they fled northern iraq, they are struggling to fight isis in southern iraq. the shiite militias which are also being guided out of baghdad are doing a lot of the fighting as well. and i think that is a sign that the security forces are not what they used to be, and they cannot alone defeat isis in southern iraq. they need a lot of help and training and a lot of support. you know in this country there are plenty of people that are saying unless the u.s. and other countries put boots on the ground, they can't win this fight. do you think that's right? >> which is much larger in numbers and the forces and the other fighting groups including the shiite militias they certainly have the number they need to defeat. continued air strikes by the coalition some additional training heavier weapons. armored vehicles i believe they probably can defeat isis. without the u.s. and other coalition countries. very quickly, than more likely in the longer term, they do have to put boots oen the ground. >> is now uh to the rising tense in jerusalem, and the west bank, officials s

military advisers will fan out over the northwest and southern iraq and into hot combat zones under isis control, anbar and the north baghdad provence. those advisers will be protected by u.s. military teams, but they are not offensive combat forces. >> they are going to be training troops and they are going to be able to defend themselves, but that doesn't mean they are being introduced in a combat role in iraq. >> anybody who thinks that being an adviser keeps you away from combat is just kidding himself. i was an advise twice in vietnam, and that guaranteed i would be in combat. >> white house officials deny the deployment increase as a sign of so-called mission creep but admit the fight against isis will take more troops and money. >>> big expectations going forward after the meeting at the white house between president obama and congressional leaders. isis, ebola, and immigration. >> what we have seen now for a number of cycles is the american people just want to see work done here in washington. i think they are frustrated by the gridlock. they would like to see more cooperation, a

. >>> people in a town in southern iraq are slowly returning to their homes after fighters from isilere driven out. it was recaptured by an alliance of iraqi soldiers, shia militias and iranian advisors. >> reporter: the town has been cleared of isil fighters. now phase two of the operation begins, that means sweeping through the town and villages to check for explosive devises and booby trapped buildings. >> translator: this is the main entrance. you can see clearly the destroyed vehicle that isil used for their offensive on the town. they used stolen humvees and other army vehicles, but we managed to clear the main road that was entirely booby trapped. >> reporter: this was an operation that was carried out without air strikes. a number of militias cooperated along with iranians advisors to retake the town. it's being celebrated as the quickest feet of isil so far. the prime minister visited here after the operation, and the leader of the iranian force reportedly directed the forces himself. this is a gateway to the south and the key religious cities which are very important to shi

military advisers will fan out over the north, west and southern iraq and into two hot combat zones under isis control, anbar and the north baghdad province. those advisers will be protected by u.s. military combat teams. but pentagon officials insist they are not offensive combat forces. >> they're going to be trained troops. and they're going to be able to defend themselves. but that doesn't mean they're being introduced in a combat role in iraq. >> reporter: but vietnam veteran jack jacobs says there's a fine line between military advisers and combat troops. >> anybody who thinks being an adviser keeps you away from combat is just kidding themselves. i was an adviser twice in vietnam and that guaranteed i would be in combat. >> reporter: this comes at a high price. another $5.6 billion and that's only the beginning. officials acknowledge that the overall mission will undoubtedly require more troops and money. a long-term commitment with no end in sight, brian. >> jim miklaszewski at the pentagon to start us off. jim, thanks. >>> there are major developments tonight about the recall of

isis is trying to control a vast area all the way from turkey to southern iraq. it needs foot soldiers of various kinds, whether they work in the kitchen, carry things or do small-scale attacks. it's also a way of building an army that will be sustainable over time for them, which is you recruit somebody at age 13 and they will still be fighting for you when they're 20 and all the way older. so in a way it's a strategy of building a sustainable military. >> what does it say, that mother saying she'd be happy if her child died for jihad. what does that say about the desperation of syrian parents, that they can suggest things like that? >> sometimes these are formulaic things that people think they are expected to say. it may not really truly reflect their sentiment. >> but we're not doing too much to stop them. >> there is desperation. there is a sense that there is no other hope. there is no economy that will employ them. there is no political system that would embrace them. so at least they may get some glory in life if they went and fought and died, rather than

