but no one is under illusion that mosul will be as easy as tikrit. mosul is the isil strong hold. apart from that it's quite a diverse population. tikrit has a population that is predominantly sunni, and that's part of the dynamic there. residents are afraid not really of what happens if the iraqi army retakes the city it's what happens later. who will be able to keep control? will it be the shia militias? those are the questions that people will be asking about mosul. mosul appears to be a larger set of problems but similar to those faced in tikrit. david? >> thank you very much indeed jane. we'll continue looking at this story with our senior political analyst joining us me live from doha. it was saddam hussein's hometown, but in the scheme of things were this battle to retake it from isil to succeed, what is the greater significant? >> well you know, this is just the beginning. it is significant. it is symbolically important. it means there is a push now that has started that the central government in baghdad backed by iran is taking charge but as i said this is the beginning,

matthew's gates shortly after taking mosul last summer.ers pushed them back to this village, where their flag still flies only four miles from the monastery. what are you most afraid of? >> ibrahim: unknown future. >> logan: the unknown future? >> ibrahim: yes. >> logan: what do you think is going to happen? >> ibrahim: we don't know exactly, but we are expecting the worse. >> logan: the road from st. matthew's brings you to the frontline, just six miles from the outskirts of mosul. every town and village between here and the occupied city is in the hands of the islamic state. and now, we're told, for the first time in nearly 2,000 years, there are no christians left inside mosul. >> nicodemus sharaf: they take everything from us, but they cannot take the god from our hearts, they cannot. >> logan: nicodemus sharaf is the archbishop of the syriac orthodox church in mosul, one of about 10,000 christians who fled the city. we found him living as a refugee in the kurdish capital, erbil. he said isis fighters were already inside mosul when he

mosul.rces also say more than 30,000 troops are advancing on the city. that includes more than 2,000 sunni volunteers as well as kurdish militia. they're backed by jets and helicopters, going in strong after the first shelling of northern and western districts of tikrit on saturday. speaking ahead of the offensive, the iraqi prime minister laid out his strategy. >>> today, we are launching this big and significant operation to liberate our citizens inial salahuddin province. the priority we gave to the armed forces and all the forces taking part alongside them is to preserve the security of our citizens. our priority is to liberate our people from injustice and terrorism of the islamic state. >> well i've been hearing from the bbc's ahmed maher that the government's battle in tikrit is intended to lay the ground for retaking mosul. >> reporter: government forces backed by an alliance of thousands of volunteers many from the shia community, but also have sunni tribal fighters have been the ge

out of mosul, mosul is the second largest city and what timetable? there is a lot of back and forth on when that offensive will begin. >> mosul is a different animal. tikrit is about the size of richmond, virginia and we think the bulk of its population are now displaced moved out. there are probably less than 50,000 citizens maybe well less than that left in tikrit. this is going to be a fight. as you point out mosul is very different. i think that's why this fight is important. everyone in mosul looks at what's going to happen in tikrit after the fighting is done. if the citizens are welcomed back if they are treated well if there are no atrocities if the reconstruction dollars start to flow the citizens of mosul might start to think very, very differently about how they might contribute to the liberation of mosul or whether they should riz resist this. >> how concerned are you about the sectarian violence? >> they fully understand they have to make sure this has to be done by the book, there are no atrocities grand ayatollah sistani has said, this

you can't go directly into mosul, because there has to be a campaign plan from baghdad to mosul withlaces in between. the critical piece is when they turn to kirkuk. right between 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 d

you can't go directly into mosul.e this campaign plain from baghdad to mosul with all the places in between. the critical piece will be when they turn toward kirkuk. right between kirkuk 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 democra

central command to retake mosul begins in april or may. we have bob scales and fox news military analyst. and nice to see you, sir. >> i. >> you say it is a test for the u.s. advised mission in iraq. and what happens if they fail? >> that is a great question, lea. this is the point. and this is the iraqi military's coming out party. they have made two attempts to take tikrit back and failed. and now they will attack it in three different directions and using a combination of iraqi army and shiite militias and will charge hard to break the back of 1500 or so isis defenders. this is the opening gam bet of their territory. who knows, lea. if they fail it could result in a god forbid a collapse of the iraqi effort. the morale of the iraqi army is shaky. they need to prove that isis victory in the middle east is not inevitable. and tikrit is the first chance to show their stuff. >> you can see it as a test case for the upcoming battle in mosul. it will be complicated situation because of the door to it door? >> it is the difference between tikr

