. >> there's a breakdown in communication between us, coalition forces, peshmerga.t when you're trying your best to work on someone but the rest of the system isn't there. >> they both say they have comfortable, happy lives at home. was a guilt? >> guilt or sense of purpose. sometimes those overlap somewhere in the middle. >> i can help people at home and i feel good for what i do there but here that feeling is much greater. the peshmerga need significant help. they need training. they need an actual medical combat unit. people are throwing ammunition and guns at this place all day long. that's not saving lives. >> when i think of isis, i think of kmer rouge, nazis. there are so few times in history there's such a black versus white situation. they've been carrying this on their back with not enough support. people at home are upset about shootings and things like that and they don't have a clue what it's like a day here or a day in baghdad or in syria. it's pretty horrible. >> reporter: and, don, one of the things that is greatly lacking despite the fact that the u

. >> reporter: it's early morning and the kurdish peshmerga are launching a major push into isis controlledges. >> we were he looking for a place to set up our medical triage area. >> we've had five dead. >> reporter: john and pete are two americans on the medical front line. [ speaking foreign language ] >> we have two casualties. let's treat them appropriately. get him on. ota. >> reporter: it's a chaotic frantic effort on this day. compounded by a language barrier. different culture, and significant lack of resources. >> i need plastic. [ bleep ] plastic. >> reporter: john from syracuse, new york is volunteering. >> opa. >> reporter: pete of new jersey is a former marine turned medic who works with a non-profit providing medical training and assistance. there is no advanced warning when a casualty is coming in. no time to prep before the next one arrives. >> the toughest thing about being out here as a combat medic is when your patients don't live. >> come on man, stay with us. come back to us, man, come on. sometimes we can't fix everything. so i think that's the hardest part personally

. >> there's a breakdown in communication between us, coalition forces, peshmerga.g your best to work on someone but just, the rest of the system isn't there. or it's not working properly. >> reporter: they both say they had comfortable happy lives at home. is it guilt? >> guilt or sense of purpose. sometimes those overlap. somewhere in the middle. >> i can help people at home for sure and i do and i feel good for what i do there. but here that feeling is much greater. the peshmerga need significant help. they need training. they need an actual combat medical unit. people are throwing ammunition and guns at this place all day long. that's not saving lives. >> when i think of isis, i think of, you know, the nazis. there are very few times in history there's such a black and white good versus evil situation. they've been carrying this war in this region on their backs with not nearly enough support. and people back home are upset about shootings and things like that and isis is involved there. but they don't have a clue what it's like a day here. or a day in baghdad o

in native tongue] >> translator: the peshmergas do not have the right kind of speech i think this is a very important point, yes. [speaking in native tongue] >> translator: the peshmergas were formed in the first place in order to protect kurdish areas. >> so with that we are just going to say that very important point that mona touched on earlier that the kurdish forces withdrew from some of these areas in defense of isis. so the protection wasn't there, and in other areas, we've got three minutes come and other areas the kurds have used their own advanced to take land from minority groups in order to safeguard their own interest rather than the of their protecting. we have three minutes left a record to take the next three questions and we're going to give you guys a chance to respond. >> can i talk to? >> we have three minutes left. [inaudible] spent would like to ask a question? [inaudible] >> welcome to a panel in washington. [laughter] we are doing our best. that's the reality, to figure out who is being persecuted and why and what can be done is a pretty tall order. [inaudible

the peshmerga defensive snakes its way along the east and north.s visible in the distance. here, too, they have noticed isis weakening, showing us how isis moves within nondescript buildings like this. the peshmerga fighters did initially drop down and take a few steps into what appear to be some sort of tunnel, but rather than take their chances, they decided to then withdraw and seal off the entrance. >> the choke hold around mosul is tightening and the government's pledge to liberate the city by the end of the year is still the goal. the battle there with over a million civilians will potentially be starkly different from the ones out here, but success will be defined and land gained and not lives destroyed or lost. >> and arwa joins us now from iraq. arwa, how are the people trapped inside imbeing pacting iraqis' y to move forward here. >> pamela, it makes it unspeakably phenomenally difficult and what we have historically seen is isis not only using the civilian population that remains trapped inside these areas, villages and towns as human sh

