there was a battle in tikrit that's destroyed.ity is good but no popular mobilization forces. >> on the outskirts of tikrit we found this family? >> we came back three days before tikrit was liberated. there was talk of fighting. we came back to our home thank god. >> the fight against isil is not over. many people feel they are caught between isil and government forces backed by shia pera militants. >> there were fears what happened in tikrit would be replicated in the city of mosul and anbar prove incident. is i will remains strong there. winning back the people of tikrit could be harder than winning this war. al jazeera baghdad. >> iraq's interior ministry says three car boxes have gone off targeting security forces with jordan. the blast reportedly took place at the border crossing in the western part of the country. no word yet on casualties. syrian activists say rebel fighters have taken control of a strategic city in the country's northwest. the fighters took control in idlib prove incident after four days of fighting. the

in tikrit, isis fighters still remain. prime minister came to support his troops. not mentioned the shia militias that he needed to help win on the ground. udz u.s. warplanes striking isis targets to support the ground troops. u.s. officials are adamant that the american air strikes were never aimed at supporting iranian backed fighters long opposed by u.s. commanders. >> just a highlight that three tours in iraq commands troops brutalized by some of the shia militia, i will not -- i hope we never coordinate or cooperate with shia militias. >> reporter: the pentagon insists the ground offensive stahled when they proved unreliable. u.s. officials say air strikes were not started until baghdad took full control on the ground. but the reality may be different. >> you don't have an iraqi force that has complete control of all the forces that have been fighting. they have had some command of elements of that. it has been a hodgepodge of actors all contributing. >> reporter: the bottom line is the iraqi forces simply can't fully

there is a battle in tikrit now destroyed. security is good. but it's an issue of restoration of the services. >> on the majority skirts of outskirts of tikrit this family feels liberated. >> there are growing fears that what happened in tikrit could be replicated in mosul and anbar province. isil remains strong there. butal jazeera baghdad. >> the country opposition says that the decision violates the terms of the constitution. the 5 agreement with ended the country's civil war said that the president can serve only two terms. the president said no one will stand in the way of the ruling party's decision. polls have hoped they have declared the favorite for another term. his family has ruled the country for 48 hours since his father seized power in is the 67. he ruled unchallenged for more than 20 years. and he faced a multi party challenge in 1993 and won. and he was reelected in 1998 and 2003. following his death his 39-year-old son succeeded him. we report from toga's capital. >> this is the polling station where the main opposition cast hi

arwa damon visited tikrit earlier today and filed this extraordinary report. >> reporter: we're in tikrit city center. this is the main road that leads through it. the tank behind me right there is one of those belonging to the popular movement units. you also have iraqi police. that building we were told had a sniper and a suicide bomber in it. and over here you see what was tikrit governorate. this is one of the many buildings that isis fighters had booby-trapped booby-trapped. as one of their officers stepped on the stairs they detonated. the stairs themselves had been inlain with explosives. two officers were killed in here, three were wounded. further down you can see smoke continuously rising. this is a scene you see throughout the entire city. that is because, according to what we are being told there are so many ieds, so many booby-trapped homes that in some cases, they cannot be defused. forces are being obliged to detonate them in place. there are some homes that are actually on fire in the distance. now, moving throughout the city the devastation, the destruction is pretty wide

shia paramilitaries are still in tikrit but away from cameras.l fighters are also present and still fighting in the surrounding areas. the big battle for tikrit could be over, but winning the trust of its residents is not easy. >> translator: the people can't return now because there is a lack of basic services, water pipes are broken, a shortage of electricity. there is a battle in tikrit that is now destroyed. security is good. no popular mobilization fighters or isil but we need to restore the services. >> reporter: we found this family. >> we came back three days before at that crit was liberated we came back to our home thank god. >> reporter: the fight against isil is not over. but many people feel they are caught between isil and government forces backed by shia power militaries. there are growing fears that what happened in ca tikrit could be replicated in the city of mosul and anbar province, isil remains strong there but winning back the trust of the people in tikrit and other areas could prove to be much harder than winning this war. o

