on the militias side the armed pro-iranian militias side. i cannot say there's national militias. i cannot say this national iraqis mobilization. i agree with you. not all the popular mobilization but deadly under the popular mobilization some of the very criminal militia and so we talked about dismantling those groups, the bad guys, the criminal ones committing crimes. they can be accepted as part of the national guard again my suggestion is on a personal level not as groups with thousands of people who belong to one of the clerics of one of the religious to be integrated because at the end of april fight in army or national guard field with groups whose loyalty would not be to the state or to the law. so yes we can get benefit of some of the shia who are fighting definitely. this brings me back to the start of sunni participation. if it is our chair and the government -- nothing in iraq. this is only one. we are talking about 1200 something generals in iraq. if we are one of the 1000 here you can see the problem. yes you can see in my presentation democracy but democracy is fragi

is to launch it against yemeni in the different provinces and down. militia, specially which took place in aden which caused destruction in every corner of modern yemen. the barbaric act the opening in this date. it is to develop and build the units yemen, which will be after the coup. and to have - to bear all of us the responsibility which the yemeni are facing. i would like to confirm this that it is for all the yemeni people despite the differences, or political differences, we should not - as long it it will be security and stability of yemeni people, and that is the go without any exception. to those who are present. members of this conference from the - our opening today, i would like to give this message very clear. the first message to our people in yemen. who has built all the resort of the war by the militias like other people in the world, which has taken the towels and killed children, the women, and using heavy weapons and targetted their holes, and nobody even the gas and fuel and using as dirty weapon and our people are living in these conditi

and talking about the previous militia and the regime. at model is a new creative militia would be very clear to the problem. that is when talking about dismantling. it is to offer recruitment and on a personal background. so there is hundreds or thousands headed by a beater to intervene because we keep obeying the orders. suffered tens of thousands of the militia persons. the same thing is true for the sunni and to fight outside the institution and the rule of law. so this is dismantling and accepting the local or personal labor. >> for the program of mr. abadi, yes. he is working and he is trying to make a change and we are committed to help him. keep promising without implementation we will come again as a country. i don't need to come again. i hope the final picture presented would come later on. but none partisan security forces can be done nationwide by iraqis supported by americans. programming, training, equipment. time is important because we cannot have more time on the militia side. i am really sorry i didn't mention that simply

both on the isis side and the militia side. i put this map to give you an impression of what it looks like in iraq. we have to know the exact causes that led to that situation. i would like for you to focus on the next video which is about one minute it divided the screen into two sides. one for the militia or other rights that is the flex of emotion and the website is daesh isis. many illegal militias in iraq. that went from isis is threatening also. this is the dealing of militias and with the sudanese on the side, isis is dealing with the shiites and this is an identical criminal groups. the same thing is killing on the left side. i have killed on the left side, you can see this is the situation right now. how to end this tragedy in iraq. on the left side, killing one of them and on this site, the militia -- that is why i want to focus on the short term and the real threat is isis. it is damaging to the country. on the long run, you cannot deal with a country filled with militia. the sunni arabs -- i'm afraid this may give yo

in the way of militias. the warning is clear. because the operation start targetting all the points where the militia hiding. yesterday the coalition forces and the air forces saudi forces. air strikes targetting more than hundreds in the borders in the area of saudi, and trted the leadership -- targeted the leadership centers and the offices of the houthis, which targeted more than 17 houthi leaders. we have as i said some information behind the attack against areas. this was where the leaders and the target was very clear, and any attempt to block any humanitarian aid or trying to attack the saudi citizen and operations as they continue in sadr. it is continuing and yesterday more than 30 air strikes targeted more sites and this was against all the leadership planned for this. so there was no movement in the area, and also we considered the situation on these kind of operations, this might target some of the areas, but the security forces they are working around the hours to stop this operations. and also respond against this.

they were targeteded by the tanks of the houthi militias and forces loyal to saleh. initial reports suggest that 50 people have been killed. the number of fatalities is on the rise. it is also painful that the houthi militias have stormed the hotels dedicated by their owners to the household to escape the shelling. families rushed into buildings and they were hunted down and executed by the militias. they were >> translator: what is the reason for the people remaining silent in the face of the crimes perpetrated in the south? with respect to the international community, there is a solution handed down, it has been passed for 20 days. however, the houthi militias and the forces loyal to the ousted president saleh has not complied with or abided by any single item of this resolution. that's why we're calling the international community -- [ no audio ] -- towards this. we do not wish to see further proposals, drafted solutions, why the houthi militias and forces loyal to saleh continue to perpetrate their crimes on the ground. we must realize that our people are living i

