control of eastern syria and western iraq. things were said to be horrific in many of these towns.s hard to explain. it's hard to wrap your head around continuing support of the populations in these regions, look at the size of the foodprint. region. >> looking at the footprint. it will be false to say. this is a horrific group that has taken and wrested control with a barbaric attack. everyone has been caught off guard. we are struggling to understand the appeal of an organization looking to bring society and civilisation back to the middle ages. the first and fore most victims are the muslims and live in the reasons, declared apostates and the subject of mass executions. >> the propaganda forum made this boast. the "ultimate 8" has billions in the bank, so they call on -- islamic state has billions, so they call on others to make purchases through others in the region. fantasy, nightmare scenario. >> it's implausible. you have to take it seriously. it's brilliant propaganda. it refers to the final battle between christians and muslims before the final judgment, and they play all

the fighters sweeping into northern and western iraq, controlling half of neighbouring syria. in 2011, president obama was forced to confront an arab spring movement. the region is in crisis and america's role is unclear. mike viqueira has the story >>> egypt 2011, president obama struggles to react, late to call for the ouster of hosni mubarak, and comparing the protesters to revolution. >> we cannot hesitate to stand on the side of those reaching for their rights. knowing that their success will bring about a world that is more stable, peaceful and just. >> four years later the region stable. >> in yemen, a rebel advance, a saudi-led air campaign to drive them back. the u.s. goes along, playing a supportive role behind the scenes. in syria, four years of civil war. they want allies to go after bashar al-assad, but president obama will not >>> since the dawning of the arab spring president obama encouraged regional allies to take the lead. >> the u.s. has not worried. who would fill in the vacuum. a vacuum exists in libya, spring 2011. allies unleash a bombing campaign kousti

. >>> islamic state militants have consolidated their control over a key city in western iraq. they captured the main government compound in ramadi. members of the islamic state began fighting iraqi government forces last month in anbar province and control wide swaths and trying to get into the center of the capital ramadi. local authorities say militants launched an offensive thursday and friday using artillery and car bombs. they say the militants took control then raised their black flag over government buildings. government forces are fighting back. >> translator: we'll fight iss lambic state militants in anbar as long as it takes. we'll kick them out of anbar. >> government forces reached a key northern city of tikrit last month with help from air strikes in the u.s. led coalition. losing the center of ramadi is a blow to the government and coalition. >>> authorities in burundi say a coup attempt has failed. some military officers announce they were trying to take power earlier this week. the country had been in turmoil as citizens were protesting the president's indecisi

to province takes up much of western iraq. the capitol ramadi fell to isil just over a week ago a major defeat for forces. now the city is only 115-kilometers away from the capitol baghdad. reports from the outskirts of the province. iraqi us and forces gather preparing to retake the and i that fell to fighters more than a week ago. it is likely to be a long operation. there are reports of forces preparing to meet government forces. many of which are supported by iran, and air strikes from a coalition of countries led by the united states. the army is also gearing up for other operations with the full of ramadi and isil in control from syria into am barr, it is feared fighters can push into baghdad. to prevent that, this man is securing the outskirts of the capitol. the tongue under 30 classroom can tores away is being ft.fies. we are fighting a psychological war isil has an effective pead yeah campaign against us. we have been accused of retreating we are not. >> since the prime minister brought them under the command of the

an bar province takes up much of western iraq, sharing borders with jordan, and saudi arabia, and while the capitol fell just over a week ago. the city is only 150 teen kilometers away from the capitol baghdad. on the outskirts of the province. iraqi security forces gather preparing to retake the city which fell to fighters from the islamic state of the iraq more than a week ago p it is likely to be a long operation, there are reports of fighters preparing to meet the government forces. they will lead the operation with backing from shia militia, many of which are supported from iran, and air strikes led by the united states. the iraqi army is also gearing up for other operations with the full of ramadi and isil in control from syria into anbar it's feared isil fighters can push into baghdad. to prevent that from happening this man is securing the outskirts of the capitol. the town just under 30-kilometers from baghdad is being ft.fied. >> we are fighting a psychological war isil has an effective campaign against us we have been accused of retreating we are not we are now backing up our

