game plan to isis? a senior u.s. military official revealing plans to retake the iraq city of mosul from isis. that announcement critics warn is giving the enemy too much information. hello, everyone, i'm kimberly guilfoyle. a u.s. central command official says the battle for mosul is shaping up and the american military could start operations as soon as april. is that too much detail about our military strategy exposed? >> operation take back mosul. the united states military commander is revealing details of a plan to take back iraq's second largest city. >> officials at u.s. central command brief reporters on this plan. >> remember how much trouble i got in for drawing the line? >> we are aiding and abetting the enemy. >> i do not understand why the president and the administration want to aid and abet the enemy. >> the u.s. military command would release the who, what and when of a pending operation. that's somewhat unprecedented. >> in fact it appears to be a very risky bet. >> military veteran and former congressman alan west joins us. colonel, so did the u.s. reveal too much

strongholds of mosul and raqqa. cbs news correspondent charlie d'agata has been embedded with the kurds since the attacks on sinjar began on thursday. >> reporter: some of what you see there is smoke rising from the latest in a series of airstrikes targeting isis militants inside and around the city of sinjar. we've lost count of the number of airstrikes this morning, and overnight that have been launched in that i have sibt sint. they've also been firing artillery from mount sinjar into the city, and this is all part of a major offensive to retake sinjar. we understand 7,500 kurdish peshmerga forces are closing in on three sides of the city trying to push isis out. and one of the reasons it sits between the two isis strongholds of raqqa in syria and mosul in iraq. so they're trying to cut off supply routes between those two cities, but it's not going to be easy. kurdish peshmerga forces that we spoke to said they fear snipers. now, the city may be rife with bobbs traps, homemade bombs beneath the roads and inside buildings and there is always the concern of suicide bombers if not

to gear up to retake iraq's second largest city, mosul, which fell to i.s.i.l. last june. iraqi kurdish peshmerga forces magged to curb i.s.i.l. fighters back, while iraqi government force, with the help of local militia regained the initiative in the south. the gains have been achieved in coordination with u.s.-led air strikes and u.s. military advisors on the ground. so far president obama insists no boots on the ground. but there's one flaw in the president's strategy, and that is iraq itself. last year iraqi troops threw down their weapons and fled the i.s.i.l. onslaught. while that is not happening now, iraq's government is facing a financial crisis, and one of the biggest oil producers in the world, iraq a broke because of tanking oil prices. imran khan is in baghdad. >> so the prime minister had a very tough time passing his budget. it was finally passed on january the 29th, but it was a hard-fought political battle for him. what that has done is it's raised a question in i can and abroad whether iraq relies far too much on oil and whether the adibsz to black gold is the

to retake mosul, iraq's second biggest city. >> the fight to liberate mosul will help each other to rise up against the foreigners and their helpers. we'll clear our land of this evil isil scourge. >> the fight for mosul will be a long and tedious one. these men are seeking help from every corner in iraq. they're keen to get the peshmerga forces in the campaign to retake mosul from isil fighters. that is promising the peshmerga more military support. but in need of more urgent support are sunni militiamen were mosul. they've been gathered outside of this city for months to train to fight isil. made up of volunteers and former policemen, they have been on base for seven months. sunni leaders have long complained that the shia-led government in baghdad does not trust them enough, and is not supporting them. >> the government has adopted a nonpartisan national support. we hope this positive attitude would continue and be widened. >> we have promises more than action but still we hope that we'll get the help. we need to keep a good relation with the sense of government. >> they have oft

, mosul, from isis fighters who captured it last june. what are the operations chances for success? for more, we are joined now from washington by douglas ollivant. he was a military planner in iraq and served on the national security council under both president obama and, before that, president bush. he is now a senior national security fellow at the new america foundation and a partner at mantid international who was recently in iraq. so, what are the plans to try to tackle isis in mosul? >> well, according to this briefing, which we can back to in a minute evidently a number of reporters got on background the plan is to seven six or seven iraqi brigrades forward, along with some tribal forces and have the kurds essentially isolated, keep anyone from either fleeing the city or reinforcing it from the north, according to this briefing or the report from this briefing. they believe there are only 1,000 to 2000 islamic state fighters in the industry and therefore, this force of about 10000 to 20,000, depending on how you count, should have a really chance of pushing them out. and t