the peshmerga have pushed their front line forward as well.along the east and north. the village controlled by isis, visible in the distance. here too they have noticed isis weakening, showing us how isis moves within nondescript buildings like this. the peshmerga fighters did initially drop down and take a few steps into what appear to be some sort of tunnel. but rather than take their chances they decided to then withdraw and saeal off the entrance. the chokehold about mosul is tightening and the government's pledge to liberate the city by the end of the year is still the goal. the battle there with over a million civilians will be starkly different from the ones out here. but success will be defined in land gained, not lives destroyed or lost. and just imagine there are at least according to the iraqi security forces, 10,000 families who are right now stuck inside and the concern of course is that isis is going to be using them as human shields as we have seen isis do in the past. these are 10,000 families. parents were unable to keep their

kurdish peshmerga forces began heavy shelling and airstrikes from the us-led coalition.militants are reporting the a news service they have issued -- they have injured some peshmerga. mobileom in france -- police units, soldiers, bomb squad's, sniffer dogs, and more are mingling with 20,000 catholic pilgrims today. the security presence has been addressed that has been aggressively raise this year for the annual pilgrimage, less than a month after two self-declared islamists murdered a priest as he celebrate mass in a normandy church. it is one of the most pilgrims -- must -- it is one of the most important pilgrimages in modern catholic life. for many pogroms, the killing of a cap greece -- of a catholic priest has made the journey all the more important. >> it has reawakened a solidarity among catholics and renewed our faith. faith becomes a shield, and we you go to just when mass. >> it is impossible not to knows that this year's pilgrimage looks very different from years past. the celebration hidden behind armed soldiers and mandatory checkpoints. the priests here ar

the peshmerga offensive berm snakes its way along the east and north.oo, they have noticed isis weakening, showing us how isis moves in nondisscript building. they did take a few steps into what appear to be some sort of tunnel. rather than take their chances, they decided to withdraw and seal the entrance. >> the choke hold on isil is tightening and the government's pledge to liberate the city by the end of the year is still the goal. success will be defined and land gained, not lives destroyed or lost. >> arwa, it's really some extraordinary reporting. what's the latest you're seeing on the ground? >> well, we just left gayetta a few hours ago and the iraqi security forces have managed to move in and capture according to some arm ear commanders the oum refinerie refi -- oil refineries. according to the commanders, these 10,000 families are stuck inside and we know isis has a history of using civilians as human shields. what we're really seeing on the ground there is just a fraction of the challenges the army will be facing and the potential devastatin

the peshmerga need significant help. they need training. they need actual combat medical unit.ition and guns at this place all day long. that's not saving lives. >> when i think of isis, i think of, you know, khmer rouge, nazis. there are very few times in history there's such a black and white, good versus evil situation. they've been carrying this war in this region on their backs with not nearly enough support. n peop and people back home are upset about shootings and things like that and isis is involved there. and they don't have a clue. it's like a day here. or a day in baghdad or in syria. it's pretty horrible. >> reporter: arwa damon, cnn, iraq. >>> we'll take a very short break here. still to come, an nfl quarterback staging a protest on the national stage. we will explain why it's causing a heated controversy. we're back in a moment. >>> two united airlines pilots have been arrested in scotland on suspicion they were under the influence of alcohol. police tell cnn the arrest happened at glasgow airport on saturday. an airport spokesperson says the pilots were at the a

a the peshmerga are using step-by-step strategy. they are consolidating their positions. moving on to the next stage, i don't think the battle really happen before 2017. forces ins left iraqi towns nearby, rounding up the men in trying to identify extremist sympathizers. >> there is good cooperation with the civilians when we search for islamic state members and those who are collaborating. >> mosul is a key fight, with the leader calling for the creation of a caliphate spanning iraq and syria from the grand mosque in 2014. as fighting intensifies in the north of iraq, there are concerns over one million people could be driven from their homes during the battle for mosul. another of its hospitals has been bombed in yemen. 11 people died and 19 injured after the latest air raid. on suche fourth attack a facility in the past year. >> yet more civilian casualties in yemen. hospitals targeted in the north of the country. the u u secretary-general expressed concern about the attack, underlying this is thehe latest in a series of attacks on humanitarian facilities in populated