days, our forces have killed or captured hundreds of terrorists and insurgents in baghdad and western iraq and near the syrian border. across the world, our military is standing directly between the american people and the worst dangers in the world, and americans are grateful to have such brave defenders. [applause.] difficult and dangerous work ++remains. suicide bombers in iraq are targeting innocent men, women and children, hoping to intimidate iraq's new leaders, and shake the will of the iraqi people. they will fail. iraqis are determined, and our strategy is clear: we will train iraqi forces so they can take the fight to the enemy and defend their own country, and then our troops will come home with the honor they have earned. [applause.] the midshipmen i addressed here four years ago are now serving bravely in this struggle. the new officers who sat in the chairs where you now sit could not have known that their strength and character would be tested so soon. in the last four years, they've met every test, and overcome every challenge. and they are setting a lasting example of cour

it takes up much of western iraq.nbar's capitol, ramadi fell to isil just over a week ago, a major defeat for iraqi forces. imran khan reports. >> reporter: iraqi security forces gather on the edge of ramadi preparing to retake the city which fell to fighters from the islamic state of iraq and the levant more than a week ago. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: it's likely to be a long operation. there are reports of isil fighters preparing to meet government security forces. they have backing from shia militia, many of which are sup pored by iran. the iraqi army is also gearing up for other operations with isil in control of border crossings from syria into anbar, it is feared that isil fighters could push into baghdad. to prevent that this man is securing the outskirs -- outskirts of the capitol. >> translator: we're fighting a psychological war. isil have an effective media campaign against us. we have been accused of retreating. we are not. we are now backing up our troops and preparing for the fall of ramadi. >> reporter: t

♪ iraq's army launches a military operation to retake western anbar province from i.s.i.l. ♪ hello, i'mhelle in doha and also ahead on the program a month after attacking the university in northeast kenya al-shabab gunmen return to the area to target police forces. the latest on the mass graves found in malaysia and our reporter is at the scene. smugglers who go fishing for fuel off the beefaches off togo. ♪ three suicide car bombers have launched attacks as iraq's military begins operation to try and retake anbar province from i.s.i.l. and shia malitia are involved in the operation which some say could raise sectarian tensions and anbar is a large mostly sunni province in the west and took control of ramadi the capitol last week sending iraqi troops running and rampty is 115 kilometers from the capitol baghdad and we are in baghdad and joins us now and what is going to be different about this operation to retake anbar as opposed to the fact it fell in the first place, what is going to be different? >> well what they are doing is pumping in a lot more resources than they have done previ

decided to invade the country, still controls huge swaths of territory in northern and western iraq. makes matters worse isil controls half the territory of neighboring syria. iraqi forces have had recent success in rolling back isil in places like tikrit or kurdistan, but the u.s.-trained iraqi military can't seem to get the job done on its own, not without backup from u.s. air strikes, iranian backed militias kurdish paramilitaries or kurdish fighters. that's the problem from the point of view of washington. the u.s. is banking on iraq's military to hold its own and keep iraq from imploding. the security vacuum left in iraq since they left in 2011 since the u.s. troops invaded in 2003 make that a pipe dream. al jazeera america national security course dents jamie mcintyre joins me from the pentagon. ash carter said over the weekend that iraqi fighters have lost their will to fight. >> ali, to say that the u.s. is disappointed in the performance of those iraqi fighters in ramadi would be to risk serious understatement. the iraqi forces have a lot of things they blame for the loss of

. >>> thousands of people are fleeing their homes in western iraq now that ramadi has fallen to isis control. officials say upwards of 500 people have been killed in the latest fighting. some 8,000 having forced to leave. >>> secretary of state john kerry spoke about isil during his trip to south korea. he says the group is growing stronger in the region. >> particularly in anbar where you don't yet have the presence of the iraqi security forces in the full lumbers necessary to take the fight to dash everywhere yet, i underscore yet, there are targets of opportunity like the ramadi or somewhere else where dash has the ability to inflict great damage. >> the head of u.s. central command met with iraq's defense minister in baghdad today and thousands of shia militia arrived in ramadi to kick start the fight. we have more. >> reporter: they were caught in the crossfire, and now they have no place to go. according to the international organization for migration, 8,000 people were forced to leave ramadi when fighters belongs to the islamic state of iraq and the levant advanced into their

