those troops, those 50 will be to assist the opposition forces in northern syria in the fight against isis. and secondly, what sek taur carter spoke about is to try to show some forward progress in the fight against isis. again, a group of special force, and their own backup, and helicopters, and surveillance, and intelligence, and search and rescue if you need it, so it is a new element of upwards of 200 additional forces. they will operate out of the secure location in northern rauk, and the u.s. is not saying exactly where. they will be able to move quickly either in northern iraq are or over into northern syria to go after high-valued senior isis leadership to gather intelligence, to stage raids. and one of the big things that they are trying to accomplish at the pentagon is to increase their ability to get intelligence on isis. they feel that they have made a lot of progress on that recently, but nothing really beats the eyes and ears on the ground, and they are hoping that the new troops can contribute to the effort. w wolf? >> so theoretically not just 50 are u.s. troops burk a

also, as part of the deal, shia militia fighters were given safe passage out of small towns in northern syria. these pro-government fighters were evacuated to turkey. it's the first leg in a journey that will take them to lebanon and then syria's capital which is still largely a stronghold of president bashar al-assad. this complex movement of people was made possible because of a deal brokered by iran and turkey. it's seen as a significant development in a country battered by more than four years of violence. the united nations hopes this deal will create some level of trust between the government and the rebels, ahead of a crucial meeting in geneva next month. there is a growing sentiment that no party can decisively win this war in syria and that a compromise may be the only way to bring an end to this phase of the conflicts. hashem ahelbarra, al jazeera, in southern turkey. >> nigeria's emergencies agency says at least 30 were killed in maiduguri. ahmed idris sent us this update. >> over the last 30 days maiduguri was under virtually a lock down. simply because the services here want to e

special operations forces now back in northern syria to advise local fighters battling isis. s call it the next step in the fight against the terror group over in syria all this comes as iraqi forces to retake a city captured by isis. backed by shiite fighters and u.s. air strikes iraqi troops pushing for the center of ramadi. the battle is brutal. the terror group is using civilians as human shields. donald trump is on the offensive with more vulgar insults on the campaign trail, mocks hillary clinton for a mid debate rest room debate and uses an obscene term from another los angeles used to describe her loss to barack obama in 2008. there are signs voters are turned off by all of this. half would be, quote, embarrassed if trump became president. i'll speak with jason chaffetz and a full coverage of all of the day's top stories. >>> breaking news, pentagon correspondent barbara starr. special ops forces inside syria. >> reporter: sensitive information. we are being told, and we have learned, they are inside northern syria, not the location, not how many are there, very sensit

they have arrived in rebel held territory in northern syria. regime supporters who arrived in turkey are yet to be relocated to damascus. the war in syria has forced many people to take grave risks trying to reach the safety of europe. among them was three-year-old whose body was washed ashore. some of his family members have now reached canada. >> reporter: at vancouver international airport a family reunion. she greets her older brother, his wife and five children just a few of the thousands of syrian refugees being welcomed to canada. >> thank you canada. thank you everyone. >> reporter: but there is misery mixed with joy for this family. another brother lost his wife and two sons trying to get to greece. they trends off the coast of turkey in september. the images of three-year-old's body being recovered prompted outrage around the world and helped raise awareness of the hundreds of thousands of people streaming out of syria, iraq and afghanistan. it thrust this syrian born hairdresser, who has lived in canada since 1992, into the internati

first in northern syria, local forces with our support are fighting along the line engaging isil in the last remaining pocket of access into turkey. meanwhile, a coalition of syrian arabs that we helped equip in northeastern syria with statutory authorization and funds provided by congress, for which we're grateful, are fighting alongside kurdish forces and have recaptured important terrain most recently pushing isil out of a town in 900 square kilometers of surrounding territory. they're now focused on moving south so isolate raqqah with the ultimate objective of collapsing control other that city. this momentum on the ground has been ebb ever enabled by increased coalition air strikes as well as support on the ground. in early november, we deployed additional strike aircraft in turkey. these and other aircraft in the region combined with improved intelligence allowed us in november to significantly increase our air stieks against isil to the highest level since the start of operations in august of twaurt. to build on that momentum, we're sending, on president obama's orders and the ch

first in northern syria, local forces with our support our fighting along the line engaging isil in the last remaining pocket of access into turkey. meanwhile, a coalition of syrian arabs that we helped equip in northeastern syria with statutory authorization and funds provided by congress, of which we are grateful, are fighting alongside kurdish forces and recaptured important terrain, most recently putting pressure pushing isil out of the town of at least 900 square kilometers of surrounding territory. they are focused on moving south to isolate isil's nominal capital of rock. with the ultimate objective of collapsing is controlled -- raqqa -- over the city. this woman on the ground in northern syria event enabled by increase coalition airstrikes. as well as support on the ground. in early november we deployed additional strike aircraft in turkey. these and other aircraft in the region combined with improved intelligence allowed us in november to significantly increase our airstrikes against isil, to the highest level since the start of operations in august 2014. to build on that mome

