible, internationally respected process for mediating these territorial disputes and that -- you know, that's day one after mosul is defeated. we need to make sure that we're getting -- that, you know, the peshmerga an

the krg, the kurdish regional government doesn't have the support of everyone inside kurdistan to back certain political agendas in mosul. for example, you know, you're an expert on this, the turkish involvement inside iraq is a perfect, is a good example because while president barzani supports it, the involvement in one way or another, other political oppositionists within kurdistan opposed it. and you have also the pkk is a major concern for turkey near, the ela finishing o russian -- telafer. it's west of, northwest of mosul. it's a turk-dominated area. turkey said that the shia militia should not be there, but real estate the turks are also probably more concerned about the pkk rise in sinjar near there. so mosul is really, i think, the american is take some of these fault lines for now and think they're going very well for now, but i think isis will try to destroy the current strategy which is actually very promising by trying to fight in mosul for, say, four months. and if it does that, i think many of these alliances would collapse. there are already signs of tension between di

do we want the kurdistan regional model multiplied throughout the country? do we want, in fact, a true federation. inherent in all of this is the kurdish question which has been raised although not lately by the president of the krg we have multiple opportunities over the past two and a half years, the president of the krg has talked about a referendum on independence. fair enough, i think most iraqis would concede if they have a right to independence if they want it. that would be their right. the problem is not that the problem has been that the kurds have neither quite been in nor quite out of the country and this is untenable. if they want their independence, fine, if not, i think that we need to be in a position where all factions actually begin to come together build a cohesive state, which we do not have now and i think that is something that the united states ought to press. i have one more point to make before i give up the floor. there's something that is unspoke than i know that i haven't articulated yet and let me do so so expressly. former u.s.

. -- in kurdistan. i think there's every reason to believe that will happen here as well. in this area, i don't see signs of adequate preparation to handle that, to handle refugee populations temporarily, and reconstruction doesn't happen, they become permanent refugees, and that in itself becomes incredibly destabilizing. >> are there any lessons if you look at previous cities where you can say ok, this is what went right, what went wrong that might apply to mosul? >> in falluja, we were able to remove about 90% of people living there. that was not the case in most soul. there still remains 1.2-1.5 million people, about the size of dallas, to give you a sick -- to give you a scale. the potential is there to have the kind of picked -- kind of conditions we are seeing in on one block, you are fighting urban warfare. the next block, you are trying to do peacekeeping, particularly among tribes and groups. the third block, you are trying to do humanitarian assistance, all simultaneously. and the government and police have to be able to move in. the problem in mos greater than

independence of kurdistan has been red line for the iranian government not least because this year we've seen a resurgence in the fighting in territories, taking up arms again, iranian suffering from their own separatist groups in their own kurdish region. the idea of having some separate sunni region in iraq that's supported by -- could be supported by saudi, see it as kind of talibanesque, that's not at all something iran is interested in seeing. >> but do you agree that pre2014 status quo of bombs going off in baghdad and creating uncertainty and some degree of chaos but not the threat of the total collapse of the state is in iranian interest? >> it's interesting because i think 2013, i think the iranians would see as kind of the perfect state of iraq. but of course, you cannot have 2013 -- >> sorry, for our viewers at home, could you -- >> 2013 you had a very strong maliki government pretty shia dominated with marginalized kurdistan and marginalized sunni population. and in incredible iranian influence over the iraqi government. the problem is the iranians might think of that as thei

if you think back to when the kurdistan region was on its rampage with penn oil contracts and it had the coup of giving six different exploration blocks to exxon, three of which were in disputed territories, well, initially the political class was just outraged. then within six months, maybe a year, certainly less than a year somehow they reached accommodation. what happened? what they discussed behind closed doors, i don't know if i want to know, but there was an accommodation reached. there is one other grounds for hope, which sounds counterintuitive, which is the collapse of iraqi oil prices. historically, we see in oil countries when their budgets are destroyed they institute good reforms. the poster child of that was mexico in 1982 after the debt crisis. because of that, we got an independent central bank. iraq is facing that issue now, and it's kind of -- a little bit under the conservatorship of imf and world bank, so there's going to be pressure on good government reforms. now there's a long way to go. this is a government that from 2005 until 2014 doubled its employment and

