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

isil has been trying to repel kurdish peshmerga forces. kurdish peshmerga forces had taken control of gwer about five months ago. our correspondents have this on the grouped in tikrit. >> essentially what iraqi militia commanders say is they need this time to get reinforcements into tikrit. and even in the areas where it's not in control any more, they have left behind boobie-trapped buildings, explosives almost everywhere and neighborhoods ringed by snipers. that's really why it's taking so long. it's the iraqi territory with militia members, and they're calling for more militia reinforcements as well as explosive experts. they need to go neighborhood to neighborhood, street to street, and clear some of those explosives before the iraqi troops and the militiamen can move further in. of then again the worry is who is going to maintain control of the city. which force will be able to hold it after they drive out isil. isil has been engaging in battles in other areas as they're driven out of tikrit. near kirkuk there have been battles over t

with help peshmerga helped push back.they have taken back almost all the territory they lost and now thanks to congress we're going to be supplying the kurds with three new peshmerga brigades with very sophisticated equipment. >> jen flynn wonders why the help has been so little so late. the kurds want more air support. we have to rely on these guys and they're doing some very brave things. but they're looking to us to say, hey, we still need your help. it's too slow. we got to figure out where is the roadblock and get these guy what is they need. >> we've also seen firsthand the suffering of the yazidis. >> yeah, it's sad. >> some horrific stories. >> yep. >> so are they the canaries in the coal mine that kind of describe what happens if isis comes to town? >> yeah. and we can't allow another yazidi. >> you were talking about the policy. and obviously it changed, it developed, it evolved. is it now still degrade and destroy isil as you call them over a period of three years? >> well, you know bret we have an assessment i

dozens of peshmerga fighters were treated for nausea symptoms after the blast. 13 peshmerga fighters were killed in i.s.i.l. shelling. the incident taking place near kirkuk and the u.s.-led coalition says it staged eight air strikes on i.s.i.l. and iraq, the attacks taking place in the last 24 hours, targetting i.s.i.l. units in kirkuk mosul, fallujah and another. we look at allegations that i.s.i.l. used chlorine gas on attacks in iraq. kurdish officials say an example was january 23rd, between mosul and the border. a truck racing down the road coming under fire from peshmerga fighters. there's more smoke as the truck explodes. al jazeera america syrian contributor and journalist in washington d.c. joins us this evening. where would i.s.i.l. have gotten chemical weapons. >> first of all, it's important that the o.p.c.w. has not verified that this really happened. given this it's not difficult for i.s.i.l. to get its hand on chlorine gas. it's available online unfortunately anyone can get it. it's available in abandoned factories. it's not where did i.s.i.l. get its hands on chlorine

doesn't make sense. >> when i was there the peshmerga were barely able to hold their own.out. anyone who thinks isis is being pushed back or on the defensive need only come to the front line like this to realize that in fact much more is dmeeded to defeat testimony. and until they get the weapons and support that they desperately need and ask for, it's going to be a long drawn out fight. >>> when i come back, the fight in washington over how best to ♪ ah, push it. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ push it. ♪ ♪ p...push it real good! ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ow! ♪ ♪ oooh baby baby...baby baby. ♪ if you're salt-n-pepa, you tell people to push it. ♪ push it real good. ♪ it's what you do. ♪ ah. push it. ♪ if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance you switch to geico. it's what you do. ♪ ah. push it. ♪ i'm pushing. i'm pushing it real good! our new app will revolutionize car service and repair. excuse me, uh, is that anything like, uh cars.com's new feature called service and repair? no, because with ours you'll know the cost of labor and parts in your area anyone, anyone else? like, like cars.com? so