. >> victory in tikrit. iraq's prime minister celebrates with his troops but the fight is not over. >>> nuclear program, secretary of state john kerry continues his stay to continue negotiations. >>> mayhem in turkey. three attacks on government buildings in two days. now, officials are vowing to intensify their fight against terrorism. >>> palestine has decided to seek membership not vengeance. >> implications for israel and the palestinians. and with the new president. >> we, the grass roots we are sovereign in this country. >> nigerians are turning their hopes to the future. >> good evening i'm antonio mora we begin tonight with thousands of syrians lives in a refugee camp, many of them starving and with no medical carey. kim vanel has more on the besieged refugees and the ongoing violence. >> smoke rises from what is said to be yarmouk refugee camp. sounds of battle. activists say i.s.i.l. stormed the western part of the camp on tuesday, clark with anti antigovernment militias. that's the last yarmouk ne

in tikrit pockets of isis fighters still remain. in a show of confidence iraqi prime minister abadi came to tikrit to support his troops. not mentioned for now, the iranian backed shia militias that abadi desperately needed to help win on the ground. u.s. war planes again striking isis targets to support those ground troops. u.s. officials are adamant that the american air strikes were never aimed at supporting iranian backed fighters long opposed by u.s. commanders. >> three tours in iraq commanding troops who were brutalized by some of these shia militias i will not and i hope we never coordinate or cooperate with shia militias. >> reporter: the pentagon insists the ground offensive stalled when the militiamen proved unreliable. u.s. officials say air strikes were not started until baghdad took full control on the ground. but the reality may be different. >> you don't have an iraqi force that has complete control of all the forces that have been fighting. they have had some command of elements of that. it's been a hodgepodge of ac

who holds tikrit now. a sensitive situation.entered the city are predominantly shia forces, where that be the security forces or fighting force there. the iranian backed shia militias. as we know, tikrit is a majority sunni city. there are sensitivities when it comes to the sectarian dynamic and the concerns about how this is going to play out. there have been concerns about reprisal attacks that might take place there. as the dust settle was the battle then the iraqi government and the organizations will be able to assess any sort of violations and how the troops acted when they endtered the city. very important who is going to hold the ground, who goes in next, what happens. we've heard sunni politicians here call in for -- for local forces from the cities themselves to be holding the ground in these liberated areas after the iraqi security forces. and these popular mobilization units including volunteers and shia militias recapture these towns. if these forces remain in this town, there's of course the risk of tensions runnin

military are in tikrit but away from cameras. isil fighters are also present and still fighting in the surrounding areas. the big battle for tikrit could be offer but winning the trust of its residents is not easy. >> reporter: people can't return now because there is a lack of basic services. water pipes are broken. there is a shortage of electricity. there was a battle in tikrit. execute is good. there are no there are no popular mobilization forces or isil but it's an issue of restoration of the services. >> on the outskirts of tikrit we found this family. >> we came back three days before tikrit was liberated. it was fighting. we came back to our home thank god. >> the fight against isil is not over. many people feel they are caught between isil and government forces backed by shia para militaries. >> there are growing fears what happened in tikrit could be replicated in the city of mosul and anbar prove incident. isil remains strong there. but winning back the trust of the people in tikrit and other areas could prove to be m

others from tikrit.w, the iraqi government at this stage not yet encouraging families to return to tikrit because they're still dealing with pockets of isis resistance. blus isis has booby-trapped a number of roads and buildings in the city and explosive ordnance disposal teams are still going through, trying to make sure that it is safe for those families when they do return. >> wow, so many concerns. arwa damon, thank you for that this morning. when you think about there are concerns also about the iraqi government the iraqi military whether they're able to keep isis out of tikrit. >> oh yeah no doubt. the iraqi military not showing that much aptitude for war fighting over the last several months. >>> 25 minutes after the hour. a police officer charged with murder caught on camera shooting an unarmed black man in the back. alarming video. you can see the victim running away. we have new developments in this next. >>> a police officer accused of murder, caught on camera shooting an unarmed black man in

the tikrit thing was good. now we need to make sure that th go into ram -- ramadi. >> you take tikrit, we'll take ramadi. can you, colonel. >>> this is iran. remember now, this is iran and saudi arabia saudi arabia is firing at the iran people who are supported by iran. i think we're in at a continuing point. ♪ calloused fingers from my guitar strings. ♪ ♪ wild like the wind in the tall pine trees. ♪ ♪ i got roots and i got wings. ♪ ♪ (dog) mmmm. we've been together since 2012. dinner is absolutely our favorite time together. i do notice that sometimes i eat better than her. i get my healthy bowl of beneful, and she eats a cheese stick and a cracker. that's what she ate last night. cheese stick and a cracker. can you believe what some people put in their bodies? (vo) beneful original is a healthy blend... ...your dog will love. with whole grains real beef and accents of vegetables. beneful. healthy with a side of happy. ♪so nice, so nice♪ ♪sweet, sweet st. thomas nice♪ ♪so nice, so nice♪ ♪st. croix full of pure