president obama in october ordered the deployment of dozens of special operations troops to northern syria to advise opposition forces in their fight against isis, adding to an increasingly aren't too happy with the president's latest plan to deport immigrants. the washington post says the start raids to send hundreds of families who crossed the border illegally back to central america. bernie sanders and martin o'malley took to twitter to condemn the decision. hillary clinton's camp says she has 'real concerns' about the plan. most stores and restaurants will be closed today, but if you're looking to grab some food there are a few places you can go. most applebee's will be open today, but you should probably call ahead because the hours will be a little different than usual. ihop and denny's will be cooking up your favorite breakfast foods. and even though it may not fill you with the christmas spirit... hooters will be open as well. we have put a list of restaurants and stores open today on our website... w- h-o-t-v-dot-com... tab... police in massachusetts posted this holiday- themed pa

. >>> rebels in northern syria have captured a major dam from isis fighters. it sits 14 miles from the isis stronghold of raqqah. it is a major power-generation point and part of the key supply line into the strategic city. >> everybody's been focussed on that supply route between mosul and raqqah. this cuts off the supply line from turkey down into raqqah. this is critical. and that dam control, it's the major generating capability and controls the water of the euphrates river. this will be a big blow to isis and is yet one more step in what the coalition has to do to isolate them so they can finally kick them out of iraq and syria. everybody's been focussed on what's going on in ramadi, what has to happen in mosul, but this is also a key piece of the puzzle. >> could be a key blow to their so-called capital. the same group of rebels is claiming other victories in northern syria as well. they say they took over more than eight villages since friday night. there is a new audio message, purportedly from abu bakr al baghdadi that surfaced on isis-affiliated soci

into the arena, even as an additional 50 special operations forces are scheduled to arrive in northern syria. it is a brush-up in the u.s. effort. but officials are telling us, it could still be weeks before troops arrive, what units will go and exactly how they will operate. allison, christine. >> barbara, thank you. >>> there is concern this morning of a new united nations report of a report warning that isis has succeeded in building a substantial presence in laibya. they drieescribe it as the seri caliphate outside syria and iraq. this report to worry isis' ability to export terror from the base of the coastal city of sirt. for the latest, we want to bring in ian lee. this is an alarming report, no question. >> reporter: that's right. christine, isis being able carve out territory in the central part of libya on the coastline. we are hearing the isis leader abu baghdadi has been sending 800 fighters to iraq and sir what to provide a back boep to isis. therefore, urban warfare and explosives making and it also has become a beacon, one of the fighters if africa, there are fighters from egy

special ops forces are back in northern syria to help in the war against isis.s iraqi forces battle to retake the key city of ramadi. we have barbara starr with all the latest. >> good morning. a small number of u.s. special operations forces back in northern syria as expected, but very quietly. they are there to help anti-isis forces, advise them on how to proceed with their efforts to root isis out of northern syria. the pentagon not saying exactly where they are or how many are there because of security concerns. all of this of course as the battle for ramadi across the border in iraq rages on for a second day now, iraqi forces trained and advised by the u.s. are moving through ramadi. they are encountering road blocks, barricades, booby traps, ieds, improvised bombs. we're told whole houses are wired to blow in that city. so it is very slow painstaking work. but the stakes could not be higher. of course first for humanitarian reasons, for the people of ramadi, but the iraqis very much needing to prove that their forces seven months after they ran from the fi

that group is fighting isil within the city, in northern syria, they were not invited for two reasons. a, in turkey, the national coalition based here, designated that party as a terrorist group with links to the kurdistan be workers, for the last 30 years. the syrian opposition force designated or accused that group of carrying out atrocities and ethnic cleansing in areas that they liberated from isil. that's the background for not inviting them. but the fact that they are a force on the ground, fighting isil, they are backed by the united states, and the americans gave them weapons, and they already are ruling large parts of northern syria, they are quite significant, and it's a big deal, i think, and it could cause future problems for the city in opposition, and also for the regional countries as well. >> still ahead, soaring sales in california are driving americans to buy guns, and a string of storms battering the pacific northwest. when they will see a break from all of this rain. >> analysts say that the attacks in paris and san bernardino are pushing more americans to buy guns

also as farther of the deal thea militia fighters were given safe passage out of small towns in northern syria. these pro government fighters were evacuated to turkey. it's the first leg in a journey that will take them to lebanon and then syria's capital, which is based on bashar al-assad. this complex movement of people was made possible because of a deal brokered by iran and occur can i. it's seen as a significant development in a country battered by more than four years of violence. the united nations hopes this deal would create some level of trust between the government and the rebels. they're ahead of a crucial meeting. there is a growing sentiment that no one will win this war in syria, and a compromise is the only way to bring an end to this phase of the conflict. al jazeera, in southern turkey. >> the japanese prime minister shinzo abe has apologized for the second world war policy forcing hundreds of thousands of south korean women to be sex slaves to japanese soldiers. it was an issue that has long soured relations. turkey will pay $8.3 million in compensation to the living victims

