Erin burnett. We begin with breaking news. An american dies fighting for isis. Cnn learned today that a home grown terrorist, 33yearold san diego resident, Douglas Macarthur mccain was killed in syria over the weekend fighting for the feared, brutal terrorist group known as isis. Intelligence officials tell cnn they had been watching mccain for some time. More now on how a man born in america could die a jihadi. Hes an american with an allamerican name, Douglas Macarthur mccain, but this 33yearold man from san diego went to fight and die in syria for isis, the terror group u. S. Officials now call the gravest of threats. It was, after all, an isis fighter who beheaded american journalist james foley just last week. Mccains family tells cnn they were notified by the state department maupd that he was killed over the weekend. His uncle kenneth told me, quote, were devastated and were just as surprised as the country is. Mccain was raised christian but converted to islam several years ago. Police in minnesota tell cnn that mccain had past runins with the law charged in 2003 with possession of marijuana and driving on a suspended license. Several months ago he told family members he was traveling to turkey. That was the last they saw him. Mccain is not the First American to die fighting as a jihadi in syria. Mohammed abusallah was killed in may detonating a truck bomb. In a martyrdom video hes seen tearing up his u. S. Passport and urging others to join the fight. You think that youve won. Youve never won. Reporter he was fighting for an al qaedatied terror group. Mccain is the First American known to have been killed fighting for isis, a group so brutal it was expelled by al qaeda. Today american officials believe that 100 americans are fighting as jihadis and more than 1,000 westerners. Mccain was on a terror watchlist. The state Department Says theyre doing their best to track others. Weve increased our capacity, weve increased our tracking, weve increased our coordination, but clearly this is a threat that we take seriously enough to put it at front and center of our agenda. Reporter the fear now when they return home, they may bring jihad with them. Were joined by fpentagon spokesman admiral kirby. Thanks for having me. This case remarkable. You have an american Douglas Macarthur mccain caught fighting and dying for isis. To the pentagon, what does a case like this indicate . Well, again, we cant confirm whether its true or not, but if its true, what it reminds us here about is the very real threat of foreign fighters inside isil. Were not the. As we go into this war, i think thats a pretty good chance it will happen. Its a tremendous fear. Ive heard it from u. S. Intelligence officials for months moontsds. When you were in iraq dealing with al qaeda in iraq, the precursor to isis, one thing you didnt face there was americans and europeans in the numbers we see with isis now joining the fight there. How much does that raise this challenge from isis . We dont know who they are, all of them and theyre able to fly into the United States without getting a visa. This is a tremendous National Security challenge to our intelligence agencies and Homeland Security agencies. Clearly, some people have gotten through even if they are tracking them. Bob, i wonder if i can ask you this, when these air strikes started in iraq, you heard a direct threat from the isis fighter who killed the american, james foley. You continue these attacks well take the fight to you. We will kill americans. How much of a concern is that, that as you step up military action there, you may spark reaction from isis, on americans whether inside syria or the homeland in europe. You can count on it. Im not worried about our forces in iraq, theyre so well trained they can take care of themselves its europe and the United States. The problem is we have a situation where they have an academy, if you like, where people are indoctrinated for suicide bombers, westerners and syrians and iraqis and the rest of it. As the administration looks on they cant let this continue on like the order of the assassins from the 11th century and hundreds of young men from the gulf going there who presumably could return home and why you have the gulf arabs so worried at this point. This is truly a cancer and spreading. I spoke to someone who had just been in rocca saying theyre worse than al qaeda and taliban. Its amazing they were expelled by the al qaeda. You heard the rear general kirby saying the u. S. Is stepping up its efforts significantly against isis and heard the president vow to protect americans against isis. Do you have any fear the administration has been natural too slow to respond to the threat . The administration has been very deliberate. When youre talking about going to war, deliberate is good. I think the time for deliberation is quickly coming to an end. The administration has to decide two things. First, is isis a threat to the United States . I think it is, many people think it is. If it is, what are we going to do about it . We need to put the is Islamic State on the defensive. We cant be bullied because they claim to ramp up murders against journalists or conductor ror attacks. They wim do that anyway. Its incumbent upon the administration if they deem the Islamic State a threat, to act. Thanks very much for joining us. Out front next, as isis gains ground, obama approves surveillance flights over syria while syria warns the u. S. Against air strikes. Just how will this work . Plus, a series of gunshots recorded accidentally, the day the moment that Michael Brown was killed. 