is advancing eased to the base where the shia militias are. zeina khodr has details. >> the deployment of the shi'a militias is controversial. a shia force entering the sunni heartland. many warn this could cause tensions the possibility of clashes. at the end of the day it means the government has to rely on the force, because regular forces are too weak. it only shows how militias are stronger than the state in iraq. sunni leaders are warning against this and are asking to be armed and want to take the fight up by themselves. in the interim, amidst the fighting more than 8,000 have been displaced, and the human suffering is worse in this country. >> they were caught in the crossfire and have no place to go. according to the international organization for migration 8,000 were forced to leave ramadi, when fighters from islamic state of iraq and levant advanced into their city. people headed to baghdad are questioned before being allowed to enter the capital. authorities want to make sure no fighters from i.s.i.l. make it into the city. >> trans

i'm sure as soon as the struggle between these militia and the sunni provinces stop, even by this militia overcome, help all the area, all would stop the problems will appear between inside the militia and inside that she that provinces. and that is -- even prime minister knows that problem. they would face the problem and between that militia would be more than the struggle would be with the solution after this. so we are not going with this with if we work outside of the constitution, outside the law, we are not going to help iraq. we are going for more problems, of course, now there's shia sunni problems, but in the future, it's other problems. when i talk about the constitution, if we have the autonomy, that means we have a constitution, and even more money, we are talking about iraq but they are big in ninevah. for example, this will be more than 10,000 autonomy of province, so they need to get inside that constitution, and we need to have negotiation with them from now to right that constitution and to put their lives -- all the minorities so it would be in the step of creating the

on the other side, the other threat is the militia. we talk about the men international global threat a iraq and the world is isis now. militia, tens of militia working illegally out of the state of security force. unless we reach a point of institutionization of security force, sunni shiite all these groups will find war lords who are fighting inside iraq. let us assume after post-daish you will find -- no one accept. that while putting that in institutionalized security forces not to reach a bad result. some sectarian actions of militia including two days ago, they attacked one of the jails released some of the jails. they have been executed rather than killed in front of the jail. i said all these criminals, sectarian crimes will really not only -- it will prolong the life of isis. it will give them the justification they are protecting some groups and they are really not protect. and they commit identical types of crime, of crimes, i mean. utilizing militia on the short term to fight isis is exactly like using -- to fight daish. is

>> the battle for ramadi iraqi shia militia getting ready to retake the city from isil fighters. >> you're watching al jazeera. also coming up, european ministers agree to use force on the high seas to beat the people smugglers. it's the end of the cease-fire in yemen the saudi coalition launching more airstrikes and says it won't be targeting other or airports. >> i'll be reporting on how the predominately nigerian market is doing business with unwanted goods from europe and america. >> they have been talking in brussels. the european ministers about ways to stop the people smugglers, those who have been sending thousands of migrants across the mediterranean, and in many cases to their deaths. there is a statement now by the e.u. foreign affairs minister, and we will listen in to what she has to say. >> the commission site, the agenda on migration was adopted as you know, last week, presented it, commission was sharing with us this presentation today but the focus today was obviously foreign defense ministers the external part of our work to. there are three different elements. one side,

now the shia militias are ready to launch a counteroffensive in ramadi. they operate under the government-sanctioned popular mobilized sanctioned forces. they were responsible from pushing them from the provinces, but they've been aused of human rights abuses and many people have still not returned to their homes. in ramadi the regular army and the local police were no match for isil. many were seen escaping from the city. many sunni leaders blame the government for the fall of the city. >> translator: right now we have very few options on the ground but the best is to train and arm the local tribes because the only group is the shia militia coalition. unfortunately, the reluctance to bring the local sunni tribes on board played a factor in the fall of ramadi and the retreat of the iraqi security forces. >> reporter: that decision will alienate many sunni tribes. some leaders said they would consider their involvement in iranian occupation of their province. there is concern. >> it's a sunni area. there is an ethnic dispute definitely before about ten year

the government shia militia men. we understand some 6,000 have been deployed in anbar, but the fight has not begun in ernst. >>> with i.s.i.l.'s gains on the ground, is - they are now pushed to rethink the overall strategy against i.s.i.l. >> well yes, this is what we are hearing from officials in iraq, particularly sunni politicians, they believe the strategy is not working, they do not agree with the statements made by the obama administration, that they are winning the fight and what i.s.i.l. - the territories that i.s.i.l. gaped in recent days what they did is take strategic territory. what can they do. this is the question. you talk to sunni politicians, and they say that the government is slow in promising to integrate sunnis into the security forces. the regular forces are weak. there has been months of training. they cannot wage a battle which is why the government bring in the militia men. when i.s.i.l. took the heart land a lot of sunni leaders went to the kurdish controlled north. what they were saying is w