government officials say the kurdistan workers partsy is responsible you, but isis has claimed responsibilities through its media link. last night's rough outing in los angeles seemed like a distant memory today for steffen curry and his wife aishah and what they did to have thousands flocking to the south bay. >>> we're going in-depth tonight and we have in-depth report on traffic. you have probably done it, sat in traffic in the bay area, while you were trying to get to work. experts will explain why your commute nightmare could be tied to your job. success in traffic and going nowhere fast it's a familiar refrain for many bay area commuters who say it feels like the situation is just getting worse. >> they are right and transportation experts say you can blame it on jobs. tonight kron 4 philippe djegal goes in-depth to examine the slow lane that connects where you live to where you work. bay area is the only region in california says the state department of finance where the rate of people moving in from other parts of the country exceeds the number of those leaving the region. alameda and c

america, associated press, the examiner, univision, channel 4 of argentina, channel -- art-tv of kurdistan. nikkei from japan and national radio of argentina and others. i will come back at the end of our program about 9:20 and repeat all of these housekeeping assignments but, one thing i will stress, you do need your credential to get on the bus. your bus assignment is on the white card in the credential. so, good morning, welcome to the celebration of american democracy. all the house keep something done. now we'll go to substance. [applause] as we you all know over 40 million americans have already voted use absentee ballots, postal ballots, early voting, electronic voting, internet voting. the expectation there will be a 100 million americans in line today to cast their votes through machines and on paper. all of that will be known tonight. and we will elect the next president of the united states. 33 members of the u.s. senate, 435 members of the u.s. house of representatives, numerous governors and i think a majority of members of the state legislatures. and on behalf of all that ene

police are blaming the kurdistan workers party for that attack. >>> the italian coast guard rescued over 2,000 people off the libyan coast on saturday. all of them were migrants trying to get to europe. the u.n. says so far in year over 150 immigrants are come to europe via this central >>> incredible footage out of australia shows huge clouds of smoke and flames shooting into the sky from suburban sydney. a fire broke out in a car lot. dozenses of cars caught fire and two buildings were completely destroyed. businesses and homes were told to evacuate. strong winds hindered the firefighters' attempts to contain the flames. >>> skies over new delhi result of a week of fireworks set off along with large scale fires in patty fields in neighboring states. people in the city say they're struggling to breathe. health warnings have been issued for the young and elderly, especially people with respiratory or heart conditions. >>> all right. no doubt we love our pets. we say we would do just about anything for them. then there are the people that actually do anything for their pets. a russian eng

turkey's state-run media says the kurdistan workers party is responsible for the attack.st came hours after members occurrepro-kurdish political party were detained. >>> how independent evan mcmullin is shaking up the race. (vo) maybe it was here, when you hit 300,000 miles. or here, when you walked away without a scratch. maybe it was all the times it got you safely out there. or all the times it got you out of there. maybe it was the day your baby came home. or maybe the day you realized your baby was not a baby anymore. every subaru is built to earn your trust. because we know what you're trusting us with. subaru. kelley blue book's most trusted brand. and best overall brand. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. parts a and b and want more coverage, guess what? you could apply for a medicare supplement insurance plan whenever you want. no enrollment window. no waiting to apply. that means now may be a great time to shop for an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. medicare doesn't cover everything. and like all sta

the krg, the regional government doesn't have the support of everyone inside kurdistan to back certain political agendas in mosul. for example, you know, you're an expert in this. the turkish involvement inside iraq is a perfect -- is a good example because while president supported it, others opposed it. and you have also that pkk is a major concern for turkey near talafar. it's a problematic area, it will be a big flash point. west of -- west of -- northwest of mosul. it's a turk dominated area. turkey said that the militia should should not be there, but the turks are more problem -- more concerned about the pkk rise in sinjar near talafar. so the americans see some of the fault lines for now and things are going very well for now. but i think isis will try to destroy the current strategy which is actually very promising by trying to fight in mosul for say four months. if it does that i think many of these alliances will collapse. there are already signs of tension between different factions fighting outside mosul. i think these tensions will increase. will intensify. and we will se