it lies on the river tigers near mosul in the north of the country. our bbc correspondent made the point that this is sort of seen as an attempt to destroy not only iraq's heritage, but irreplaceable treasures of world civilization. the destruction comes about a week after so-called islamic state posted this video. you may remember it showing its militants destroying statues and other artifacts at mosul museum. the jihadi group calls these art tupacs non-islamic. well, also today, a provincial governor says iraqi forces are pushing on in their offensive against islamic state, and expect to reach the outskirts of tikrit soon. the iraqi army's bid to retake the city began earlier in the week. the advance, itself though has been slowed by roadside bombs and by boopy traps. tikrit is significant. this is the hometown of the former president, saddam hussein. but the bigger and probably tougher prize will be in the city of mosul, iraq's second city, a little bit further to the north there, which is firmly under i.s. control. understandably, there's growing

or will they continue to open up the supply lines to mosul. you can't just go directly into mosul. got to be this campaign plan from baghdad to mosul, with all the places in between. the critical piece will be when they turn toward kirkuk. right between 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

it's one of the largest cities from the terror group and lies from baghdad to mosul. retaking it would reclaim more territory in northern iraq. >> conner powell is following the story for us live from jerusalem. why the offensive defense tikrit and why now? >> as lea just said the talk has been about mosul and taking tikrit is an important step in ultimately launching a military offensive to retake mosul.80 miles or so outside of baghdad but it's the gate das way to the sunni areas of iraq and so this is seen as sort of a test run for whether or not the iraqi security forces are up to the job of taking mosul and also to see what type of progress they've made in terms of reorganizing the military but any operation that would you tell mately be an offensive on mosul would be nearly impossible if tikrit was still held. if iraqi security forces can take that it will take an operation against mosul later this spring or later this summer whenever that happens, much easier. it's a strategic point for a larger operation against mosul, jon. >> so what are the chances of succes

in from syria to mosul. that's a first step to retaking mosul.e key in the long run is going to be whether the new prime minister al-abadi can get the sunni tribes to work on our side in defeating isis. what i'm hearing from iraqi friend in iraq is the iraqis affectively are being told by the iranians, don't worry about the youy tribes, our ground forces and the shiia militia can deal with the security. the problem is, they may seek pre-reprisals against the sunnis first in tikrit and eventually in mosul. i think the geopolitical situation is very dicey. >> i see secretary kerry with his opening statement. what are you listening for. what should we listen for today with these members before that committee? >> senator mccain pointed out we don't have a strategy for defeating isis. we have an objective to destroy isis but we don't have a strategy. it's possible to see how we could force isis out of iraq with a more active air campaign and faster training of the army and so forth. it's very hard to see what the administration whether it has a strate

>> we thought they would make an initial strike in mosul. then they said we are going to wear them down with air power, attack in april may or june. then this iraqi unit showed up in tikrit, who knew. thank you united states we are going to do this one on our own. >> with iran. it's not really a loan. thank you very much, united states, we found better guys to work with. >> exactly right. >> we are palling up with iran. >> you can't make this stuff up. the u.s. command is down playing this mission. they are going in very heavy. 25,000 people. if they fail again against a force of 1500 people, they will never continue to fight up the euphrates up to mosul. >> assume they are successful. they are their buddies, iran, we spent all this money, lost troops and now iran has iraq. >> what does this say? it says a couple things. >> either one is bad. >> number one, the iraqis are diszing us. two, they are still corrupt. they have problems with black marketing. the american advisers have not been able to do their mission to the degree they should. th