carter says these will be northern syria last month. carter didn't say how many are going, but the new forces will be able to conduct raids in iraq at the invitation of the iraqi government, and they can also conduct unilateral operations in syria. "these special operators will over timemee able to conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence, and capture isil leaders. " the pentagon continues to focus on small, mobile special forces and not large- scale troop deployments. the obama administration has come under criticism that this strategy does not do enough to eliminate the threat of isis. the fallout from volkswagen's emissions test scandal is continuing. the german automakesays its vehicle sales have dropped dramatically from a year ago. that storors still ahead here on t-v nine. hey! this holiday, u.s. cellular's giving you 50% more data than verizon and at&t for the same price. but i wanted a pony. [ gasps ] yoyore getting data. pony-sized data? no. u.s. cellular sized data. good, strong data you can actually use because it w

carter says the newly- deployed troops will add to the less than 50 special forces sent to northern syria last month. disclosing how many will be part of this new wave, they are expected to be on the ground, playing a very active role. : "these special operators will over time be able to conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence, and capture isil leaders."the pentagon continues to focus on small, mobile special forces and not large-scale troop deployments. the obama administration has come under some criticism that this strategy does not do enough to eliminate the threat of isis. : "i'm confident that we are on the winning side"on tuesday, president obama finished his trip to paris, where the war on isis loomed over global climate talks. the president delivered this warning to russian president vladimir putin... about the dangers of getting caught up in syria's civil war. : "with afghanistan fresh in the memory, for him to simply get bogged down in an inconclusive and paralyzing civil conflict is not the outcome that he's looking for."im polo sandoval the fight against isis isn't

last month - the pentagon announced 50 commandos would be sent to northern syria to advise forces fighting isis. cbs 2 news will carry a special town hall discussion on the war on terror.you can watch it tonight at 6 o'clock, on cbs 2 iowa dot com. university of iowa officials tell cbs 2 news they are investigating a racist remark found etched in a bathroom at spence laboratories. laboratories.last night - school president bruce harreld sent a statement to students and that said quote: "this act is offensive to our community and will not be tolerated."harreld said the remark was sanded away immediately . .the university's public safety director said the message was a racial slur, but didn't have any threatening language.he says the specifics are not being released due to an investigation. a west union man is accused of attacking a fayette county sheriff's deputy. deputy.terry mork faces peace officer, and trespassing. investigators say mork caused a disturbance on another person's property last wednesday night.officers claim he resisted arrest and assaulted a deputy who later was treated f

christina: airstrikes hit several isis targets in the raqqa in northern syria today, syrian observatory for human right organization said that 15 blasts killed 32 isis fighters, and wound more than 40. opposition activist, loyal to the group said that the attacks were carried out by russian warplanes and at least 15 people were killed. whether or not tashfeen malik radicalized her american born husband. investigator are looking into whether malik use your 2014 marriage to get into u.s. to commit the terrorist act. christina: scotland yard. a 29-year-old man was tased and arrested yesterday after two people were injured during a knife attack at 8 london subway station, the suspect reportedly said, this is for syria. a victim suffered serious injuries, and is in stable condition, it is not clear if authorities were looking for other suspects at the address. antwan: looking at video from a tribute from deadly terrorist smith playing in the stay of lights. american rock group eagles of death metal played atlanta bataclan on the night of the attacks. christina: well president jimmy carter is

carter says the newly-deployed troops will add to the less than 50 special forces sent to northern syria last month. disclosing how many will be part of this new wave, they are expected to be on the ground, playing a very active rolele(ash carter, defense secretary): "these special operators will over time be able to conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence, and capture isil leaders."the pentagon continues to focus on small, mobile special forces and not large-scale troop deployments.the obama administratiti has come under some criticism that this strategy does not do enough to eliminate the threat of isis. (president barack obama): "i'm confident that we are on the winning side"on tuesday, president obama finished his trip to paris, where the war on isis loomed over global climate talks.the president delivered this warning to russian president vladimir putin... about the dangers of getting caught up in syria's civil war. (president barack obama): "with afghanistan fresh in the memory, for him to simply get bogged down in an inconclusive and paralyzing outcome that he's looking

last month, the pentagon announced 50 commandos will be sent to northern syria to advise forces fighting isis. this comes as a committee will hold a hearing in washington later today. the house armed services committee will speak on military and political strategies for defeating isis in iraq and syria. they'll discuss how the current strategy in fighting isis will impact bothhregions goingng forwawad. and that leads us decision 2016 coverage as we're just two months away from the iowa caucuses. and publican presidential candidate ted cruzzis making his rounds through eastern iowa. he touched on the hot topic of syrian refugees while speaking at a town hall in coralville yesterday. cruz says he's encouraged by the many governors saying no to syrian refugees...iicluding govenor branstad, who said he does not want syrian refugees coming to iowa... "they outta be re-settled in the countries and we should not be bringing in individuals we don't know if they're terrorist." he also spoke on a number of topics including education and nuclear weapons. meanwhile, g-o-p contender jeb bush will be