and military are still in tikrit but away from cameras. i.s.i.l.s are also present and still fighting in the surrounding areas. the big battle for tikrit could be over but winning the trust of its residents is not easy. >> translator: the people can't return now because there is a lack of basic services water pipes broken and shortage of electricity and a battle in tikrit, now destroyed security is good and no forces or i.s.i.l. but it's an issue of restoration of the services. >> reporter: on the outskirts of tikrit we found this family. >> translator: we came back before tikrit was liberated and there was still talk of fighting and we came back to our home thank god. >> reporter: the fight against i.s.i.l. is not over but many people feel they are caught between i.s.i.l. and government forces backed by shia para militarys, there are growing fears that what happened in tikrit could be replicated in the city of mosul and anbar providence, i.s.i.l. remains strong there but winning back the test trust of the people in tikrit may be much harder than w

i am sure there are forces on the east side of the river and as you know tikrit, the city of tikrit is on the west side of the river. >> do we know the whereabouts of qassim silomani? >> to my understanding, my last update he was not in tikrit or in that area. >> in anyway have we implemented fire control measures that issue we don't strike any of the shiite paramilitary forces or the elements in the vicinity of tikrit? >> we certainly have -- we caused the iraqi security forces to develop a scheme of maneuver that can effectively accomplish the mission of clearing the tourn and our fires are supported of that effort. so we're focused on that we are always dos what we can to insure there is not excessive damage. the focus is on the isf forces with eare supporting. >> would you include the kuds force to include qassim silomani? >> i would consider that unintended consequences. >> does qassim silomini have freedom of movement in iraq? >> i believe he does, senator. >> general votel, six months ago, president obama cited yemen as the questions of our counterterrorism strategy. do you beli

the destruction in tikrit. they entered the houses. after they looted them they burnt them pretending i.s.i.l. did it. >> reporter: tikrit was a major victory, doing it with 20,000 shia militia fighters. it's this group that some sunni residents accuse of looting and ransacking government buildings. many sunni muslims from tikrit fled with their families to erbil in the northern kurdish region of iraq. >> honestly we are far from the scene. we don't know what is happening there. what you see on television, that the shia militia has a negative impact. we hesitate to go back >>> iraq's prime minister visited anbar to congratulate the troops and ordered the arrest of anyone breaking the law in areas under government control. the military says it will continue to work with the shia militia, wanting to build on the victory of tikrit and push into other i.s.i.l. controlled areas of anbar province. as the fighting intensifies, winning the trust of people like this will be difficult >>> an egyptian court sentenced mohammed bad ir the leader of

>>reporter: the northern city of tikrit had been under isil control for several months now. it's seen as hugely strategic because it provides a gateway to mosul where it's believed the group's main leaders and operation centers are based. the fight against isil is not so straightforward. as with much of iraq's conflicts, sectarianism is life. tikrit is a sunni city yet the iraqi army used shia militia to enter it who in turn made their presence very clear raising flags with shia slogans on their vehicles and even on top of government institutions. >> the pmf and the army are now inside tikrit and it will be liberated entirely soon. >>reporter: dead bodies said to be of isil fighters line the roads in the center of tikrit a sign of how bloody the battle was. capturing tikrit is a major boost for iraq's army who seemingly folded under the advances of isis a year ago. isil has found support in the north of iraq because of oppression felt by sunni residents there. there already have been reports that sunni homes have been destroyed almost immediately after the army recaptured th

we came back before tikrit was located. we came back to our home thank god. >> the fight against isil is not over but many people feel they are caught between isil and government forces backed by shia pera militaries. there are growing fears what happened in tikrit could be replicated in mosul and anbar prove incident. isil remains strong there winning back the trust of the people in tikrit and other areas could be harder than winning the war. al jazeera, baghdad. polls have opened in the west african country of togo where the president is a clear favorite to win another term. his family has ruled the country for 48 years since his father seized power in a military coup in 1967. he ruled unchallenged for more than 20 years. he faced a multi-party election for the first time in 1993 and won. he was then re-elected in 1998 and in 2003, a year after term limits were removed from the constitution to allow him to run. following the death in 309, his 39-year-old son followed him. a report now from the capital. >> this is the poll

