we've got ben wedeman, arwa damon, nic robertson, kimberly dozier.t to get your thoughts as somebody who lived in the region and spent so much time in iraq about this notion of the caliphate and whether it has much support amongst those that you know. >> no, michael, it doesn't. and i think it's fair to say that the vast majority of muslims do not support the notion of the creation of an islamic caliphate nor do they want to see themselves living under the kind of draconian islamist laws that an organization like isis is trying to impose on the population. even if you look at what is happening in iraq right now and the fact that isis has gained so much momentum, so much territory. yes, other sunni insurgent groups are right now fighting alongside it, along with the sunni tribes, it's not because they subscribe to that ideology. and you can look at them as them fighting alongside isis or you can look at it as them simply fighting the predominantly shia-led government. because at this point in time they feel like they have no other choice. again, the v

worsen, it's going to be very hard for an iraqi central government to direct an iraqi military. >> nic robertson baghdad this morning. nic, are those divisions becoming sharper and more pronounced against iraqis? >> reporter: oh, you bet, miguel, they are. it's the way al maliki handled the crisis. they called on iraqis to stand-up and join the fight. a lot of the shia militias that al maliki and others turned a blind eye to that were involved in terrible sectarian violence. they allowed the units to be stood back up. they are supposed to join the iraqi army in the fight. many of them are. it is that kind of reaction to the crisis, rather than building across those sectarian divisions and trying to find sunni politicians and con vens them he will share power with them, it's that response. they have received no official statement from the united states saying he has to leave. it's all there in the language. many politicians here, many sunnis and moderate who is realize the country is on a negative path. will he change? will he move out of the way? that's the question. the spokesman for the most i

joining us now is nic robertson here in baghdad. acosta at the white house, jim sciutto also in washington, and arwa damon is in the north in erbil in kurdish controlled areas. nic, let's start with you. let's talk about this chemical plant. you have actually been there. what is it like? >> with the weapons inspectors 2002, and i was just looking back at my notes, bearing in mind that what we're hearing from state department officials now who say that the stockpiles that the isis are coming across there are the old, degraded, have probably no chemical weapons value, could be dangerous if moved. looking back at my opening lines from when i visited there, the first impressions you have, rows of rusting chemical warfare equipment rotting in a warehouse. and the last line was this is a sight that the weapons inspectors probably won't have to come back to. it was bombed in 1991. it's a large site, 15 square miles roughly out in the desert. a lot of bunker-type warehouses, the birthplace of saddam hussein's biological weapons production.

they might have been slow but seem to be on their way. >> nic robertson in baghdad, nic, thank you so much. >>> as we said here at the top, aircraft carrier the "uss george h.w. bush" is in the persian gulf near the coast of iraq. >> defense secretary chuck hagel ordered it moved to that location. cnn's athena jones joins us by phone. are we getting any insight into the decision-making process into what to do next? >> reporter: well, this is what the president and his national security team have been discussing all weekend. we know that the president has been spending father's day weekend out in california but getting updates on the situation in iraq from his national security adviser, susan rice, and others. of course he's asked his team his national security team to come up with a range of options to help iraq fight off these swiftly advancing insurgents. those options don't include sending in ground troops, but they could include air strikes and we know that this ship, the "uss george h.w. bush" can be use fod are aused for air strikes. they can conduct reconnaissance and surveilla

nic robertson. and the overriding concern of the american government at this point was we bring our guys home. that's why they did this. nic robertson, thank you. >> what about the other side of the equation, the five taliban suspects who were swapped for sergeant bergdahl? they are in qatar this morning. these pictures released by the taliban, reportedly showing their arrival. under the terms of this prisoner exchange, they will have to spend the next year living there with their movement and activities restricted. this morning we are getting a clearer picture of who these former detainees are and the threat that they still may pose. let's go back two years right now. listen to national intelligence director james clapper warning congress that these five men were too dangerous to release ever. >> i don't think anyone harbors any illusions about these five taliban members and what they might do if they were transferred. >> becky anderson is on the phone live from qatar this morning. good morning, be

let's get to nic robertson live in baghdad.nse of the situation on the ground. >> reporter: john, i think we can learn a lot from the fact isis has taken a town in the north. to get to the big sweep they did, they bypassed it. they knew the army would stand and figtd. they did stand and fight, so they sent a force after the rapid advance to take care of it. they have reached a town 45 minutes northeast of baghdad. they were told to pull out and evacuate. isi s moved in to take over. north of the city now, there are many contested parts of that province. the government says it is fighting back against isis and released video of helicopter air strikes against isis targets. we don't see people that are being targeted here, just buildings and the fact that these images are taken from helicopters and on the ground does tell a story, if you will, about the lack of control the army has here on the ground. the prime minister is telling his countrymen that he will take the country back. the facts on the ground seem to indicate it's very