, 16 peshmerga fighters were killed, several others injured during an attack on the mosul dam. also fighting in as eastern province and sinjar west of mosul renewed fighting there between isil and peshmerga forces. it comes as the top u.s. official leading the fighting says more time and training is needed to retake mosul. >> we expect that we'll see the effectiveness of this force improve over time. and ultimately that they'll be able to take back the population centers and the municipalities. it's important that it be done in the right measures. it's important that we have all of the pieces in place when that time comes. it's important that it's done in a deliberate manner so that the planning is, in fact, accomplished in the kind of detail necessary and it's done in conjunction with the support that we have from the coalition. >> let's bring in jane who is in baghdad for us. jane iraqi and u.s. officials had already said that the battle for mosul would be an extended military campaign. but really, do we have anymore indications as to the time scale as to when they will be ready t

somo mosul. a city of nearly 2 million people. kurdish forces say they need better weapons, they need a lot more help from iraqi fighters. our correspondent phil black reports from the front lines. >> kurdish peshmerga fighters. he says isis is there. e with hear small rounds fly overhead and kurdish fighters respond. the exchange is no threat to this position. what the fighters do fear is the darkness of night, fog, mortar rounds and armored vehicles convert into massive suicide bombs. they say isis makes use of them all. we traveled north with peshmerga past the ruins of villages isis once controlled and climbed to the top of the mountain. isis held this position and its commanding view across a wind plane. the fighters point out the towns and villages factories and roads all still occupied by isis. and in the hazy distance its greatest prize so far, the city of mosul. overhead that circling aircraft is a constant presence. we hear regular thundering explosions from the direction of mosul. an air strike in the distance. they seem to be hitting every few minutes. is that normal? he say

advance to beiji and mosul. >> a freelance journalist shot these shots on wednesday. the city is on the highway linking baghdad to mosul further north which is i.s.i.l. stronghold in iraq. progress is slow here partly because of boopy traps led by i.s.i.l. the iraqi army is confident it will take tikrit. >> translator: despite my injury and the call by my commander to leave i will not leave. we are in control and we have if upper hand with no casualties as of yet just slight injuries. >> reporter: but there are fears if tikrit falls shia militia can take revenge. both shia and sunni have carried out revenge killings. majorities shia, the iranian backed militia number around 20,000 and there are around 2,000 sunni tribesmen involved in this offensive. not just if they can fight i.s.i.l. together but whether they can keep the peace after doing so. stefanie dekker, al jazeera. >>> chairman of the joint chiefs of staff says iran trained and equipped some of the 20,000 shia militia fighters in tikrit and as jamie mcintire reports fracturing uniraq along sectarian lines. >> iraqi troops with

going to happen in mosul. >> which is where they're going to move to next. and a very interesting thing, also, there are a lot of citizens that are in ramadi. and those citizens are really being used by isis as fodder. and that's one of the reasons that i guess the troops have been sort of slow to move. how do they play a role in all of this, general? >>. >> this is very tough, deb. i saw this when i was in iraq in 2008, when al qaeda was come in and actually repress the local populist, use them as shields, kill them off, use them to bargain, and this is exactly the same thing isis is doing. the new soldier, you've got to remember, too, the majority of the forces going into ramadi right now are relatively green troops. these are folks who have just come together in those new b brigades, most of the forces have been recently trained by the coalition. these are green troops going against an enemy that is using their fellow citizens as shields. that's extremely difficult to face as a soldier, when you see perhaps neighbors and friends and fellow tribesmen being held hostage or being

told al jazeera it has become almost impossible to leave. mosul is considered iraq's second largest city and was home to an estimated 3 million people. tens of thousands have since fled the violence there. it is considered strategic because of the nearby mosul dam which supplies most of the country's water and power. kurdish fighters have control of the dam right now. many sunni has become resentful of the government and welcomed isil fighters when we group took control of the city in june of last year but there is growing opposition to the group's rule. >> reporter: mosul is under the control of the islamic state of iraq and the levant. it has become almost impossible for its residents to leave. isil no demands they provide a guarantor to ensure they return. >> we cannot leave. the isis guards refuse anyone to depart. >> really? >> they want us as human shields. >> reporter: for security reasons this person has to remain anonymous. he has been communicating from inside mosul to his friends in erbil. even they hide their identity. they left the city when isil took over in june. the

could be the key battleground in iraq and that's mosul. u.s. had their hands full there more than once over the years, it's an isis stronghold and now serious talk that the u.s. may not only have to be back in the fight, but on the ground again. >> all of this happening as president obama calls for unity against violent extremism. the president is taking heat from both sides for his reluctance to use the words "islam" and "muslim." in describing the threats from isis. we begin our coverage with barbara starr at the pentagon. >> the pentagon revealing an iraqi plan to take back the city of mosul from isis. the way the plan was sketched out, the fight will begin in april or may. a force of 20 to 25,000 iraqi troops. being assembled, being trained to go to mosul. a lot of detail offered by the pentagon even the fact that peshmerga forces would help contain from the north and the west so isis fighters couldn't escape. the big question is still not decided, will it require a small number of u.s. troops on the ground to help pick out those isis targets? for the iraqi forces to strike. so you

second biggest city of mosul is being captured by islamic state. now a plan is being drawn up to take the town back. we talk to the foreign minister of iraqi kurdistan about his plan. there's a place for vacationers who seek more than just a little time off. the ones who choose to go big or stay home. ♪ come with me now ♪ where every amazing, despicable wizarding adventure reveals moments that are truly epic. this place is made for those who do more than just vacation ... ♪ whoa ♪ ♪ go with me now ♪ it's made for those who vacation like they mean it. universal orlando resort. (vo) after 50 years of designing cars for crash survival, subaru has developed our most revolutionary feature yet. a car that can see trouble... ...and stop itself to avoid it. when the insurance institute for highway safety tested front crash prevention nobody beat subaru models with eyesight. not honda. not ford or any other brand. subaru eyesight. an extra set of eyes, every time you drive. you're a hardworking professional with big aspirations. an advanced degree could help you get where you