abd-rabbu mansour hadi visited tikrit. i.s.i.l. fighters left the town 20km from tikrit. people there are being allowed to go back to their homes. some are accusing shia militias fighting alongside iraqi armed forces of ruining their homes. >> reporter: birds singing are the only sounds of life in eldor. people's belongings scattered amidst the rubble of home. the principal's office is ransacked buildings destroyed and this mosque destroyed. 120,000 people used to live in this city 20km outside of tikrit. now they are living in tents, portable containers and unfinished houses in several iraqi cities. >> translation: we are financially and physically challenged. our moral is devastated. many families were living in an historical way. >> reporter: in march forces and shi'ite militias pushed out i.s.i.l. then the iraqi forces left. that left the shi'ite militias in a battered city of booby trapped and looted homes. sunni refugees and council members say the shi'ite militia, not i.s.i.l. destroyed their homes to keep them out of el dor forever. >> are there hidden agendas abo

>> we came back three days before tikrit was liberated. there was still talk of the family. we came back to our home, thank god. >> many people feel they are caught between isil and government forces backed by shia paramilitaries. >> there are fears of what happened in tikrit could be replicated in mosul and anbar provinces. winning back the the area of tikrit could be harder than winning back this war. >> in yemen saudi-led coalition airstrikes in aden. >> grounds of artillery target houthi fighters. in aden fighters loyal to abd rabbuh mansur hadi are trying to prevent the port city falling under houthi control. these men never had military training. and for some it's the first time they're using a weapon. >> most of the men here have nothing but this gun. they've never had any kind of training. but thank god the resilience has been heroic and they're keeping the houthies from controlling aden. >>> on the outskirts of aden battles continue local resist tent fighters were able to push back the houthis. army units and local resistant fight

. >>> thousands of iraqis displaced during the battle for at that tikrit waiting to home. plus.oad trip with a difference. how a car made it across the u.s. without a human driver. that's bigger than us... >> that's the pain that your mother feels when you disrespect her son... >> me being here is defying all odds... >> they were patriots they wanted there country back >> al jazeera america presents the passion... >> onward.. >> pain... >> it's too much... >> ..and triumph... inspirational real life stories >> all these labels the world >> al jazeera america brings you a first hand look at the environmental issues, and new understanding of our changing world. >> it's the very beginning >> this was a storm of the decade >>...hurricane... >> we can save species... >> our special month long focus, fragile planet ♪ ♪ >>> welcome back to the top stories here on al jazerra. after months of negotiations, talks over iran's nuclear program have finally led to a framework deal. the iranian foreign minister has described it as a win-win for all sides. they now have three months to sort out

there was a battle in tikrit that is now destroyed. security is good, but there are no no restoration restoration forces. >> we found this family. >> there was still talk of the fighting. we came back to our home, thank god. >> the fight against isil is not over but many feel they're caught between government forces. there are growing fears that what happened in tikrit could be replicateed in anbar province. but pushing them out of tikrit could be harder than winning this war. >> the fighters captureed large parts of idleb province after four days of fighting. meanwhile, the united nations said that they will impose an arms bar go on syria. our diplomatic editor reports. >> they're briefed by the humanitarian situation each month. 20,000 people are dead, 6.6 million forced from their homes. this was the last briefing by outgoing humanitarian chief valerie amos and she used it to describe the continues itself. >> the failure to stop the violence has undermined the credibility of this council and eroded the ability to take responsibility

because of what we saw the shia militia do, the destruction done in tikrit. they entered the houses, after they looted them they burned them pretending that i.s.i.l. did it. >> with the help of 20,000 shia militia fighters, it is this group that some sunni residents accuse of burning homes looting and ransacking government buildings. many sunni muslims from tikrit fled with their families to erbil in the northern kurdish section of iraq. >> we don't know exactly what's happening there but we see on television that the shia militia has a negative impact. the family is not involved in any party we hesitate to go back. >> iraq's prime minister haider al-abadi congratulated them for their victory over i.s.i.l in tikrit. the military says it will continue working with the shia militia, wants to build on the victory and push into other i.s.i.l. controlled areas of you anbaranbar province. >> no sign of a break through to end a four year conflict, fighting there has now killed over 200,000 people, 9 million more have been forced there their homes. from the russian c

last week tikrit was recaptured from i.s.i.l. fighters. they took control of the city last june. charles stratford reports. >> reporter: many of the roads and buildings in tikrit remain deserted. the iraqi army may be in control, but fighting has been intense in the past few weeks. islamic state of iraq and levant overran saddam hussein's home town in june. security forces are trying to reassure people it's safe to return. >> translation: we are in control of security we control all the government buildings, and we have secured the residential areas. >> reporter: the iraqi military victory was helped by u.s.-led coalition air strikes. evidence of aprofitize committed by i.s.i.l. -- atrocities committed by i.s.i.l. was found in this grave, believed to contain the graves of soldiers. >> translation: i came to this place to look for my nephew. i was told me was killed and buried in tikrit. >> reporter: iraq's prime minister visited the kurdish northers repeating a promise that the iraqi army would work with kurdish forces to take back control of the province. >> translation: we are