>> if this one is successful, the next big ground offensive is mosul and then the u.s. and iraqi government will be in a position of thinking how much do we want the iranians involved in the next one. the idea of iranian and u.s. troops involved is enough to make my head stop functioning. thank you for being here. >> always a pleasure. >>> a lot ahead, including a big announcement that may have something to do with which democrats may run for president in 2016. please stay with us. we got a subaru. it's where she said her first word. (little girl) no! saw her first day of school. (little girl) bye bye! made a best friend forever. the back seat of my subaru is where she grew up. what? (announcer) the 2015 subaru forester (girl) what? (announcer) built to be there for your family. love. it's what makes a subaru a subaru. i've been coloring liz's hair for years. but lately she's been coming in with less gray than usual what's she up to? root touch-up by nice'n easy... has the most shade choices designed to match even salon color in just 10 minutes. with root touch-up, all

that will be a real test when it comes time to retake mosul. a much larger city. >> it in terms of the iraqi government then, it's not just ment, and not just the iranian lead militia, but those tribes that are participating. if they are able to integrate with a force that will be seen as a gesture of good faith. >> yes, and it was addressed in this that you highlighted. he called on all of the sunni fighters that joined isis saying if you were tricked by joining isis, we will pardon you. this is your last chance. come back into the fold. he used the language to try to bring badge the iraqi people of tikrit into the fold of the central government. he knows he has to do that politically and has to start rebuilding that part of the country that for years has been marginalized from the central government from the politics and the military, been dominated by sectarian riff. >> in terms of the military operation here, and i take your point that the ultimate answer here, the bottom line here, happens much further down the line and it is political, ab

on mosul unless you can control tikrit because you need supply lines. so taking this spot, just north of baghdad as well is a really key thing. it is also important in terms of psychology and the gateway to the sunni triangle so if isis loses tikrit it will signal a weakening ofl+vsupport. >> analysts are saying even if thex6fç fighters are successful it could create bigger problems. why is that? >> so, at the heart of the current conflict in iraq it is a sunni-shia divide. the iraqi government is primarily shiite and backed by iran and in the isis areas the sunni tribesmen, basically a sunni-shia divide in terms of where isis has support ask the iraqi government has support. the fear is this military force that moves in tikrit, if they were able to hold on it to, they would move in there and be primarily shiite, baghdad based and irany fighters and the sunni population would feel a -- still feel disenfranchised and the conflict would just continue there because neither side is addressing the legitimate concerns of the other. >> conor powell reporting l

at a museum in mosul. the united nations speaking out about this saying that it cannot remain silent. the world cannot remain silent. that this is just utter destruction of valuable world history. but the reality is right now there is nobody on the ground to stop what isis is doing, wolf. >> as perverted and barbaric as this is why are they destroying these cultural treasures? >> reporter: well the candid answer is who knows who motivates these people to do this? there have been some statements after the destruction in mosul at that museum about destroying idols, destroying idolatry by isis. this is what they had said. but i have to tell you, the united nations speaking out about this just considers it wanton destruction and is saying that the world must stop it because besides -- again, i don't know -- it sounds so trite, but it is priceless ancient history. some of these artifacts, again, dating back to 900 b.c. so this will never be seen again by the world once isis destroys it. and, of course the conce

mosul would really be that. it was really the turning point of bringing isil to the attention to the world in the summer of 2014. do you think if mosul was conquered that would be the end of isil in iraq? >> it would be a great leap forward. it's right on the border very close to the northern three provinces that are traditionally kurdish. it is a nexus and it is a vital component of the campaign to ultimately destroy isis. >> senior advisor for the national security network and also former u.s. army major general. thank you so much. >> my pleasure. thank you very much. >> much more to come on the program including yemen's political factions are heading back to the negotiation table but can compromise be reached? >>> libya names a controversial general as the new head of the nation's army >>> plus south africa's ambition to host the continent's first olympics. >>> the u.s. secretary of state has threatened russia with more sanctions over its role in the conflict in ukraine. john kerry says they must stop cherry

from there we shall advance to mosul. >> a freelance journalist shot this footage interior al jazeera on wednesday. tikrit is controlled by isil. the city is on the highway linking baghdad to mosul further north, which is isil's stronghold in iraq. progress has been slow because of boobie traps and. >> despite my injury and called by my commander to leave the battle i told him i would not leave. hopefully we'll take the city today. so far we're in control and we have the upper hand with no casualties as of yet. just slight injuries. >> but there are fears if tikrit falls, militia will take revenge on sunni population who have been seen as collaborators of isil. the iraqi army is the majority shia. there are around sunni tribesmen involved in this offensive. tikrit will be an important test. not if they can fight off isil all together, but whether they can keep the peace after doing so. >> after the response, isil fighters have launched a series of suicide-bomb attacks on army and security positions in ramadi ramadi. five people were killed in the attacks including two police officers.

