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7:00 a.m. bagdad time. the u.s. has a lot involved in this fight. there are more than 5,000 u.s. military personnel in the country supporting iraqi forces in the battle for western mosul and u.s.-led coalition aircraft are also hitting isis targets according to a statement put out yesterday, since the beginning of the u.s. involvement in the war against isis, the u.s. has launched more than 10,000 combat sorties against isis targets. so definitely he wants to come here -- territory he's quite familiar with, it must be stressed. and see firsthand how the fight is progressing. poppy? >> it's int...

>> this is a war against isis right now. and britain is involved, is that right? >> it is, yeah. >> how are you involved? what is britain doing in this war? we know the u.s. has air strikes. the russians have troops and air strikes. what specifically is britain doing? i know you're here to meet with secretary of state kerry to talk about the british role in all of this. what is that role? >> well, we're active in iraq. we've carried out more than 1,500 combat sorties over iraq and syria. we're flying over syria, combat reconnaissance. we're not carrying out strikes in syria at the moment. we'v...

Leadership including our military power is stopping isil's advance. >> reporter: president obama says the u.s. isn't losing to isis. but senior u.s. military officials privately acknowledge the terror group's takeever of ramadi is showing a key flaw the pentagon had long worried about. air strikes alone can't defeat isis. unless iraqi forces step up and fight. and in ramadi, that did not happen. and there could be political fallout. >> they have had now a fairly serious defeat in ramadi for which the prime minister and defense minister are taking the blame. this was not a particularly stable g...

Isis unless iraqi forces step up and fight. and in ramadi that did not happen and there could be political fallout. >> they've had a fairly serious defeat in ramadi for which the prime minister and the defense minister are taking the blame. this was not a particularly stable government before that. we should be concerned about our allies in baghdad. >> critics say it's the pentagon that needs to step up. >> 75% of the flights that combat sorties are lurng to the base without dropping a weapon do you know why? because they don't have anybody on the ground to give them the targets they need this...

>> the flights, the combat sorties, are returning to the base without dropping a weapon. you know why? they don't have anybody on the ground to give them the targets they need. this is an ineffectual air campaign. >> reporter: as cnn reported earlier this week top u.s. commanders privately again rejected recommending to the president u.s. troops on the ground to help find those isis targets to bomb. the only change -- more arms for the iraqi government and sunni tribes. the white house worry now is now prime minister al abadi running out of time to deal isis a decisive blow? isis released thes...