>> i'll start with whether tikrit was a model. it's a model of how to integrate the efforts of the counterterror system a conventional brigade, and that part of the popular mobilization forces that are under direct control of the iraqi government. it is a model in that sense because it's the first time those three groups ever worked together under the central control of the ministry defense, and we were able to support that and provide the necessary fire to let that campaign reach a successful conclusion. we've watched and are continuing to watch the reports of whether there were looting or burning or atrocities conducts afterwards. although we've seen some images and the investigation is ongoing collaboratively with the iraqi government there's no evidence of widespread activity. there was likely to be some isolated instances. we've actually got a long history of being able to deal with this. the leahy amendment tells us we can support those forces that gave in a way consistent with our values and when a particular unit does not,

the attacks coming as vandals strike in tikrit and setting fires and looting stores just hours afterhe city is liberated from isis. >>> plus on this easter sunday, the pope sends a strong message to the world about terrorism. >>> a furious weekend in theaters. a record breaking opening day. the biggest box office take for a film in almost two years. ♪ >>> this is cnn breaking news. >>> good morning everyone. i'm alison kosik in for christi paul. >> one of the terrorists in northeastern kenya in africa was the son of a kenyan government official. >> kenya government ministry he is identified on as al dalaby. >> offices say the shooter's father had reported to security agents his son had disappeared from home and he was helping police try to find him in the massacre happened. you'll remember, 147 people were killed when al shabab militants attacked garissa university on thursday. let's get more from soni methu in kenya. what more do we know about this gunman and his father? >> reporter: well, we do know, as you said, his name is abraham ab deli. his father reported him as missing to se

capturing tikrit is a major boost for iraq's army, which seemly folded in isil advances a year ago. but for many this will not solve everything. isil had found support past oppression felt by sunni residents there. many of whom had felt they were unfairly targeted by a shia-led government and army that wanted to wipe them out. and there have already been reports that sunni homes have been destroyed almost immediately after the army recaptured this city. recapturing a city is one thing. but winning back the trust of iraq's sunnies may prove to be more difficult. >> let's go to turkey where the largest city is on high alert after the second shooting in as many days. this time the police headquarters in istanbul were targeted. bernard smith has the details. >> a man and woman armed with what police describe as long-range weapons approach istanbul's police firing, killing the woman and wounding the man. he managed to escape and was caught not long after. the woman was carrying a bomb. this comes just after 4 hours after a hostage situation at the city's main courthouse where a prosecuto

and the forces left to launch their offensive into tikrit.t left the shi'ite militias in a battered city of booby trapped and looted homes. sunni refugees and council members say the she it militias and not i.s.i.l. systematically destroyed their homes forever. >>. >> translation: are there hidden agendaers about the town. we want to know if we can get back to our homes or not. >> the shia militias and the forces we spoke to say i.s.i.l. is to blame. >> it is i.s.i.l. that blew up the houses before leaving. >> translation: we are calling on the families to return we are waiting for them to help. >> reporter: when military operations began in tikrit those left in aldor fled to avoid more violence. with tikrit purged of i.s.i.l. it may be safe enough for the refugees to return. they say they fore the militias controlling their city >>> officials from thailand indonesia and myanmar are travelling to remote islands in eastern indonesia to investigate allegations of abuse. reports allege that thousands of foreigners were enslaved to catch fish. so

air power in tikrit they would have failed in tikrit.ilitary i think is a broad generalization. it is certainly accurate as to some u it ins, many units maybe even most units. they do have some fighting forces. their control and command is spotty at best and they're going to have a very difficult time doing what they need to do in ramadi. >> because, you know, a year or so ago, a now thousand not many isis fighters went into the second largest city in iraq mosul, city of nearly 2 million people and there were huge numbers of iraqi troops. you know what they did. >> they left. >> threw their weapons down abandoned their hardware and ran away. they couldn't deal with a few thousand, you know iraq -- isis fighters. >> that was the first challenge they had from isis right there or essentially the first major challenge. >> i say this as you well know after a decade of the u.s. building 400,000 iraqi military personnel, giving them the most sophisticated weapons, when the u.s. finally pulled out, they left a lot of stuff there for all of which