said that they were targeted, and near mosul by an u.s. bomb. now they're specifically highlighting thi them because they were responsible for coordinating the movement of weapons and people between iraq an in mosul. it was widely believed he was killed in september of 2014. they said they were taking the leadership off the battlefield. they went back to the spokesman for the chairman and said how could this be? they said well, the chairman didn't get the names. the unnamed defense officials. they were talking about the number of leaders being killed. what is clear is that they're saying once again they were killing this high ranking operative, and once again they're saying that it will have an impact. >> what is the general view on capitol hill about the effecti effectiveness of the strategy and the progress they're making in defeating isil. >> they're really beginning to be louder calls o. but the broader question is what is beneath the pivot of the strongest point of the plan. they need to train moderate fighters, who they could take the fight to islamic state in iraq and the lev

against targets in mosul, iraq and khobani, syria. the u.s. has also revealed plans about an offensive to retake mosul from isis. >>reporter: the pentagon's background briefing was billed as an update but when the subject turned to retaking the city of mosul, well let's just say the pentagon briefer was a little more forthcoming than some expected. mosul, a city of more than a million people is the largest iraqi city in isil hands and the military campaign to retake it will according to the pentagon begin in april or may and require up to 25,000 iraqi forces. given the military's usual reluctance to discuss any combat operations that level of detail seemed to take even the white house by surprise. >> i'm wondering why detail this? doesn't that just give your play book to isis and make it easier to defend themselves? >> josh i think i saw many of the same reports you may have seen on this. >>reporter: for months the pentagon has been talking about the offensive to retake mosul but always refused to say how or when >> i'm not going to forecast the date and time or week it's goi

, we're going to get rid of isil next year. we will be retaking mosul, and yet the u.s. is ta -- saying let's be a little bit more cautious. >> reporter: the u.s. is saying let's be a little more cautious and let's put in more time preparing for the retaking of mosul. that's because in the u.s. military's view, there needs to be much more work done in not just retaking territory or communities from isil control, but also making certain that the iraqi government both at the national level and at the local level are able to maintain control of those communities. ramadi is the third in a number of areas that they have retaken. key is holding on to those communities, keeping them out of isil control, and perhaps more important getting rid of the isil fighters who had moved into those areas. one thing the military also points out is that it's not just the cities that isil has been trying to take control of, in order to establish its so-called caliphate, it is also taking control of considerable amounts of this countryside both in western and northern iraq, and in the u.s. military's view, it

second largest distract. meet the many training to take mosul back from i.s.i.l. and we'll tell you how this satellite could give scientists advanced warning of solar storms. >>> we begin where the houthis are tightening their grape on the capital, taking control in a coup. there has been protests against the takeover in sanaa. meanwhile international condemnation is swift. the u.n. security council raised the possibility of sanctions saying it is ready to take steps if the houthis don't return to the negotiating table. gulf countries expressed their concern. foreign ministers held talks with secretary of state john kerry and called on the international community to take a stronger position in relation to yemen. >> we mentioned widespread protests. the governor of aid ep in yemen's south described the power grab as a plot against the constitution. let's go to aiden. it's been a day of opposition protests. the houthis have rested some of the people demonstrating. >> they've demonstrated that despite a coup actions against students demonstrating - we understand journalists were arrest

mosul. >> it's going to be interesting to see, march marwan how much pressure they're willing to put on baghdad when it comes to the trainers. for example who is going to recruit them? who is going to decide who is going to be trained? it will be interesting to see who has the lead role there can. >> and you know, it is confusing, over all on the one hand there is not the kind of will on the part of the government in baghdad. they're also divided themselves between mali and al abadi and their followers. and it's not clear if the sunnies are armed after they've been trained if some of those arms will be lost once again to isil. remember the 2,000 humvees that was obtained by isil when they occupied mosul? if it's going to be drip drip type of escalation by the united states, it's not clear to me how exactly america is going to bring out that geo-eccentric change that would allow them to degrade, defeat and destroy isil. thus far what we've soon is them not defeating isil, isil has been expanding in anbar. they have been expanding and they have taken over several key iraqi cities.