friday the group hit the city of ramadi in western iraq. they're closing in on the ancient city of palmyra. a world heritage site dating back 2,000 years. danielle nottingham for cbs3 "eyewitness news". >> the man accused of of shooting into george zimmerman' cars tonight is free tonight on $35,000 bond. the judge said the bon came with certain conditions. he must turn in all of his weapons with his ammunition and stay away from george zimmerman. police say he opened fire on zimmerman's car on monday causing minor injury. his attorney says it was self-defense. there were previously involved in a road rage incident last year. he will face a judge again next month. >>> ♪ >>> tuesday is primary day in >> taking a master class in retail politic. >> you and your brother helped my mom get her house. >> oh really. >> way back in 1975. >> yeah. yeah. yeah. >> i'm still here. >> he's been a mixture in this community a self styled voice for the poor. >> he was letting people know what was right what was wrong when i was a kid. i'm 44. he's been doing

yesterday, it was palmyra. 4 days ago, it gained the important town of ramadi in western iraq. vast flood of terrified refugees pause along the road along ramadi. desperate to escape the vengeance of islamic state. a mere 200 i.s. fighters captured the town, chasing out 10 times that number of iraqi soldiers. the people of the town feel utterly abandoned. this woman screams at the bbc, "the government has let us down." all that is only 60 miles away, yet, baghdad feels calm and pretty relaxed tonight. almost 2/3 of the iraqi army is based in and around the capital to protect it. the anxiety has started to fade now, but there is a infinite feeling that the iraqi army let the country down. in america some people are starting to blame it all on u.s. policy. yet, western officials are confident that i.s. can it will be beaten. they believe ramadi will be captured within weeks. laura: among the fears about islamic state taking control of palmyra is what will happen to the precious works of art and heritage. a short time ago, i spoke with the chair of the antiquities coalition. palmy

ramadi is a key city in western iraq, where the militants already control a lot of territory. barclays will probably be fine for violating a three year agreement on interest. prosecutors will not seek a guilty plea, barclays finally be around $60 million, this all has to do with manipulating the benchmark interest rate. prices are down for a third day in a row, u.s. output remains close to a record high and shale l explorers are set to expand output later this year. pimm: carl icahn has chosen sides between hoover and left -- lyft.nd lyft. gone with cory johnson is in san francisco, and he has more. are you surprised? cory: this is carl icahn. he is not going with lyft or uber, this is a guy who made companies. rating using debt to buy companies, to break them into pieces and destroy them in the way they wanted to run their business. fueled by junkbonds, you have him now making a venture investment. he is helping a company billed itself.- build it reflects this great time you're in out in silicon valley. disrupting business and the air model -- and their models. but he is not

government is planning to help try to slow down the advance of isis in western iraq. john. >> that right now seems to be the majority of the aid going in there. let's see if that is enough. ivan watson thanks. >>> in syria, isis tightening its grip on the latest con quest. the city of palmyra. dumping the decapitated bodies in the streets and calling on citizens to expose government soldiers. latest is exposing the priceless ancient ruins. ian lee is here with us. the latest is a way to keep funding isis operations by selling antiquities. it is devastating. it shows the reach and the ease isis is having in its record expansion here. >> reporter: that's right, christine. when you look at the taking of palmyra, first, you do have the historical artifacts there that we have seen in other places in iraq and syria destroyed by isis. and we are waiting to see what will be the fate of the artifacts in palmyra. there's also the funding element for isis. artifacts that they cannot move or are well known. i was told are usually destroyed. anything else is sold to the black mark

they have capture aid lot of territory in northern and western iraq. >>> secretary of state, john kerrylia today the first diplomat to visit the african country, he met with leaders to talk about stabilization efforts, he praised them for turning around after years of violence and suffering. back in the u.s., they nominated the next chief of staff. dunford led missions in afghanistan during a key position from 2013 to 2014, obama called dunford one of the most admired men in the military. >>> turning to sports tonight. eagles continue their voluntary workouts, ducis rogers is live in the sports center with more on that. >> reporter: lets call it involuntary voluntary workouts. per the collective bargaining agreement, they are not required to attend but you can bet that chip kelly is taking attendance. three interceptions and one return for a touch down jenkins was one of the new guys and this year there are a lot more new faces taking his place in that category. >> in this league it's always the interpover and we had changes with big names and key guys and we had key editions to offset