aljazeera america. >> near the end of our trip to iraq we came across shia militia fighters from asaib ahl al haq. >> they were recapturing a village from isil in the eastern province of salaheddeen [sa-la-ha-deen]. none of them would speak to us on camera. but their allies in this battle kurdish peshmerga fighters -- agreed to take us to the front. >> this is daesh. >> this is the village suliaman bek. yesterday the islamic state were holding this village. they first got there in june. there were air strikes from the us last night. now peshmergra has gone in and taken the village. they've got the road blocked. we've had to leave our car we're walking up here to see what's happening. in fact, this village has been so recently taken they haven't even taken the islamic state flags yet. you can see the black flag right on top of a silo beside the road here. is that an ied? i was a bit startled because of the fire but it's actually one of the peshmerga guys firing into something trying to see if it's an ied or not. >> they say the road is booby trapped so they're going to take us around to

this only shows how the militias are stronger than the state in iraq. sun any leaders are warning against this and, they are asking to be armed and they want to take this fight by themselves. in the interim, more than 9,000 people have been displaced and the human suffering is only worsening. >>> they were caught in the crossfire and, now they have no place to go, according to the international organization for might go great lakes 8,000 people were forced to leave when fighters belonging to the state of iraq, and advanced into the city and, people who headed towards baghdad are being questioned before being allowed to enter the capital, they want to make sure that no fighters from isil make it into the city. >>> why run we allowed to go to baghdad? aren't we in the same country? we can't cope. it is better to die. >>> anger towards the she a militia runs deep and there's a feeling that they have been betray he. >>> there's been two days on the road government checkpoints and what we can't understand is that security forces just withdrew, why did they d

the portioned here are mainly shia militia. since they brought them under the command of the government they fly a new flag. each militia has it's own identity but all fight under this banner, including this group. fort fying baghdad comes with unique challenges. this is the bridge, the last safe place to cross from the pro vince into baghdad. it is likely to see more scenes like this as long as to fight we will take it. that will enter baghdad disguised as displaced people. in the capitol. >> life there to baghdad and al jazeera is there for us, do we have any updates on the operation so far the progress of it. >> what we are hearing from the security forces is they are pushing to try to take some of the roads which are key and anbar is very much a dessert province, so the roads only a few of them, you need to take control of hose and also pushing into the towns on the outskirts in places but they have already suffered losses in the last hour or so, we have heard there have been three car bombs killing at least 25, bringing the

isil still on the defensive like you mentioned shia-led militias militias. thousands are at a nearby base which is just a near 10-kilometers from the town. preparations are under way they are gearing up for battle but the counter a offensive has not yet begun. we understand that the u.s. led coalition has stepped up air strikes in and armed romadi. we heard washington u.s. officials say yesterday, we have to remember the u.s. is leading the coalition against the fight against isil and they are confident that the iraqi forces will be able to recapture lost ground. and they are promising support. they are promising air coverage of the ground forces who are going to wage this battle. >> yeah, u.s. saying it's just a setback. but what about the overall strategy zeina? >> reporter: well, u.s. officials have long been concerns about the deployment of shia militias in any battle. and particularly in sunni heartland like anbar but we heard from u.s. officials yesterday really down playing this and saying that the shia militias are under the control of the iraqi gover

this is one thing that has been used by the houthi militias. they have tried to restore it but they are also trying to receive some support from these planes but we have targeted them. the saudi armed forces and the border forces are now doing their job in protecting the saudi citizens and preventing the houthi militias from expanding their operations. they have tried to infiltrate in to the borders, but we have attacked them and they have -- houthis have a strong desire to -- relief centers and to pave the way for the yemeni to get some assistance as the houthis have no political target. they have military targets. we know now we're about to have a ceasefire, humanitarian relief works will be there, but we want to abort all of the efforts of the

we have to distinguish between the militias and the volunteers who are ordinary iraqis fighting for their homeland. >> we are talking about militias that are going into i canny territory, but it is mostly a sunni area. i want to go back to prime minister maliki. the "new york times" is reporting that iran is using maliki maliki who by the way said they'll take the province. what do you say about the report that iranians want a weak haider al-abadi for their own purposes. >> i would generally agree it's in iran's interests for iraq to be weak but it is not in their interests to have utter chaos in iraq because that could rebound into iran itself. i take the point of the report to a certain extent but not the kind of chaos we saw in iraq over the past 10 months. >>> ambassador good to have you with us hope you join us again and bring us insights >>> the wife of an i.s.i.l. leader is being questioned. her husband was killed in a raid over the weekend. abu sayyaf's wife was captured. he is believed to be a top-ranking funding official. the military wants to know if his wife knows anything abo