that of mosul which fell in early 2014 for one he noted that there are u.s. and other coalition forces in the area to provide training and support to the afghan forces and that apparently wasn't the case with iraqky forces when mosul fell in 2014. however, he did indicate that beyond the one air strike carried out by what he described as a fixed wing aircraft, basically some sort of fighter plane or fighter jet, he did not know whether there would be more air strikes carried out by u.s. forces in support of the afghan military. even so it wasn't a resounding endorsement of the situation because obviously if members of the taliban have been able to walk through the streets of kunduz without any apparent interference certainly the afghan military and their coalition partners have a lot of work ahead of them. >> and it did look like a sort of quite well planned operation, didn't it? >> it did look like a very well orchestrated operation, carried out by the taliban and it did raise some questions at this briefing with peter cook about whether the 14 years at the u.s. military has spent wag

islamic state. the joint chief's words, a year after mosul felt. we have a rare look inside. >> aging to the frontline near mosul guarded by kurdish fighter. among them is abarhi, driven from the city when the islamic state advanced. sunni islamic state was insight. the commander shows us is positions hidden in this tile fact very, and respond to our arrival. the forces here are looking out carefully. within the last few minutes two mortars have been fired not long away. islamic state fighters are 800 meters or half a mile, firing in this direction every day. further along the frontline onstar tech mountain, a chance to see mosul. 12 months on iraq's second-largest city and surrounding areas are held by the extremist's in a death grip. here, a rare look inside mosul. this footage obtained by the bbc shows how islamic state rules through terror and destruction. a shia marja is raised to the ground. local at this -- local activists risk their lives to capture the handiwork. this 14th century mosque and shrine is now in ruins. the militants are denying the past as well as the future. in the

vinnell reports from near mosul. >> reporter: in step with each other, and now with the iraqi army too. these volunteer fighters have, for the first time, pledged to take orders from baghdad. part of the government'sest to unify countless militias. this group is diverse, sunni arabs, kurds and christians from mosul, occupied by i.s.i.l. all are eager to go back. >> translation: one of my sons is here. he was a soldiers. the other will come in the next in take. i have 10 children and came to be a volunteer not for money or benefit, but to get my city back. >> reporter: they call themselves the national guard, a force which officially doesn't exist. it's the name haider al-abadi wants to give to a new force of sunni tribesman, forces and other volunteers. it's an uneasy union, one these men don't trust, but say they'll answer to haider al-abadi himself. mosul is on the other side of this hill. the front line is protected by kurdish, peshmerga forces. there has been about 11,000 soldiers through this camp in the past three months. commanders admit they are under prepared and under resourc

commanders are preparing iraqi and kurdish forces to recapture the city of mosul from isil fighters. they say the operation involving 25,000 soldiers is being planned for april or may. the u.s. will provide training and air support, but there has been no decision on whether it will put boots on the ground. mosul was once home to a million people, and has been held by isil fighters since last june. imran khan has more from bagdad about what could be a street-to-street battle for mosul. >> reporter: the ground has been prepared for an all-out assault against mosul city itself. coalition air strikes have cut off a major supply route between an isil strong hold and mosul itself. however, getting 25,000 troops that are needed for this assault in place will take a little while. also the iraqis have learned from the defeats they have faced against isil and they say they are much better prepared to take on isil fighters. but there is an issue that nobody seems to be talking about, and that is one of civilian casualties. the civil population had fled in other areas, but that is not the case with m

responsibility for the fall of the mosul, a parliamentary panel calls for iraq's former prime minister to be indicted. >>> a taliban-linked group says it carried out a suicide bombing that killed a pakistani politician and 16 overs. >>> hundreds of thousands stage protests across brazil against the president, corruption and the economic crisis. >>> and the baby brought ashore to safety. hundreds more migrants are rescued in the mediterranean. >>> hello. syrian activists say at least 110 people have been killed by government air strikes targeting a rebel-held town. they say more than 300 others were wounded in the attack on a crowded market in douma just outside the capital damascus. syria's air force has confirmed it carried out the air strikes in douma. al jazeera has the latest. >> reporter: the opposition is calls it a massacre. dozens killed and wounded. douma is a rebel stronghold. it regularly comes under attack. the air-raids targeting a marketplace. what we understand is after the first strike people gathered at the site of the explosion, and they were trying to help evacuate the peo

. >> maybe on defensive but i.s.i.l. big stronghold in iraq at the moment mosul, what is the latest on any offensive to retake that city? >> well we heard the prime minister say that plans are in place and detailed military plan is now on the table but what they are waiting for is equipment and cooperation between iraqi forces and the kurdish forces in the north and of course with the coalition because they need air cover and one thing the prime minister didn't say and to win the battle in mosul you are going to need unity in this country, you will need reconciliation between the different communities and we met sunni and people from mosul and volunteered their training and getting ready to recapture their home is what they tell us and also tell us that we have to carry out this fight, we have to win this fight because if the government backed by shia malitia go to mosul they will not be seen as liberators but conquerors and at the end of the day it's not only being ready militarily to take mosul its that to be conducive and national reconciliation because if iraq does recapture mosul it w