cnn chief international correspondent nic robertson, he is monitoring developments for us this morning from amman, jordan. nic, what can you tell us is happening? describe the chaos in iraq and what the u.s. may be able to do about it. >> reporter: the chaos, it's very confusing. we had these reports coming from an iraqi television station today saying that the government forces have retaken tikrit. we've seen no proof of that so far. what we know is that isis commander releases a audio message to his fighters, saying that the fight has barely started, the rage has barely begun. he wants his fighters to continue to move on the capital baghdad. he is telling them not to even give a hand's width of ground. various videos have surfaced on youtube of this isis advance. some of it shows some chaotic fighting, burning vehicles, but other videos, perhaps more troublingly, show isis fighters surrounded by hundreds, almost, of young men, young men filming these isis fighters on their cell phones, local iraqis who seem to idolize these new fighters who have arrived in town. this is a very danger

let's bring in senior international correspondent nic robertson live from landstuhl in germany today ng treated. nic, what's the latest this morning? >> reporter: well, john, 26 1/2 hours ago, these doors that you can see, emergency room behind me here, this is the facility that bowe bergdahl walked into 26 1/2 hours ago. his course of treatment, we're told here, the time is indetermina indeterminant. it's up to him. we're told by the medical staff here that they are sympathetic to everything that he has been through, that they're going to try to improve his medical condition, his psychological condition. the same is that this is the first step of the reintegration. they're beginning to get him ready back for the rest of his life. for example, simple things you and i take for granted, like being able to sort of predict what will happen this afternoon, all that have been taken away from him. five years in captivity. he couldn't determine anything about his life. now he needs to learn all that again. his family, of course, ecstatic. they haven't been in touch with him yet. his mother ha

. >> let's get the latest now from cnn senior international correspondent nic robertson. >> nic, it's being described as a car bombing and a suicide bomb? >> reporter: it has. it's still not clear. the strongest indication we have is it may have been a suicide bombing. the details are unclear. it went off in tahrir square at 8:30 in the morning this morning. initial reports that we have indicated one person killed, four wounded. those numbers appear to be climbing. the latest that we have now been able to get in the last few minutes is that nine people were killed, 21 wounded in that blast. sad to say this is not unusual or atypical for bagdad. last week on saturday alone there were six car bombs, more than 30 people killed, dozens and dozens more wounded. but it is an indication of the tensions. this is in the heart of the city, and what we understand, the prime minister had drawn this line in the sand saying he was going to stop the isis advance in bagdad anti an hour and a half's drive north of the city. guess what? we found out the army had ordered a retreat from a base three-quar

we're going to live to nic robertson live this morning. nic, we believe there's a lot of fighting in and around baqubah of this very sectarian nature. >> reporter: there has indeed. 44 inmates in the prison there were killed reportedly by their guards. the shia police officers killing the sunni inmates at the prison because the isis rebels were trying to get to the prison to free them as they have in other places. that battle, as far as we understand, is continuing. the government initially said it was isis that killed these prisoners. getting timely and accurate information from the government is very difficult. the government tends to put a very pro-government and distorted message. we find at the end of the day, when the facts settle, a little bit, it's distorted. but the fighting there, the contest over baqubah is still under way. we've learned today there is fighting around beji. we knew that the fighters have taken control of most of the town in a ring of a very important oil refinery. now, they seem to be going back on a mopping exer

senior international correspondent nic robertson is at landstuhl regional medical center in germany. nic what can you tell us about sergeant bowe bergdahl's condition? >> reporter: yeah, good morning, christine. i think really, the headline from here has to be that his recovery's going to go at a pace that he's comfortable with. doctors here are saying that they are sympathetic, they're sensitive to everything that he's been through. and what u.s. defense officials have just told us right now is that there is no, no set timeline for when he will be returning to the united states. he will be going to san antonio medical center and take the military base medical center in texas. that is the plan, but no precise idea when. he is in stable condition is what we understand, but he is being treated for symptoms that require hospitalization with special focus on his dietary and nutritional needs. so, that does give an indication, it certainly gives the impression that during his captivity, he wasn't eating well. and certainly, we've heard officials say they were concerned about how he looks a

nic robertson for us in doha. va is set to release more results of a nationwide audit of scheduling practices today. the va has been under the microscope since cnn revealed secret waiting lists, cover-ups and long treatment delays at the va medical center in phoenix. dozens of veterans there died waiting for care. the house veterans affairs committee is expecting updates on the investigation at a hearing tonight. >>> relief may be on the way for some 5 million americans with student loans. we are awaiting a major announcement today from the white house. the president expected to expand an alternative repayment program that would cap monthly payments for certain federal student loans at 10% of the borrower's discretionary income. the president also expected to back a democratic proposal that would allow borrowers to refinance student loans. >> income-based repayment. if you can keep your student loan bill at 10% of what you bring in every month, then you have the oxygen in your budget to do other things, and that's