. >> i was mentioning that this was a prelude to try to capture mosul. forces that may be met is there much to put them alongside each other? >> it is a previous test, and it will have implications for how well or badly they go. but i don't think anyone is under any illusion, that they will be as easy, and it is not proving that easy. the difference it is the isis strong hold, it is where they first made their stand in june. it is quite a diverse population, it has a population that is almost -- that is predominately sunni and that part oz if dynamics there, and residents are not afraid of what happened now with the iraqi army goes in and retakes it, it is what happens later who is going to be able to keep control. will it be the shia militias will they be able to have a force, and those are the same questions that people will be asking about mosul. >> okay, let's bring in our senior political analyst. why are people talking about this -- the possibility to increase divisions in iraqi society, rather than heal them by saying the isil fighters pushed out.

tikrit fell under isis control in june after the capture of mosul.hile, new propaganda photos released by isis show the terror group fighting back against iraqi security forces in and around tikrit. let me bring in retired u.s. army brigadier general anthony, the author of "foreign and domestic." general, you're joining us now. 30,000 fighters are taking part in this offenseiveoffensive. why do you think tikrit is so important? >> ana, it's great to be here. tikrit is important for a lot of reasons. you mentioned it's saddam hussein's hometown. there's some level of significance there. last june there were about 800 to 1,400 iraqi army soldiers mass cured edcured there by isis. that's significant. that may be part of the motivation behind a lot of the factions that are participating in this fight. there's sunni there's shia and many of those masacured were sunni and shia. that's part of it. most significantly from a military standpoint is that to get to mosul, you have to have tikrit so that's a logistics-based jumping off point if you will to be abl

taking that will be down the road mosul would be the next stepping stone to taking mosul. mosul is ten times larger than tikrit. it is going to be a lot more difficult. it's the second largest city in iraq. it is isis's main city in the country. they're not going to give it up without a fight. it is going to be difficult. what that battle, you will have for the battle for mosul the kurdish peshmerga forces that will be involved in that. a lot larger force. you could also have the coalition air strikes involved for the battle for mosul. we're seeing them noticeably absent for the battle of tikrit. the united states careful to not be seen taking sides with the iranians or showing that they are supporting them. the iraqis say they don't need coalition air strikes they say this is a battle they can take themselves. >> certainly a positive development as it relates to the on the ground fight against isis. ian lee with details from cairo. thanks. >>> meantime, there are efforts to stop isis' efforts to radicalize people on line. community activists in london and other cities, fo

and from there we'll move to mosul. >> they shot footage on wednesday. tikrit is controlled by isil. the city is on the highway linking baghdad to mosul further north. progress has bid slow here. partly because of boobie traps left by isil and there is a threat to sniper fire. the iraqi army is confident that they will take tikrit. >> despite the injury to leave the battle i told them i would not leave. hopefully we'll take the city today. so far we're in control and we have the upper hand with no casualty as of yet. just like injuries. >> but there are fears if tikrit falls, shia militias will take revenge on the sunni population for being seen as collaborators and sympathizers of isil. they have carried out revenge killings in the highly sectarian conflict. the iranian backed militias fighting along side shia militia number around 20,000 and there are 2,000 sunni tribesmen fighting along side them. the question is whether they'll be able to keep the peace after doing so. >> in a conference in northern iraq some sunni politicians have criticized iranian

mosul is iraq's second largest city compared to tikrit tikrit is just 15 or 20 kilometers mosul is about 400 kilometers. and it is the main stronghold of i.s. >> okay ahmed, thank you for the update i know you'll keep across the story for us. >>> to the south pacific islands now where they're bracing themselves for a category five tropical storm, which is about to cross the country. it has already hit north of the island chain and bringing winds of up to 185 kilometers an hour. now the proper will holiday destination is around 82 islands. and it's issued a red weather alert nationwide. across the south pacific, this storm has already caused flash floods and strong winds. you can see right there, the red is the center of it. you can see the strength of it there. causing significant damage. i've been speaking to alex clemons from unicef. >> right now the situation is dangerous. there is incredibly strong winds racing around the capitol here. which is the city of about 45,000 people. the trees are blowing, all foliage is going everywhere and i'm in a very strong hotel, but even this is gett