. >> reporter: isil also used a road stretching from raqqa to mosul to transport the oil. but the international coalition and iraqi troops fighting isil for control of the area have made that harder, which means not only is it harder for iltz to get oil revenue, but it's more difficult for the armed group to transport weapons and fighters too. >>> 26 qatary nationals have been kidnapped in iraq. the ministry says the group had an official hunting permit from the iraqi government, and that is it has been working to secure their release. >>> two aid agencies have started getting food to thousands of people in the syrian city of homs. aid was unable to get through in the past because syrian forces besieged the city. this changed last week when the u.n. brokered a rare local truce and the rebels agreed to leave the city. >>> u.n. secretary general ban ki-moon says he will put forward a plan next month to help prevent armed conflicts. >> syria is an open sore on the middle east and the wider world. we are pressing for a nationwide ceasefire and for -- for the start of negotiations in j

mosul from i.s.i.l. after declaring a strategic victory in ramadi. iraqi military flew the national flag over government buildings after capturing key parts of the city on monday and had fallen to i.s.i.l. fighters in may and this is the biggest advance by the government and sunni fighters in months and they are confident that i.s.i.l. will be defeated in the year ahead. >> translator: 2015 was the year of liberation 2016 god willing will be the end of the presence of i.s.i.l. on iraqi soil and defeat and coming to liberate mosul and do the fatal and flow to i.s.i.l. through the unity and the greatness of our great people. >>> u.s. spokesman for the coalition against i.s.i.l. says that the ramadi offensive is far from over. >> there is still plenty of work to do in ramadi. we still need to stabilize the remainder of the river valley and still need to work on the rest of the tigress river valley so this is a process and want everyone to be clear there is still a lot of work ahead of us. this enemy is dug in deeply in portions of iraq and still have the capability to fight, still have

recapturing tikrit would move iraq's government closer to its goal of retaking mosul. sources also say more than 30,000 troops are advancing on the city. that includes more than 2,000 sunni volunteers as well as kurdish militia. they're backed by jets and helicopters, going in strong after the first shelling of northern and western districts of tikrit on saturday. speaking ahead of the offensive, the iraqi prime minister laid out his strategy. >>> today, we are launching this big and significant operation to liberate our citizens inial salahuddin province. the priority we gave to the armed forces and all the forces taking part alongside them is to preserve the security of our citizens. our priority is to liberate our people from injustice and terrorism of the islamic state. >> well i've been hearing from the bbc's ahmed maher that the government's battle in tikrit is intended to lay the ground for retaking mosul. >> reporter: government forces backed by an alliance of thousands of volunteers many from the shia community, but also have sunni tribal fighters have been the gearing up for

. archbishop nicodemus sharaf says he had five minutes to flee from iraq's second largest city, mosul. he grabbed five ancient manuscripts from his church, but had to leave other relics behind. you had books from the first century. >> of the christianity... >> we need to make a stand right now that our schools need to be the most important thing we have in this country-- not wall street, not capitol hill, our schools. >> yeah. >> pelley: frank hall doesn't want to be known as a hero, but when you react the way he did during a deadly school shooting, it's hard to call him anything else. >> i saw a young man firing into a crowd. i just stood up, shoved my table out of the way and started after him. >> pelley: the emergency plan is to get all the kids out of the hallways, get them all into rooms and shelter in place. frank didn't do that. >> he didn't. he acted as a father. >> alfonsi: greg glassman hardly looks like an exercise guru. there is no hint of ripped muscle underneath his uncut shirt, but he is widely considered the most powerful man in fitness today. >> you like metrics, you

largest city mosul. he grabbed five ancient manuscripts from his church, but had to leave other relics behind. you had books from the first century. >> of the christianity... >> stahl: the f-35 fighter jet is the most technologically advanced weapons system in history. each one contains nearly a half a ton of what's called rare earth elements, almost all of which come from china. >> the guidance systems on weapons systems and tomahawk cruise missile, any of the smart bombs have rare earths in them. i'd be hard-pressed to name anything that we consider worth building today and going forward that would not have a rare earth compound in it. >> stahl: because of this, because of the monopoly on rare earths, does china threaten our national security? >> unchecked, yes. ( cheers and applause ) >> rose: here's something you haven't seen before-- an astrophysicist, on stage, in a sold-out auditorium. neil degrasse tyson is re- igniting a fascination for the great beyond. he's succeeded carl sagan as the country's most captivating scientific communicator. >> when i was 11, i said, "this is so a

, we meet men who are training to take back mosul from isil. >>> and how deep are the sun's storms. we have the details. >> we begin in yemen where houthi leader has for the first time addressed his supporters since friday's coup. the houthi leader also warned against protesters of the take over saying taking control of the government was the best thing he has done for all yemenis. >> the yemeni people have earned the right to lead a dignified free life. the yemeni people were worthy of obtaining their demands and rightful wants. the historic significant moment taken by our people yesterday represent a constitutional declaration of a significant step forward. this move comes to address the vacuum left by other people. the yemeni people are adamant that they'll achieve their legitimate lawful, just demands to establish a dignified way of life. >> not only did the houthi leader try to justify the movement's power grab. he called friday's coup a revolution. a revolution intended to safeguard all yemen people's rights to a democratic state and one that prevent the foreign conspiracy. he ac