. >>> an alliance of iraqi soldier and iranian advisers have recaptured a town from isil in southern iraq the fighters back without the help of coalition air strikes. and some military analysts suggest that this form of cooperation could be the best way to mount future operations against isil. imran kahn reports. >> reporter: after 72 hour long battle. town has been cleared of isil fighters. now phase two of the operation begins. that means swing through the town as well as villages in the area to check for improvised explosive devices and booby trapped billings. >> this i >> translator: this is the main entrance, you can see clearly the destroyed vehicle that isil use for their offensive on the town. they used stolen humvees and other army vehicles, but we have swept them from the other side and managed to clear the main road. there was entirely booby trapped. >> reporter: this was an operation that was carried out without coalition air strikes. instead, a number of shia militiamilitias cooperated withi soldiers and iranian advisers to drive isil out of the town. in in iraq the battlefie

to get him some kind of justice or to have his desk more meaningful day and in southern iraq i joinedhe lawsuit. >> as you move for word what is the next step and what must you do to prevail? >> the banks must appear can through their counsel no doubt they will hire the most robust law firms that handle the other legal issues they have had. lou: you also have other lawyers. >> but the evidence is strong and will they ever be held accountable for what they have done? none of the bankers in this decision making process have never gone to jail. lou: if we could put up the settlements, as a result from the united states government these are for sanctions violations the settlement amounts for violating sanctions including hsbc with the largest standard chartered credit suisse and are bs and barclay's. fixes is significant. how soon do you expect to have a resolution? >> it is impossible to say. the banks are eager to settle some subtle be unrelated case just a day for manipulating currency. it is very hard to know that they don't fight to the bitter end. lou: don't refer -- be insulted whe

they >>> now people in a town in southern iraq are slowly returning to their homes after fighters fromamic state of iraq and the levant were driven out. it was recaptured by an alliance of iraqi soldiers, shia militias, and iranian advisors. imran khan reports. >> reporter: 72-hour long battle this town has been cleared of isil fighters. now phase two of the operation begins. that means sweeping through the town as well as villages in the area to check for improvised explosive devices and booby trapped buildings. >> translator: this is the main entrance. you can see clearly the destroyed vehicle that isil used for their offensive on the town. they used humvees and other army vehicles, but we have swept them from the other side and managed to clear the main road that was entirely booby trapped. >> reporter: this was an depreciation carried out without coalition air strikes. instead a number of shia militias cooperated to drive isil fighters out of town. in iraq any battlefield victory in the town has been celebrated as the quickest defeat of isil so far. the prime minister visited here

justice, to make his death a little more meaningful than just winding up a body in the dusty road in southern iraq, i joined this lawsuit. >> well, as you move forward here, what is the next step and what must you do to prevail at each stage? >> well, the next step will be for the banks to appear through their counsel. no doubt they will hire some of the most august law firms in new york who handled some of the other legal issues they've had. >> you've gotten lucky against other fancy lawyers, as the saying goes. >> i hope it's not all luck. but the evidence i think is quite strong and the question is accountable for what they've done. none of the bankers who were involved in this decision making process have ever gone to jail. >> that is the record, and if we could put up these settlements, if we may, as a result of previous cases brought by the united states government. these are for sanctions violations. these are the settlement amounts. some of the banks you named have settled for violating sanctions. they include hsbc, as you see there, with the largest, credit suisse, rbs, and barclays. this

. >>> the people in a town in southern iraq are slowly returning to their homes after fighters from isilere driven out. imran khan reports. >> reporter: after 72 hour-long battle, the town has been cleared of isil fighters. now, phase two of the operation begins. that means sweeping through the town as well as villages in the area to check for improvised explosive devices and booby trapped buildings. >> reporter: this is the main entrance. you can see clearly the destroyed vehicle that isil used for their offensive on the town. they used stolen humvies and other army vehicles, but we h e swept them out and managed to clear the road. >> reporter: this was an operation carried out without coalition air strikes. in iraq the battlefield victory in the town has been celebrated as the quickest defeat of isil so far. the prime minister visited here in the days after the initial operation, and the leader of the iranian force reportedly directed military operations himself. this is a crucial city because it's gateway to the south and the key religious cities which are very important to shia musli