they have managed to stop the militias from occupying aden. this is a good job. there is thing being done now to train and to offer weapons to the popular committees. we need some time and we need to be patient in order to prepare the yemeni the pro-legit maty army and those committees to do the job needed. thank you. mohammed [ inaudible ]. please why did you warn about attacking sa'dah? don't you think this will help them to move from sa'dah and move their equipment from there? yes, this is a right question you have the right to ask, but i need to remind you my brother and sister there is an ethical commitment not to attack the civilance that have nothing to do with the houthi militia. even if he is committed to houthis, as long as he is not carrying weapons, then we need to protect him. and the yemeni people in sa'dah could now be kidnapped by the houthi militias. we are quite keen to make everyone aware that there will be attacks, and we ask those yemeni people to be away from these cities from these areas. we also ask the yemeni citizens to be away from the h

definitely, between the tribes, and the shia militia. and secondly it's more weakening the central government. why? because it is not the army, who is getting in. >>> ramadi was isil's first major gain after a series of defeats, the united states which leads the coalition insists it is confident that ramadi will be recaptured. that may happen, but winning the political battle could be harder. there is little or no reckon southbound iation. >>> take a look at these pictures showing it is said, the center of ramadi, a day after isil took control and black flag, and, ramadi's grand mosque. pictures, right near and footage was released by the news agency, a activist group which is sympathetic to isil. >>> these pictures, show isil supporters celebrating in ramadi sharing flag waving, and members of the public, and it is said to have been filmed on sunday and that's what it is claimed to be but we can't say for sure. >>> let's go to manchester, the former adviser, to the iraqi government. good to have you with us, what do you think about the s

. >>> the battle for ramadi iraq's government calls in shia militia to help it take back the city from i.s.i.l. >>> hello again, i'm felicity barr and this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up e.u. ministers approve a naval mission to target gangs smuggling migrants from libya. burundi's president sacks defense and foreign ministers as his soldiers reclaim the capital >>> at least 48 dead and more missing after a landslide in north-west columbia >>> plus, a rally in support of macedonia's prime minister after mass protests urging him to go. >>> hello, shia militias are assembling near the iraqi stay of ramadi. >>> iraqi's groups fled the city. hundreds were killed and 25,000 people have fled. zeina khodr has more from baghdad. >> reporter: they were caught in the crossfire and have no place to go. 8,000 were forced to leave ramadi when fighters belonging from islamic state of iraq and levant advanced into the city. people headed to baghdad are being questioned before enterle capital. the gas saying it wants to make sure no fighters could enter the city. >> reporter: why aren'

for duda, the ukrainian volunteers are the role model of a citizen's militia. ian duda: it sends a signal to every country. you can't underestimate the power of individuals or forbid them to protect their country. if they want to, they'll find a way. reporter: the citizen's militia isn't banned in lublin, but they have to provide their own financing, in part through donations. they've had some meetings with the polish defense ministry, but for the time being it doesn't want to work with them. the city of lublin says it would use the militia in a natural disaster, but not as a combat unit. damian duda is undeterred. damian duda: if you love peace, you need to prepare for war. i don't want to start a war, but i want to be ready. reporter: lublin's militia members say this is a good solution. they don't want to join the polish army. this way, they can continue their lives as civilians here in eastern poland -- and be prepared. damien: at the moment france's political scene has all the drama of a shakespearean tragedy -- the daughter usurps power from her father the

. >> the popular mobilization forces are getting ready to take back anbar >>> shia militias prepare to take the fight to i.s.i.l. after the rebels take ramadi >>> a flood of refugees. >> they are drinking out of the lake and it's a recipe for disaster >>> a humanitarian nightmare horizon as tens of thousands of refugees escape the violence in burundi. >> an historic handshake. >> there's a magic about ireland that is irresistible. >> the heir to the british throne and the leader to sinn fein do what was considered unthinkable >>> a chinese crackdown. >> our assignment was brought to a halt by police commandos. with assault rifles and shotguns, they threatened to shoot >>> our al jazeera correspondent becomes part of the story as protesters in china fight with the government over a railway line >>> good evening, welcome to al jazeera america i'm antonio mora. >> i'm barbara serra. we begin with a killing rampage in iraq by iraq. there's reports they are going door to door killing government sympathizers. the u.n. is warning to a humanitarian crisis. president obama met with his national