but you are looking at a good part of western iraq in the hands of isis, and i think getting them outf there is going to be a real chore, and especially getting them out of ramadi and falluja and mosul. charlie: places where americans have spent a lot of lives, as you know. is it a bad idea, then to try to , put together american airstrikes, american advisers, iranian advisors and shia militia to try to bring together as much firepower as you possibly can, because it is that serious, that threat of isis? robert gates: well, i have a difficult time accepting a significant iranian presence and military rule in iraq, given our sacrifices and everything else. charlie: but you just said they were, in part, responsible for what happened in the previous victories. robert gates: so the government is clearly using the shia militias, but the idea of having general soleimani, the iranian general, on the ground and on the front lines, i just have a hard time dealing with that, frankly. charlie: because he was an enemy. what about my enemy is my friend? robert gates, i remember -- robert gates: i

now we've -- at least it won the last two battles, one in syria and one in western iraq.uestion now is you know will this prompt a counterattack that is going to show success on the part of the iraqi units? if that's going to happen they have got to get the sunni tribes involved in a major way in that. and they're going to have to arm those tribes. i've met with the leadership of the sunni tribes. when they came to washington. they want to take back that province but they say they need the equipment and support from baghdad to do it. >> they see, what they see is this new operation to try to retake ramadi right in the sunni dominated area of anbar province. and the shiite militias backed by iran they announced this mobilization, if you will, and they give it a code name that is a shiite code name which can only anger the sunni majority in anbar, right? >> and that is the problem. because it creates more backlash as the sunni tribes will mention that is why arming the kurds and arming the allied sunni tribes in anbar as we have done in the past that are fighting isis is th

it also represents a very important strategic point in the stealing of western iraq. if you look at fly lines from jordan and syria into iraq. ramadi plays a very important role. this is devastating if in fact the whole city falls. >> well, the other need we had we -- night we on the governor of the province where mosul is. he said all they need are weapons from the united states government and he can't get them. they could have pushed isis out. we are doing things from the air. he says they need weapons. now we look at ramadi falling or about to fall. you know, what are we doing? >> what we are failing to do what we did so successfully in the surge. the surge was about more american troops that worked well. but it was also about bringing the sunnies on board and being part of government. now, we know after we left, unfortunately in 2011, iraq became sectarianized again. yeah, at the end of the day they need to get the weapons they need to fight. but we also have to understand. this i think with the iraqi government it's important for the united states to say look, we

going to see large chunks of iraq outside the sunni areas, but you are looking at a good part of western iraq in the hands of i.s.i.s. and i think getting them out of there going to be a real chore and especially getting them out of now ramadi and fallujah and mosul. >> rose: braces where americans -- places where americans sent a lot of lives. is it bad to put together american airstrikes, american advisers iranian advisors and shia militia to try to bring together as much fire power as you possibly can because it's that serious the threat of i.s.i.s.? >> well, i have a hard time accepting a significant iranian presence and military role in iraq, given our sacrifices and everything else. >> rose: but you just said that they were in part responsible for what happened in the previous victories. >> so i -- the government, clearly, is using the shia militias, but the idea of having general sal salomani, the iranian general on the ground and on the front lines, i have a hard time dealing with that. >> rose: because he was a big enemy. >> a huge enemy. >> rose: what about the enemy of my enemy is

certainly controlled a very large situate of territory, right across much of eastern syria and western iraqu well know. at one point, they were really putting the syrian -- you know, what we refer as the moderate syrian opposition under a lot of pressure, but that has since changed and we see isis reducing its efforts in the north of the country, and in favor of moving further east and south towards, say, a place like palmyra, and they are probably taking advantage of the fact that the regime is overstretched as a result of the resurgence in the north and the south of the country as well. but there are two separate areas, and one is in the west and one is in the east and there is very little cooperation or communication between the two sides. they view each other as enemies and fought many many battles. in fact if you think about it isis has been checked both around [ inaudible ] and other oppositions in the south of syria and in the idlib province as well. >> so perhaps little influence the numbers of oppositions can have on isil as it perhaps considers what it does next with palmyra. than