to the southeast, the kurdish peshmerga have pushed their front line forward, as well.akes its way along the east and north. the village is controlled by isis in the distance. here too they have noticed isis weakening, showing us how isis moves within nondescript buildings like this. the peshmerga fugtsers did drop down and take a few steps into what appeared to be some sort of a tunnel. but rather than take their chances, they decided to withdraw and seal off the entrance. the chokehold around mosul is tightening. the battle there, with over a million civilians, will potentially be starkly different from the ones out here. but success will be defined in land gained, not lives destroyed or lost. >> arwa, what is the latest you're seeing on the ground? >> reporter: we just left the town a few hours ago and the iraqi security forces have moved in and captured, according to some army commanders, the oil refinery, so they are making gains within the city. but what remains the biggest concern is according to the army commander, these 10,000 families that they believed are st

we have seen the peshmerga forces moving in from the north on mosul and iraqi forces moving in from thehe iraqis launched a major offensive also backed by coalition air power, and they seized very strategic air base southwest of mosul. an air base that's expected to be a major staging ground for the final push when that's happens into the city of mosul. so what is going on right now according to u.s. and iraqi forces is part of the bigger plan here to encircle mosul and cut it off before that push into the city. this is going to be a huge challenge. this is a major urban center, mosul, with a population estimate with about 700,000 to about a million people who have been living under isis control since june 2014. so this is going to be a very tricky and difficult operation as expected here because they're going into a major urban center to try and preserve civilian lives and infrastructure when this operation goes under way. >> of course, as this offensive continues, we have to look to those civilians. those who are fleeing trying to find a better life and escape with their lives and lov

>>> iraqi and kurdish peshmerga forces are trying to push isis forces out of iraq's second largest cityin on the decimated city. panicked civilians in ur is rounding villaging are trying to escape. many are filling refugee camps nearby. cnn's arwa damon nearby in erbil, iraq, she joins us with more. >> hi, carol. a lot of the focus lately has been on the military advances, the successes in pushing isis out of territory as the iraqis and kurdish peshmerga do move forward but what is the fighting doing to the civilian population, where are they going. here's a look at the lives they're now trying to lead. the desert wins whip across the field. the heat is thick. suffocating. and the sand sticks to everything. children's matted hair is shaved lighter than it should be. their faces caked in dirt. nearly impossible to clean even if there was water. inside this tent is a mother and her baby who we met a short while ago who is one of the cases that's really struggling here. baby b the baby is 9 months old. he has diarrhea, is dehydrated and listless. his mother tells us. the only drinking wate

the peshmerga need significant help. they need training. they need an actual combat medical unit.le are throwing ammunition and guns at this place all day long. that's not saving lives. >> when i think of isis, i think of the nazis. there are very few times in history there's such a plaque and white, good versus evil situation. they've been carrying this war and this region on their backs with not nearly enough support. people back home are upset about shootings and things like that. isis is involved there. they don't have a clue what it's like a day here or a day in baghdad or syria. it's pretty horrible. >> reporter: and given just how devastating the tragedies in the region have been, they say that they both felt a fundamental obligation to try to come out and help whichever way they can because, as we have heard time and time again from different individuals, trying to fight isis isn't just about trying to control isis within the middle east. what happens here has an impact around the world. >> all right, arwa. thank you very much for the report. amazing reality up close for y