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President obama has authorized reconnaissance flights over syria according to a u. S. Official. And those flights have begun along the syria iraq border. As isis militants continue to gain ground in that war ravaged nation. Flights inside syria seen as a forerunner of possible u. S. Air strikes against isis in syria could begin at any point. We begin tonight with barbara starr. Shes at the pentagon. Reporter from president obama a threat and a promise. Justice will be done. We have proved time and time again well do whats necessary to capture those who harm americans and well continue to take direct action where needed to protect our people and to defend our homeland. Reporter but as the u. S. Prepares to potentially militarily confront isis, the pentagon will say little about the reconnaissance flights president obama authorized over syria. Im not going to talk about intelligence matters. Reporter an Administration Official tells cnn that drones have flown over iraq near the border with syria to pick up whatever intelligence they can about isis troops, convoys, weapons and Training Camps just inside syria. Anything on targets that could be hit to des rupt their Brutal Campaign of murder and intimidation. U. S. Satellites have already gathered some information. Isis communications are also being monitored, but now the u. S. Needs to get realtime intelligence. It will be tough. One of the type of drones being used, sources say, a global hawk like this. It can fly at up to 60,000 feet and especially equipped to gather targeting information on fixed and mobile targets. Exactly the type of information on isis the u. S. Wants. Washington will not acknowledge if drones have penetrated syrian air space, a move that would violate syrias sovereignty, u. S. Officials say. But once the intel is in hand, would u. S. Bombers have to cross into syria to strike . Perhaps. One option, b1 bombers flying at High Altitude dropping precision bombs, but many say air strikes alone will not defeat isis. These isolated military actions can only result in more difficulty. The president needs to put together his National Security team, the department of defense and put together a plan. Reporter and theres always the law of unintended consequences. A senior u. S. Official tells me if the u. S. Were to undertake air strikes against isis inside syria, one of the problems is it might actually benefit syrian president Bashar Al Assad whose forces are also battling isis. Jim . Barbara starr at the pentagon. I want to bring you now amy davidson, executive editor of the new yorker and contributing editor at the atlantic. Amy, are air strikes the answer or part of the answer against isis . Air strikes alone arent going to do anything. And theres a real many scenarios in which air strikes could actually be counterproductive. Barbara mentioned unintended consequences. If we just go this isnt a situation where we just need to show the terrorists force, where a display of anger and justice that president obama mentioned is going to be the most effective thing. This is happening in a situation in syria where isis is our enemy. Weve also been working very hard to overthrow or to support the people who are challenging Bashar Al Assad. And isis is also fighting assad. If we just go in there and bomb isis, we not only have to think about whether its going to actually benefit assad and be counterproductive in other ways but whether it might benefit isis. One thing that general dempsey said last week when he was talking about the u. S. Militarys option was the ultimate way to defeat isis is to make it that all of the sunni muslims in the region between damascus and baghdad dont feel completely disenfranchised. If they see sunni rebels fighting against assad suddenly see us taking sides and think weve thrown out all of their grievances and their interests for this moment for a military strike, were also going to possibly strengthen isis. Isis would love to pick a fight with the u. S. , peter. It raises their profile. It shows that they can stand up, that kind of thing. Is that one of these unintended consequences that if you take the fight to them, that oddly enough, it might benefit them . Im not sure that it would benefit them. Yes, their profile is being raised. On the other hand, its not fun to have the worlds most powerful military dropping the most powerful bombs in the world on you. I think the problem is you cant take territory from the air. You have to have a ground ally. You look at the president s kosovo, for instance, afghanistan, always we had an ally, even the kurds in iraq. We dont really have an ally. And prk Pesident Obama has said that again and again and again we dont think that the nonjihadist rebels, the supposed free syrian army, we dont think theyre really very effective and a lot of other people have said the boundaries between them and the jihadists are not clear either. Hes also repeatedly ruled out putting u. S. Troops on the ground there. He did that again today. So it begs the question then, the u. S. , the president , the American Public clearly doesnt want americans on the ground in another middle eastern war. If air strikes arent enough, how do you square that circle . Whats the solution to respond as it becomes more of a direct threat to the u. S. . Theres no military solution that will work alone. If theres going to be one, it has to be in conjunction with diplomacy and with a political discussion, a political discussion about the future of the iraqi government. Also a political discussion at home just so the Obama Administration thing that america will grow stronger if we go into this without a discussion of the real possible consequences and costs among americans. And goals, what are the goals here . Because many have said thats exactly the debate this country did not have in the advance to war in iraq. The cost, how long are we going to be there and whats the endgame. The last thing our military needs is to be sent into an action thats ill defined. The enemies that president obama spoke out so strongly about not wanting Mission Creep but in fact this is exactly what were doing. If you look at the rationale, it started with protecting the American Embassy and american personnel in iraq. And protecting the yazidis. Then this mosul dam could have been a threat. Now that weve acknowledged that were fighting against isis so we have to fight them on both sides of the border. Striking that a president himself who has been so resoundingly opposed to allowing this to get bigger is doing exactly that. A good reminder to viewers because a couple weeks ago that was the mission as defined. Lo and behold youre talking about action against syria. Weve got justified rage because weve seen a journalist executed on film. But what we have to figure out is how to really address that and not just plunge in. You know, and also keeping in mind with the assad factor that sometimes the enemy of our enemy is our enemy also. Its not as simple we cant pretend this isnt really complicated, that there might be tradeoffs. And syria and Bashar Al Assad are on the same side now against isis is now remarkable. We want you to weigh in with your thoughts and questions about isis. Please join me tomorrow at noon eastern for a live facebook chat. You go to facebook. Com cnn, and well take your thoughts and questions as well. 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