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Iraqi police and tribes are massing to fight back. but isis controls two other towns close to the capital, fallujah and karma. they would have a straight shot into baghdad from their strongholds in syria. u.s. officials were quick to frame the loss as part of the long fight against isis. >> the campaign against dash is a long one. it's going to take a long time. we've already said that. >> reporter: but monday, an admission this is a loss. >> there is no denying that this is a setback. but there is also no denying that the united states help the iraqis take back ramadi. >> reporter: a stark ch...

Michael hanlan senior fellow at the brookings institute. is this a major setback in the fight against isis? >> you know, i think it is significant. i think people were hope inging a few months ago that by this point in the mid spring we would see the iraqi forces liberating mosul, which is the biggest city in the north and west the biggest city they took that isil took last year. but we're nowhere near that. there was a modest success and now this major setback in ramadi. i hope secretary kerry is right to say it may only last a few days or weeks, but i'm not sure i'm as confident as he is abo...

The fight against isis this weekend. the obama administration announced saturday that a senior isis official was killed in special operations ground raid in syria. abu sayyaf was in charge of the oil operations. but the group is claiming a victory in iraq. they have captured the city of ramadi. keir simmons has more. >> reporter: iraqi security forces appeared to flee ramadi, escaping the isis advance. video unverified by nbc news shows humvees packed with iraqi military in full retreat leaving a crucial city seeming desserted. a propaganda video purports to show isis fighters walking ramadi's...

This is not going to be enough. this is a drop in the bucket. the islamic state, isis is a true menace to the stability in the middle east. and with this offensive they're carrying out in syria against homs against palmyra and now ramadi and fallujah we have to find a way to stop them. i'm not advocating putting boots on the ground. but we've got change the game here because we're losing right now. >> john kerry says don't worry about it we're going get it back. don't worry about ramadi. but when you look at a map, you're looking at the capital of iraq almost encircled by isis. who is telling ...

It's very important. the only way they're going to be age to take ramadi back is by flattening it. if the militias go there and flatten that town you will see a sectarian conflict in iraq like we've never seen before. >> bob baer thank you very much. not mincing words there with his view on the state department. and tonight on cnn we take you inside isis whom. are they? what do they want? blind side. a special by fareed zakaria is tonight at 9:00 eastern. and "outfront" next texas police on alert amid rumors of even more gang violence tonight. this as nine are killed when rival biker gangs f...