nic robertson in landstuhl for us. thank you very much. >> of course, the reason sergeant bergdahl is free now is because the white house agreed to an unusual prisoner swap with the taliban, sending these five fighters to qatar from guantanamo bay. the senate intelligence committee is set to hear from administration officials today in a closed-door briefing, as some question whether qatar will hold up its end of this bargain. stopping these men from rejoining the fight in afghanistan and elsewhere. former defense secretary leon panetta says he had similar concerns when he had a chance to okay a prisoner swap years ago. >> i had to ensure that the greatest security would be established so that none of them would re-enter the battlefield. and that was my obligation under the law. there were very strict conditions to maintain security on each of these individuals, and those were not acceptable, either to the taliban or to the qatarees at the time, and it was for that reason that i did not support doing it at that point be

nic robertson is in baghdad this morning.a sense of the latest on the isis advancement here. is the government correct in holding off the advance for now? >> reporter: it seems to be slow. the confrontations we hear about, two-thirds of them go in favor of isis. there have been three major battles in the last three days. the oil refinery, there was a battle raging yesterday. that's the most important and largest oil refinery in iraq. that seems to be mostly, not entirely, but mostly in the hands of isis. it's unclear, but seems isis and the iraqi government control parts of it. what the iraqi government hasn't been able to do is roll the advance toward the city back. that's significant and why the situation is ongoing. that's why, potentially, isis could achieve their own to encircle the capital. >> give me a sense of whether there's confidence in the country of whether nuri al maliki can bring them together so it doesn't evolve into sectarian conflict. the white house has serious concerns about who is running the country. >>

we'll see how it plays out. >> candy crowley and nic robertson, thank you so much. "state of the union" with candy crowley is coming up next hour 9:00 a.m. eastern as she talks with national security adviser susan rice about the release of sergeant bergdahl. let's talk about the guantanamo bay detainees released. the group has tried to free them for more than a decade. here are their pictures. i do need to put a disclaimer up here. these pictures of photos obtained by wikileaks that matched the names released by the department of defense. the department of defense would neither confirm or deny their accuracy. all these men held important positions with the taliban ranging from interior minister to chief of army staff. >> other stories breaking overnight, all seven people on board a private jet were killed in a fiery crash, pictures here. this is in the boston area late last night. officials say the plane apparently caught fire. you can see this is a photo from social media purporting to be of the crash site. there are flames there. the victims have not been identifi

joining me live from baghdad, our senior international correspondent, nic robertson. ell about the air strike and how involved is the syrian army at this point? >> reporter: well, the government here in baghdad, we talked to a military spokesman this evening and he said no syrian aircraft came into our space. we control and monitor with radar and we have seen no violations of our air space. none of this really adds up, brooke. but what, you know -- at a sort of -- at a government to government level, getting a clear answer, none of it adds up. because the syrians are denying they're doing it too. but the reality is, people on the ground are seeing syrian aircraft in the sky. and people are being killed. what the reality on the ground is, also, and what it adds up to on the ground is angst and anger. people are seeing women and children being killed, and brutally maimed in these bombings. and that, of course, is going to fuel sectarian tension. the one thing secretary kerry said he wanted to be clear about and he was in baghdad two years ago, there should be no outside

senior international correspondent nic robertson is live in brussels this morning. the president in brussels today for key meetings with european leaders, but nic, it seems like the situation surrounding bowe bergdahl will once again overshadow these meetings. >> reporter: it sure does. and there are two phases to the meetings. in the morning, a working lunch, then david cameron, a press conference where president obama can likely face much more questions based on what we've hea heard, so he can expect there will be questions coming about sergeant bergdahl's release, particularly on the issue of what other soldiers have been saying about the circumstances of his disappearance from the base. but he will be essentially having his whole morning very full of international and g-7 issues. perhaps he'll have a little bit more time free this afternoon european time, morning time east coast, of course, to deal with the issue of sergeant bergdahl. john? >> it does seem like the white house is trying to move this ball forward. they met -- white house staff met with senators la

regional headquarters, so it seems, it's the administration's view, that would be a minimal risk. >> nic robertson now in baghdad with established communication wit him. nic, let me go to you. we saw these iraqi men, volunteers in the streets. these are shiites, these are men who support technically the existing government but they are also militias under al sadr. the men you saw today, do you get the feeling that they're going to defend baghdad or that they're going to march on these isis forces? >> i think that depends on what happens in the broader battle feel. these are men who will go into action if they're leader tells them to. this march and demonstration was for multiple effect, one, to send a message to isis and more broadly, to the sounnis that th shia are ready to defend themselves. a message to prime minister nuri al malaki as well, every one of them that we spoke to said malaki has done a bad job and he should go. let's not forget al sadr gets some direction from iran. is this an expression of iran's view at the moment? we heard from the top shia cleric in the country friday press, sa

nic robertson live for us this morning.to dig a little deeper into the kries and the stakes involved and the options available. jim sciutto is our security correspondent and from london, charlie cooper, a middle east researcher for a think tank formed to combat extremism. welcome to both of you. >> thank you. >> so jim, you just heard nic robertson. this is disturbing, to say the least. and also, these terrorists, you know, now taking over iraqi cities are so vile. these are the people who tweeted out images of crucifixions in syria. should the united states get involved? >> let me tell you, the other thing about isis is that they're also the most popular group to join for foreign fighters partly because their requirements are so low. you can just kind of come in on a kind of jihadi vacation and join up for a bit and then return home. and this is a real concern because u.s. intelligence officials have been telling me and others for months that they are concerned about how syria has attracted these foreign fighters. what hap