iraq's government announced its military launch ad counterattack aimed at driving out isis from the western part of anbar province days after the military captured the capital city. u.s. officials pushed back on reports describing actions today as battlefield preparations in the form of artillery and locket launches. this comes day as of iraq's prime minister slammed defense secretary ash carter's claim that quote, iraqi forces showed no willingness to fight isis last week. general stanley mcchrystal who headed u.s. forces in afghanistan zeroed in on sees the problems. >> it is clear that iraqi forces in ramadi got shaken. i don't think that was secretary carter was talking about. secretary carter was talking about the will of government of iraq to show strong leadership and internal cohesion that is necessary here. new weapons are not going to i can mat difference. >> meantime ramadi's stunning fall raising big concerns that the military sophistication of isis is growing. iraqi and former u.s. officials tell "the wall street journal" that isis commanders dodged surveillance and airstrikes

>> reporter: ramadi is the second largest city in western iraq. it is critical for the iraqis to hold on to. right now a u.s. official telling me it may be down to 50/50 between isis and the iraqi forces as to who controls the city. they've launched this offensive today from isis fighters sending car bombs through the city breaches trying to take back a building raising their flag. officially the pentagon says it's an ebb and flow of the fight. ramadi has been contested for months between the two sides, and the fighting goes back and forth. but the reality is the u.s. conducting some 12 air strikes in the last 72 hours there. trying to do everything they can to ensure the iraqis are able to hold on to this city. >> and the new audio from the isis leader al baghdadi does that concern the pentagon? that's their reaction there? >> reporter: the same thread we're hearing continually. the pentagon saying that audio proves they're desperate, because he's asking for more recruits and more fighters. the pentagon very much insisting isis is on the defensiv

sunni community, we had leaders in washington telling people to create a different sunni stand in western iraq the shia hear this they're not inclined to help sunnis against other sunnis. >> here you have the sunnis and shia going to have to work together in order to stop the advance of isis. >> the fact is iraq needs to be governed by combination of arab sunni, shia and kurds. sunnis have never accepted the fact of majority rule and having the shia on top. the shia really just don't trust the sunni. this is -- this goes before the american invasion of iraq. this is not about america. this is about sunni and shia. so it's going to be a tough thing to work on. you know if the shia had a leader like nelson mandela that reached out to 20% white south africans, that would help. 20% of iraq is sunni arab. unfortunately among the shia leadership, there's not a nelson mandela. this is going on for some time until everyone understands they need to work together as you suggest. >> ambassador chris hill knows exactly what he's talking about. he was ambassador in iraq. thank you very much for being with

. >>> happening now in the "newsroom," isis with a big win in western iraq taking control of ramadi. why some believe recovering from the loss of of this key city could take a long time. >>> plus major arrests. a biker shootout in waco texas, ends with nearly 200 taken into police custody. >>> a police officer cleaning up the scene calls it the worst he's ever seen. >>> laughing or cringing. the monologue on "snl" creating controversy. did he go too far? let's talk in the "cnn newsroom." >>> good morning. i'm carol costello. thank you so much for joining me. we begin with a fight against isis. the terror group taking control of a key iraqi city of ramadi. that's just 80 miles away from baghdad. the same place u.s. troops once fought and died to defend. officials say militants have used bulldozers laced with explosives and suicide bombers to push back iraqi forces. thousands are now forced to run for their lives. more than 500 people have already been killed in recent days. let's bring in cnn's senior international correspondent nick paton walsh to tell us more. hi nick. >> reporter:

and the big part of the gaps are the local ground forces, whether it's in western iraq. guard, which was the thing that people talked about last summer and fall really has not materialized largely because of the iraqi indecision themselves. inside of syria we had proposed funding and training that's going on right now for some of the anti-isis and anti-assad opposition forces. that's been slow to ramp up. i think the raid across the border to syria demonstrates -- and mark" á about it -- is that i think there's a recognition. the fact that we're doing raids like this is a recognition that you just can't bomb forces like this from the air and then get tangible results. >> yeah. i mean, are we upping -- is the u.s. upping its presence in syria, the strategy in syria? >> i'm sorry say that again? >> is the u.s. upping its strategy in syria? sunday's raid at least 32 islamic isis state members, including four senior officials, were killed in the raid and accompanying air strikes. is this an escalation? i think we lost mark. brian, do you think this is an escalation of our u.