the pentagon last month announced there would be 50 special force troops who would be sent to northern syria to advise the battle of isis there. now they're talking about more. tell us what's happening there. >> the keyword you heard secretary carter say there was expeditionary. that means ground forces. no way around it, we are told. they will be very mobile. starting off with a relatively small number that the pentagon's not disclosing. but special operations forces being put into iraq with the potential they as well as those 50 already headed to northern syria, these additional forces will go to syria. some of this could come from troops already there. some may be new trips. but the crew thing is, what are they going to be doing? they will go on raids. they will look for high-value individuals. isis leadership they can capture or kill. they will be going on intelligence-gathering missions. secretary carter is saying the intelligence has improved a good deal in recent months but they're looking for more gains in intelligence. all of this today behind the scenes is really an effort by the s

into the arena, even as an additional 50 special operations forces are scheduled to arrive in northern syria. it is a brush-up in the u.s. effort. officials are el theing us it could still be weeks before troops arrive. a lot of work to be done about what units will go and exactly how they will operate. allison, christine. >> there is concern this morning about a new united nations report warning that isis has succeeded if building a substantial presence in libya. the eun report says isis has as many as 3 nouchlt,000 fighte,00 syria and iraq t. report likely to increase worries about isis' ability to export terror from its pace of operations in the coastal city of sirte a few hundred miles from the southern most islands of europe. for the latest, let's bring in cnn iian lee. this foothold that isis has gained in libya. >> reporter: that's right, allison, very disturbing. they have been able to kafb out this area roughly 100 miles along the coast that the leader of isis, abu bakr al baghdadi is in control of this isis affiliate, sending 800 fighters to serve as a backbone to help train few re

now back to advise anti-isis forces on their moves to try to fight isis in northern syria.is happening in syria, but at the same time, jake, a major strategic battle under way in iraq. >> reporter: gunfire in battles now reaching across the city of ramadi. iraqi forces on move to take back the city's center from isis, seven months after they ran away from the fight. back in may, when iraqi forces fled, top u.s. officials thought it was a bump in the road. >> it is possible to have the kind of attack we've seen in ramadi but i am absolutely confident in days ahead that will be reversed. >> reporter: but it's taken months of american-backed training and advice and careful choking off of isis supply lines to get iraqi forces to the point where they finally made their move. new iraqi assault began by unfolding a bridge like this one across a branch of the euphrates river. the u.s. military provided training for the operation. the iraqis then pushed into the center of the city. with help from u.s. air strikes to begin confronting an estimated 350 isis fighters. optimism from the

northern strong hold. ♪ >>> the last few minutes there has been confirmation that the u.s. air strikes in syriaave killed a number of important isil leaders. hello, you are watching al jazeera live from london. also in the next 30 minutes. more than 20 are killed in pakistan as a suicide bomber targets a government office in the northwest. >>> the sentence on bribery charges have been reduced but he will still be the first former israeli leader to go to jail. >>> and guinea is official i will ebola free, but the search for a vaccine continues. we have a special report. ♪ >>> well, it started with a fight against the islamic state of iraq and the levant and there has been confirmation from the pentagon that u.s. air strikes in syria over the past month have dealt a heavy blow to the group's leadership. that confirmation coming from the u.s. military spokesman in baghdad. >> in addition to our tactical operation, we are also striking at the head of this snake by hunting down and killing isil leaders. over the past month, we have killed ten isil leadership figures with targeted air strikes, includ

last month, presesent obama announced 50 commandos will be sent to northern syria to advise forces fighting isis. president obama wrapped up his trip to paris today, leaving negotiators at the u-n climate change summit to work out a historic worldwide deal on climate change. n-b-c's kelly o'donnell reports from parr. << capping his brief paris trip with a news conference... (sot/ president obama) "as all visits to paris seem quick, you always want to stay a little longer..." president obama said he is confident others nations are stepping up in the fight against isis. (sot/ president t ama :14-:22) "we have to choke them off. we have to choke off how they make money, ability to bring in new fighters." after meeting with turkey's president today, obama said despite progress -- turkey must seal its from reaching the west. on russia, the kremlin released a photo of a brief putin -obama meeting herere. while today the president said russia remains slow to target isis in syria... (sot/ president obama) "i don't expect youe gonna see a 180 degree turn on their strategy in the next several weeks."