cnn's nic robertson has more on what life was like in the grip of the taliban. hi, nic. >> reporter: details include how bergdahl was able to celebrate easter and christmas while in captivity. more on the other side of the break. are the largest targets in the world, for every hacker, crook and nuisance in the world. but systems policed by hp's cyber security team are constantly monitored for threats. outside and in. that's why hp reports and helps neutralize more intrusions than anyone... in the world. if hp security solutions can help keep the world's largest organizations safe, they can keep yours safe, too. make it matter. humans. even when we cross our t's and dot our i's, we still run into problems. namely, other humans. which is why at liberty mutual insurance, auto policies come with new car replacement and accident forgiveness if you qualify. see what else comes standard at libertymutual.com. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? i'm d-a-v-e and i have copd. i'm k-a-t-e and i have copd, but i don't want my breathing problems to ge

>> nic robertson, thank you very much. "outfront" military analyst, executive director to general petraeus during the surge in iraq and colonel francona. colonel monsure, you are hear isis advances. do you still feel with a that way? >> i do. i think putting 300 advisors or so on the ground, the only good that will come of that is it many give us good situational awareness or bet are situational awareness of the state of the iraqi parmy. that's that information we need going forward. but politically we don't need that. we need a comprehensive solution to the government in baghdad. once they form a government that has the support of the iraqi people, then we can think about those stronger military measures that nic robertson and baghdad discussed. >> and colonel francona, they were talking about anbar, bull dozing overtowns, and when i was there, i remember it being a deserted empty part of the country. what does that mean in terms of how significant the gains are? ? >> they are reeling into the towns that the iraqi governm

drone strikes, heavy bombs, tomahawks, missiles could have a more deadly impact there. >> nic robertson live for us in baghdad. nic, thank you for your reporting today. and from what you shared with us from 2002. >>> now, the outlines of the president's newly announced plan to send those military personnel, those advisers, back into iraq are firming up today. we have just learned that these first so-called advisers will come from u.s. contingents in iraq already. and they will be a boost to what amounts to an intelligence surge. they want to find out where isis fighters are lurking and where they hope to strike next. eventually they would be guiding iraqi forces toward militaryl l ground work for u.s. air strikes. spider marks is with me from phoenix, arizona. he was a senior intel officer during the second iraq war. general, nice to see you. >> good to see you, brooke. >> when we talk about these special operators, what is their training? what is their m.o. here? >> well, these are exceptionally talented, very senior trained soldiers. what they bring is a level of maturity that can be

nic robertson, thank you so much. reporting from baghdad. stay safe to you and the crew. do you make of the fact the sunni militias are fighting alongside isis and how big a threat does that make this really? >> first, before we go any further, obviously there are some serious and very significant political sectarian relyi relish yus issues involved. relative to the application of force, one has to define the desired outcomes of any inclusion or use of military force before one decides exactly what is it we want to do. if, in fact, we have the rapid movement of isis, it appears that, one overarching goal may be to halt movement south toward baghdad. the second one may be, okay, to work in conjunction with indigenous forces to remove isis from the occupation of the cities that it has already captured. the third may be to eliminate isis as an effective fighting force. it is only when we define what it is with the outcome that we can get into the number of force and type and location to move in and assist in the situation. there is some direct issues at play that affect the u

we'll have a live report from our senior international correspondent nic robertson. later, hillary clinton's new book hits the book shelves. she's out there on the tour circuit. what she's now saying about benghazi, her health, lots other issues. full coverage coming up. most. it's important to know the difference. like when i found out i had a blood clot in my leg. my doctor said that it could travel to my lungs and become an even bigger problem. and that i had to take action. so he talked to me about xarelto®. [ male announcer ] xarelto® is the first oral prescription blood thinner proven to treat and help prevent dvt and pe that doesn't require regular blood monitoring or changes to your diet. [ brian ] for a prior dvt i took warfarin, which required routine blood testing and dietary restrictions. not this time. ♪ while i was taking xarelto®, i still had to stop racing, but i didn't have to deal with that blood monitoring routine. ♪ you made great time. i found another way. [ male announcer ] don't stop taking xarelto®, rivaroxaban, unless your doctor tells you to

nic robertson in baghdad, arwa damon in erbil. where are iraqi troops fighting right now and how high is the concern that baghdad could potentially fall to this militant group? >> reporter: deb, i don't think there's a concern that baghdad is about to fall. but the development today is hugely significant and cannot be underestimated. the border town of the iraqi to syria border town after three days of fighting has fallen. the iraqi brigade there has been overrun. this is coming from an iraqi security source in the western town of ramadi. what this means is, it's not just al qaeda that's fallen. it is the -- it is the town of rawa, the town of heat, the town of husaba. this means that isis now has a direct highway link from its strongholds in syria to the western outskirts of baghdad. we're talking about a four-hour drive for those strongholds in syria now direct to the western outskirts of baghdad. isis has control over the major parts of the euphrates river valley. strategically this will allow them if they so choose to surge th