prime minister abadi came out and said tikrit was a model. is that your assessment given that there have been reports of looting and executions happening in tikrit? and i was wondering if you could speak, both of you, more broadly about what is the strategic threats that is posing yemen so that it demands saudi intelligence in saudi arabia? what is the strategic interest in the fight in yemen? >> let me -- i'll start with the question over whether tikrit was a model. it's a model of how to integrate the efforts of the counterterror system the iraqi security force, cts, the international brigade and forces under direct control of the iraqi government. it is a model in essence because it's the first time those groups worked together under the central control of the ministry of defense. we were able to support that and provide the necessary fire to let that campaign reach a successful conclusion. we've watched and are continuing to watch the reports of whether there's lootsing or burning or atrocities -- looting or burning or accosts commit cost

. >> i can't go back to tikrit, becauseful what we saw the shia militia do. the destruction that was done. they entered the houses and then burned them and pretended isil did it. >> the iraqi army took control of tikrit last week from isil forces. the military has told people it is now safe to return. tikrit was a major victory for the iraqi government and it did it with the help of 20,000 shia militia fighters. it is this group that some sunni residents accuse of burning homes, looting and ransacking government buildings. many sunni muslims from tikrit fled with their families to erbil in the northern kurdish region of iraq. >> obviously we are far from the actual scene. we don't know exactly what's happening there what you see on television that the shia militia has a negative impact. as a family not involved in any party, we hesitate to go book. >> iraq's prime minister that ordered the arrest of anyone breaking the law in tikrit or other areas under government control. they are preparing to build on their victory in tikrit and push into other isil control

well another key battleground against isil with iraqi city tikrit. security forces have recaptured from isil after that group had taken control of it last summer. officials say that it's okay for people to go back to their homes. >> many of the roads and buildings in tikrit remain deserted. the iraqi army allied with shia militias may be in control now but the fighting has been intense for recent weeks. the islamic state in iraq and the levantoverislamic state in iraq and the levant over ran saddam hussein's hometown in june. the security forces are trying to convince people it is safe to return. >> we're in control of security. we control all the government buildings and we have secured the residential areas. >> the victory hear was helped by u.s.-led coalition airstrikes. evidence of atrocities committed by isil was discovered in this mass grave last week. it's believed to contain the bodies of iraqi soldiers. >> i came to this place to look for my nephew. i was told he was killed and buried here in tikrit. >> iraq's prime minister has been visitin

it took weeks for the iraqi military to take back tikrit.he help of shia fighters and us air strikes they've managed to push isis. tikrit is the first major sunni city retaken from isis and this was an isis stronghold-- one of the first cities it caputured after mosul. its fighters fought hard for it. fighting was street to street and it shows. now two weeks after isis was driven out, the only people allowed in the city are fighters and policemen. we were brought here by the popular mobilization forces-- shia fighters under nominal iraqi government command. most are backed and in some cases equipped by iran. the iraqi military couldn't have pushed back isis without them. but particularly in sunni areas some have been accused of looting and revenge attacks. on the streets shops believed burned by looters or damaged in the fighting. this is the effect of three weeks of air strikes, bombings. officials think it could take more than two months for them to be able to return. local police now secure the city. parts of it are still rigged with expl

>> tikrit was actually a fascinating small fight.was a training whoolzeels operation to say what the iraqi army could do. the bad news it reinforced with tens of thousands of shia militiamen. with odds of between 30 and 60-1 against the islamic state militants in tikrit, they still couldn't do it. they couldn't do it without u.s. air power sweeping in. the good news is, it was an embarrassment for the iranians and the revelationary guards. the state had hundreds of defenders in tikrit. ramadi matters more. when the pentagon claimed that islamic state has lost 25% of the territory it had taken in iraq, my response is desert and dust doesn't matter. they have lost at most 5% to 10% of the population they had overtaken. that alone, it's the people that matter, not empty stretches of desert. by the way, as you know very well, the offensive isn't just in ramadi in anbar province. the islamic state militants in syria or what used to be syria has seized a massive palestinian refugee company six miles from the heart of damascus. these guys a