our reporter benjamin hall was there when the peshmerga faced a renewed offensive from isis. the time the village of cojo was controlled by isis and completely inassessable. there was plenty of action around the yezidi capital of sinjar city. >> we heard isis attacked where we were an hour ago. it was right up in the front lines of sinjar city. it sounded like one man lost a leg and arm. i'm not sure he's going to make it. >> translator: the shooting you hear in the background is gunfire being exchanged between us and then. i spoke to the general yesterday, commander of the peshmerga infantry. >> translator: the fight is currently going on inside sinjar city. >> he wishes his fighters were better equipped. >> translator: the weapons we received were old weapons. we need modern weapons like helicopters, and armored vehicles. he worries his forces have been armed by isis which has been armed, ined aaded aadvertently by the u.s. >> most of the weapons given to iraqis were have fallen to isis' hands. they have modern and advanced weapons like armored vehicles. >> peshmerga we spo

the fact that it's also been used against peshmerga forces,. it will create fluid in your lungs and burn your lungs. however, chlorine is not nearly as toxic as nerve agents like sarin. and tomorrow is the 100th anniversary of the use of chlorine in the first world war and also saddam hussein used mustard agent to gas 27 years ago. it creates a psychological fear amongst the people and creates terror amongst the population, and also the attacking forces be it peshmerga forces or iraqi forces. >> the iraqi military is holding its position as it tries to flush out fighters from isil. forces are calling for reinforcements as they try to regain control of the city. they've already secured northern and southern parts of tikrit. but isil fighters are still holding about half the city. isil has also been trying to repel kurdish peshmerga forces. they blew up a bridge in gwer in northern iraq. they had taken control of gwer from isil about a month ago. we have more on the situation on the ground in tikrit. >> reporter: essentially what iraqi militia co

doesn't make sense. >> when i was there the peshmerga were barely able to hold their own. and we decided to pull out. anyone who thinks isis is being pushed back or on the defensive need only come to the front line like this to realize that in fact much more is dmeeded to defeat testimony. and until they get the weapons and support that they desperately need and ask for, it's going to be a long drawn out fight. >>> when i come back, the fight in washington over how best to shopping online... ...is as easy as it gets. wouldn't it be great... ...if hiring plumbers, carpenters and even piano tuners were just as simple? thanks to angie's list now it is. we've made hiring anyone from a handyman to a dog-walker as simple as a few clicks. buy their services directly at angieslist.com. no more calling around. no more hassles. and you don't even have to be a member to start shopping today. angie's list is revolutionizing local service again. visit angieslist.com today. at old dominion, we see freight... ...as a combination of products and customers. every on-time arrival is backed

our reporter benjamin hall was there when the peshmerga faced a renewed offensive from isis. at the time the village of cojo was controlled by isis and completely inassessable. there was plenty of action around the yezidi capital of sinjar city. >> we heard isis attacked where we were an hour ago. it was right up in the front lines of sinjar city. it sounded like one man lost a leg and arm. i'm not sure he's going to make it. >> translator: the shooting you hear in the background is gunfire being exchanged between us and then. i spoke to the general yesterday, commander of the peshmerga infantry. >> translator: the fight is currently going on inside sinjar city. >> he wishes his fighters were better equipped. >> translator: the weapons we received were old weapons. we need modern weapons like helicopters, and armored vehicles. he worries his forces have been armed by isis which has been armed, ined aaded aadvertently by the u.s. >> most of the weapons given to iraqis were have fallen to isis' hands. they have modern and advanced weapons like armored vehicles. >> peshmerga we

doesn't make sense. >> when i was there the peshmerga were barely able to hold their own.ng and we decided to pull out. anyone who thinks isis is being pushed back or on the defensive need only come to the front line like this to realize that in fact much more is dmeeded to defeat testimony. and until they get the weapons and support that they desperately need and ask for, it's going to be a long drawn out fight. >>> when i come back, the fight in washington over how best to shopping online... ...is as easy as it gets. wouldn't it be great if hiring plumbers carpenters and even piano tuners... were just as simple? thanks to angie's list now it is. st ...from a list of top rated providers. visit angieslist.com today. to unlock the possibilities of tomorrow......"lift tab." behold the beauty of balance. crisp flakes of fiber-rich bran. answered by the perfect quantity of sun sweetened raisins. and with the sublime addition of ice-cold milk, the day begins. ♪sun'll come out, tomorrow♪ tomorrow is waiting. own it, with kellogg's® raisin bran see you at breakfast™. and delight