nic robertson report froms from baghdad. >> reporter: marching militiamen. a show of force for powerful shia cleric muqtada al-sadr, parading their weapons. only a few years ago, fighters here were doing battle with american troops on these same streets. their message to the radical islamists sweeping across. isis across this former colonel says, "we're here to free the land for everyone." "we don't need airstrikes or any external force helping us here, "this volunteer says. "we don't want these american military advisors." no love here for iraq's prime minister either. the main cause of the security deterioration says this cleric is the bad management of the prime minister, al-maliki must leave and resign. no sign that maliki is listening, busy directing the war, the country's air force on the offensive. isis fighters scattering under fire from missiles targeting their convoy, according to iraq's military, who released a video shot several days ago. impossible to know who precisely or how many people are hit. according to iraqi health officials, cnn has tal

nic robertson thank you so much. i'm joined by two very distinguished experts on iraq and its troubles. peter is a professor of military history and before that he was a u.s. colonel to general david petraeus and christopher hill is a former diplomat and troubleshooter who for 16 months served as u.s. ambassador to iraq. he's now the dean at the university of denver. can the iraqi government defend baghdad? >> oh, yes. baghdad is a huge city, seven million people. it has tens of thousands of formed shiite militia men. there is zero percent chance that the forces will take baghdad. none at all. >> are you as confident ambassador hill? >> yes, i am. i don't think the issue is the siege of baghdad. i think the issue is that we're looking at a defacto partition of iraq with the north western part of iraq now seemingly taken away. the curdish area is very autonomous. they're kind of seeing some of that come to pass today. >> you think that's a reality that could stand for some time. >> it's a danger that could stand for s

. >> nic robertson is in baghdad. he joins us by the phone, on the phone rather. nic, have the militants advanced or has this advance stalled? >> reporter: it's slowed down, suddenly that's the case. the iraqi prime minister says he was drawing a line in the sand in the town called mara, about an hour and a half drive north of baghdad. yesterday, just while we were walking in baghdad, young men volunteered to join up the new militias, just as we were watching that, an order was issued to the iraqi army in a town called baqaba, three hours drive north of baghdad, they were told to evacuate their base, take all their weapons with them, because within an hour the isis fighters moved in. the iraqi government had drawn a line in the sand. isi is now taking control of the base, that is about 45 minutes' drive north of baghdad. that is a significant move. also this morning, a car bomb in the center of baghdad killing one person, wounding four others. victor, christ ? >> do you know if that was somebody from isis with the car bomb and how secure do you feel baghdad to be t

we're covering this story in iraq and from the u.s., of course, nic robertson is live for us and athena jones is in washington. nic is joining us by phone right now. what do you know about the latest moves by isis? >> reporter: well, the latest we're hearing is that they are attacking a ton just mosul and they are attacking an iraqi army security base. seven people killed so far, 33 wounded in that attack. isis still on the advance. they took the town of baquba late saturday after the army flew from there, taking their weapons with them. baquba is so important because it's only a 45-minute drive from and it's now just taking them as prisoners as we have seen but apparently leading them to their executions. they are dressed in civilian clothes and they laid them down in the dirt and then approached them. it is horrific material to see and it's a horrific reality of what isis is doing in its advance towards baghdad. it fueled the whole sectarian emotions. they are now pulling weight and potentially it's a much more bloody clash than what we are going to see in the coming days. fredricka?

nic robertson is live for us in baghdad and athena jones is at the white house with reaction from washingtonlet's get started in baghdad. nic, what do we know about these latest moves by isis and where they might be heading now as a group? >> reporter: sure. i mean, the video of the still pictures that they claim -- the images do appear to be in iraq and do appear to show iraqi-type buildings and the men that you see bunched in a truck, crowded in a truck then made to walk somewhere, their heads are forced down, then they are lying on the ground and there is very clear execution, it's all branded isis, their flags in the background there. you know, this is imagery that is going to fuel the sectarian nature of the fight here and at the same time we heard the prime minister drawing the line in the sand saying that isis was not going to pass that, was not going to come any further south. we've seen the government, they put out video of attack helicopters targeting buildings that they contain isis. if you look carefully, you don't see any fighters around the buildings but at the same time that t