another report last month claimed the isis leader himself was seriously hurt in an air strike in western iraq. that came from the british newspaper, "the guardian" k.t. mcfarrland is here and she is a fox news contributor. >> what's the significance of these reports? >> they're unconfirmed, that's part of the world, you'll have a lot of unconfirmed reports. the significance is the drone strikes are having an effect. the drone strikes, maybe not killing, but they're disrupting. and they're making the top leadership of al qaeda and now isis be having nervous about what they're doing. i look at it as sort of two, we're having two battle fronts one is the battle front in the region and that's isis on the ground. isis has taken a lot of territory, they're fighting to defend some of it and we have the drone strikes, but the second athleter is really the cyber space theater. and that's the one that affects us in the united states. >> they've taken territory, its been growing, even since the coalition air campaign began. >> it is growing in some ways but there are battles for parts of it for example,

the last is international recognition and as long as they occupy the swathe of syria and western iraq and no one is there to threaten them militarily and they begin to consolidate politically in that swathe. >> they already are. >> which they already are, it's only a matter of time before north korea, venezuela, begins this process of recognition and god forbid when isis gets a state which they call a caliphate the game changes. now it's not just the united states and iraq versus an insurgency. now it's state on state warfare. >> the rules change. the obvious military challenge is the iraqi military. left to the u.s. military who has overwhelming force including air power. one of the problems of air power around ramadi is the issue of targeting. i put up a quote from a navy f-18 pilot who spoke to our producer at the pentagon. he said "there were times i had groups of isis fighters in my sights but couldn't get clearance to engage. they probably killed innocent people and spread evil because of my inability to kill them. it was frustrating." we are hearing it is an hour between the ti

you can always argue that, and, you know, we might still be occupying western iraq today, with a substantialumber of troops. look, who negotiated the reduction of our troops and the withdrawal? not barack obama, george w. bush did in 2008. and then, you know, i agree with michael o'hanlan that the obama administration can be criticized for some things and he wanted to get the troops out by 2012. undoubtedly partly for electoral purposes. but look at that another way, chris. he campaigned in 2008 on getting those troops out. that was a campaign promise he made to the american people. the other guy, john mccain, was promising something else. the american people, fairly decisively, chose the guy who promised he would get the troops out and he got the troops out. isn't that keeping a campaign promise? isn't that what we always complain these guys never do? >> there's a certain value in sticking to your word. thank you, michael hanlan, thank you, michael tomasky, this is something we've been debating for years. >>> coming up, do hillary clinton supporters really care about her e-mails and finance

eastern seary or western iraq. they are carrying the fight. you've got tier two who are in libya, algeria, possibly saudi arabia or pakistan they fight on behalf of isis outside of the territorial homeland but where isis has an interest. the tier 3 are homegrown fighters stay in place and conduct attacks maybe quts"charlie hebdo" s and these guys possibly in texas. they are not capable of being tier one or two. we got lucky they showed they are not ready for prime time. the last place a terrorist should try to commit an attack is a texas town where you have 40 law enforcement officers waiting. we got lucky they went after a hard target and sometimes luck happens into it in terms of how we defend against terrorism. it's unfortunate but true. >> sometimes folks create a situation that will draw the enemy in and be nice and protected and then attack them. they call that a honey pot. do you think this draw muhammad event was a honey pot? >> it's possible. the military does that on a regular basis, set up operating bases deep inside al qaeda and ir

friday, the group re-took a city in western iraq.ghters are also closing in on the ancient syrian city of palmyra, a site dating back 2 2,000 years. danielle noddingham, cbs news. >>> u.s. treasury officials estimate isis earns about $1 million a day from black market oil sales. >>> still to come here on the news, we will talk with bob schieffer about what's coming up on "face the nation." . >>> and a few things happening right now in rome. we will show you a very special ceremony. >>> and the health toll of depression. it brings a risk for a serious illness. health news straight ahead. >>> right now, mike, it's cloudy and muggy. you will want to keep the umbrella handy for later on this afternoon as another round of showers and thunderstorms arrives, it will be a little bit cooler, but still a little uncomfortably warm with a high between 80 and 85 degrees and that mugginess staying with us all day long. we will track the developing showers and storms with 9 futurecast in the fi >>> good morning, 7:41. first alert weather time now.