minority communities, specifically yazidis and christians so far which will be integrated into the peshmerga and or other goi forces. fourth, minorities need to feel they have a greater voice in their governance. respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of religion for all religious groups is critical. so is the provision of equal citizenship and equal access to justice. take just one small but important example which is number of you worked on. iraq has suspended religiously divisive changes in the card law and those changes should not be revisited. more broadly, the united states supports arrangements where in minorities have greater voice over how their communities are governed within a federal governance framework. you are doing this work and we applaud you. the alliance of iraqi minorities within a.i.m., one of the shining lights in good governance advocacy in iraq worked with a caucus in the council of representative to add language begin in the 2012 budget law to provide for a legal foundation for the equitable dristribution of the budgets. a.i.m. worke

some of the original planning i heard about is they will use the peshmerga to put a dome over the northt of the city and use the 15,000 of the shiite millipeninsula but not take an active direct part in the retaking of mosul prop for the point steve is making. which is the sunni people are more concerned about the atrocities committed by the society militias than they are about isis. charles: we sawered again spending time -- we saw erdogan spending time with vladimir putin. how will this play out? they are fighting isis. the enemy of my enemy is my enemy. is that the right way to look at it, captain nash? >> i think at this point what has to happen, and we talked about this before. until we make a deal with the russians how this is going to come about, the rest of is is just anyone around the edges. the turks are involved. the turks are more concerned about the kurds. about isis, and the russians are more concerned about propping up the assad regime. at this point you have got way too many cooks in the kitchen until the united states and the russians can figure out how this is going to

meanwhile, kurdish peshmerga units, also equipped, trained, and supported by the united states, are moving to the north. they will envelope mosul and collapse isil's control. we'll have to see what isil does and how hard they fight. one way or another, mosul will be taken. >> how many more troops can americans at home expect to be going to iraq? >> well, right now, there are about 3500 u.s. forces there. and about 3500 coalition forces. and their role is to enable tens of thousands of iraqi army units, because that's the number we train and equip to take back their country. so i can't predict that. the only thing i can say is we are prepared to do more wherever we see an opportunity to accelerate this defeat. so if more is required, and i'm sure there will be additional authorities and additional capabilities that will be required, i will go to the president with the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, as he'll say go for it, because we need to get this done quickly. >> iran. were you consulted in any aspect of this deal with the $400 million? >> it's not a defense department matter, it

as for the forces they're joining forces with mostly the kurds, the peshmerga in iraq and syria.p, you mentioned -- actually, i don't think you mentioned this -- but the state department has warned against people traveling to these countries to fight. people have been killed according to reports. >> what do they say, i could guess, but what do they say is motivating them? >> well, you know, shep, there's some common themes even though this is a diverse group of people. among those are veterans, one of the themes among veterans is, quote, finish the job. according to the report many feel that the previous efforts of colleagues will be in vein. while the ultimate goal of the anti-isis fighters tends to be those fighting for isis. some of the motivations are actually similar. for example, a lack of purpose in life. or feels like a lack of being involved to a group. and some are bored and want the excitement that combat would bring. and, shep that brutal propaganda that we see from isis, interestingly enough, some of that deheading video is what motivated these people. >>> cops are w

meanwhile, kurdish peshmerga units, alsopped, trained, and supported by the united states, are moving to the north. they will envelope mosul and collapse isil's control. we'll have to see what isil does and how hard they fight. one way or another, mosul will be taken. >> how many more troops can americans at home expect to be going to iraq? >> well, right now, there are about 3500 u.s. forces there. and about 3500 coalition forces. and their role is to enable tens of thousands of iraqi army units, because that's the number we train and equip to take back their country. so i can't predict that. the only thing i can say is we are prepared to do more wherever we see an opportunity to accelerate this defeat. so if more is required, and i'm sure there will be additional authorities and additional capabilities that will be required, i will go to the president with the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, as he'll say go for it, because we need to get this done quickly. >> iran. were you consulted in any aspect of this deal with the $400 million? >> it's not a defense department matter, it

to the southeast of mosul, the kurdish peshmerga have pushed their front line forward as well.akes its way along the east and north, the villages controlled by isis visible in the distance. here, too, they have knowitiesed isis weakening showing how they move between nondescript buildings like this. they did drop down and take a few steps into what appeared to be some sort of tunnel. rather than take their chances, they decided to withdraw and seal off the entrance. the choke hold around mows all is tightening and the government's pledge to liberate the city by the end of the year is still the goal. the battle there, with over a million civilians will potentially be starkly different from the ones out here. success will be defined in land gains, not lives destroyed or lost. this is not a battle happening in any sort of conventional formation. this is not too armies facing off against one another. there is a civilian population inside that town right now according to iraqi security forces numbering some 10,000 families. one can't begin to understand how terrifying this must be f