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

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

that was previously blown up by peshmerga force, but then reperiod. it was blown up to halt the advance of fighters towards erbil. the fact that i.s.i.l. has destroyed the remaining part of the bridge could indicate that they are coming back into areas where they have been driven back previously by kurdish forces and air strikes. >> we are keeling an eye on a developing story. the u.s. embassy is closed for security reasons. telephone lines in the diplomatic post will be down sunday through monday. and only essential staff will be on duty. a partial shutdown is in response to height end security concerns. it's urging citizens to be aware of surroundings. the riyadh embassy was one of more that 20 shut down in 2013, when emails were intercepted between top al qaeda officials. >>> one person exposed to ebola and 10 that may have been exposed to that person are heading home from sierra leone. he is being treated in maryland. people that worked with the patient are being monitored. the c.d.c. issued the following statement: the world health organisation s

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

now that bridge was previously blown up by peshmerga forces, but then repaired. it was blown up initially to halt the advance of isil fighters towards erbil. but the fact now that isil has destroyed the remaining part that have bridge could indicate they're coming back into areas where they have been driven back previously. by kurdish forces and u.s. airstrikes. >> now, to the devastation caused to dozens of tiny remote islands in the south pacific ocean. vanuatu is trying to pick up the pieces after being struck by cyclone pam. eight people so far are known to have died. venturing out of their hopes to assess the devastation left by cyclone pam. van knewvanuatu was hit by 270 kilometers winds on friday. the category five storm the most severe on the scale blew down trees and tore apart homes and businesses. residents could do let but wait. >> i'm waiting for the roof, and i'm holding on for dear life here. all i can do during this is think about people in vanuatu who has no shelter. this is going to be a horrific humanitarian disaster. >> as pictures of the disa

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

near kirkuk there has been battles with peshmerga forces. there were air strikes that followed an i.s.i.l. attack on an army post. i.s.i.l. captured more than 10 iraqi soldiers and that's not the only plagues. in the north, in the down of guerr, 40km from erbil, peshmerga commanders say that i.s.i.l. blew up part of a brim. it was previously blown up by peshmerga force, but then repaired. it was blown up initially to halt the advance of i.s.i.l. towards erbil. the fact that i.s.i.l. destroyed the remaining part of that bridge could indicate that they are coming back into areas where they've been driven back previously by kurdish forces and u.s. air strikes. >> jane arraf in baghdad. we are keeping an eye on a developing story in saudi arabia. the u.s. embassy in riyadh is closed. telephone leans at the diplomatic -- lines at the diplomatic post will be down sunday and monday and only essential staff on duty. partial shutdown is in response to heightened security concerns. they encourage citizens to be aware of their surroundings and take ext

the peshmerga are pushing forward southeast of kircut. of the city fighters have surrounded the isis-held town of el bashir. not far from here the commanders say they have good air cover from the international coalition. here in this area where they're also fighting isis isis is just up the road from here they say they have absolutely no air cover from the international coalition. the coalition provides air cover for the peshmerga and iraqi government forces. everyone else is on their own. isis' black banner still flies over the town while black smoke rises from burning homes behind us. they keep a wary eye on el bashir. these are men who have known little but war. this 58-year-old joined the iraqi army in his late teens. war with iran war with the kurds, he says war with the americans, war with al qaeda. and there will be more wars to come. true words in this land that lives and all too often dies by the sword. ben wedeman, cnn, south of kircut. >>> u.s. secretary of state john kerry is condemning an alleged chlorine gas attack by the as