. >> so let's bring in cnn senior international correspondent nic robertson to tell us more about this. he's live in germany where bergdahl is receiving treatment. good morning, nic. >> reporter: good morning, carol. he's now into his second day of treatment. we're not being given updates specifically on how he is faring with that treatment. we are being told the type of treatment. there will be a psychological analysis, a physical analysis. there will be, as well, an effort to see if he has any actionable current military intelligence and anything he has learned that could be useful for troops in the future in this situation. it is going to be a long process is what we're told, going at the pace that he can cope with. it's down to his level of comfort, how quickly this reintegration goes. all this coming after almost five years in captivity. >> after almost five years in captivity in afghanistan -- >> scared i won't be able to go home. >> reporter: aeshl sergeant bowe bergdahl is free and safe. now new details emerging about the secret recovery effort three years in the making. accord

nic robertson, cnn, brussels, belgium. >>> we are learning more about the mind set of the u.s.y sergeant held by the taliban for nearly five years. bowe bergdahl was exchanged saturday for five guantanamo bay detainees. >> reporter: bowe bergdahl may have tried to escape his taliban captors on two occasions a u.s. official tells cnn, but until the army can talk to bergdahl directly, they won't know for sure. however, a u.s. official says we do have reason to believe there were times he tried to escape. bergdahl may not have talked about his five years in captivity, but he is recovering after a week under u.s. military care. the pentagon said he is now speaking in english to the medical staff treating him, participating more in his recovery treatment, and is resting better. the administration continues to insist bergdahl's health and safety were at risk and to make the point showed senators a classified video of bergdahl from december 2013. >> he looked terrible and i think that video should be released at some point. he could barely talk. he couldn't focus his eyes. he was down

nic robertson joins us live from baghdad. nic, isis gaining ground in western iraq.ow much territory are we talking about being under the control of that militant group? >> reporter: fredricka, it's growing. al anbar province, they have over 70% control, they've just, we're told, taken control of a tribe supporting isis, of taking control of the tiny little border outpost right next to the jordanian border. talking about the syrian board, we're talking about the jordanian border. they've taken a large town, about 70 miles from the jordanian border and the saudi border, a town i've passed through many times. they are able to link up by a highway their strong holds inside syria with the outskirts of baghdad. this is an important, strategic gain for them. this has happened in the last 24 hours. the army's put down its weapons and run away, though the government says the army is merely making a tactical withdrawal so they can be redeployed and refocus on other parts of the country. what this results in, isis is just much stronger and embedding itself much more firmly int

nic robertson and arwa damon are both standing by in iraq. i'll also speak with a key iraqi insider. let's begin with our pentagon correspondent barbara starr. what are you learning? >> would he have, the latest is the pentagon a short time ago announced u.s. military advisors are back on the ground inside iraq. about 130 of them now near the embassy in baghdad and working to set up a joint operation center in the baghdad region with the iraqis. that's 130 advisors there, and another 50 on the way in the coming days, all part of the president's plan to send up to 300 military advisors into iraq. their first job, they're going to stick around the baghdad area for a while. they will assess what the state of iraqi forces are, what the state of isis forces are. iraqi forces as we know up in the north and the west in some sense of disarray after isis has come through. what is the i.c.e. state of play? i.c.e. the latest estimate, there may be up to 10,000 insurgents in this region between syria and iraq. the border having virtually disappeared. peo

senior international correspondent nic robertson is in baghdad and elise labott in washington. nic, first of all, let's start with you. the militants in baquba? is that right? that's a short drive from baghdad. >> reporter: 45-minute drive from baghdad, michael. iraqi army forces were told to evacuate the big base in baqubah on saturday. they were told to take their weapons with them. they did that. within an hour, we're told, that isis fighters had entered the base. this is very strategically important for them, bringing them closer to baghdad and isis taken another town in the north of the country not far from mosul, like a mopping up operation to keep the momentum going southwards. they raced past the town to get to mosul and then telafar apparently put up some fight. and what's interesting about this is the prime minister drew a line in the sand in samarrah and said isis won't get south than this. they went around and took a town an hour's drive south of there, michael. >> you said they took a bit of a detour around there and left it alone. that, of course, the place of seri

first, let's turn to our senior international correspondent nic robertson joining us from landstuhl in germany where bergdahl is recovering. the administration says his health was a major concern. do we have an idea what his condition is right now? >> sure, we've been given a few details in the last hour or so. he'ses in stable condition. he's being treated for medical conditions that require hospitalization. we're being told that includes special attention to nutrition and his diet. because he's been held captive for five years. a clear implication is that he is suffering because of the food that he's been given over the past five years. unclear how unwell he is, but the treatment here, physical, psychological, to try to get him ready for normal life again. also, a military debriefing, wolf. >> how long do they expect him to be in germany before he's flown back to the united states? >> sure, what the doctors here are saying is look, we're sensitive to the fact of everything he's been through in afghanistan and the reality with that is they are only now beginning to find out about that

nic robertson is here with me in baghdad. also joining me is arwa damon, 50 miles east of mosul. in terms of -- let's talk about these videos that have been released. disturbing videos, purporting mass executions. it's impossible to verify numbers. they're saying 1700 people that they've killed, lining them up, shooting them in ditches. but clearly that is designed to exacerbate the sectarian tensions in this country? >> absolutely. i mean, this is designed so that any shiite persons in this country that sees it, sees a sunni man with a gun, killing a shiite man, that's going to enrage those sectarian tensions that exist. baghd baghdadi wants to attack the sunnis, that will then further radicalize the sunnis and all those sort of sunnis in this country who are relatively moderate, sitting on the fence, that will drive them toward isis, baghdad and the commander. >> he wants to grow his organization out of it, he doesn't want stability in the capital here, the tribesmen fighting with them do, but he doesn't. he wants them to come over to him, not to any other group. >> he wants su