isil has been pushed out of other provinces but people have not returned and the shia-led militias have been accused of humn rights abuses. so this is a very delicate fight and there has to be political reconciliation and the government has to reach out to the people of anbar in order for this fight to work. >>> the u.s. secretary of state says north korea has not even taken steps to slow its nuclear weapons program. this in reaction to reports that north korea test fired a ballistic fire from a submarine. he was in seoul where he met the president of south korea. >>reporter: he refers to the reckless a reckless abandon that the government in north korea has been firing missiles. he gave a strong signal that the united states would support efforts so see north korea referred to the international criminal court unless it changed its behavior. he also held out hope for north korea. there has been some change in the language offered by washington in recent months. in january there were attempts to start talks again. rather than talking about concrete evidence of denuclearization, he's now

the provincial headquarters of anbar want these militias to join the fight. this is a decision that will not be welcome by all in anbar anbar provincial council is allied with the government and not representative of all tribes. some tribes cooperate with the government but many influential tribes don't one leader said a few days ago that we will consider this an iranian occupation. but regular forces are unable to win this battle. but what the sunnis are anbar has been saying to the government is give us weapons we will wage this battle alone. the government is very reluctant, not trusting them, thinking some of them sympathize with i.s.i.l. i.s.i.l. claiming a victory the governor acknowledging this was a political defeat and a tougher response, roarmts were not able reenforcements were not able to did much, undoubtedly inflame sectarian forces mainl major sunni province and shia have had conflict. one of the protest centers was in ramadi and those people were demanding reforms they made demands for the government to give them a real say in decision making.

we have the shiite militia on a counterattack in ramadi. who are the people? these missions are made of fighters, especially from southern iraq. those militias were reactivated in a way because they were involved in the civil war by the end of 2008 and 2009. a sectarian war between sunnis and shia. the even fought the americans. they are reactivated and given new names like the one we saw today, trying to reach ramadi from najaf. they are the brigades -- the peace brigades. they are the same people who are given arms to fight the jihadist. they are the only faction effective in fighting the jihadis. they're as ideological as the jihadis. molly: what's a timeline that we are looking at? >> taking back ramadi will take much time. it is not going to be that easy. ramadi is a sunni city, anbar is a sunni province. they succeeded in taking that -- back tikrit and it caused a lot of casualties. we know that anbar is a stronghold of jihadis. many leaders of islamic state are from anbar and ramadi. the solution was sunni motion fighting -- sunni militia fighting al qa

the shiite militia are fighting daesh. the iraqi army is fighting daesh, the syrian army is fighting daesh. has been fighting daesh and the u.s. air force is fighting daesh. outcome have been able to sustain themselves and where are they getting their weapons and money from? [speaking in native tongue] [speaking in native tongue] >> translator: first of all, very briefly responded to you the groups that you mentioned, some of them before fighting isis have got their own internal problems fighting each other. [speaking in native tongue] >> translator: therefore isis is the beneficiary in this. [speaking in native tongue] >> translator: so this is also a question that we've been considering whether they get they get all these weapons and ammunition. we be realized that they been able to get some weapons from the syrian army some weapons from the maliki army. but they also got some new weapons. they've got some missiles antitank missiles very developed that they've used against us your. >> if i might follow up, where do those

definitely between the tribes and the militia. secondly, it's more weakening the central governments why? because it's not the army, who is getting in. >>> ramadi was the first meamg jor gain after a series of defeats. the united states which leads the coalition i sifts it is confident that ramadi will be recaptured. that may happen, but winning the political battle could be harder in recaptured territory there's no reconciliation. >>> we'll speak now and joining us, you were mentioning the u.s., in your report, and they're saying that they are confident that ramadi can be recaptured by iraq. but, how realistic is that? >>> well yes they've been playing down, isil's gains but at the end of the day yes, you can win this war, if you deploy a strong force a large force on the ground, but there is a danger to this, and this is what we heard from analysts and tribal elders, isil is deeply entrenched and they have local support. we have to remember, it is not just ramadi, they control much of the province, so, they have local support, an

the militia leaders say they don't think that the anbar offensive will take long. however, their involvement is raising fears of sectarian tensions anbar province sharing borders with syria jordan, and saudi arabia and the capital fell to isil a week ago. that was a major defeat for iraqi forces. the city is only 115 kilometers away from baghdad. iraqi security forces gather prepare to go retake the city city that fell to the islamic state in iraq and the levant more than a week ago. there are reports of isil fightersing to meet government security forces. the operation backing from shia militia, many of which are supported by iran and airstrikes airstrikes. it's fear that isil fighters could push into baghdad. to prevent that happening this man is securing the outskirts of the capital. the area is being fortified. we're fighting psychological war. they have been accused of retreating. we're not. we're backing up our troops here and preparing for the fall of ramadi. >> the forces here are mainly shia militia. each militia has its own identity but all fights under t