city of mosul. the operation involving 25,000 soldiers is being planned for april or may. the u.s. will provide training and air support, but there has been no decision on whether they will provide boots on the ground. >>> now mosul is iraq's second largest city which was once home to a million people. it has been held by isil fighters since last june. imran khan has more from bagdad. >> reporter: for the last month or so the ground has been prepared for an all-out assault against mosul city itself. coalition air strikes have cut off a major supply route, and mosul itself and kurdish peshmerga forces have taken key bridge heads in preparation for this assault. however, getting 25,000 troops that's how many the u.s. say will be needed in place will take a while. also the iraqis from learned from the defeats they have faced against isil and they say they are much better prepared now to take on isil fighters. but there is a big issue, one of civilian casualties. in the places that the iraqi army has taken from isil fighters, the civilian population have fled. that's not the case with

america fighters near the iraqi city of mosul. kurdish peshmerga forces have also reportedly retaken areas nearby. the nearby mosul dam controls the water supply for several large towns. imran khan has more from bagdad. >> reporter: what we have seen in the last 24 hours is coalition air strikes, mainly the americans and the british, help kurdish peshmerga forces take over three key bridge heads. we're seeing a big push now between -- from the kurdish peshmerga fighters and the isil fighters being put under pressure in mosul, and it feels like there is a preparation for a ground offensive going on now. iraqi officials say they expect a ground offensive to take place within the next three weeks. we have also heard one of the top u.s. military commanders say the taking of mosul will be a key morale boost for the iraqis and the kurds, and when that happens they will need ground support. so there seems to be a real push now to take back mosul city which was taken over by isil in june. in syria we're also seeing the jordanians mounting at least 67 different air strikes on -- isil. however

against i.s.i.l. those no control of the mosul dam are trying to push from there across a front line to the stronghold of tal afar. zeina khodr is near there where the offensive and getting underway. tell us what you are saying. >> there is a major military operation in the north-west corner of iraq. like you mentioned, peshmerga forces. hundreds of them have been deployed along the front lines. they have been pushed south from the mosul dam. i can tell you right now the islamic state of iraq and levant is fighting back. they are putting up fierce resistance. they've been lobbying mortars. this military operation is being carried out jointly with the u.s.-led coalition since the early hours of the morning. we have seen the planes in the skies. they have been dropping bombs, targetting i.s.i.l. positions. what we understand from commanders on the ground they are not divulging much details, because it is a sensitive military operation, but the aim is to take strategic territory that will cut vital supply lines. i.s.i.l. supply lines, they will no longer be able to bring in supplies fro

battle plan of up to 25,000 iraqi troops storming the key city of mosul in the north, that's the plan mosul the same city that iraqi security forces abandoned when isis stormed them last summer. i want to go right to barbara starr at the pentagon. when iraqi forces try to retake mosul, will u.s. troops be with them? >> reporter: the practical reality is those iraqi forces are indeed going to need u.s. trainers advisors and plenty of u.s. assistance. the key question as you say is how far will that assistance go. iraqi forces fled mosul last june when isis overran the city. for months isis militants have shown the world their iron grip of terror on iraq's second largest city. but now with the help of u.s. trainers and advisors iraqi forces are going to try to take the city back. the war plan according to a u.s. military official in late april or may, 20,000 to 25,000 iraqi forces begin to converge on mosul. peshmerga forces will cut off escape routes north and west of the city. the unknown, whether president obama will order a small number of u.s. troops on the ground to help iraqis fi

p.m. here in washington. 6:00 p.m. in london. 8:00 p.m. in jerusalem. 9:00 p.m. in mosul in iraq. wherever you're watching from around the world, thank you for joining us. breaking news. disappearance of three british teenager girls. it's believed they're running away from london to syria. our senior international correspondent nima barger is joining us live from london. what are officials saying? what's going on? >> reporter: they have managed to connect between these three girls, wolf and another young girl who was almost apprehended back in december. she and a fend the plane they were on was stopped. it was taxiing on the runway. it was headed to istanbul. a girl returned to the family. the second disappeared and believed so have reached syria. she is friends with these three girls now being sought. the m.o. now is very easy to recognize authorities tell us. young girls were of a british muslim background. they get the flights to istanbul and from there the smuggling gangs that take them over the border are waiting. scotland yard tell us they have been talking a lot in the pas

pounding isis targets in iraq and syria. a cnn crew watching near mosul are reporting multiple explosions inside the city center. also taking a big role in this week erndz's air strike jordan. jordan's air force joining back with the coalition forces bombing isis positions inside of syria. jordan promising to fly more missions against isis upping the ante after the death of a jordanian pilot at the hands of isis. also two u.s. senator, a democrat and republican both want to send american weapons directly to the kurdish fighters the peshmerga forces fighting isis in iraq. both virginia's tim cain and ted cruz of texas say they do not want u.s. troops sent to fight isis at this point, calling for the kurdish peshmerga forces american boots on the ground and that coming from senator cruz. if isis was trying to frighten or intimidate the world by killing the jordanian pilot burning him alive and doing it so publicly that attempt has backfired. how jordan went from the neighbors from the sidelines of this war to all in. >> reporter: it was a grisly video showing lieutenant colonel muath al kas