these sites will be in northern, western, and southern iraq. coalition partners will join u.s.to help build iraqi capacity and capability. the training will be funded through a request in an equip fund. over the coming weeks the united states will work with coalition members to determine how many u.s. and coalition personnel will be required at each location for the training effort. ultimately these iraqi forces will enable iraq to defend its citizens, borders and interests against the threat of isil and keeping in the mission that we have been assigned there. to assist the forces as they improve their capability against isil. >> thank you for doing that. >> lastly. >> it is helpful. >> last week, general dempsey said he -- he hitted at this need and he said the precondition for this is that the government of iraq is willing to arm the tribes in anbar. do you have any assurances that the government of iraq is going to work closely with thesunni tribes and arm them. are you going to contribute to the awakening. >> through the fund the department has requested funding to provide

these sites will be located in northern, western and southern iraq. coalition partners will join u.s. personnel at these locations to help build iraqi capacity and capability. the training will be funded through the request for an iraqi train and quip fund the administration will submit to congress as well as from the government of iraq. over the coming weeks as we final ides the training site locations, the united states will work with coalitionmez to determine how much u.s. and coalition personnel will be required at each location for the training effort. ultimately, these iraqi forces when fully trained lap enable iraq to go defend boarders and citizens against the threat of isil. it is perly in keeping with the mission we have been assigned there to asif the iss and peshmerga forces as they improve their capability against isil. >> it is helpful. last week, general dempsey said that -- he hinted at this need and he said the pre-condition for that is that the government of iraq is willing to arm the tribes in ambar. do you have any assurance that t

brigades specifically nine iraqi army and three peshmerga brigades located in northern, western, and southern iraqition partners will join u.s. personnel at these locations to help build iraqi capacity and capability. the training will be funded through the request for a train and equip fund that will be submitted to congress and iraq. over the coming weeks as we finalize the site locations, the united states will work with coalition members to decide how many coalition personnel will be required at each location for the training effort. ultimately that's iraqi forces will enable iraq to better defend its citizens, its borders and interest against the threat of isil and it is perfectly in keeping with the mission that we've been assign ed there to assist isil from peshmerga forces as they improve their capability against isil. >> it is helpful. last week general dempsey said, he hinted at this need. and he said the precondition for that is that the government of iraq is willing to arm the tribes in anbar. do you have any assurances the government of iraq is going to work closely with these sunni t

more teams in the north, west and southern iraq and two combat zones in anbar province. >> they will be trained troops and be able to defend themsel s themselves. they are not introduced into a combat role. >> reporter: this is with the announcement with the nation still weary of a combat zone. >> i think this is headed toward further increases. more advisers and more troops on the ground. that is the only way you will not only defeat isis, but keep them away for an extended period. >> reporter: later today, the president will announce a new attorney general. if confirmed, loretta lynch as president obama heads to asia. eri erica. >> kristen welker, thank you. >> tom is among the congressional leader whose met with the president on friday. senator, good morning. thanks for being with us. >> good morning, lester. >> let's start off if we can with the troop increase in iraq. did the president make a convincing argument for the additional 1,500 deployment? >> i think what the president and his team are looking at, obviously, the conditions on the ground and limitations of air power and

these will be located in northern, western, and southern iraq. the training will be funded that the request administration will submit to congress as well. . the united states will work with coalition members to determine how many personnel will be required. its citizens, borders, and interests against the threat of isil and is in keeping with the mission to assist the forces as they improve their capability against isil. helpful. last week, general dempsey said -- he hinted at this need and said the precondition for that is that the government in iraq is willing to arm the tribes. do you have assurances that the government of iraq is going to work closely with the sunni tribes and arm them? or will it be akin to the awakening? requestedent has funding to provide training to tribes operating under the auspices of the iraqi ministry of defense. we expect we will be able to .onduct some of that training it has made it very clear that he intends to outreach. while i can't put a fine point on what that cooperation will rolelike, there will be a for c

these will be located in northern, western, and southern iraq. coalition partners will join u.s. personnel to help build iraqi capacity and capabilities. the training will be funded through a request that the administration will submit to congress as well. over the coming weeks, as we finalize the locations the , united states will work with coalition members to determine how many personnel will be required. ultimately, these iraqi forces, when fully trained, will allow them to better protect its citizens, borders, and interests against the threat of isil and is in keeping with the mission to assist the forces as they improve their capability against isil. >> thank you. it is helpful. last week, general dempsey said -- he hinted at this need and said the precondition for that is that the government in iraq is willing to arm the tribes. do you have assurances that the government of iraq is going to work closely with the sunni tribes and arm them? is part of this plan to arm them yourselves, pay them, or do anything akin to the awakening? the department has requested funding to pro