and that they were ambushed by the militia. and rescues them and also common strait that what has happened inside the time also on a daily bases almost on a daily bases the kind of war we are dealing with, it is not a war that we are dealing with only one of two. so you can't have all corners of the country but what is recommended is the air force to groups in the area, and they are quite a number. >> antigovernment protestor has been killed by police in the capitol. the president has refusing to bow to pressure from inside and outside the country. against his bid to remain in power. they know this won't protect them from bullets and tear gas, but they say they have little they can do, so they keep going. and then in a matter of seconds they are dispersed. >> they haven't gone far they are waiting for police to move on. >> the police are shooting at us. they are shooting at us. >> they sing and are running towards the third term. >> we say no to him. the police seem to know what the protestors are planning. they announced slowly

because of the tribal politics. militias have been blamed for revenge attacks in the areas they are cleared fighters from if that happens tribal leaders say they won't be able to stop their people, from joining isil. militia leaders deny carrying out revenge attacks and the government is keep to show that the latest offensive isn't about sectarianism. >> all over baghdad you will see posters like these and the popular mobilization forces otherwise known as the militia, now they are boo it to you by the government, some would say they are propaganda the government says they are about information, they are promoting the idea that the fight is a fight for all of iraqis. >> but just a few meters away political parties linked toshiya militias have put up their own posters highlighting the involvement of iran, and promote sectarian language, it is this kind of imagery that has the p posterlation both worried and angry. at al jazeera baghdad. >> still to come can the government tries to secure it's border but winning hearts and min

bolstering their ranks, the government has rallied shiite militia men. wresting control of the capital of the heartland for the islamic state group. >> we don't expect the liberation to take long. in a matter of days, ideas and plans will be put into place. preparations have reached final stages. after this, we will carry out the liberation operations. they helped our cause by shaking the foundations of the islamic state. >> 30 kilometers from rome body, the police and army and allied forces are amassing around the base. overnight tuesday, insurgents attacked government lines nearby, only to be pushed back. at least 25,000 people have escaped according to an estimate. it is said to be a major counteroffensive. the u.s. is poised to ramp up. considering faster training and more arms supplies for iraqi tribes. >> joining me now is a visiting scholar from the middle east. thank you for being with us. in myriad of fighters preparing to retake ramadi. how will the tribesmen shiite militias be able to work together effectively? >> it is a very long and bloody b

so how will the militia, who are preparing a counter offensive to retake it back, be received? >>> we discussed this issue many times with the central government regarding this conflict and we were very sure, that they are waiting for the right moment. and as you see yesterday, the army they left, their position, and we were aware of that, that this would happen and, that's why we were expecting for the government to support us with weapons and to train our people which isn't meeting our needs. and we -- >>> they are preparing for this counter offensive ones they are there, how will they be received by the people there? >>> we say that, anytime in public, that we are, we don't need the militias to get involved and, this will be a conflict between our tribes and their tribes and we told them many times that, we have enough volunteers and they are waiting for. they are not very welcome. >>> so what is it that you say you need? >>> we need the support of the government also, for the coalition to support us with the weapons, because we have a great number of volunteers and they're w

security personnel and civilians were killed, either in the fighting and others were murdered. >>> now the militia are ready to launch a counter. they operate under the government. they were responsible for pushing isil from the provinces. but they have also been accused of human rights abuses and many people have still not returned to their homes. >>> in ramadi, the regular army, and the local police were not match, many were seen escape, and will sunni leaders are blaming the government. >>> right now we have very few option's ground, and the armed local tribes, because the only group operating under the command, is the shiite milllish sha. >>> that will alienate many tribes and many will consider their involvement. there is concern. >>> it's a sunni area, and there's a ethnic dispute before and it's about ten years, and, there will be a clash. definitely, between the tribes and the shiite milllish sha it's more weakening, the central government why? because it's not the army, who is getting in. >>> ramadi was isil's first major gain after a series defeats the united states which leads it, ensif

of the tribal politics. militiase been blamed for revenge attacks in the areas that cleared fight iraqis from, if that happens in anbar, tribal leaders say they won't be able to stop their people, from joining isil. is that the latest isn't about secretaryism. >> all over baghdad you will see post tores like this, that are promoting the army and the popular mobilization forces otherwise known as the shia militia. now they have brought to you by the government, some would say they are propaganda, others say they are about information. they say it is a fight for all of iraq. >> just a few meters away political parties have put up their own posters praising their role, highlighting the involvement of iran, and promote sectarian language, it is this kind of image that has the population both worries and angry al jazeera baghdad. >> homes in yeah men are under increasing pressure as the crisis escalates. forces lyle to the president in exile say that pushing houthis fighters back across several fronts. but despite support

