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much tougher task, and although the kurdish fighters are capable, and demonstrated the ability to make success and achieve success in that part of the country, a i would hope that we could reinforce that. >> and i want your opinion, bob on the new cnn/orc poll that is showing that americans are split on the use of troops on the ground the fight terror groups. keeping in mind that it is a poll that was done before this headline coming out of ramadi, but when you are looking at that, and find this inclination towards even in limited numbers more troops and certainly special forces, what are you thinking? ground troops? what are you thinking that the numbers tell you about the appetite for greater involvement? >> well, brianna, it is fairly simple in the sthaens americans don't trust the governments in damascus or baghdad or anywhere else there. and yes, the soldiers have never lost a battle in that part of
top story, and the iraqi military is saying that it has retaken ramadi 70 miles from the city of baghdad and recapturing a key compound there in the center of the city. and you may recall that ramadi fell to isis earlier in the year in what is a major setback and embarrassment as well to the maintain the terror group. i want to talk it over with military analyst and retired general james spider marks and also bob baer. and so, this is ramadi is a major route moving supplies and how important in terms of strategic value towards, i guess a victory or the pushing isis back farther, bob? >> well, i think that it is important. i mean, ra ramadi is a base that isis could launch attacks on baghdad, and last year, there was a concern that they might
to be turned back on, and confidence that the iraqi government can provide security, and then from that, everything else is a derivative. it is very, very important that the residents return to ramadi, and they feel that they can with the degree of security get about their the lives. this is the toughest step that has to take place, and next. and i agree with, bob, the next focus has to be on mosul, and that is an entirely different picture however. >> and why is that so much tougher, and what are the challenges there that are unique, general? >> well, they have been in mosul now over two years, and ramadi fell six months ago, and mosul now has its own identity that isis has been able to the create in terms of trying to provide for the citizens of mosul good or bad, but they have created a form of governance there that now has to be completely uprooted and approximate to syria, and the lines of support are easier to support up in mosul to syria, and this is a
weapons in the last couple of months, and we have dropped about 390 weapons in the last week alone. this is everything from taking the enemy fighters off of the battlefield to can destroying the precision weapons of the enemy. and it has opened up travel lane lanes, and that is is the kinetic piece. and the other pat of it is training and assisting. the training takes place close the baghdad, at several sites, and we have trained about 5,000 sunni tribal fighters who are participate ing participating in the fight in ramadi, and the final is the advising and assisting. months ago when we opened up a new location, there was a little tension about that, but it is really paying off. our advisers who are in this forward advisory base there have
helped the iraqi forces integrate their ground operations with our air component. >> all right. colonel steve warren, thank you for the update, and we a certainly appreciate that. here in the u.s., there is a new cnn/orc poll that is interesting saying that the american public is largely dissatisfied with the war on terror, and only 18% believes that the u.s. has the upper hand, and 40% believe that the terrorists are winning, and this is what is significant about it, it is the highest number since 9/11. as for president obama, 64% disapprove of how he is handling the fight against isis, and only 51% think that the administration can protect against terrorist attacks? how does that stack up? well sh well, it is eight points lower than the confidence level under president george w. bush in 2006. this is a poll taken before the current push to take ramadi from is isis. still ahead, 43 weather-related
ready, it seems to the call it fully liberated, but if they are calling it earlier than they should, it is absolutely no surprise. you mentioned the humiliation in may when ramadi fell, and the iraqi army fled ahead of the advancing isis forces, and it was not a humiliation to the iraqi force, but it was a entire rethink and redress of the u.s. strategy of why it is not working. what we are seeing in ramadi is the fruits of a complete restrategization, bringing in the sunni mobilization troops, and much like what we saw in 2006 and 2007, and the sunni a wakening then to push back the isis precursor al qaeda in iraq. and there is a stake here that not the least of which is ramadi could be the blueprint for the fight against isis in fallujah
clearing those areas, and inside of the is the city center, they have cleared the neighborhoods that have not been cleared and squad-sized elements, and seven or eight-men teams of enemy fig fighters still moving around, and additionally a threat for unexploded ordinannanceordnance and booby trapped houses, and so there is still a number of security issues. >> are you going to be confident that the forces can hold ramadi? >> based on where the battlefield sits, it does not appear that isil has the strength to knock the iraqi security forces oout of their positions. >> okay. so pretty confident coming from you there. and so, looking forward perhaps to another push, what happens next year? could we see a push to retake mosul? >> well, mosul is certainly on the list of things to do as we
raised the iraqi flag in victory. you may are recall that ramadi fell to eisis in may, and that s seen as a major fight to retain the terror group. i want to get to nima elbager. would it be isis retreating or are they defeated the group? >> well, they are retreating and a number of eisis groups are heading back towards mosul and they have been clashing with them to the right. and they acknowledge pockets of fighting, but they feel and the key word is they, they feel that they have taken enough of the city, and the structure of the city to call it liberated. the u.s.-led coalition, the pentagon in the statement was very careful to congratulate iraq on continuing successes against isis, and not quite
status. it hurts hillary clinton because she wants to wrap this up. she wants to get to the general election. she doesn't want to do this, should i be a left candidate, a central dand date. the longer the primary drags out, the more she's put in that uncomfortable position. >> as the focus of the presidential race has shifted so much to national security, what are you most looking out for in the first few weeks of 2016. >> well, there's really two things. one is whether or not the fight against isis is going to make any prozbresz. we see a big battle going on in iraq and ramadi. we see increasing steps toward asyrian peace process. if that turns around, that will give hillary clinton, as part of the barack obama administration, a lot more confidence that she can run on the national security record she's responsible for. number two thing is the iran deal. it gets implemented next month. that's a big political football. if that goes well, that helps
hillary clinton who was integral in set up that deal. >> i want to add to the first point that josh made, if the talks about syria and if more importantly the battle for ramadi goes well and continues to other isis-held cities. last week hillary clinton was at a debate and she talked about the fact that the obama administration policy and strategy toward isis is actually doing well and she got hammered by republicans across the board. if the strategy in these battles continue to show progress, be harder to say that about her. >> exactly. >> but they definitely will continue to do that unquestionable. great to see you guys. thank you. >> thank you, merry christmas. new video inside the fight to take ramadi. this is the iraqi military