. >> there is a breakdown in communication between us, coalition forces, peshmerga.to work on someone but just the rest of the system isn't there. or it is not working properly. >> reporter: they both say they have comfortable, happy lives at home. was it guilt? >> guilt or sense of purpose. sometimes those overlap. somewhere in the middle. >> i can help people at home, for sure. i do. and i feel good for what i do there. but here, that feeling is much greater. peshmerga need significant help. they need training. they need actual combat medical unit. people are throwing ammunition and guns at this place all day long. that's not saving lives. >> when i think of isis, i think of ckamir rouge, nazis. of this's been carrying this war on their backs without nearly enough support. people at home are worried about shootings an everything and isis is involved there. and they don't have a clue. it's like a day in baghdad or in syria. it is very horrible. >> reporter: arwa damon, iraq. >> arwa damon, thank you so much for that. >>> coming up next, it is a race against time in

kurdish peshmerga forces have been fighting in tandem with the army.they in the late dozen villages in the region. >> we attacked from two different directions. on one side, coming from the village, and the other from -- in total, we have liberated some 100 square kilometers of land. reporter: the operation is part of long-term efforts to surround the city of and recapture -- recapture territory here. iraqi forces have now crossed the great job river advancing to within 20 kilometers of mosul's city limits. as loyalist forces enter the town, they round up the men and try to identify extremist sympathizers. >> there is good cooperation with the civilians when we search for islamic state group members and those collaborating. there is an anti-terrorism investigation, and hopefully those that are guilty will be handed over to the iraqi justice association. with the leader calling for the creation of a caliphate spanning iraq and syria in 2014, fighting intensifies in the north of iraq. there are concerns that over one million people could be driven from t

to the southeast of mosul, the kushdish peshmerga have pushed their front line forward.es its way along the east and north, the villages controlled by isis visible in the distance. here, too, they have noticed isis weakening, showing us how isis moves within nondescript buildings like this. the fighters took a step down into some sort of tunnel but rather than take their chances they decided to then withdraw and seal off the entrance. the chokehold around mosul is ticening and the government's pledge to liberate the city by the end of the year is still the goal. the battle there, with over a million civilians, will potentially be starkly different from the ones out here. but success will be defined in land gained, not lives destroyed or lost. >> all the smoke in the sky there. arwa damon is now live in erbil, iraq. what did you and your crew see today, arwa? >> reporter: pretty incredible scenes, brooke, because not only did you have those dark skies that already created such an ominous atmosphere, pretty much ever since the iraqi security forces began to attempt to ente

bar what we are seeing right now in qayyara, iraqis and peshmerga say they see isis putting up less thanight than they had experienced in the past. the isis positions outside of the city of mosul itself but even within it have been the subject of some very heavy coalition air strikes. and in fact everyone will admit that without the coalition support they are receiving they wouldn't have been able to reach the point they are at today. but the key issue is that mosul is most likely going to be very different. most of the villages and towns are in open terrain and fairly small. mosul is a city with anywhere from 1 to 2 million people. it has very winding densely packed roads that would be ideal for an entity like ice toys use if it wants to try to draw in iraqi security force and engage them in street to street combat. it also has some very well developed portions of the city. so there is a concern for the population there. the assault on the city of mosul is the largest assault it take place on a single city via military since the u.s.-led invasion in 2003. that gives an idea of the chall