tikrit. they drove the militants out of there. soldiers also raised the iraqi flag atop a local government building in tikrit officials are warning that the fighting will continue with isis now tikrit is the second-largest city seized by the militant group. the battle is important sign if the iraqi forces would be prepared for a much larger offensive in mosul. >>> 40 people in a village were reportedly killed by isis with victims including women and children. yemen now is on the verge of total collapse as saudi-led coalition continues to launch air strikes against the shiite rebels. iran believed to be backing the rebels is now calling for talks between yemen's political parties. >>> president obama is lifting a nearly two-year-old weapons freeze against egypt, that's big news the white house is denying that it's linked to the threat of islamic state militants. >>> let's turn to business. the dow dropped 200 points but the s&p 500 hung on for positive gains for the ninth consecutive quarter,

troops have recaptured key facilities in central tikrit. the rebels have controlled the city since last june. state-run tv showed prime minister haider al abadi parading through the city, accompanied by the provincial governor and military leaders. abadi says they will work to have the thousands of people had fled the city return to their homes as soon as possible. >> translator: we are now in central tikrit. god willing, iraq will be liberated from the criminals and their atrocities. >> interior ministry officials say hundreds of rebel fighters are still holed up about 10 kilometers north of the city center. they say government forces are determined to flush them out. the iraqi troops launched the operation to recapture tikrit in early march with support from iranian forces and shia militiamen. they were recently joined by fighter pilots from u.s.-led coalition forces who have been bombing targets. iraqi forces say their next mission will be to take back mosul, the country's second largest city. >> many rice farmers in northeast japan are

as they retake tikrit but the islamic state gains ground in syria. with that strategic analysis. >> why do so few noticed the red storm raising in the east as china constructs a mysterious great wall of sand in the south doug. you've been staring at that for awhile, huh? listen, td ameritrade has former floor traders to help walk you through that complex trade. so you'll be confident enough to do what you want. i'll pull up their number. blammo. let's get those guys on the horn. oooo looks like it is time to upgrade your phone, douglass. for all the confidence you need. td ameritrade. you got this. lou: more british citizens tried to get into cereal with the islamic state nine british citizens arrested for trying to stake across the border the group consisted of three airmen to women and for children's essays by the turkish military. just two weeks ago three british teenage forays were arrested in ensample -- in sample and that is with the three british schoolgirls to cross the turkish border into syria back in february. calling in but did the set vi

i was told he was killed and buried here in tikrit. >> reporter: iraq's p.m. visited the kurdish north, and repeated a promise that the iraqi army would work with the kurdish forces to take back control of the province. >> translation: we are here to cooperate and coordinate a joint plan. it will be to liberate the people of the area. we'll work with all the sides and sects to liberate the area for the benefit of its people. >> the streets of tikrit may be quiet now. i.s.i.l. controls huge areas, most of the western province of anbar and various areas north of the capital, baghdad. >>> in the u.s. city of north charleston in south carolina, a white police officer has been charged with murder of the shooting of a black man. it's based on this amateur video, showing the officer shooting walter scott multiple times in the back as he ran away . >> 33-year-old michael slager is behind barsar the video went viral. a witness captured the moments the officer shot and killed 50-year-old walter scott in the back. scott, a father of four, employed and engaged to be marri

. >> the iraq prime minister confirms most of tikrit has been liberated from isil control. the provincial headquarters is now under its control and the push could be completed within hours. >> >> firing into isil held pockets of tikrit, iraq supreme court forces make a court advance on the city. progress is slow, soldiers face booby traps and suicide bomb attacks. at times this is a running speed battle that tarts and victory in this place a number of symbolic buildings. >> yesterday our forces were able to enter tikrit hospital and government offices from the south and they are now advancing toward the center. from the west, our forces will enter the neighborhood today. >> fanning out soldiers pinpoint a home they believe to be an isil hideout. inside they find a sack of improvised explosive devices. security forces are jubilant. >> thank god we took them by surprise and the iraqi forces with the help of the iraqi air force and coalition support have managed to deal heavy blows today on the enemies of iraq. our ground forces have managed to liberate land with the blood of