>> when i was there the mesh mer peshmerga were perilable to hold their own.ne who thinks they are being pushed back need only come to a front line like this to realize more is needed to defeat them. until they get the weapons and the support they desperately need it will be a long and drawn out fight. >> that is benjamin hall in northern iraq. when we come back the fight in washington over how best to deal with isis. >> one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these occasional digestive issues... with 3 types of good bacteria. live the regular life. phillips' mouths are watering, and stomachs are growling. or is that just me? it's lobsterfest red lobster's largest variety of lobster dishes all year. double up with dueling lobster tails. or make lobster lover's dream a reality. but here's a reality check: it ends soon. just stay calm and move as quietly as possible. no sudden movements. google search: bodega beach house. if you're taking multiple medications does your mouth often feel dry? a dry mouth can be a side effect of many

peshmerga liberated mt. sinjar and the villages around sinjar and all of this was happening at the same time as we were getting involved in kobani. so isis is a real threat to iraq, to syria. it controls a third of iraq's territory, a half of serious territory. they're eight to 10 million people who live on those territories under isis control. isis is well-armed because of the arms that they seized from the iraqi armed forces. they are well financed and when they came into mosul they took $340 million out of the mosul bank. they were operating 18 oil wells and refineries and generated revenue for hostagetaking through selling historical and architectural artifacts. it's estimated that the annual budget for the islamic state is going to be $2 billion. so they are a force to be reckoned with. >> i want to back up just a little bit and i ask this question of you because you have always been very straight with criticizing u.s.-iraq policy and you have done so across both administrations in terms of the governan

. >> reporter: in january, an attack on peshmerga forces contained levels of the agent. a legislatory exploded on a highway between the iraqi are area the toxic chemical is banned underthe wrar convention. now it seems they're facing a similar threat from i.s.i.l. selena downs, al jazeera. >>> if inhaled in large amounts fluid is introduced a into the lungs which can induce drowning. jane ah rafer what arraf away what about these accounts? >> european union union has no various e-verification that this actually is theverification that this is the case. slightest implication that there could be any sort of chemical weapons in use. the chemical weapons we are talking about would be color chlorine. there is no indication that they are leading to the deaths of those they intend to harm, but even the obligation that this is true is causing much discretion. martine p. >> use of closh of chlorine gas is that deed the case is i.s.i.l. on the back foot? >> well, according to the u.s. military i.s.i.l. has lost perhaps maybe 25% of the trair tri that it took over last year and acr

weapons provided to the peshmerga. the first country to actually land and deliver weapon during the crisis was not the united states, it was iran. and the heavy weapons that the kurds need in order to deal with the isis armor are not being provided by the pentagon. milan missiles are coming from germany, france is providing 20 millimeter armor-piercing munitions. when i was in iraqi kurdistan a month ago, i spoke with senior kurdish officials and they explained the problems they had with the pentagon in getting the equipment that they need, their desire for heavy weapons including offensive heavy weapons like tanks and artillery. they said that the training has been sluggish. when i asked a senior u.s. firm he said -- official, he said well peshmerga are on the front line fighting we're having trouble organize toking them. that notion was reputeuated. so the u.s. is an obstacle. the conditions of security and economic viability are being established, but they haven't been fully manifest. kurds have been trying to el oi

i was going to ask you how confident are the peshmerga and the iraqi government forces that they can retake tikrit, and use that as a springboard to move forward and relaunch themselves to retake mosul. >> absolutely. that will give us better tactics, better leverage, and a lot more area in setting the stage for taking back mosul. it's inevitable. we're going to take back mosul. hopefully with the continued support of the international coalition and international airstrikes. it's inevitable. isil has made mosul it's headquarters. it's the second largest city in iraq, and we're going to take it back one way or another. this will require all hands on deck. iraqi security forces, peshmerga forces in addition to the international coalition aid. >> colin zabari, thank you for talking with al jazeera. >> glad to be with you. >> now in the united states the senator from texas ted cruz said he was running for president in the presidential election in in 2016. what more do we know about ted cruz and what he actually stand for? >> it's a fairly typical speech. he checked all the boxes when tal