even some areas of northern syria.efinitely very serious situation for many refugees out across much of the area but residents alike, you'll be looking at a lot of that snowfall. it really will be making for those of you who are outside, wanting to get inside and hunker down as that storm system continues to drop 30 to 40 centimeters of total accumulation. as we move over toward north america we have a very severe storm system pushing off to the northeast. ontario, quebec, new england, 70, 80 kilometer per hour winds. this is serious for travelers. montreal over toward philadelphia and new york as well, you've been looking at one to two-hour on average airport delays across the area. and even some cancellations have been reported. traveling in the northeast, be careful and ready for that. back down toward the south, we are looking at additional precipitation in the southeast. but really the central u.s., that's where you have been hit by the severe weather all week. even extending back before christmastime where out of

in all, 100 families are being bused into northern syria, to the rebel held areas.ighters will continue waging war from their. it is hard from anyone to leave home, especially when you do not really understand why. the adults are in a hurry. local aid workers try to make it easier. to the siege to area where food and medicine were in short supply. he tells me it was very difficult. i had back problems and there was no medication. it is important, he says, what is happening. one day i hope to return to my home. that is the hope in this deal. >> this neighborhood, when the 300 thousandad people living here. today there are 50,000. we believe more people will opt to come back. lyse: this is a military cease-fire and humanitarian agreement. this is the only way forward in syria now. been twoe-fire has years of painstaking negotiation. it comes at a heavy price for the opposition. becauseics say this was of the siege that forced the amount. >> what we see is most of the armed groups agree to reconcile. they will give up arms, bringing peace and security to homs. this clo

you say all these efforts from northern syria, iraq, have shrunk the isil-controlled territory in both. mr. secretary, you can understand my concern that while we have allegations that cent com is doctoring things to make a rosy picture. and while you sit before us and say we are gathering moment skpupl their footprint has shrunk, and general dunford admitted isil is not a contained. we're all concerned you're giving us a rosy picture. not only do we really not have a strategy. but you can't have a strategy unless it's based on an accurate picture of what's happening. and the threat that we have. mr. secretary, how do you respond to the allegations that the department of defense, sent com, perhaps even your own testimony today is painteding a much rosier picture than what we're facing? >> first of all, i insist upon accurate, candid advice from the intelligence community. >> i appreciate that commitment, mr. secretary. but the question is about isil and syria and iraq. you have made statements here in your written testimony that the footprint is shrinking, has been shrunk. general dunf

it's already happening, special operations forces just finished scouting locations in northern syria.use to help anti-isis fighters. many say it's a growing trend to use small, lethal special operations teams to attack isis on the ground in the very places where it's located. >> you begin to breathe and live that environment, you get more familiar with it, intelligence flows, you're now more capable -- >> reporter: in another potential sign special operations are going to get more emphasis, several sources tell cnn that currently the head of special operations command is the leading contender to be nominated by president obama possibly to take over heading all u.s. military operations in the middle east, jake. >> barbara starr at the pentagon. thanks so much. that's it for "the lead." i'm jake tapper turning you over to wolf blitzer in "the situation room." thanks for watching. >>> happening now, breaking news. under water search, fbi divers combing a lake in san bernardino near the scene of that terror attack as investigators now reveal ties between syed farook and a convicted terror

the first is, the identification of ground forces starting with the kurds in northern syria which i mentioned, the syrian arab coalition, peshmerga and other forces and forces in the south of syria that are willing to fight isil. they have been hard to find. we have been looking for them and we have identified a number of them and by the way we are looking for more and we hope the syrian arab coalition as it rolls out towards raqqa is like a snowball that continues to gather people who are tired of isil's rule and are willing to fight isil and have them join with us enabling them and accompanying them as appropriate all the way down to raqqa. the other ingredient is our intelligence which was not so great in the beginning of this as you know because we were surprised again and again and again has improved tremendously. and by the way some of that as a result of secretary vickers on work with. that has given us opportunities both in airstrikes and ground operations like rates and so forth that we didn't otherwise have. so those are two of the things that have contributed to our being able to d

. >> the newly-deployed troops will add to the less than 50 forces sent to northern syria last month. >>> also on 7, chicago mayor rahm emanuel taking action after a deadly police shooting. forced to resign, the mayor also announcing the creation of what he's calling a police accountability task force. here with the latest. reporter: governor deval patrick who was born in chicago will be serving as a senior adviser to the task force. calls their chicago police superintendent gary mccarthy's resignation have been constant. >> the public trust in the department has been shaken. >> i formally asked for his resignation. he has become an issue rather than dealing with the issue. reporter: earlier tuesday in an interview with a local nation, mccarthy defended his actions. >> i didn't have the authority to do what people thought i should have done. reporter: but also admit aid press release said mcdonald fired at him after he lunged at them was wrong. mccarthy said in the 14 months since the shooting he never the feds had taken over the investigation. mccarthy's dismissal comes the morning a