nic robertson, cnn senior international correspondent is there in baghdad. al maliki says this is the end for the extremist group isis. confident words when the extremists seem to be on the outskirts of baghdad. >> reporter: i think is that is why he is using language like that. he really wants to get people to come out and support the fight against isis. he is one of those leaders right now who is telling young iraqis that it's time to get their houses and pick up a weapon and come join the fight. north of baghdad he said that in a town of samarra. he may have drawn that as a line in the sand. an hour or so drive north of baghdad. there was a bombing of a very important shia shrine there in 2006 and met to a massive wave of sectarian blood letting. sounds like confident words but he is trying to get people to pick up weapons and join the fight against isis. he needs to back up the army because he has seen some of the army crumble in front of this onslaught. >> extraordinary scene. you do have the u.s. being asked militarily support and iranian-backed govern

we want to go back to bagdad to our nic robertson there. t me ask you to get into this conversation, nic. we're talking about what's occurred since the u.s. troops have left and iraq has been immersed in violence. how bad is the situation right now, nic? isis getting closer to bagdad. i mean, do you see from your vantage point that there's a way to avoid collateral damage if there are air strikes? >> it's potentially very tough. isis certainly is aligning itself with the civilian populations, hugging the civilian terrain, as we were just saying there. it is difficult, and it's difficult politically as well. because if you're trying to promote political dialogue, when you start shelling one's side, the sunnies, because we'll be aiming at isis and if there is any collateral damage among the sunni population, regardless the sunni tribes in the west of iraq, who fought to crush al qaeda in 2006 and 2007 who are now on the side of isis because they want political change, not a caliphate. i was talking with a tribal leader who said he wants to get

nic robertson, is there any way iraq can get out of this on its own?re's a potential for it, but it's going to be a negotiated solution. there's new details that i've just learned from an intelligence source and we've learned here as well from a few other folks here on the ground in jordan. the sunni tribes in iraq have supported by pre agreement with isis to go on this offensive. and that does include elements of saddam hussein's former army, army generals who were forced out of the army when it was disbanded after the united states entered iraq. so this is a very coordinated effort with the sunni transcribes which is why isis has been annual to advance so quickly. i'm told they're very confident about their gains they've made, even pushing to the east of iraq and taking towns close to the iranian border, that they are confident that they can keep pushing towards the outskirts of bagdad because they have the support of the tribes. there's no way they could have made these advances without that support. we've seen that manifested in some of the videos

let's bring in our correspondent, barbara starr, at the pentagon, nic robertson, in doha, qatar. nic, what more have you learned about bergdahl's time in captivity, those five years? >> yes, wolf, i talked to a taliban source, someone woz familiar with some of bergdahl's captivity, not all of it. this is someone who's had information that's proven accurate in the past about westerners held by this same group of taliban inside pakistan. he said when bergdahl was first captured he was held in a house that had very loose security run by an old man. bergdahl, he said, was able to escape. he was on the run for three whole days. the fact that he wasn't able to get away was quite simply because the taliban controlled the whole area. they policed him up and they took him and put him in a much more secure location, where the taliban say it was clear to bergdahl he wasser in goi er in get out of that location. he learned to speak the local language, pashtu, he became proficient at it, he was able to tell the taliban he didn't like the food, saying he didn't like the lamb he was getting ever

our senior international correspondent nic robertson is joining us from baghdad. we're hearing conflicting reports on who's actually in control of this hugely important refinery. what do you know? >> well, without this refinery online, the country is getting short of cooking gas. the prices have gone up fivefold we're told in some cities. fuel for cars. there are lines three or four hours at some of the gas stations now. people just don't have the gas. because this refinery is continually being fought over. just last night, we were being told by three independent sources that isis had, in fact, taken control of the refinery. this is a large facility. a 35-mile perimeter fence around it. four different refinery complexes within it. but today the government, the army spokesman said, once again, that the military was fighting for control of it. indeed, had control over parts of it. we're also hearing the same narrative about talafar, that important air base and town north of the country. again, not clear who controls it, fighting continuing there. the government also

that information, those details given directly to senior international correspondent nic robertson andoins me live from doha, qatar. tell me about this. this just came in in the last few hours and what are they telling you? >> reporter: yeah, this is a source who trusted over many years who's had information previously about other detail knees held in the same area by the same people. information that's proven accurate over time. what he says and familiar with some of bowe bergdahl's capture is initially held in a house not very secure. it was controlled by what he described as an old man. bergdahl escaped from there. he was on the run for three days and that whole area under taliban control. he had no way to escape there. they rouned him up. and then put him in another location that was very, very secure. according to this source, bergdahl at that point recognized he couldn't escape and began to learn the language, asked for books, given books and islamic books but during all that time he's stuck to his religion. christianity. the taliban say that they gave him permission to celebrate