to general dempsey, talking about the peshmerga. in terms of percentage, if you look at the isf overall, the fights undertaken against isil what weight of effort would you say that the peshmerga or others fighting in the region are currently pursuing against isil? general dempsey: the early successes were largely through peshmerga. that's will evolve over time, but they had been carrying the majority of the effort so far. >> are they carrying out a third? three quarters, 90%? general dempsey: the early effort to blunt isil's momentum were with the peshmerga. >> reports in the news and other places state that peshmerga have only been getting 10% of the arms rigid through baghdad. is that correct? >> i don't have the percentage. i can take it for the record. there was friction early on with the government of iraq to provide weapons to peshmerga but we have managed our way through that. >> right now, you confidence that it has been settled or resolved? general dempsey: i'm confident we have broken through the initial fiction, but it do

people, at least 13 kurdish peshmerga fighters have been killed in i.s.i.l.'s shelling. this incident took place south of the oil-rich city of kirkuk. let's talk to our correspondent jane arraf, in the iraqi capital. first of all, tikrit how credible is the optimism from the iraqi forces that they could liberate this important town within three days. >> well liberate is a sweeping word. what they are saying is they believe that they are confident in eradicating the i.s.i.l. preps in tikrit. the major pockets of i.s.i.l. i.s.i.l. holds half the city. it's not a huge number of fighters. the reason this is taking so long, and the offensive started a week ago, is i.s.i.l.'s main tactics are explosives and snipers, and people willing to blow themselves up. as iraqi troops and shia militia members have gone in to tikrit. they can't advance because of explosives and the snipers. the iraqi army called for reinforcements. they are expected to make progress. clearing neighbourhood by neighbourhood, and basically it is a rough oud line of when the army expects to raise the iraqi fl

peshmerga considered a jewel in the crown.that's why there's the feuds ongoing from time to time. the problem is strategically, we don't know now, is isis just doing this opening a front in tikrit and iraq and kirkuk and other places inside syria, or just come through and away. because it seems to us if there's no sort of coordination between those who are fighting in tikrit and those who are fighting in peshmerga side. >> now, somebody who wants to get an update on this is the u.s. top military man, general martin dempsey. he's flown into baghdad this morning? >> indeed. and yesterday, he said that one or two pushes from the iran-backed militias could take control of tikrit. and this is an interesting development, if you like. iranians put on the table as if they are the confronting forces for the i.s. >> this is amazing to hear from you know, the mouth of a senior washington man, that they need tehran on the ground. >> indeed. and this is a scene, they are back to reality. they started to realize that. iranian really are for

-iran nuclear talks. 13 kurdish peshmerga have been killed in shelling by i.s.i.l. in the city of kirkuk. kurdish forces have been battling i.s.i.l. >> talks between libya's two rival parties have been postponed after one side failed to show up. the meeting in morocco was halted after the absence of a delegation from the u.n. government. the u.n. envoy met members from the tripoli based general congress. delegates from the gfc are concerned with the appointment of general khalifa haftar >>> iran agreed to give the country $1 billion in aid, backing the building of power stations and the supply of fuel. protesters have been speaking out against a houthi takeover and a rally was held in the coastal city with similar protests elsewhere. the houthis took control and resolved the government last month. >> nigeria is getting help from foreign mercenaries. there's evidence that the so-called soldiers of fortune are playing a vital role on the front line. victory in baga. nigerian troops sweep into the town of borno state, and regain control from boko haram. >> you go for c

worst on the community since the devastating double suicide bombing in the northwestern city of peshmerga in 2013 kill more than 80 people. this time the bombings were in the uhanabad neighborhood, home to more than 100 christians. >> we stroveningly condemned the act and demand the government provide protection for all places of worship including muslim prayer places and pack pakistan mineority did are insecurity. we want security. >> lahor is the capitol, pakistani's wealthiest prove incident. it's generally considered peaceful compared to other areas of pakistan but attacks have been increasing after the golfts failed attempts to hold peace talks with the taliban last year. >> christian community leaders say the government isn't doing enough to ensure their safety and that attacks like this show they are target did, victoria gatenby, al jazeera. >> coming up here, is it bye-bye bibi israel's prime minister looking to secure a 4th poll. the opinion polls show his party trailing far behind. kenya's two teams. rights across france to police face court. scrunch. >>> time to recap global he