reporter: a cluster bomb attack on the plains of northern syria in november.ach shell contains thousands of small bombs inside it, causing huge damage. amnesty international accuses russia of violating rules of war. amnesty says its program confirms such attacks have confirmed -- have occurred. >> russia's attacks may amount to war crimes. more investigation is needed, but what we have seen includes both attacks that we believe were directed against civilians where there were no military targets innocent -- in the vicinity. reporter: russia rejects charges that has been using cluster bombs in syria. it says the wording is vague and designed to conceal a lack of proof. "we studied this report and found that once more, there was nothing concrete and nothing new there. it was full of cliches and falsehoods we had already debunked in the past." confirming who is right and who is wrong in this dispute is extremely difficult. a united nations investigation does not have the mandate to investigate airstrikes by foreign powers. christopher: iraqi government of the wes

ash carter says the newly-deployed troops will add to the less than 50 special forces sent to northern syria last month -- going to help fight isis. while the pentagon isn't of this new wave, they are expected to be on the ground and playing a very active role. today is the 27th annual world aids day... the white house put a large red ribbon up in honor of world aids 1988, four years after hiv was identified -- it was set up to help raise mooey and awareness for the disease which, since it was discovered, has killed more than 35 million people worldwide. a woman is injured after a hit and run in waterloo... the accident happened near east ridgeway avenue and baltimore street in waterloo traffic wasn't affected for very long and police on the scene saying a woman was hit by a car, she went to the hospital with another city in johnson county will be abiding by the new minimum wage ordinance. tiffin's city officials say they'll follow the johnson eventually raise the county's wage to ten-ten and hour by 2017 in threeeincriments of 95 cents per bump. several cities have voted to keep their minim

we have put significant pressure on northern syria, we have taken -- with syrian air coalition partners have taken significant ground in the north and the east of syria. they are using the equipment that we have provided to put pressure on isil's main lines of communication between raqaa and mosel to provide a time line that the enemy on the ground gets a vote but does not have freedom of maneuver, they do not have tactical freedom of maneuver. >> my time is long ago expired, senator reid. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. mr. secretary, we all come to the conclusion we need american forces on the ground. the question very generically. we send in specialized teams of u.s. personnel and air power and together with local forces are able to disrupt and defeat taliban. we are confronted with instability and that the constraining factor right now is the local indigenous forces on the ground. i am told there's about 100 new syrian fighters that are on the ground and potential, can you elaborate on those comments. >> that was a circumstances in 2001 and 2002 where we were actively head ove

2015 is going to be remembered as the year when the rebels made the most spectacular gain in northern syria, particularly in idlib. in hours they managed to overrun a huge swathe of land. this is something that the land is willing to reverse and now the target is the platform for the records, the stronghold of the rebels outside of the capital of damascus >>> you mentioned different rebels groups are operating in the area. are they uniting to try to take on bashar al-assad's forces? >> reporter: they haven't been able to create a united front again president bashar al-assad, but we do understand that this battle could be a battle of survival for them. if they lose this city, ethat could be the decline of the president in the outskirts of darrah which has always been a focal point of the military presence of rebel groups. the problem we've been having in the past is you're talking about groups with different ideologies. on the one hand you talk al-nusra front and then the syrian army, and this is the group committed to reestablish a democratic syria, but it is a group which has been weakened

the un's blessing, they are able to escort them out of the area to rebel controlled areas in northern syriaey must travel many miles before they reach their destination. this is the border crossing with lebanon. the 11 and to turkey, the viasengers will go the 1 lebanon, to turkey, and then back into syria from the north. the deal would not have been reached if there was not an exchange of forces. the rebels responded by besieging and bombing shia towns in the north loyal to president assad who are also fighting the rebels. the deal happened after a similar deal was meant to take place any domestics -- damascus suburb. this all happens ahead of possible peace talks in january. this will leave the north of the country under opposition control but also government bombardm ent. >> at least 40 people have died after severe storms in the southern and western parts of the united states. flash floods, tornadoes, and the snow have destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses. the governors of missouri, oklahoma, and new mexico have all declares state of emergency. >> it took just minutes for roads to

in syria against turkey, the russians have started to move in support of the kurdish forces in northern syria, that turkey is quite worried about. there's a number of things that turkey is not interested in escalating in russia. having said that, vladimir putin is not exactly the parr knew i can madmen that some characterise him, or the sort of subtle statesman that you expect of a world leader. this speech was a cornerstone speech. as i mentioned earlier, this was a george w. bush moment for vladimir putin, he portrayed the world as a world of insecurity and terrorism with russia and russian values needing to lead. basically saying to turkey and others, you are with us or the terrorists. >> drawing a line in the sand. >> exactly. >> that is something turkey and others do not accept. neither from the russian leader or anyone, especially turkey suffering from terrorism along the years, including from i.s.i.l., does not accept the lecturing, the sermon heard from vladimir putin. >> let's talk about i.s.i.l., and we want to pick it up on the other side for you. the air campaigns in i.s.i.l. are