. >> and they have also taken the city of armani in western iraq. what are they doing to try to fight back? >> reporter: we're hearing from our sources that three iraqi combat battalions are set up on the outskirts of ra mrksmadi and planning to launch a defense. the problem is isis since april captured the northern and eastern sections of the city. and yesterday the militants blasted their way in using suicide car boom attacks into the center of the city raising that ominous black flag. and at this point also the growing humanitarian crisis. thousands as we've been seeing in dramatic images trying to escape the violence. men, women and children gathering anything and everything they can carry. and one thing we're hearing from our sources, very disturbing is that isis militants have been executing those people trying to escape including women and children. it is a very dire situation. we are monitoring what's happened to see if those battalions are indeed going to launch the offensive and if they will be able to take ramadi from isis miltons. >> so

a convey set out for the capital in anbar province in western iraq this morning which was captured by militants last weekend. the fall of ramadi questions the effectiveness of u.s. to carry out air strikes. 1,300 american soldiers lost their lives in ramadi during the iraq war. >>> islamic state militants in syria are hunting down government troops and loyalists in an ancient syrian city. there are reports of shootings and beheadings and one third of residents may have fled. clarissa ward reports. >> reporter: the city of pal meara is largely empty but for the bodies of suspected isis opponents dumped in the street. the victorious militants swept through a deserted syrian army base searching for any remaining regime soldiers and showing off the remains of those they had executed to those theyremaining residents. it puts the questionable cultural heritage in jeopardy. the 2,000-year-old ruins are now under the control of isis militants who have regularly destroyed cultural relics in the past condemning them as unislamic. what doesn't get destroyed is looted. trafficking antiquities is

now to breaking news out of western iraq. meant to take back the surrounding providence.qi forces they were running like there's no tomorrow. that was harsh words from the defense secretary who said they showed quote no will to fight. vice president biden had to call the prime minister to smooth things over. even iraq's own leaders unhappy with the soldiers and how they fled the city. >> it's an action that sort of surprised all of us that without all this. >> nbc's senior white house correspond nt courserrespondent joins me from the white house. is the whies house frustrated with the iraqi military? >> yes, there's a lot of frustration on all sides. frustration in the white house and capitol hill and frustration over in iraq. the question really is what happens next and that was part of the debate ash carter set up. this was not ash carter going off the reservation. this is him expressing the frustration. the options, however, being the whies house is great. things called for additional troops even just a small contingent of troops go to the frontline and help the air st

. >>> isil fighters meanwhile have taken another town in iraq's western anbar province less than a weekfter they took over the town of ramadi. the town is about four miles outside of ramadi. police and local withdrew after running out of ammunition. iraqi government forces and shia militias are preparing a counter offense if against the group. the u.s.-lead coalition says it carried out dozens of air strikes against isil this week. they have also taken aim at isil's finances. patricia sabga joining us with this now. how successful have air strikes been at hitting at isil's financial health? >> well they definitely pounded one major source of revenue for the group, but it has others to fall back on. coalition air strikes damaging isil oil facilities, depressed oil prices the one-two punch that has brought the armed groups biggest money spinner to its knees. >> isil previously got most of its money from oil. it was making 1 to $3 million a day last summer. now they reportedly only makes about 1 to $2 million a week. >> reporter: but that hasn't left the group over a barrel. extorting taxe

home to ancient ruins, this comes only days after isis took control of ramadi a strategic city in western iraqornia after an oil spill off the coast of beautiful santa barbara. up to 105,000 gallons of oil leaked from a ruptured pipeline stretching for nine miles. the company that runs the pipeline reportedly has a history of safety and maintenance infractions. >>> in medical news this morning scientists say a revolutionary new device the size of a match box could be the most effective weapon yet in the fight against obesity and abc's linsey davis explains how it works. >> reporter: this morning, new hope for the nearly one-third of obese adult americans in the form of a tiny implant. call the v-block. the fda approved pacemaker-like device is implanted into the abdomen. it works by sending electrical pulses through the nerve pathway between the brain and the stomach helping patients to feel full. >> the patients have less hunger more havesatiety. >> reporter: it is only available to those severely overweight and have at least one medical problem related to obesity. in trials the average patie