our nic robertson live for us in doha, qatar.ned the fbi is trying to trace three menacing e-mails sent to bowe bergdahl's parents. bob bergdahl in particular has come under fire for learning all that he can about afghan and taliban culture and even for growing his beard out. he said in solidarity with his son. but this tweet didn't seem to help. addressing a taliban spokesman just three days before bowe bergdahl's release, bob wrote, i am still working to free all guantanamo prisoners. god will replay for the death of every afghan child. by the way, they still haven't seen their seen either. a son that they hadn't seen in more than five years. we're going to get some insights into what they're going through right now, a family friend who also happens to be a retired marine captain and former state department official in afghanistan who retired in protest of the war. thank you so much for being with us. first and foremost, do you know the details of the threats that have come in to the bergdahl parents, what was said to them? >>

maybe this was all part of a calculation, john. >> nic robertson for us in brussels. , nic. >> so, the president's defense comes at the same time more of bergdahl's former colleagues are coming forward to criticize their fellow soldier, including his former squad leader who told jake tapper on "the lead" he thinks bergdahl was a deserter, he thinks he was responsible for six deaths. all soldiers he and others claim were killed while searching for the p.o.w., something that the defense department denies. this as former commander stanley mcchrystal is defending the sometimes deadly, dangerous missions under taken as they searched for the captured soldier. >> anyone who serves has a responsibility to the people they serve with, but also, we as a nation have a responsibility to those who serve. so, i think if we raise this discussion up and we say we've got a service member for whom we are responsible, the answer's pretty clear, then we also should look at sergeant bergdahl, and he had responsibilities as well, and i think they should review that and see whether we are mee

nic robertson, please, give us the latest on this. what's going on? >> don, we got breaking news out of that refinery. we understand a cease-fire was arranged between isis and the sunni tribes on one side and the government forces on the other side. they were able to get over 200 workers who were inside that refinery, they were able to get them out of the refinery through that cease-fire. but who controls what of the refinery, this refinery has like a 35-mile perimeter. there are four sections of the refinery and the best information we can get putting together everything that we have is that some of it is under isis control and some of it is under iraqi army control. more than 200 people got out in the last couple hours through a cease-fire agreed on the ground there to get those workers out and safe, don. >> nic robertson, in iraq, thank you very much. appreciate your reporting. make sure you stay safe there. still to come on cnn -- charges of home-grown support of terrorists. we'll have the very latest from texas. bill have you seen my keys anywher

nichlt nic robertson and arwa damon. what's the latest on the isis advance?strategic gains, the capturing of the iraqi border post as long the bored e with syria. what this means, isis now controls massive swaths of territory inside iraq directly linked to the territory that it controls inside syria. giving it utter freedom of movement whether it comes to, weaponry, military armor, and personnel. this is a key strategic route through anbar province, the euphrates river val yley and access to the outskirts of baghdad. andersen. >> nic, going to form a new government by july 1, is there any indication in the short term that that will change the situation on the ground? >> there really isn't, andersen. this is i send seashella proces 30 days after the process to nominate a president, then another 15 days to nominate a prime minister, key contested positions. then another 30 days by the constitution to have a government form. we are talking about 2 1/2 months. the real immediate threat is isis fighters digging in and getting stronger and being harder to dislodge

nic robertson reporting live for us from landstuhl, thank you. reporting to then private bowe bergdahl, a senior official tells us we don't have any understanding of why he left his camp the night he disappeared in june 2009. sadly, we do know all too clearly the monumental cost of trying to find bowe bergdahl. from june of that september, that year, six u.s. soldiers were killed in ied attacks or firefights while directly involved in searching for bowe bergdahl, who, some say, had actually abandoned his post. a facebook page entitled bowe bergdahl is not a hero is filled with resentful claims that bergdahl betrayed both his comrades and his duty. cnn's barbara starr joins me now live from the pentagon. obviously, this is a very significant part of this story, although so far, barbara, it seems a very unclear part of this story. we do know that those who are very close to bergdahl, members of his platoon, have been very critical, but what is the government saying? >> well, ashleigh, here at the pentagon what they are saying is they need to hear f

our senior international correspondent nic robertson is outside the hospital with more. >> reporter: sergeant bergdahl arrived here at the landstuhl medical center about 25 hours after he was handed over by his taliban captors to u.s. special forces. he was able to walk onto the helicopter. he spent only a small amount of time at the big bagram military base inside afghanistan before being transferred here. the staff here say they are sympathetic to everything that he's been through, that they are sensitive to it, that they will work at a pace of reintegration for him that is suitable for him. what is unclear is how long he will stay here. doctors have been given essentially by u.s. secretary of defense, chuck hagel, as much time as they need. he has said that they should be allowed to do the tests, to talk to sergeant bergdahl to figure out his mental and his physical condition. they should be given time to do that. the priority, they say, is to make sure that he is well, that he is in good health and also reunite him with his family. the doctors here have a lot of experience of tre