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Didn't like sunni. i would argue there's not a single sunni start in the arab at least likes having shias in iraq. so i think it's going to be very difficult even if you push maliki out and get another shia, i think it's going to be difficult to get support from the sunnis, especially if there's this perception that they've already established sunni-stan. the real issue is what are these -- i'll call them moderate sunnis -- what are their attitudes to isis that so far i think they're a little intimidated by them. and so they make -- they make that into an argument that they can never deal with...

Al qaeda in iraq. in 2006, they rebranded as the islamic state in iraq and syria. the u.s. surge in iraq did set them back, but after the u.s. withdrew, isis grew in strength. al qaeda distanced itself with isis because they are so extreme and wouldn't take orders. isis is infamous for its brutality. and this is what iraq is up against. why not split up iraq? shiites in the south, kurds in the north, sunnis in the west and north. simply drawing lines on a map could lead to massive bloodshed. and don't forget the oil fields around the country. who gets what? on top of that, isis dreams of creat...

The joseph corbel school of international studies at the university of denver and former ambassador to iraq. good to see you. >> good afternoon. >> colonel francona, to you first. what is happening? is the iraqi military so overwhelmed that it's not even willing to put up a fight again these militants in at least the three towns were that taken overnight? >> the three towns that were taken overnight were out toward the west. it looks like isis is moving down and trying to consolidate the area they have the north and west of baghdad. they've come down the euphrates valley, tigris valley. they'r...

Bloodier, far more serious by waiting until they encroach on baghdad? >> a lot of that area we're seeing these towns are on the main roads. it's -- there's not much else out there. it doesn't make sense to deploy in numbers out in the desert. they're probably smarter to wait for isis to come to them which we know is coming. and as the ambassador said, i think they have ceded all that territory to them. >> ambassador hill, what's the danger of the u.s. in this strategy whether to be involved diplomatically now, but then potentially be involved more militarily later on? >> i think the concern, o...

Maliki, a shiite, promised to open up his government to both ethnic groups. since the u.s. left in 2011, he's worked instead to strengthen shiite control of the ministry, making him pop lar in iran where it's also the minority. isis is exploiting that anger to fuel its rebellion. so it's sunnis versus shiites. more or less with some politics thrown in. here's a wild card, as well, with kurds in the north. they are mainly sunni but rule an autonomous region, kurdistan, which is iraq's most stable area right now. many kurds have wanted their own nation for years. if there's a winner so far in al...