. >> turkey's president erdogan is renewing calls for so-called safe zones in northern syria. he want to back moderate rebels with airstrikes and make it safer for refugees to return home. he has been pushing that idea for years bur says it is needed the now more than ever before. >> we are working on creating a safe pass only which we will cleanse of terrorists whereby the moderate syrian opposition can be redeployed. this is a must. only then can the syrian crisis be resolved. >> turkey is refusing to withdraw forces from iraq, maintaining they were invited in to train fighters. baghdad ordered them to leave by the end of tuesday. russia has called a u.n. security council meeting to discuss the issue. >> the republican presidential hopeful donald trump is calling for a ban on muslims entering the united states. speaking at a rally in south carolina, he said the proposed ban would not affect muslims living in the u.s. buff would apply to those seeking immigration visas and tourists wanting to enter the country. >> we can be politically correct or we can be stupid, but it's go

. >>> turkey's president is insisting on the creation of what he calls safe zones in northern syria.s been pushing the idea for years, but he says the plan is needed now more than ever. >> translator: we are working and creating a safe passage which we will cleanse of terrorists, whereby the moderate syrian opposition can be redeployed. this is a must at the earliest possible time. >> meanwhile the u.n.'s refugee agency has appealed to jordan to allow in 12,000 syrian refugee stranded at the border. they say they are stuck just inside the syrian border living in deteriorating humanitarian conditions. the u.n. says it understands jordan's security concerns but says there is enough room for them at a camp in eastern jordan. >>> a cam ranman working for al jazeera news network has died six days after being hit by shrapnel in syria. he was wounded last wednesday while covering what was meant to be a ceasefire near the city of homs. ♪ >>> there has been wide-spread condemnation on social media over republican presidential hopeful donald trump's comments calling for a ban on muslims from e

the united states, the americans gave them weapons and they already are ruling large parts of northern syria. they're quite significant. it is a big deal, i think, and could pose future problems for the syrian opposition, also for the regional countries as well >>> it really highlights the complexities of the syrian conflict. thank you for that >>> the syrian government has released 35 opposition kiffists in the you city of homs. it will lead to the withdrawal of up to two now rebel fighters. that's the long rebel stronghold in the city which has been under siege for about two years now. iraq is warning turkey that it must withdraw its forces stationed near mosul on tuesday. russia has requested a u.n. security council meeting over the issue and ankra says it won't send more soldiers but it has stopped short of ordering a withdrawal. turkey says it's a routine deployment to train fighters against i.s.i.l. more from imran khan. >> reporter: the deadline is coming to an end and what are the options for the prime minister? he is not going to war with turkey despite the fact that one leading pol

in in northern syria, the syrian democratic forces continue to liberate territory held by a cell. on on monday they liberated the villages of allcon and sue we. they are south of and they give a stronger foothold as they move toward should dottie. during the five-week campaign they have liberated nearly 1000 square kilometers and have coordinated with coalition forces for 142 sites. they estimate approximately 500 enemy and destroy 143 isil 43 isil fighting positions, 43 vehicles in one checkpoint. the cross iraq and syria we believe -- very often the commander makes frequent visits to iraq and it was here this week. i want to share with you some comments he made. these are direct quotes and you can use them as such. quote. from general austin. it is worth noting that every where we are supporting and enabling operations across iraq and syria, the indigenous forces are on the offensive, they are holding ground that has been retaken from the enemy. we are gaining momentum against isil, and i remain confident in our approach and confident that while it will take time, we will defeat

evacuate arrived in turkey and then from there, they crossed into idlib, a rebel stronghold in northern syriaew exceptions, some of those badly injured were kept in hospital. at the same time, the pro government shia fighters and their families who were evacuate were flown from turkey to lebanon and from there will travel to damascus. past agreements were put on hold or collapsed. this one went as planned, quite a step forward for the international community, which is hoping to bring the warring factions in syria to make similar deals in the future to sort of bridge the distrust between them. that's one goal. in geneva, they will tackle serious issues like a transitional authority in air i can't that will put an end to more than four years of civil war. >>> 30 people were killed in attacks in the northeast of nigeria. emergency services say two saturday bombers struck a market in the town. in neighboring borno state, gunman opened fire and detonated explosives in a mosque. no one has claimed responsibility. >>> boko haram is suspected to have been carrying out the latest wave of attacks which

facebook page loyal to the terrorist group says russian warplanes carried out the capital in northern syria. including eight children and five women. a british-based group said 15 32 isis fighters. now to the weather, a warm, mild day turning into a cold night in state police say drivers hit unexpected ice and crashed in gill some, richmond, and surrey. a 71-year-old man in the surrey crash was airlifted to the hospital. meteorologist hayley lapoint joins us. will it be icy for the monday morning commute? hayley: there could be spots, especially low-lying areas in the valley. we have high pressure on top of us. it is not ice forming from rainfall or anything like that. it is due to low-level moisture we have an fog, freezing in many locations. some of the low-lying areas, some of the off ramps, on ramps, bridges may have some ice on them. it' s 27 degrees in concord. 34 in manchester. we have 31 in lebanon. the fog has started to roll in in a few areas in lebanon and up towards whitefield and lancaster. lebanon at the moment. there will be more fat -- patchy fog developing overnight, some o