. >> whoever wins, we just want to make sure that we have proper support for kurdistan. >> the reporter: but in russia, the election has been almost as polarizing as in the u.s. many are backing donald trump and supporting his claims of voter fraud. while others say, he's unfit to lead a major superpower. >> the united states teaches us how to conduct fair elections, but there are elements of falsification in their own >> which means what. >> i don't think he should become president of such a big country he himself is quite odd actually. >> the reporter: even the animals are split. russian polar bear and tiger both making different predictions about the election. but elsewhere in europe, lawmakers and officials are taking a more wary approach, trying not to judge the candidates, based on what has been one of the most contentious election cycle in american history. >> after a campaign, after he or she decides to nominate candidates and select prominent figures. >> the reporter: as the results start to come in, u.s. embassies around the world will be hosting watch parties encouraging peop

unfortunately i will say in iraq, let me purpose my remarks by saying that i understand that the kurdistan region of iraq, to the extent it remains in iraq, occupies a special status i'm not advocating the reintroduction of sort of the centralized state with respect to the krg fl that's an important point to keep in mind. having said that, we have been in a phase, if i may use an analogy to the american -- to american history, in the articles of confederation phase where a government in baghdad has been created, which is fundamentally devoid of all powers. it may -- it didn't work 250 years ago in a continent separated by two oceans from meddling neighbors. it is not working in the middle east in a country surrounded by hostile authorities -- powers, sorry. powers. i would say to the kurdish leadership, the greatest threat -- again, please keep in mind the prefatory remarks i made about krg, i would say to kurdish leadership the greatest threat that the kurds faced since 1991, but in any event since 2003 was not from baghdad but from isil, which arose because of a weak state, weak at every

many of them trying to get into kurdistan all of them in many cases very, very poor states.unded. critical element in afl all of that american, nongovernmental organizations. they're providing crucial support for food, water, shelter, the united nations has built refugee camps that are empty and a large part of the reason for that stuart, is they're held of civilians of mosul are being held mostly in west mosul. by the isis, as human shields as you pointed outs. we've been with iraqi special forces so-called golden division, there's three brigade of them third, second trained bit united states as special operation forces. they've taken massive casualties going intees beirut and with the casualty screening unit that had only americans providing from them. these aren't american military personnel but american civilians who have signed on with mgo one case you young united states mae and other from san diego and these two young men out there treated over 30 casualties in morning that we were there with them. so what you're looking at and look ahead is -- there's very little vis

i've been in kurdistan in northern iraq where i was at a mass graveyard where there was a bus full ofried alive. that that's grotesque. there's no difference here with what we're doing in the united states. >> thank you very much for joining us here today in new york city. you are 100% behind donald trump. it all comes down to the supreme court. >> and what a wonderful family. your family has done so much for this country. we thank you. >> thank you. i'm very proud of them. >> you should be. >> very nice. cissi graham lynch. travel safely back to florida. >>> all right. coming up on this wednesday, starbucks trying to bring the country back together with a special -- that's a unity cup of coffee. turns out it's doing the opposite online. there's a revolt going viral. we'll explain. >>> and karl rove is mapping out donald trump's path to victory. he is joining us live right here on "fox & friends" coming up next. you wouldn't believe what's in this kiester. a farmer's market. a fire truck. even a marching band. and if i can get comfortable talking about this kiester, then you can get c