it lies on the road connecting baghdad to mosul. but it's not just the iraqi army involved in the operation. an estimated 2,000 sunni tribal fighters are taking part and according to iranian media the commander of iran's elite revolutionary force is involved. the general reportedly arrived in the area two days ago to help direct. if the operation in tikrit is successful and the iraqi government and their allies intend to relaunch an offensive to recapture mosul in i.s.i.l. fighters. in april or may. >> today god willing we will start an important military campaign to liberate the citizens other areas in the province from islamic state militants. i call upon you to deal with citizens well, our goal is to liberate people from the oppression and militarism of daesh. >> jane arraf has more from baghdad. >>> this is the first bald for a major sunni city, since i.s.i.l. took over last june. tikrit was one of the first cities they seized and has remained pretty much an i.s.i.l. stronghold since then. they tried otake back the city but stop

because of the american weapons isis got from mosul. they -- so that source of income has been caught since the airstrikes. they no longer can expand in other areas and get the money. the oil also because i i think 80% at least of the the oil resources have been, you know, disrupted in isis areas. but isis still has -- in the book we have a chapter about, like finances. and isis has, you know has a very interesting system that is different from al-qaeda that can be, can sustain itself without foreign donations and without, you know help from outsiders. they can survive on local money. so they have, you know, they run -- they provide services but unlike islamists who provide services as way of social bribe they run the services, and they charge people for it, they act as a state. so, you know, for example when syria or much of syria was controlled by the free syrian army for months, what the free syrian army used to do if it was, like really good, they would try to convince the population to either go to like individuals to go to work or

this is a test run for bigger battle with mosul.his is to get better intelligence feel for the actual size of isis force and composition of the force we will need when we go to mosul. melissa: what do you think about that? >> i kind of agree with that. they just put off the attack on mosul from spring to fall. everyone was asking why they thought it would pull it off in the spring. iraqi army is not near being ready. john boehner said over the weekend we'll probably need boots on the ground. you have to talk a little bit of specificity what you mean by that. people think we're sending in a division. no we're talking about putting more intel, special-ops in there, help say when they're taking tikrit and get an idea just as van was suggesting, how many islamic state fighters are there. melissa: play what john boehner said. i will get your reaction on the other side. let's listen. >> the president shouldn't tell our earn my what is we're not going to do. whether iraqi military personnel. whether we bring jordanians or other allies, the

the operation to liberate mosul will involve peshmerga forces and sunni fighters and they will get airupport from fighter jets from the u.s.-led coalition. and activists in neighboring syria say that u.s.-led coalition airstrikes have targeted fighters from the al-qaeda-linked rebel group the al nusra front. footage posted olbermann is said to show the moment it happened in idlib prove incident. to egypt where thetrial of two journalists has been adjourned until march the 19th because prosecution witnesses failed to turn up. mohammed fahmy made a third appearance for alleged links to the linked muslim brotherhood. both were released on bail after being detained for more than a year. we come here and we it's unusual the witnesses don't come. i see as an insult to the judiciary. it's a legal limbo. we are caught in it. >> it's taking too much time. taking too much time. it's hard to get anything done because they don't have any proof to say it. i am working on it. it's taking too much time. >> one person has been killed and nine others injured in two bombings in northeastern egypt. the f

it is crucial in iraqi forces in their advance towards mosul. it is on the road to baghdad. the army backed by shia militias are based southeast of the city. they've retaken the village of bou-ajeel and alalam. if they take at this crete they'll push it further north to mosul, the biggest city currently under isil 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

as i said it might be a prelude for the biggest battle of mosul. >> in baghdad, thanks very much. >>>he biggest hits of recent years but it was also one of the most controversial. "blurred lines" by pharrell williams and robin thicke caused controversy and anger because of its sexual content and made millions. and a court saying they copied marvin gaye's 1977 hit "give it up" and have to pay $7.3 million to the family. ♪ >> reporter: the big summer hit two years ago, just how blurred is the lines between this and the 1977 song "got to give it up" by marvin gaye. too similar, according to a jury in los angeles which decided pharrell williams and robin thicke crossed that line and copy copyright to be paid to the tune of $7.3 million. damages that didn't just bring tears to their eyes an emotional court case by marvin's family. >> i feel free, free from honestly, free from pharrell williams and robin thicke's chains and what they tried to keep on us and the lies that were told. >> we did not start this fight. the jury wasn't allowed to know this, but pharrell williams and robin thicke f

