there is a stand-off outside zuma. it's strategically imports for them because they say if they can clear zuma, which is a town between the mosul lake and the mosul city, itself, if they can clear there, then they can cut off the road lead to go syria. >> that's where the supplies are coming for and what the fighters are coming for and they are getting reinforcements 70 in. they want to take the town of zuma. but we are the only media to come up here because it's been so very dangerous with pockets of isil fighters in places like this. the military general in command of the push for zuma say we are appealing to the americans to launch jet strikes on the town. the they say if tuck, they wanted them to flatten that town and they can move on from that in the hope of pushing towards mosul. >> great stuff live from sue turtan on the ground in northern iraq. we have other things to do with syria. opposition activists saying the pro-assad sfrorsz used toxic gaskilling at least 7 people. live in beirut to tell us more about th

-led coalition to come in and bomb zuma. >> we are speaking to a senior army adviser from 2006 to 2008helping with civilian operatio operations. >> the u.s. ground troops going to be necessary--i'm talking about fighting on the ground to defeat isil militarily in iraq and syria? >> i think at the end of the day we're going to have put some u.s. forces on the ground to aassist the capabilities that the kurds are bringing to the front as well as the iraqi security forces and the syrian free army that we're trying to build. and what we're talking about when you look at boots on the ground, special forces embedded in these organizations at the tactical level where the fighting is taking place. as the last report just mentioned when the isil are inside buildings, there are special forces that can talk to aircraft to bring ordinance on the table to secure those areas. without ground forces out there, you can't do that. we need to bring intelligence. we need to bring our logistical capacity, and make certain that the forces that the forces we're asking to fight have the capabilities necessary

you're looking at the world famous zuma beach.his is where we start the swim part of the triathlon. look at those swells out there three to five feet. the water is mid-60s and where those folks are trying to surf out there that's where we're going to be swimming. we're going to go for it about half a mile down the beach to the beginning of transition. ♪ now, when you finally finish the swim part of this race, there's a very important part that comes next and it's called transition. look over here. all those racks over there are going to be filled with bikes. you got to find yours. switch from your swim gear to your bike gear as quickly as possible and then there you see it, the bike start. that begins your 18-mile ride down the pacific coast highway. ♪ so, the bike part of the race may be over. but you are not. there's still the run. it's the last part of the race and it's four miles right down zuma beach, it's not a bad run, but keep in mind you've already done a swim and a bike. i can tell you, i've seen many sweet sights in my

to rethink it's strategy, and make zuma a target. which is being completely flattened by u.s. fighter jets in the air attacks or by retreating fighters who have led improvised explosive devices in the buildings and blown them up. many americans were killed in this town, after the u.s. invasion of 2003. it was previously an al quaida strong hold. they are now looking to the u.s. led campaign to raze zuma to the ground too. >> diplomates have been ordered to leave the embassy in yemen, the department says the move ois temporary, and that a majority of workers are staying at the compound. officials fear the security situation is only getting worse, the capitol was overrun by rebels over the weekend, and there are fears violence could reignite between the government and tribesman. still to come. we are away, an announcement from the president of the united states, on the resignation of attorney general eric holder. gathering minutes away from the scheduled announcement, we will bring it to you when it haps. >> i'm ali velshi, the news has become this thing where you talk to expert

positions, at zuma. and an i.s.llage is under attack by peshmerga forces on the main highway to mosul. our correspondent jim muir has been to both fronts. he sent this report. >> reporter: cutting through the sky of northern iraq at dawn, american jets providing air cover for the latest offensive against i.s. positions. down below, it's kurdish forces preparing for action. american drones were also up there, but this time, both they and the jets were just keeping watch. on the ground, the fire power was coming from the kurds. this is the objective, a village on the plain leading to mosul, beyond the horizon. the whole area seized by i.s. militants last month. kurdish ground forces had advanced beyond their old lines, preparing to move in on the village after the bombardment. here from this advance position, you can see clearly how it works. you have americans in the sky providing reconnaissance, possibly air strikes in some situations. kurdish forces on the ground bombarding with tanks, rockets, and so on. but despi