a bridge that was previously blown up by peshmerga forces but then repaired. it was blown up initially to halt the advance of isil fighters towards erbil. but the fact now that isil has destroyed the remaining part of that bridge could indicate that they're coming back into areas where they have been driven back previously by kurdish forces and u.s. airstrikes. >> sierra leone's vice president has sought political acelomate theasylum from the u.s. embassy. vice president said he was putting himself in quarantine for 21 days after one of his bodyguards died of ebola. >>> it's a finey nation in the south pacific flying more than 2,000 kilometers from the coast of new zealand vanuatu is a small fishing community that makes most of its money through tourism and agriculture. but friday night the archipelago of 80 80 islands hit by winds of 200 kilometers an hour. at least eight people have died. >> reporter: venturing out of their homes to assist the devastation left by cyclone pam. vanuatu, a group of islands in the pacific were hit by winds up to 270 kilometers a

a force including iraqi army shia malaysia and peshmerga say they are making gains against i.s.i.l.krit on the mountain range overlooking the city and u.s. is not providing air support but one of the most senior military commanders is helping to supervise the attack and operation billed as dry run on assault on mosul, iraq's second largest city and under i.s.i.l. control and jane reports. >> reporter: the attacks started with shelling. these mortars were aimed at paving the way for soldiers and fighters to advance to tikrit and central iraq the iraqi military with shia malitia pushed back from cities and towns and hussein has more significance. >> these are for rats and we will cross them in tikrit. >> reporter: this is the biggest single massacre by i.s.i.l. since it seized the territory last june gunman killed 1,000 military recruits at the camp spiker and blame some of the neighboring sunni tribes for supporting i.s.i.l. prime minister abadi saying they will not be targeted by the malitia but he told parliament those who did not support the government fight were supporting i.s.i.

this is not a fight that will be led by the iraqi security forces or the kurdish peshmerga. not the case. it will be led by the shia militia groups by iran and all over social media right now there is a photograph of seoul manny, the commander of the commander guard corps in iran standing in camp spiker a former u.s. military base essentially rallying the troops. i see this as it's going to be a very bloody very nasty fight because essentially you have these shia militia groups some of whom have been accused of ethnic cleansing going into saddam hussein's hometown. this is going to be nasty. >> i do want to get the colonel back in here shaking your head. your response. >> michael is right. it's a three-pronged attack by both the iraqi security forces the peshmerga and there are some shia militia up there. there are several of them up there and some of the local villages northeast of the tikrit have asked for some of those militia to come up as the iraqi security forces. so i think we need to be careful who we're throwing the rocks at here. it's a three-pronged attack and eve

military is providing support for the peshmerga.there are several american, british and canadian christian volunteers also serving, most with iraqi battlefield experience. they receive no pay but are provided with free room and board by the assyrian christian militia. >> to me, it means everything. i mean, i come from a country where most people take for granted their freedoms. they don't understand what persecution is. in this part of the world, to be able to live free and practice your faith without being killed is huge. >> reporter: we caught up with brett in alqosh, a christian town just 30 miles from the isis stronghold in iraq, mosul. alqosh was overrun last summer by isis fighters and then recaptured with the help of kurdish and christian militias this past august. skirmishes with isis persist nearby. >> isis likes to pitch attacks. they're cowards. they like to do it in low visibility, low moonlight, rain, fog, stuff like that. >> we love america too much. >> we love you guys, we love this house, and we love that she stayed

so we are independent on what in this case is peshmerga kurdish forces can do. and of course they are seeking as a matter of urgent priority to eliminate isil-controlled territory, but i'm not aware of any sort of specific rescue missions or raids being planned. it is a systemic program to roll back isil control and retake territory that has been lost to isil. >> a ghastly spectacle, we're doing what we can to provide other countries with counseling services for women who have been brutalized in the form that you describe, and it is happening on a horrendous scale, as you say. and there will be a lot more to be done but the issue is access. >> i know the pyd were act itchi along with the peshmerga in taking part in some of those rescues. also helped the peshmerga in various situations. but still prescribed organization in this country. is that still our view and if so, why? >> would you like to answer that? >> at the risk of sountding bureaucratic, we don't go into cities -- can't get into sort of who is being considered and who isn't being considered for prescr