so those new teams will be spread out over the northwest and southern iraq and in two hot combat zonesroops and they will be able to defend themselves. now the announcement comes with the nation still weary from the wars in iraq and afghanistan and skeptical about what seems to be an ever expand iing mission in e same region. some military experts warn that there will be further increases, more advisers, more troops on the ground. now, of course, steve, president obama heads tomorrow night. more opportunities for the press to ask him questions. this will undutedly come up when he travels overseas. steve? >> chrkristen welker live at th white house. thanks for that report. appreciate it. >> thanks. >>> back in june president obama told congressional leaders that he did not intend to seek capitol hill's approval for any actions he undertakes in iraq. at the same time senator mitch mcconnell was among those saying he believed the president didn't need any. it will be interesting to see if mcconnell still believes that once he's in charge of the senate majority. in fact, there's a whole lo

war, desert storm, continuing a low level war, operation southern watch for the next decade and invaded in 2003 unnecessarily and very badly. iraq split in two, came very, very close to full scale civil war. it was then that david petraeus with the counter insurgency manual i helped write applied really for the first time in 100 years for the u.s. military real counter insurgency strategy on a big scale. >> it is interesting you say first time in 100 years. we used to dood this. >> students look at the campaign in the philippines after the spanish american war 115 years ago as a successful application of fairly modern counter insurgency principles. the marines did similar things in the so-called banana wars which we pulled out and had on our desks and used as source documents as we are watching the field manual 70 years later. there is nothing particularly new about what petraeus applied in iraq. it was lessons that we had intentionally stepped away from in the wake of vietnam. >> so the first time counter insurgency becomes sort of the choice, the strategy of choice here in washington, is it really after -- essentially is it fa

so now we're finding in southern and central iraq that isis continues to consolidate in primarily sunnyed to cut the road between the capitol and baghdad international airport where we've got all those aircraft and stand-by quick response forces and the like. >> sure. >> this attack contradicts dempsey's comment last week about the increased effectiveness of iraqi security. so you got to wonder, what does this administration really think? what are they doing? they're not apparently doing much because the promise of simply degrading and destroying isis is not a strategy. so what we'd like to know, and i think what's important to know, what is their definition of victory? isis knows what theirs is. that's driving us out of the lands of the prophet. >> sure. you've got a headline right there that i haven't heard anywhere else and that is that isis now controls the road between baghdad airport and baghdad. that is a big headline. that should be in all the newspapers and on all the television shows, but of course, they don't want any boots on the ground either. >> well, apparently not. of co

southern border. pope francis expressly thanked ankara for admitting refugees from the conflict in iraq and syria, and he said it was a moral duty to help turkey cope with the refugees. >> with winter setting in, the plight of refugees in turkey and elsewhere is especially difficult. >> although they are no longer at risk from the violence and threat of death at home, their world remains uncertain. >> the situation for many syrians in refugee camps is difficult. temperatures are dropping across the middle east as winter approaches. here in jordan, it has been raining. >> the situation is really awful . there's no heating, electricity, or anything. we are a family of six and only received one blanket. what will one blanket do for a family of six? it will do nothing. >> at least these children are not in kobani. the syrian town on the turkish border has been a target for islamic state since september. most civilians seem to have left. what remains of its streets are now being contested by kurdish soldiers and i.s. fighters. americans say they have led 18 airstrikes on islamic state writers nearby over t

in north earn iraq, it's sending guns to the kurds. in southern syria, the regime is still in power. in a wider reason e reel joon, the u.s. is counting on support from muslim regions. >> but they have, at time, supported radical groups like isis. the u.s. has tried to sort out the divisions between sunnis and kurds in the past. it did not go well. now we're trying it again. on a larger scale and by remote control. the president has said it will take years. he's been fairly cautious. vice president biden, not so much. >> we will follow them to the gates of held until they are brought to justice. hell is where they will reside. >> well, for the past several weeks, the gaets of hell have had a very specific address. the town in southeasterly ya just across the border here. it was almost too late, but khobani is still holding on as we found out when we visited the little city that stood up to isis. >> there are two things about k e chobani that made this small, curdish city in syria the focus of gnash atepgs. the first is its location. just across th