in mosul, it's a hugely important city. second largest city. when will the iraqis be ready to retake mosul? will it happen this spring? will it happen in the fall? >> um, martha. contrary to what was in the newspaper earlier sometime in the week, we're not going to advertise when that will happen. it will happen. we're not going to talk about the strategy. we're not going to lay out the plans. the iraqis are working hard to come up to speed. there's a lot of effort being put into this. we'll do it when the moment is right. and when we know we can proceed forward with the confidence we want. >> i just want to say. it wasn't just in the newspapers. it central command who said it would probably be this spring. i want to turn to israel and iran. you're headed overseas as you have said. >> that's -- it's interesting, as i think you have seen, that has been contradicted. and i think walked back. there are a number of different options out there. so nobody should count on what they have read or seen. this will happen when we're ready. it will happen o

we're going to take back mosul. hopefully with the continued support of the international coalition and international airstrikes. it's inevitable. isil has made mosul it's headquarters. it's the second largest city in iraq, and we're going to take it back one way or another. this will require all hands on deck. iraqi security forces, peshmerga forces in addition to the international coalition aid. >> colin zabari, thank you for talking with al jazeera. >> glad to be with you. >> now in the united states the senator from texas ted cruz said he was running for president in the presidential election in in 2016. what more do we know about ted cruz and what he actually stand for? >> it's a fairly typical speech. he checked all the boxes when talking in front of the largest group of christians in the world. he talked about israel, he talked about making sure that iran did not get a nuclear weapon, ronald reagan, all these things. he's speaking out as a religious conservative for the right the mainstream of the republican

. >> is mosul the next big prize? >> i think the next objective is mosul.here will be fighting happening between tikrit and mosul but that is a major military objective, the second largest city in iraq and a major political objective as well while the west along the euphrates has been somewhat abandoned over the past few years, the anbar province acknowledged it's a sanctuary for terrorism. what happened in mosul and the region along the tive. igris is relatively new. i think the new government of prime minister abadi recognizes that not only for military reasons he needs mosul back in the hands from the iranian government. bye-bye, bibi. israel's prime minister looks to a fourth term in. venzuela's parliament seeks a law that would grant super powers for six months. at home morino and chelsea cannot find a goal at the crucial time. news coming up a little later in the program. first action thousands of protesters have turned out in brazil for rallies to call for the impeachment of the president. about 15,000 demonstrators took to the streets of ri

of archaeology was reopened after a video of isil smashing statues more than 3,000 years old at the mosul museum. abaddi appealed to other countries for help from looting an particular wilts and against isil. >> time for a short break. cute, but not cute enough, why some in china don't want a second baby, even though the 1-child policies been relaxed. plus. >> i'm nicole johnston in herat and afghanistan. businessmen here live in fear that a member of their family will be kidnapped. he's out there. there's a guy out there whose making a name for himself in a sport where your name and maybe a number are what define you. somewhere in that pack is a driver that can intimidate the intimidator. a guy that can take the king 7 and make it 8. heck. maybe even 9. make no mistake about it. they're out there. i guarantee it. welcome to the nascar xfinity series. >> tonight, the parents of captured american reporter austin tice. >> austin went missing in syria. >> campaigning for his release and maintaining hope. >> austin tice is alive. >> find him and get him home. >> a special "talk to al jazeera"

mosul is iraq's second largest city, compared to tikrit, tikrit is just 15 or 20 kilometers, mosul is about 400 kilometers. and it is the main stronghold of i.s. >> well still in iraq the countries are training themselves in combat to help protect their towns and villages against islamic state. now, the first christian-only brigade of regular forces has graduated. its mission is to retake communities taken by i.s. militants. it's made up sbeerly of volunteers it and they'll answer to the kurdish region who playing a leading role in the fight against the jihadists. >>> the south pacific islands of van knew due are bracing themselves as a category five tropical storm crosses the country. it has hit the north of the island chain and bringing winds of up to 185 kilometers an hour. now the popular holiday destination is 82 islands. and it's issued a red weather alert across the nation. across the south pacific, the storm has already caused flash floods, you can see right there at the center of the storm and you can see the strength of the winds going around that center point there. now, th