a mosul operation in the second quarter of this year it's going to be very difficult to do that. and also the lack of combat-effective iraqi army brigades with the strength required to undertake a very complex, costly operation in mosul. it indicates that the nine brigades u.s.-led trained and equipped program to build oversized, combat-capable deployable units that can continue to operate after taking the casualties required in urban combat that nine brigade training and equipment program is vital. to me it dates that we're not going for a battle to commence in 2014-2015. some people are reason more grumpy about it than that. so, yeah, again, on this slide, you'll see the graphic in the study. iraqi army in yellow. ministry of interior in black and are and the popular mobilization units in red. if you're interested in looking at the data go look at the study. likewise, we've done the same for the peshmerga in terms of a slightly rougher but quite -- probably the most detailed order of battle you're going to see out there on what the peshmerga really looks like right now and how it i

the province where mosul is, other areas just how powerful that is. mosul is being squeezed, i worry that there's a rush to have the final assault on mosul, being on the roads that just recently been liberating heading toward mosul you can see what a difference these u.s.-backed actions are making. second thing i saw when i went to jordan how powerful arab muslim voices speaking out against the threat from isis are. and this is crucial. it's the reason that i think the rhetoric of this last week although it seems like semantics makes some sense. i think the president was trying to make room for arab voices not blasting islamic extremism because he knows that the way that this war will be won is if muslim countries take the lead. let's not get in their way as they do that. i began to see that in jordan. the recent statements from egypt telling me the same thing. we always ask, where the muslim voices my sense is we're beginning to hear them. >> schieffer: where are they? >> let me say something about the strategy to go right to it. to win the war of ideas we have to first of all ackno

offensive comes after u.s. central command to retake mosul begins in april or may. we have bob scales and fox news military analyst. and nice to see you, sir. >> i. >> you say it is a test for the u.s. advised mission in iraq. and what happens if they fail? >> that is a great question, lea. this is the point. and this is the iraqi military's coming out party. they have made two attempts to take tikrit back and failed. and now they will attack it in three different directions and using a combination of iraqi army and shiite militias and will charge hard to break the back of 1500 or so isis defenders. this is the opening gam bet of their territory. who knows, lea. if they fail it could result in a god forbid a collapse of the iraqi effort. the morale of the iraqi army is shaky. they need to prove that isis victory in the middle east is not inevitable. and tikrit is the first chance to show their stuff. >> you can see it as a test case for the upcoming battle in mosul. it will be complicated situation because of the door to it door? >> it is the difference between tikrit which has broad

released. inside isil-controlled territory al jazeera has evidence that resistence is growing in mosul. in iraq dozens of iraqi soldiers and kurdish fighters have been killed in a series of attacks by isil. a car bomb in the market of baghdad killed seven people and seven decide in samarra in a security attack. >>> elsewhere isil fighters have killed 15 iraqi oranges in an assault. 10 isil fighters were wounded in the exchange of fight that followed. >>> and 25 were killed in an isil attack in and around the northern iraqi city of kirkuk. it triggered a fire fight between police and kurdish forces. the kurdish forces known as peshmerga took control of kirkuk in june when iraqi army abandoned their position there. we'll get a look at what life is like under the iraq's mosul. >> reporter: mosul iraq's second largest city, is under the control of islamic state in iraq and the levant. it has become almost impossible for its residents to leave. they now provide a guarantor to that they will return. >> reporter: they left the city when isil took over in june. the armed group has cut off most of

government forces and competing rebel groups. u.s. commanders say precise and effective airstrikes in mosul have helped repel isil fighters and kurdish peshmerga forces have now retaken areas around mosul, which of course is iraq's second largest city. it's been controlled by isil since june. the nearby mosul dam controls the water supply for several large towns. we have more from baghdad. >> what we've seen in the last 24 hours is coalition airstrikes mainly american and british are helping kurdish peshmerga forces take over three key bridge heads towards the north of mosul near the dam itself. we are seeing a big push now from the kurdish peshmerga fighters and the isil fighters put under pressure in mosul. it feels like it is a preparation for a ground offensive going on now. iraq officials have said that they expect a ground offensive into mosul to take place within the next three weeks. we've also heard in the last days general allen one of the top military commanders say that the taking of mosul city will abmorale boosts for iraqis and kurds. they say they will need coalition ground s

bow to their oppression, from the tomb of jonah in mosul, to yazidi shrines in the sinjar region, isis is trying to rewrite history. we have seen this tactic before. the buddhas destroyed by the taliban in afghanistan. the nazi destruction of jewish religious property during world war ii. we cannot allow another vicious group to reshape our record of the past. we need to cut off the profits isis gets from trafficking looted artifacts and to ramp up our efforts to save cultural property from destruction. a few weeks ago, this committee unanimously passed to protect and preserve into national property act, which i introduced with representative smith, chairman reus, and representative keating. this would help save cultural property from isis's campaign and we need to get this bill to the president's desk. we also need to stay focused on bringing belief to those living under the yolk of isis. i hope our witnesses can shed some light on what religious minorities living under isis control need the most. the administration's response to degrade and destroy isis is a good start. but it'