something we should be fearful of and we should take a stance against whether in iraq and syria or securing our southernone thing you did as a congressman, you were alone in voting against the farm bill. some people thought that was a problem for you. it turned out to be. explain to me what your job as a senator is -- how much do you represent arkansas versus representing the interests outside of arkansas. >> i voted against that bill because i thought it wasn't in the interest of arkansas -- >> you were in the minority. >> everyone has disagreements. but i didn't think it was a good idea to spend a trillion dollars at a time when we are almost 18 trillions in debt, when arkansas would get a small benefit. no one will agree with every word i speak or every vote i cast. i hope everyone will know i'm looking out for their interests. >> do you think too many senators are parochial? that was something, i'm looking in my view what's in the best national interest, maybe it wasn't in the best financial interest -- >> in our national interest. if you look at farm counties i won across arkansas, you will see far

iraq. al-nusra is strong along the southern border near israel and in the northwest. and the kurds hold territory along the border with turkey. other groups and the f.s.a. are strongest in the south. the free syrian army and its allies still hold areas in the north, including a vital crossing into turkey called bab al-hawa. vital aid passes through here-- a lifeline to rebels and to thousands of internally- displaced syrians. now, al-nusra forces are closing in on the border crossing, as alliances once again shuffle. but the u.s. central command was careful to say it did not target the nusra front as a whole. that's because in the syrian war, the group has sometimes allied with american-supported factions against the syrian government. and andrew tabler a senior fellow at the washington institute for near east policy. welcome both of you back to the program. andrew tabler, let me start with you. this is almost an alphabet-like collection of groups in suryoo so i'm going to keep it simple for my own sake. how significant is this latest news that al-nusra has routed the

rebel commander was referring to the islamic state of iraq and the levant and al-nusra front al-qaeda branch. here they call themselves the southern front. earlier this month, al-nusra pushed moderate rebels out of their stronghold in the north of the country. here its means aren't cooperating with other factions, but there's concern this may change. >> the free syrian army and al-nusra fight battle together and cooperate. despite that, people are worried that there accounted be internal drive just like in the north. >> recent gains provided weapons abandoned by government forces. they say they also have another source, the border with jordan, they are able to bring in weapons from supporting countries. >> those weapons help them take territory in the province and in and out rebels are advancing toward the southern countryside of damascus. some activists believe the international community wants to use the saw theern front to pressure the government into talks. >> the state lost strategic battles here but the war is far from over. for the so-called moderate rebels, this fight is not just about winning territory, it is preserving t

. >>> in iraq fighting has intensified in the western city in anbar province. they are battling in the southernt of the city. imran khan reports from bagdad. >> reporter: once this was a quiet suburb, but since june the southern part of the town has been taken over by isil. in recent days the iraqi army has mounted an offensive to try to retake the area. coalition air strikes have hit targets in the border areas of the city, and now it's time to retake the streets. the main fighting force is a counter terrorism unit nicknamed the golden squad. this is a unit with a mixed reputation amongst sunnis who have accused them in the past of human rights violations. accusations the head dismisses. >> translator: the golden squad is not bias to anyone. it is for the iraqi people. it includes and protects all, and is considered to protect all religions and seconds. i just want to set the record straight to everyone. >> reporter: the counter terrorism forces sweep houses they captured, but here booby traps and surprise isil attacks are common. t >> translator: we're still fighting them, and there are signs

southern parts of kobane to the north. we understand that isil bombed the main hospital, routing that building to rubble. >> peshmerga forces from iraq'surdish region are battling isil in iraq fighting to keep control of a strategic town in northern iraq half a kilometer from the syrian border, the main route isil uses to travel between syria and the iraqi city of mosul which it controls. >> a bahrain court has released a leader, he was on trial for remarks critical of the state. his trial has been adjourned until the 20th of january. >> i have been attacked physically many at that times. duer to my human rights work and due to my work with peaceful protesters for democracy and human rights in this part of the world. i was not announced innocent yet. i have been released on bail, one month and you don't put people in jail because of things they have said or because of things they have written. you know i have spent almost two years and one month just because of my tweet, just because of my statement i made or my things that i write on twitter and government attacking government targeting people for expression, this government not respe