and here we have the shiah militia purring back against isis. and i would love to hear a little bit more about that iranian influence with the shiah militia. where do we go from here assuming that we do care of isis the shiah are controlling areas but their intent, i think could easily turn against american influences, american soldiers that might be on the grown there? so as we look at arming the shiah militia, if we talk about that engaging with them just remembering that they are remembering that they are being influenced heavily by the iranians, what would your thoughts be on that? general keane: i don't think the iraqi shiah are the problem. and there are elements in the popular mobilization forces and so force that are not pro-iranian and do not desire to be discover governed by iran. we've seen this repeatedly. and of course this is the grand view of the grand ayatollah sistani is this iraq is an arab country. it's not a persian country and they do not want to be dominated by persians. however, the most effective shiah militia forces are p

history will remember the heroic actions of our people against the militias and their lies. we feel sorry to see people under the siege of militias, we are afraid to see the displacement and towns turned into ghost towns >>> the war in yemen is worsening. the u.n.i.c.e.f. representative in yemen, julien harneis said the agency reached some families but a long er ceasefire is imperative. >> whatever we bring in, planes or ships, it cannot replace fuel, food that 26 million require. some commercial ships are getting into the country. however, yemen is cut off from the vast majority of imported goods. and yemen can only exist if it has access to imports. our humanitarian assistance can never deal with that issue. what it can do is treat the wounded. it can provide assistance to the vulnerable, but it will not be enough. we need a pause to be continued. during the last weeks yemenis their children, have not been vaccinated. vaccines have been destroyed. if we are not able to reach and vaccinate the children in the months to come there'll be endemics in yemen, and we risk things l

the militia are the only troops who seem able to resist islamic state's ferocity. it is sunni muslim. is there a danger they'll fight a sectarian war here? >> i carry the flag of iraq because i don't just represent shiah or sunni. i represent the whole of iraq. >> this is what they call the front line in the sense that it's the closest that the iraqi forces get to the last remaining islamic positions just on the other side of that ridge there. it's mostly the fire is outgoing. there aren't that many islamic state fighters left but they've just told us that we have to get out in case all the fire and excitement here attracts incoming mortar fire. >> and islamic state's by no means finished in anbar province. another bbc team traveling with the iraqi army came under fire from i.s. and a battle startled. it's one of the characteristics of fighting a war in anbar that you scarcely ever get a look at your enemy. reporter: it's a matter of life and death for the iraqi government to drive islamic state out of anbar. the government believes it can be done and by the end of

militias. the kurdish militias we do support. the shia militias, we've been a little more wary because many of them are iranian backed and financed. should we recognize at the end of the day that they're the guys fighting isis and give them the air power they need? >> they are going to be players on the scene, fareed. and they're certainly neighbors of iraq, so they're going to want to contribute to this fight. we have got to work around their actions in one way or another without supporting them. remember, these shia militias, many of them are the same ones we were fighting when we were there. the adviser from iran is a guy that pledged himself to kill as many americans as possible and also contributed to our troubles that we had for quite a few years in terms of getting a representative government within iraq. so all of that is part of the very strong complexity of this situation. yeah, we're going to have to work somehow with them but not work with them, if you can understand what i'm saying. >>

and then you've got the shiite militia reinforcements coming in. given the divide and mistrust, we'll see how controversial that ends up being. okay. ivan, thank you, we appreciate it. >> the u.s. says it will continue to support iraqi forces in the fight against isis. >> officials say coalition air strikes continue to hit targets inside ramadi. the u.s. acknowledges the fall of ramadi as a setback but says there would be no change in strategy. >> we've always known that the fight would be long and difficult especially in that province. and so there's no denying that this is a setback, but there's also no denying that the united states will help the iraqis take back ramadi. as of today, we are supporting the iraqi security forces and the government of iraq with precision air strikes and advice. our aircraft are in the air and they will continue to do so until ramadi is retaken. >> for more on the u.s. strategy, we turn to cnn intelligence analyst bob bear. joins us live from california. good to see you again. the worst part of all of this as we've b