>> congressman, there's about 90,000 fighters in the ministry of peshmerga.s 80,000 mobilized in grand ayatollah sistani's call to arms for shia militia. some have been enrolled as)[֖ popular mobilization forces, some have not. for iraqis under arms there's a significant shia population in the iraqi armed forces, both the counter terrorism services and the regular armed forces. about 80% of the iraqis in uniform are shia. >> and what number would you put on that? >> i'll have to get back to you with an exact number of the iraqis under arms. >> would you guess 10,000 to 80,000? >> it's upward of that. >> it's upward. what is our current guesstimate on isil forces in iraq? >> the numbers vary sir. i would defer to my intelligence committee colleagues about their best guest estimate. i've seen a couple,000 numbers. we can get back to you with a detailed classified answer. >> okay. are you guys watching the budget negotiations up here? it's okay to admit that you're watching them. >> my -- my portfolio on the joint staff is not being mindful of budgetary -- >> d

i believe to general dempsey talking about the peshmerga. in terms of percentage, if you look at the isf overall, the fighting that has taken place and the efforts undertaken against isil white -- what weight of effort would you say that the peshmerga or others fighting in the region are currently pursuing against isil? general dempsey: the early successes were largely through the peshmerga. that will evolve over time. they have been caring the majority of the effort so far. senator gardner: by majority of effort, are they caring out 1/3 90%? general dempsey: the early effort to blunt isil's momentum were with the peshmerga. senator gardner: in reports of the news of the state of the peshmerga only getting 10% of the arms being routed through baghdad, is that correct? general dempsey i don't have the : percentage. there was friction early on with the government of iraq to provide weapons to peshmerga but we have managed our way through that. senator gardner: you are confident that this has been settled or resolved? general dempsey: i am conf

so we are independent on what in this case is peshmerga kurdish forces can do. and of course they are seeking as a matter of urgent priority to eliminate isil-controlled territory, but i'm not aware of any sort of specific rescue missions or raids being planned. it is a systemic program to roll back isil control and retake territory that has been lost to isil. >> a ghastly spectacle, we're doing what we can to provide other countries with counseling services for women who have been brutalized in the form that you describe, and it is happening on a horrendous scale, as you say. and there will be a lot more to be done but the issue is access. >> i know the pyd were act itchi along with the peshmerga in taking part in some of those rescues. also helped the peshmerga in various situations. but still prescribed organization in this country. is that still our view and if so, why? >> would you like to answer that? >> at the risk of sountding bureaucratic, we don't go into cities -- can't get into sort of who is being considered and who isn't being considered for prescr

i think we should be training and equipping the kurdish peshmerga. i think that have been important allies in the pushback against isis and others. but, what i am concerned about though is the relationship between the iraqi security forces, iran, which has been the sidebar topic of many conversations today, and the shia militia forces. during the iraq war ied's were huge concern to american troops. i think sn senator mccain has alluded to earlier there were some types of ied's, explosively formed projectiles that were formed -- they were devastating to our men and women. left many gold star families out there. we know that those efp's. a lot of those came from iran. so right now, what i would like to hear from you is are american taxpayer dollars going to the shia militia that once were fighting against american soldiers? how can we ensure the american taxpayers that these funds will not be used against us as we move forward? secretary carter, if you could address that. >> thank you. first of all, i share your concern about the shia militias being th