iraq and levant and al-nusra's front syria's al qaeda's branch. they operate under a joint command and call them decembers the southern front. this month al-nusra pushed so-called moderate rebels out of their strong holds in the country. here its men are cooperating with other factions but there are concerns this may change. >> translator: the free syrian army and al-nusra fight together and cooperate. but despite that, people are worried that there could be internal strive just like in the north. >> reporter: recent gains provided the rebels with weapons abandoned by government forces, but they say they also have another source. there are borders jordan from where they can bring in weapons from what they call supporting countries. those weapons help them take territory. and now the rebels are advances towards the southern countryside of damascus. some activists believe the international community wants to use the southern front to pressure the government in to talks. the state lost strategically important battles here but the bar is far from over. for the so called moderate rebels the fight is about preserve getting their s

iraq to fight against the militants. >>> we are learning more about the school in southern mexico that had 43 students disappear and they are presumed dead. coming up, its activist history against suspected government oppression. >>> also, ferguson, missouri, a city on edge bracing for the worst in the midst of it all some are accused of inciting violence by using their cell phones. >>> jose luis, the ex-mayor is now charged in the disappearance of 43 students from a teacher's college. authorities say he ordered police to take the students in september and they were given to a local cartel for execution. he is charged with six counts of aggravated homicide and one of attempted homicide. the school in southern mexico that the missing student as tended is still in a state of shock and you can imagine what their parents are going through. the colleges is known for its activism with a history of distrusting the government. cnn's rafael romo gives us an inside look. >> reporter: it's described as a college for the poor among the poor. it's a rural teacher's school in southern mexico. francisco is a 19-year-old sophomore at t

iraq war veteran. more on isis on the video in a moment. first let's go to cnn senior international correspondent arwa damon live from southern turkey. you knew peter kassig, you called him a friend. can you give us some personal reflection? >> reporter: you know, i first met peter back in the summer of 2012 in a hospital in tripoli, lebanon. this scrawny, pale, tattooed kid speaking broken arabic. despite the language barrier he was able to treat wounded men with compassion and at that period and time of his life he really needed to do something and he was a kind of individual who didn't just believe in speaking about doing things but actually going out and making that reality. he had such drive and compassion. it was really inspirational, almost infectious when you listened to him talking about what it was he wanted to accomplish. it was a few months after we met him, i remember being surprised when he was telling me about this, he had already begun helping syrians out in the refugee camps and turkey but also going inside the country itself, delivering medical assistance but also because he had training as a medic himself, as an em

. >>> the decision to sent 1,500 more troops to iraq is signaling a new phase in the war on isis. arwa damon is standing by in southerny with more. good morning, arwa. >> reporter: good morning, christine. the allegations that al bagdadi may have been wounded in an air strike. now it is important to point out at this stage that claim is only coming from the iraq minister of interior. he doesn't have the authority to make the statements. they normally come from the defense department. it is not confirming he has been wounded. the u.s. not confirming at this stage. there was a coalition air strikeout side of mosul targeting a convoy carrying senior isis members. also another air strike over the weekend in the town along the syria and iraqi borders. no confirmation he has been wounded. also important to point out at this stage, if al bagdadi is wounded or killed, that does not mean an end to isis. we have seen these types of reorganization reemerge and grow after they lose leadership. when it comes to the 1,500 troops, that is meant to signal the attempt at this stage train up the iraqi security forces to agree where the

southern. >>> conflicting reports tonight from iraqi officials on the fate of the leader of isis. iraq's defense minister claims that abu bakr al baghdadi was wounded in airstrikes on friday in mosul. but the interior minister claims baghdadi was injured saturday in a different town and the prime minister says he can't confirm anything. so joining me now to talk about this, get to the bottom of it is paul cruickshank, cnn terrorism analyst. is he injured? is he dead? what's going on here? >> i think there's significant skepticism about these claims from the iraqi government. different claims from different ministries, different locations that he was meant to be -- and the iraqi government hasn't got a particularly good track record of reliability on these things. you'll recall when the prime minister hader al abadi was in new york in september he claimed there was an isis terrorist plot against the new york subway. that was fairly quakely debunked after that. i think we're going to have to wait and see. the americans don't have very good intelligence on the location of the top isis leade