rebels stronghold in northern syria with a few exceptions some of those who were badly injured and keptals and at the same time the pro-government shia fighters and their families were evacuated and they were flown from turkey to lebanon and from there they will travel to damascus. past agreements were either put on hold or collapsed. this one went as planned. quite a significant step forward for the international community which is hoping to bring the warring factions in syria to make similar deals in the future to sort of bridge the trust between them so once go to geneva and next month they will be able to tackle serious issues like establishing a transitional authority in syria that will put an end to four years of civil war. >>> u.s. secretary of state john kerry says iran started fulfilling part of the nuclear deal with six world powers after a ship with iranian left to russia and under agreement they must ship out all but 300 kilograms of the material that it has stockpiled. >> iran moving forward in removing much of the inf infrastructure and making irreparable the reactor and w

this is one of three such hospitals built in rebel-held northern syria, testament to what the war in this country has come to. the reality is medical workers and their clinics are now being specifically targeted in this horrific war. dr. david knot has volunteered in syria. he's a trauma surgeon in a major london hospital. this is him operating in aleppo. and he's also treated victims in one of the underground facilities. >> i hear that people now don't want to go to hospitals because hospitals are really being targeted. to take out a hospital is the worst thing you can possibly do. again the problem is it is happening. >> last weekend the rebel held suburb of dumba was hit. all ages caught up in the horror as were health workers. one of the buildings that was targeted is believed to have been a hospital. and during the same weekend, this make shift theyo national all clinic was also bombed. this was the damage inside. >> if you take out a hospital, you take out a doctor then you win the health of iran, 10 to 15,000 people. so it's a weapon of war. so where those people go, they leave

isis at every battle they have fought with airpower supporting them to take back their land in northern syria and northern iraq. admittedly that's not raqqah in syria and not mosul in iraq, but these fighters, they eye says fighters are not ten feet tall, but the real problem we have here, and so our audience understands, is that isis is sitting on sunni lands. to retake that land, we don't need just shias in the iraqi army to do it. they won't hold it. to hold that land, we need sunni travel forces. right noe now we don't have anywhere near the numbers that are necessary to do that in iraq or in syria, and in iraq, the specific problem is as much a political one, sandra as it is military. by that i mean president abbadi has to bring the sunnis back into the political process, but the iranians are pushing against that. we have got as a strategic political objective to reduce iran's influence on the iraqi government, and again the sunnis back into the process so we can train tens of thousands of sunni tribal forces so they can hold this territory and protect it. the iraqi shias are not capable

they were always expected to go back in that area helping advise local fighters in northern syria how to counter isis. pentagon very sensitive about it all, not announcing it, not talking about hair locations or the numbers of troops. but again, it was something that they had publicly said they were going to do as part of the overall effort to step up u.s. action against isis. so we are seeing some efforts stepped up again in syria even as you and i have been talking, that battle across the border in ramadi continues as iraqi forces try to get that city back from isis. >> all right, barbara starr reporting live from the pentagon. thanks. >>> violence hits jerusalem. three people have been wounded at the jaffa gate in the old city. two were stabbed, another shot. the latest about in a wave of attacks that has left both israelis and palestinians dead. oren liebermann is in jerusalem with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. all of this started just a couple hours ago outside the jaffa gate. the jaffa gate leads into the christian quarter. so especially at this time of the year

support for the campaign against ordered the deployment of dozens of special operations troops to northern syria to advise opposition forces in their fight against isis, adding to an increasingly volatile conflict in syria. democratic presidential hopefuls president's latest plan to deport immigrants. the washington post says the obama administration will soon start raids to send hundreds of families who crossed the border illegally back to central america. bernie sanders and martin o'malley took to twitter to condemn the decision. hillary clinton's camp says she has 'real concerns' about the plan. apparently, the grinch has been busted. police in massachusetts posted this holiday- themed parody of the t-v show "cops". the spoof shows officers nabbing the grinch red-handed as he pretends christmas. the green- faced thief was then taken to the police station and had his mug of attempting to here's a feel good story for home to surprise his wife. lance corporal peter allen has been away from his wife kellie for months. he was given the opportunity to come home for christmas... so he made a special

the most significant losses have been in northern syria. isis still has a strong grip in the major cities of raqqah, in syria, and mosul in iraq. and right now turkey is taking steps to secure its border with syria. officials are building a concrete wall and reportedly installing razor wire in an effort to stop the flow of supplies to isis. the international organization for migration says that more than 1 million migrants and refugees have crossed into europe this year. officials say this year saw the highest migration flow since world war ii. >>> sergeant bowe bergdahl was arained in a short military hearing yesterday. he deferred entering a plea on charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. the judge also gave permission to postpone a decision over whether bergdahl will face a jury or a judge alone in this case. bergdahl was held by the taliban for five years after he walked off a military base in afghanistan back in 2009. >>> still ahead here on "way too early," president obama is on vacation, but the pressure is on with spe