mosul, which is currently under isis control. cnn's phil black spoke with peshmurga fighters about the plan to retake that q3 city. he is live outside mosul. what did they tell you, phil? >> reporter: mick what, wela,ee owe mikaela, on a clear day you can see right into it. it's a wide expanse of territory, town village, all of it still very much isis-controlled territory. just behind me the town was a major christian town. much after it fled the isis advance. they refuse to advance to islam. this position this position held by kurdish fighters is one in a long defensive line that they had been drawing around this territory. i believe they are accomplishing the first stage, the first military objective. that is to push isis back to draw this line behind the territory that isis still holds. then to hold that line to take away the ability of isis to advance and conquer new territory. they believe they have done that with of course the assistance of international air power. what will come next is a big operation to re-take this isis territory, to re-take mosul. but mosul is an arab to

concern. in northern iraq the kurdish fielters they're trying to hold onto a key junction between mosul mosul. has isis launched a number of major attacks in the area where you are today, because that's what we're hearing? >> reporter: yeah, wolf, it's been a very active day for isis in the western country as you mentioned, but also here in the north. five of the positions came under attack by isis today. some of those attacks involved suicide bombers. the kurds believe this is all part of the new tactic being used by isis in this region. launching various attacks to divert the kurdish attention from the main game which is circling and choking off the isis stronghold in the city of mosul. we visited a key position to the west of mosul where the kurds are doing just that. it was clear isis wants that position back. these kurdish fighters are holding onto very important ground. they say isis attacks them every day. sometimes by driving huge truck bombs into their defenses. this is probably the most contested piece of territory in all of northern iraq at the moment. from this position they

because of its proximity to the mosul dam. but we have reports now that there is concern over two below "l" control the area after isil has been forced out. >> they hide their faces because their families live under the rule of islamic state in iraq and the levant. these men are being trained a few kilometers out of the city they want to capture. they call themselves the sons of mosul. some of them have never been in battle. they say they've come together to fight an enemy that has come to destroy the city's history and the lives of its people. >> mosul all the people inside are waiting for us to liberate them. >> this general served in saddam hussein's army. when it was dissolved in 2003 many like him found themselves without a job and a place in iraq. many felt bitter about how they were treated by the fall in sudan. he said that this group does not represent him. but neither do the sunni. these men may represent many communities, but iraq's shia are not among them. there is still little reconciliation. they want authorities to speed up plans to create a national guard, made up

mosul and tikrit. on the ground, iraqi forces today launched a major offensive aimed at taking back the city of tikrit. and whether on the ground or in the air, american forces are in the thick of it. back with fareed zakaria and mark hurtly and bob bayer. in terms of the military situation, you don't think isis is as impressive as their early gains. >> i think what really stunned people and the reason that obama almost had to apologize for his jv team comment was that they took mosul and the second largest city in iraq. the gains weren't so much due to isis's strength but iraq's weakness. the sunnis who comprise the foot soldiers in iraq's army refused to fight, because they regarded certainly, the government in baghdad as essentially kind of a shia dictatorship. and between the two, they kind of preferred isis, so they melted away. they didn't want to fight isis. so it was that political problem that gave isis this huge military victory. >> but general, you were there and involved with iraqi forces. since the u.s. pulled out, essentially, you had fake battalions, phantom platoons

mosul. cnn's erin mcpike is live at the white house for us. wondering what the pentagon is saying about where they stand in anticipation of this military campaign. good morning. >> good morning to you, christi. let me first point out that u.s. officials say by and large they believe they are ahead of where they thought they would be in the overall military campaign against isis. now specifically when it comes to mosul, they're saying that this april or may tentative date is just that it's tentative, for when they are going to launch this mission to take back mosul. and that is important because the new secretary of defense, ash carter traveling overseas this weekend, kicks that decision largely to the iraqis. i want you to listen here to that comment. >> that is one that will be iraqi led and the u.s. supported and it's important that it be launched at a time when it can succeed and i think the important thing is that it will -- it will get done when it can be done successfully and i -- even if i knew exactly when that was going to be i wouldn't tell you. >>. >> reporter: now that

is the united states ignoring breeding ground for isis. mosul, iraq, the second largest city under the thumb of isis is. what can be done to stop these savages. right now governor of the embattled nineveh province that includes mosul is here to go "on the record." good evening, governor. and welcome to the united states. >> thank you for that. >> governor, since june of 2014, you have been out of mosul, right? >> yes. >> the reason you left mosul is because isis came in? >> yes. >> so, what's the status of the situation? isis has now overrun mosul. is there anything we can do about this? >> now isis occupy mosul and we think now 2 million people are prisoners in mosul. they want to do something. they want everybody to support them against isis we have troops on the ground, fighters who are willing to fight. all those fighters they have no weapons to fight with. just we get promises from everywhere. i get promises from central government in baghdad. now here i get promises also from u.s. and the administration but we need that promises to be actual. >> it seems to me, it's almost li