newly uploaded video purports to show islamic state fighters doing battle with iraqi kurdish peshmerga forces. despite battlefield setbacks in iraq and syria, the militant group remains lethal. how to fight isis has become agr central theme in the 2016 u.s. presidential race. >> isis is honoring president obama. he is the founder of isis. i would say the co-founder would be crooked hillary clinton. >> that was last week. yesterday republican nomineest donald trump delivered a fuller anti-isis message in youngstown, ohio. >> my administration will aggressively pursue joint and coalition military operations tn crush and destroy isis. international cooperation to cut off their funding, expanded intelligence sharing, and cyber warfare to disrupt and disable a their propaganda and recruiting. >> warner: he also proclaimede that he would end what he called "an era of nation-building," and would take harsh steps to stop isis from penetrating the u.s. h >> the time is overdue to develop a new screening test for the threats we face today. i call it extreme vetting. i call it extreme vetting. >>

we had chemical bombardment today against the peshmerga.why does the international world accept that iraq should continue to be the theater for massacre? if you want to look at the future and if we want to fix these problems around ethnic and religious minorities, we need to really look at iraq properly from beginning to end. somebody mentioned responsibility. been aware that originates from? again, a genocide in iraq. the principle of responsibly to protect originated there. we need to look at what iraq is like this. of course, the minorities need to be protected. we need to listen to them. we need to admit our mistakes, but we also need to admit the bigger mistakes. we need to look at iraq. what is iraq like this? to any of us, any iraqis, any of the truly feel safe in this country? >> a very important question. >> i mean, i think iraq has been through a lot as a state. actually my graduates work was in iraqi history, and i think a lot of nation-states in the middle east have had similar track record, like countries in the west before. an

this group, three sisters-in-law and other male relatives, saw the opportunity when the kurdish peshmergad forward. there are very, very few details that they are willing to disclose publicly because of the shear risk involved with their family members who are still inside. but there is a potentially very joyous moment here because two of these women were pregnant when isis arrived and had to plea. very authoritily the children are about to meet their fathers for the first time. they do not want us to film that. >> we are not able to provide them with the kind of services they need because we simply don't have the land. >> reporter: then there is the issue of funding. $284 million was allocated during a flash appeal last month but the money has not yet been released. already established camps have exceeded their maximum capacity. this camp in iraqi kurdistan has mushroomed to five times the size it was in may. even with the expansions under construction here, it is barely enough for the current backlog and the offensive has not yet begun in mosul itself. >> we have a rough estimate. it ca

this group, three sisters-in-law and other male relatives, saw the opportunity when the kurdish peshmergare very few details they're willing to share because of the risk to their families still inside mosul, but there's also potentially a very joyous moment here because two of these women were pregnant when isis arrived, when their husbands had to flee. very shortly, their littlest children are about to meet their fathers for the first time. they don't want us to follow them to film that, but making it out does not mean an end to the hardships people continue to endure. we are not able to provide them with the kind of services that they need because we simply don't have the land. >> reporter: and there is the issue of funding. 284 million was allocated during a flash appeal last month, but the money has not yet been released. already established camps have exceeded their maximum capacity. this camp in iraqi kurdistan has mushroomed to five times the size it was in may. even with the expansions under construction, it's barely enough for the current backlog. and the offensive has not yet be

thanks to the iraqi security forces, thanks to the democratic forces in syria, as well as the peshmergaer indigenous groups on the ground, the coalition has enabled their movements through air strikes. and they have been very successful. it's a several pronged approach. we're moving up the euphrates river valley. we're on the road to mosul, which is the final stronghold of daesh in iraq. soon it will be on the road to raqqah, which is the so-called capital of the caliphate. >> we talk about this a lot on this show, the difference between territory and then the fighters and sort of the ideology and the strength of the movement. where did you think we are today in terms of fighting isis? >> i think there's no question we have made enormous progress on the military front and of course since we are the military, that's what we talk the most about. but i do want to remind everybody this is a much greater matter than military alone. we need political solutions. we need economic support in this part of the world so that when there is a lasting military defeat, i underscore the word lasting, it