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 declared raqqa off limits today's declaration will hope law enforcement bring them to justice. po

tbaÑt we'rir not going to go afr mosul until next ñu,y maybe guys?s in the military -- there are e1signs. loose lips sink ships.i it'sxdÑit( true. so now if i were to leak something like this when i was iraq, a potentialfá large fáoperation, i would have the hammer laid down on me and anybody else involved by thefá military judicial system. this administration feels it's okayxd tojf leak such a potenti operation that there's no way they wouldñr succdt" now. you're giving isis months of advanced notice you're going to push them out of a certain area. >> we did the same thing in afghanistan, said we're going to get out of there by t#a% time. he wasn'tq behind the surge tha was -- you got gates and w3e1 panetta. heart isn't in it. >> no, just like how iraq star moveçói] in ó because obama did not listen to the general saying iraq is not ready. i can personally tell you iraq is still not ready.lp they pretend to know what they're doing. >> nobody's evenw3 saying they' ready. i'll agree with you. >> that's how the isis thing was able to start.fá obama'

and my question is after tikrit, what does that mean from mosul? are there going to be two battle plans? >> in other words, might iran have one plan and might the united states leadership have another? >> i think it's a real concern if the operation for tikrit came with no warning. >> and it's no question that iran certain isly would like to have more influence. it has enormous influence over full regional capitals there right? >> well yes, and in fact, the shia militias that are becoming more involved in operations and are participating in baghdad security are more and more becoming vocal in their anti u.s. statements. even accusing the u.s. of collaborating with isis. this is a very dangerous trend. >> and that's because it appears that so many of those along sectarian twids twooef sectarian divides believe that united states favors one over the other. is that the perception? >> i don't think it's the independent perception of iraq. >> that's not the one that matters. >> right, but it is the one that iran is influencing heavily. there is an infor

so the province on the way toward mosul, this is quite a test for the iraqi mary. they've been training with the u.s. military personnel. they're going to go into tikrit trying to take it to get isis fighters out of there. it's not going to be easy. isis is professional when it comes to improvised explosive devices. they're very good, and it's been difficult for the iraqi army the peshmerga to go up against that. they've sustained heavy casualties. it's not going to be easy. if they are able to take the city, it lead the way to taking the province that would cut off mosul, the second largest city controlled by isis and the anbar province west of bagdad. fires will have a harder time getting to the anbar province. probably the most crucial key to the battle is if they win, how will they treat the sunni population there. tikrit is almost -- almost entirely predominantly sunni. this army going in, the iraqi army is predominantly she amp we'll be watching closely -- shia. we'll be watching closely how the army treats the civilians. a lot of them have fredled. will they

iraqi forces regaining control to have the momentum to move toward another isil stronghold, mosul. peshmerga forces have blown up a bridge in northern iraq. the peshmerga have taken control of that area from isil about five months ago. we have this analysis of the situation on the ground in tikrit. >> essentially what iraqi militia commanders say is that they need this time to get enreinforcements into tikrit. now, they've managed to take back part of the city, but still isil remains in control of about half of it. even in the areas where it's not in control anymore, they have left behind booby trapped buildings explosives almost everywhere and neighborhoods ringed by snipers. that's why it's taking so long, it's the iraqi military with militia members calling for more militia reinforcements as well as explosive experts. they need them to go neighborhood to neighborhood, street to street and clear explosives before the iraqi troops and militia men can move further in. militia commanders say that's expected to take a few more days. the worry is who is going to maintain control of th

they are well financed and when they came into mosul they took $340 million out of the mosul bank. they were operating 18 oil wells and refineries and generated revenue for hostagetaking through selling historical and architectural artifacts. it's estimated that the annual budget for the islamic state is going to be $2 billion. so they are a force to be reckoned with. >> i want to back up just a little bit and i ask this question of you because you have always been very straight with criticizing u.s.-iraq policy and you have done so across both administrations in terms of the governance of iraq and some of the decisions that were made after the american military intervention there. so i want to get your take on the failure of the united states to reach a status of forces agreement with iraq. at the time there were different issues in the negotiations status of contractors you know different rights of command and control. also the u.s. according to gates' biography told the iraqis they should consult with some other countries that have posted u.s. military forces in the past and it