. >> thousands of shia militia took control of the city of tikrit. a sunni muslim from that city, despite the government saying he can go home he's too afraid. >> i can't go back to tikrit because of what we saw the shia militia do. the destruction done on tikrit. they looted and burned and pretended sieferl did i.s.i.l. did it. >>> it is this grup that some unsunni accuse of burning homes and ransacking buildings. many sunni muz lisms complete is muslims fled with their families. >> we see on television that the shia militia has a negative impact as the system not associated with any party we hesitate to go back. >> congratulate his troops for their victory in tirkts. breaking the law on areas under government control the military says it will begin to work with the shia militia after pushing into other areas anbar province. charles stratford, al jazeera. >>> negotiabling over the price of the rafalnegotiating over the priceof fighter jets sale from france to india. >>> police don't know what cause ed the explosion. more than 500 men and women have

as they retake tikrit but the islamic state gains ground in syria. with that strategic analysis. >> why do so few noticed the red storm raising in the east as china constructs a mysterious great wall of sand in the south china sea. coming right up. bring us your baffling. bring us your audacious. we want your daydreams your ah-has, your easier-said-than-dones. we want your sticky notes, sketchbooks, and scribbles. let's pin 'em to the wall. kick 'em around. kick 'em around, see what happens. bring us your need-it-done-yesterdays. your impracticals, your how-do-we-do-thats, impossibles, your what-do-we-do-nows, downright inaccessibles. bring us those things you're not sure how to pull off - and you're even less sure who to ask. because we're in the pushing- what's-possible business. the how-do-i-get-this-startup- off-the-ground business. the taking-your-business- global-business. we're in the problem-solving business. more than 400,000 people around the world ready to help you solve problems while they're still called opportunities. from figuring it o

-held pockets of tikrit. iraqi security forces make cautious advances.rogress is slow soldiers face booby traps and suicide bomb attacks. at times this is a running street battle. the tart and victory in the case a number of symbolic buildings. >> translation: yesterday our forces entered tikrit hospital and government offices from the south and are advancing to the center. from the west they enter the neighbourhood. >> fanning out into the suburbs. soldiers pinpoint a home they believe to be an i.s.i.l. hide out. inside explosive devices. security forces are jubilant. >> thank god we took them by surprise. with the help of the iraqi air force and the coalition air support. they managed to deal heavy blows on the enemy of iraq. ground forces managed to liberate the land with the blood of iraqis. iraqis alone. >> the prime minister says i.s.i.l. fighters have been driven out of the central city. three outer neighbourhoods remain under their control. >> as the iraqi advance continues. shia militias returned to their aid. the iranian backed fighters suspend

all know a victory in tikrit would boost hopes for mosul. u.s.-led air strikes can only do so much before ground troops are needed >>> here is what is coming up on al jazeera. saudi-led air strikes hit houthi positions in yemen. the misty upham warns the country is close to collapsing. first the spy scandal that led to the removal of the peruvian prime minister. >> al jazeera america, weekday mornings. catch up on what happened overnight with a full morning brief. get a first hand look with in-depth reports and investigations. start weekday mornings with al jazeera america. open your eyes to a world in motion. >>> top stories on al jazeera, nigeria's minister muhammadu buhari defeated incumbent president goodluck jonathan. he received 54% of $58 million. goodluck jonathan scored a little under 45%. >>> talks on iran's nuclear future begin in switzerland after a self-imposed deadline expired. the prime minister says good progress has been made. there'll be a chance for the drop field on wednesday. the turkish prosecutor is taken hostage in a court

. >> they reached tikrit. a scary and strategic retaking of tikrit. there are concerns in tikrit that isis still has a foot hold there. they need to take mosul. they want advance and retake mosul. how big of a setback is this if they are able to take this town? >> reporter: it would be a big blow to the iraqi government that is feeling a boost in morale after this victory in tikrit. tikrit has always been something of if one can say this simple battle when it comes to the areas that isis controls. isis did not necessarily want to maintain a firm grip on tikrit. it was a luxury for them to have control over it. when it comes to anbar province and mosul, mosul is the capital of the islam caliphate. you have the civilian population which a majority has not fled. it will be a more complicated battle in ramadi. that is the key issue. these are not battles that will be happening anytime soon. it will take months if not longer, to begin strategizeing and getting force in place to undertake the fighting to uproot isis from anbar. and not to mention the broade

there are not security forces in tikrit. we are still effective in providing air support to iraqi forces because we do have americans in their command centers and practiced the methods by which we would ensure that the targets that were given to us were valid targets. doing everything that we usually do to ensure that there is no collateral damage, or that it is minimized. we are going through all of the steps that we normally do to ensure that airstrikes can be both effective and precise. we are not using our own forces for controllers to do that, in tikrit or anywhere else in iraq. that hasn't changed. >> last question. >> my question is for you general demspsey. the prime minister said tikrit was a model. is that your assessment, given that there have been reports of executions in tikrit? i wanted you both to talk more broadly about dietrich threat -- the strategic threat imposed in yemen? what is the u.s. strategic inference in that fight in yemen? martin dempsey: i will start with the question of tikrit as a model. it i