more recently kurdish peshmerga fighters have been making advances around mosul.oordinationed mission to retake mosul will probably begin in april or may. involving 25,000 iraqi troops. but they first need to recapture the city of tikrit because of its strategic location. we shouldn't forget previous attempts to take tikrit have failed, and at the very least there is likely to be strong resistance there. >>> forces rival to libya's air force have been carrying out tit-for-tat air strikes. a jet struck the oil point and the airport, though it is said to only be minor damages. forces from the u.n. hit back targeting the only working airport in the capitol tripoli. tripoli's forces are battling on a third front as well against isil affiliated fighters. now it's all ahead of the u.n. brokered peace talks due to begin in morocco later in the week. our correspondent has more from tripoli. >> reporter: the air strike that targeted this -- the airport in tripoli did not leave any casualties it was a small hit near the runway according to the security forces. but as for th

i met a peshmerga lieutenant at the airport.myself on the battlefield. >> tell us about one of the battles against isis and what that was like. >> it was pretty terrifying. i use my training and skills and they did me well. >> at some point you had to go back to canada. why did you leave the battlefield? >> me and patrick were both told by a high ranking peshmerga general that we were not to be used in combat anymore. i believe the kurdistan regional government was fearful of political backlash from canada and the united states if we got hurt or killed. >> so it came from the kurds and not from the u.s. military? >> there was green berets there as well that told us the same thing. they basically said it was time for us to leave. >> why would there be political backlash? >> i don't know. that's not something i can answer. >> but it's safe to say you didn't want to return. you wanted to stay and fight. >> yes, i did. >> was it easy to get along with kurdish forces because you don't speak the same language or do many of them speak

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

commander in the region who said look a key to fighting isis is that kurdish peshmerga. so is president obama making a serious mistake aligning with iran to fight isis in iraq? >> it's great to be here. i think that's exactly right. the rise of isis is because of the abuses of the shiite government under president maliki and his use of iranian trained shiite militias. the more iran is involved in iraq, the more we drive sunnies to isis. so first we have to say get iran out of iraq and as you said, we should be training the kurdish peshmerga forces and right now they're grossly underarmed. unless we do those two things, i don't think there is going to be stability in iraq. >> let me turn to yemen now. iran has armed the hutsis, the saudis are bombing them. yemen is so out of control dangerous that the u.s. is actually pulled everybody out and yet in the same breath president obama continues to insist everything is fine, all is well. everything is under control. in fact he goes so far as to say yemen is a model of success for fighting counterterrorism. does that make any s

kurdish peshmerga forces say they stopped this truck before it could carry out a suicide bombing. they also say that they have captured more territory from i.s.i.l. it will take time before iraqis benefit from the gains. people come back to their homes in towns taken by kurdish fighters months ago. >> i came back to check. i dare not bring my family it's not safe here. that sense of safety is not threatened by hard-line fighters but by deep sectarian divisions. >> jordan's king abdullah called on muslim countries to lead the fight against i.s.i.l. they made the comments and speech. jordan stepped up defense strikes after i.s.i.l. killed a jordanian air force pilot in jan. the u.k. bases laws preventing airlines from carrying passengers who may be travelling to join fighters in iraq and syria. it came after three teenage girls travelled to syria to join i.s.i.l. >> reporter: airline staff could have mistaken the schoolgirls for friends off to al jazeera for holidays -- off to al jazeera for -- turkey for holidays. hundreds do the same. many teenagers travelling via turkey. members

positive for the pkk but you -- i also want to remind you that it was the -- very much the barzani's peshmerga who came to rescue kobani. pkk were effective but they couldn't resist i.s.i.s. you have a lot of factors involved in syria but turkish government doesn't want pkk to expand in terms of syria. >>> i.s.i.l. targets in iraq and syria in the last 48 hours at least three of the strikes targeted northeast syria that's where i.s.i.l. fighters have kidnapped 250 assyrian christians. fighting for the survival of their communities. they are demanding weapons to defend themselves. zeina khodr reports from beirut. >> sut of these refugees are from iraq, some from syria. all of them are asirrian christians. they gathered in beirut to speak in one voice. their message was clear. this minority community in the middle east believes its future is threatened. >> this is a conspiracy to put the indigenous people of the region the asirrians from their historical home land. they are going to fight back until there is left blood we won't surrender. >> there is a heightened sense of concern after hundreds