different from the shiite militias, but i think the combination of a very determined adversary with a tremendous amount of firepower acting in a sunni area where a lot of the members of the security forces of iraq are not from combined to break their will in addition to the capability. >> thank you very much for joining us. for years, thailand has been accused of neglecting the increasing problem of human trafficking. the victims are usually rohingya migrants from myanmar and impoverished bangladeshis seeking a new life. traffickers hold them until their families pay a ransom for their release. the thai government is now taking tougher action which has left many migrants stranded at sea. our correspondent sent us this report. >> the discovery of mass graves this month in the jungle camps where migrants have been held, finally forced the thai government to start shutting down human trafficking networks. they've known about this brutal trade for years. six months ago, we came across this group of traumatized men just after they had been rescued, but they were not rohingyas fleeing perse

they have got to the point where they are asking for shia militias to come in the same militias responsible for ethnic cleansing. and the iranians could force proxies. coming into ramadi and now we expect them to be different, to distinguish between a sunni military and an i.s.i.s. fighter when they never have done that in the past. i don't understand how iraqi special operations forces are retreating from ramadi and hope rests with sectarian militias to come into an an where they distinguish between a sunni military and i.s.i.s. i don't see how this works. >> yes sending militias into the situation throws up a host of dilemmas. the iraqi government's options are limited because they are afraid of arming the tribes in anbar. what are the options. how do you win back the trust. can a deal be negotiated with the government in baghdad, and who would lead the process. >> baghdad needs to convene sons of iraq and former leaders, to say "you are now going to be sunni commanders we'll give you the arms and weapons that we give the shia pmus give you the weapons we are giving them and you fight i.s

they'll lead the operation with back i from shia militia many of which are supported by iran and air strikes from a coalition of countries led by the united states. iraqi army is also gearing up for another operations. with the fall of rah mad and i isil in control of border crossings from syria in to anbar it's feared isil fighters can push in to baghdad. to prevent that happening this man is securing the outskirts of the capital. the town just under 30-kilometerskilometers from baghdad is being fortified. >> translator: we are fighting a psychological war. isil have an effective media campaign against us, we have been accused of reteeth, we are not we are backing up our troops and pretearing to take baca ramadi. >> reporter: the fors here are mainly shia militia since prime minister brought them under the command of the iraqi government they fly a new flag, each militia has its own identity but all fight under this banner, including this sunni fighter group. fortifying baghdad comes with a unique challenge. this is the bridge, the last safe place to cross from anbar poff towns in ba

nearly 3,000 fighters from the militia are gathering at an air base east of ramadi. this days after isis blasted into the strong hold with bulldozers and car bombs. the white house conceding the loss of ramadi promising to help retake the city. we have ivan watson following the story for us from hong kong. ivan, the fact that isis was quickly able to take over ramadi. they had discuss insuccess in fallujah and other strong holds. will we see the forces retake ha ramadi? >> it will be a hard battle. poppy, it is taking so close to baghdad. ramadi located here is only about an hour's drive. i have done that drive in more peaceful times. an hour drive on the highway from baghdad and ramadi was the headquarters of the iraqi military in anbar province. isis has been showing off pictures of equipment and military vehicles they seized from the bases they captured in the city on sunday. the iraqi security forces pulled back to here. a town where they tried to set up a defensive line where smooit shi'ite militia men have moved to bolster security. in the meantime tens of thous

now we have david crockett, the soldier, for the first time in his life. >> leading the militia and advancingthe creeks is a man known for being as ambitious as he is arrogant. general andrew jackson. >> david crockett is serving under jackson. there were atrocities under jackson's orders against the creek people. >> jackson orders a surprise attack on the creek town but experiencing the brutal teas of war first dls hand has an unexpected effect on crockett. >> crockett, he was pretty trauma advertised by some of the events in the creek war. he was not a killer. he wasn't a violent person. >> unlike the general he serves under, he recognizes the humanity of the impressive creek warriors. he admires their strength in battle and their courage in the face of death. >> the legend of david crockett is that he's taming the frontier with heroics and battles but the truth is kills when he has to. crockett has more in common with native-american warriors than he does with most military men. >> andrew jackson's militia engages in another battle. but when hundreds of creek escape, jackson is enraged. he

one of the things missourians do is they bring all sorts of militias from missouri into kansas. they identify lawrence as a community settled by new england antislavery people. so they really are going to drive the people out. so, an army literally comes into existence from all the militia units that are coming in from missouri. the war in december of 1855 is the result. i think what is interesting about the effort to eradicate lawrence and to drive all the antislavery people out of the territory for this conflict, right outside of warrants in december of 1855, is that the antislavery people, likewise mobilize. for instance, the militia here in topeka, it goes to lawrence to defend lawrence. and john brown and his family come up to lawrence to help defend lawrence. you have all of these people coming together at lawrence in the proslavery people reinforce one another and the antislavery people, that new network is created as a result of the various antislavery people coming together at lawrence. and john meets john brown and they become associates in the whole resistance by two o