the zuma region in iraq's north-west. (technical difficulties) (no audio) (technical difficulties) (no audio)..during political progress that has brought the country closer to the brink of protracted conflict and strikes. >> members of the security council are also concerned about the harsh toll the crisis has taken on civilians, with around 300,000 who are displaced or who fled the country due to the violence. we support the efforts of the humanitarian agencies, assisting the country populations. >> security council diplomats are stressing there's no military solutions to the problems of india, saying there should be dialogue between all the sides, but are trying to get that dialogue going for almost three years since the death... (technical difficulties) [ no audio ] ..it's feared it could mutate into a more easily transmitted disease. the new united nations forces faking. faking... (technical difficulties) [ no audio ] ..estimate that 5,000 have been killed since december. almost one in for, or around - sorry... (techn

the peshmerga say they are surrounding the town of zuma.y are hoping there will be more air strikes and they are saying they are absolutely sure there are no more civilians there, and they are calling on the us-lead coalition to come and bomb zuma. >> live pictures once again of the opening session of the general assembly in new york where the u.n. secretary general ba ban ki-moon is speaking. let's listen in. >> -- and other life-saving surprise. diplomacy is on the defensive. undermined by those two believe in balance. diversity is on the assault by extremists who insist that their way is the only way. disarmament is viewed as a distant dream. sabotaged by profit tiers of perpetual warfare. the leadership is precisely about finding the seas of hope and launching them into something bigger. that is our duty. that is my call to you today. ladies and gentlemen, it has been a terrible year for the principles enshined in the united nations charter from barrel bombs to beheadings, from the deliberate starvation of civilians, so the assault on h

absolutely sure there are no more civilians there, and calling on the us-lead coalition to come and bomb zuma>>> stephanie decker reports, some syrians who fled to turkey now want to go back to defending their home. >> reporter: these people are going back to syria. they are among more than 140,000 syrian kurds who came to turkey fearing isil's advance. >> translator: i'm going back to fight. all of us here are going to get our weapons and fight isil. isil fighters are not human. we don't leave our town. >> reporter: if people crossing back with from the kurdishtown around 50 meters from where we are, but there are also others returning to different vagdiff e differentage -- villages. >> translator: i'm 70 years old, and i'll still alive. isil forced our entire village to leave a after they stole everything and beheaded some of our young mren. but we prefer to be killed at home. >> reporter: the people here don't think the air strikes are making a difference. these images show kurdish fighters trying to push isil back from the area. >> the situation is very much, they are fighting, but there

we just got off the phone with military officials who say that the township of zuma where there's fierce fighting going on the bodies of soldiers, civilians, as well as animals are being bobby trapped. this is what the peshmerga are having to deal with. it's a completely different scene out on the battlefield. there are no rules to this war. and obviously, now that a second american has been beheaded apparently by isis there is many people here, john, looking for guidance as to what to do next. kurdish officials telling us now more than ever is the time the world needs to come together and unite because there's no place for isis in this world. >> obviously, as we said, no rules in this conflict. anna, you sort of mentioned it there. what's the reaction been to this apparent second beheading. i've been in iraq where there's awful brutality before, it casts a pall over everybody and even reporters. what's there to see? >> absolutely, people are sickened by it, they are appalled. as far as officials are concerned, they have come out and condemned this hideous brutal act. when we saw steven

the reason is it is so close to the town of zuma. it's been surrounded by peshmerga forces. they did try to get in there to clear the town of isil fighters, as they got in, the fighters blue themselves up. it's strategically important. if they can clear the area, the town between the mosul lake and the mosul city itself, if they can clear it, they can cut off the road leading to syria. that's where all the supplies are coming for, all the fighters are coming for and when they release the fighters, they get reinforcements sent in. we're the only media to come up here because it's been very dangerous before with fighters of isil fighters in places like this. the commander is saying we're appealing to the americans to launch their jet strikes on the town. they say they have intelligence, they have people inside, i've been going back with them, saying there are no longer civilians left there, only isil fighters hiding in the buildings. if they can, they wand them to flatten that town and they can move from in a front line in the hope of pushing toward mosul. >> joining us to dis