the battle for mosul needs more than 20,000.find precise locations of growing defenses around the city and the location of civilians. the defense secretary may have to recommend a small number of u.s. ground forces to help target those isis positions. but the top u.s. intelligence officer expressing deep doubt about the iraqi military's abilities after months of u.s. help. >> they have challenges, clearly, with command control, leadership logistics. so they have a range of issues there of what need to be attended to. >> reporter: u.s. military intelligence estimated six to nine months before the iraqi forces are trained, up and running and ready for combat operations across their country. barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. >>> honoring an outspoken critic. coming up, live pictures from moscow. people are getting ready to march for a political figure gunned down in the streets. that as we continue on cnn international. janet? cough if you can hear me. don't even think about it. i took mucinex dm for my phlegmy cough. yeah...but wh

analysts say wing it back will help secure supply lines for the supposed upcoming battle of mosul, but part of the fight for tikrit. iraqi official says the islamic state militants bulldozed an ancient city south of mosul famous for royal tombs and other treasures, considered one of the 20th century's most significant finds in all of archaeology. it dates back some 3,000 years. u.s. officials say that isis used heavy military vehicles to just destroy all of this. lost for history forever. it comes a week after isis released videos in which militants used sledgehammers to smash ancient artifacts inside mosul. the head of the unites nations cultural department says it wants to are crimes and iraq's most respected shiite cleric show is it shows how barbaric and savage these militants in. let's bring in jennifer griffin from the pentagon. what else have we heard? >> what is noticeable is it the u.s. led airstrikes are not around tikrit. reports from the ground there suggest that the iraqi army has been slowed by roadside bombs but managed to take back a town ten miles south of tikrit. they

mosul is untakable without the sunni participation.ng ground for mosul, while it may look good today, it ultimately is a failure, because the broader equation has not yet been put together to bring that country back together. >>> mr. bucci, your thoughts on what the united states needs to do at this point. >> well the united states needs to do more than just provide air support. they need to help the iraqi government do exactly what my colleague just said. they've got to get the sunnis involved. they can't do this with just the shia militias who are all advised by qods force commandos. we should have our special operators in with some of these iraqi units to try to help because we're just not there yet. >> well, is that what the american people want? is that -- whether it's popular or not, just something that absolutely has to be done? >> i think we're seeing a shift in the public opinion, and frankly putting our special operators in there, it's not exactly like deploying marine battalions and regiments. those guys are not really boots

isis posted footage of the destruction of priceless artifacts in the mosul museum.'ve reportedly bulldozed ancient cities in northern iraq. >> the mosul museum was destroyed. why asks a nun addressing isis? that is the heritage of your grand fathers. why did you do that? south of baghdad, babylon is out of isis' reach. for isis monuments like these are from an arabic -- the age of ignorance before the advent of islam and, therefore, must be destroyed. but for most iraqis they're the achievements of their forefathers and a great source of national pride. >> translator: this is the victory -- >> he's a leader of the iraqi scouts movement. he and other parents are preparing for a campout intended to teach iraqi boys and girls about their history. >> translator: we have to preserve our heritage to show how advanced babylonian civilization was. it was the pinnacle of ancient civilization. the assault on iraq's history is taken personally here. >> translator: when i saw what happened i was determined to preserve our antiquities from isis, says this man, who fled mosul las

the operation to liberate mosul is expected to be accompanied by air support from the u.s. led coalition. and the iraqi army, the peshmerga and sunni fighters will be involved in the ground operation. >>> air strikes by the u.s. led coalition in syria have hit an oil refinery controlled by i.s.i.l, near the turkish border. 30 people are reported dead including oil refinery workers and i.s.i.l. fighters. >>> massed killer on i.s.i.l. videos, the lawyer has quit. his client's son dubbed jihadi john was the same man. >>> seven were killed in lada and two in elbada city, civil houthis were killed after local tribes men launches an offensive on their positions. yemen's defense minister is now in his home town of aden, after escaping from houthi fighters, hours after he arrived he attended a meeting involving senior yemeni officials. >> reporter: after escaping from a hostile capital under the dark of night his rivals, the shia houthis were on his trail. looting his house after discovering he was already gone, then the security guards following behind him injuring two. what happe