. >> we have complete coverage beginning with pentagon correspondent barbara starr. barbara, tell us more about what we're learning about the capture of khatallah. >> reporter: good morning, kate. u.n. ambassador smith samantha pour says khatallah may have been planning more attacks against americans, that being report by the reuters

first to you, barbara starr. more on this plan, more on this idea from the pentagon of 100 special ops potentially en route just as soon as the president gets a signature on the documents. what is the likelihood of that? >> reporter: well, let's be clear. the president still has to -- we don't know if he's decided, but if there is a decision, it would still have to be made public. let's try and sort this all out. what we do know is the pentagon now is ready to send up to 100 special forces. that means green beer rayberets army rangers, navy s.e.a.l.s. these are going to be, if it happens, small teams, 12-man teams of military advisers that will go to iraq, and they will be placed, we are told, in iraqi brigade headquarters around the country. they will advise iraqi forces, but they will do more. they will help gather intelligence about what isis is up to, where it is, how it's moving, what weapons it has. i think it's safe to say this is one of the reasons we're not seeing airstrikes. the u.s. just simply does no

barbara starr, thank you for your reporting. not only did they tap their hearts and wave, and that's raising a lot of questions. some very good answers as to why that may have happened. certainly those of us who have been in afghanistan, spent some time with some of these folks, we know all too well what the cultural issues are and that matters in this kind of thing. we have been glued to every single frame of this video since its release. we've been figuring out exactly what they're saying on the tape. in these moments right before bergdahl got out of that truck and was handed over to his fellow countrymen. what were the taliban sayinging? in addition to that little clip i just read, what were they saying about the americans who came to get him? what did they say to bergdahl during this exchange? you're going to hear all of it in english coming up. r fiber. try phillips fiber good gummies. they're delicious, and an excellent source of fiber to help support regularity. wife: mmmm husband: these are good! marge: the tasty side of

>> barbara starr at the pentagon on this friday night, thank you, barbara. roy hallums is an american contractor who was kidnapped in iraq in 2004 and spent 311 days in captivity. and retired lieutenant colonel jeffrey corn, he is a former jag attorney. good evening to both of you gentlemen. roy, you first. you have been there. is it anything like your experience? >> well, yes, it sounds like it. i mean, i was in a small little room, maybe four feet high, about six feet wide, about eight feet long. and i was in there with up to ten other people. and i was bound by my hands and feet all day long, every day. so there was very little room in what i had. and the mistreatment sounds typical of the gangs in that area. >> i want to talk to you a little bit more about the mistreatment or abuse. was it the result of something you said or did, like trying to get away, or was it at times just unwarranted? >> no, it was just any time they felt like it. you know, you know, when you were around them, you never knew what they were going to do or if they just wanted to hit

a military official tells our barbara starr an army investigation that was conducted immediately after bergdahl's disappearance came to the conclusion that bergdahl left his outpost deliberately and of his own free will. that of course has been part of the firestorm over his capture and the terms of his release. but it had not been confirmed. there were debates, member of the platoon, one of the members of the show who said that barbara starr is at the pentagon. this is incredible this just happened in terms of the release this week. >> well, erin, here is what we have. when bergdahl first disappeared, the army did exactly what you expect. they conducted a fact finding investigation into what happened. a military official told me a short time ago that initial investigation back in the 2009 time frame did conclude he left the base voluntarily. because what was left behind, his weapon, his helmet, and his night vision goggles. key elements. key pieces of equipment. that's what led them to that conclusion at the time. they did not find that he was a deserter because that is a legal issue.

we'll let barbara starr break the story. what do you have. >> good morning, don. this will await a final decision by president obama but the pentagon at this hour is now prepared to send 100 u.s. ground troops, military advisors, to iraq. several u.s. officials are telling me. it does await a final decision by president obama. that decision could come as soon as today, we are told. 100 military advisors to iraq. they will be green berets, army rangers, navy s.e.a.l.s. if approved, they will deploy to the headquarters of iraqi army brigades around the country, around iraq. they will both -- they will advise iraqi forces, but they have an additional job. they will also collect intelligence on the location and disposition of isis forces. the militants that both iraqis and the u.s. want to see out of the fight in iraq. don, i think what's so significant here for the military, for the pentagon, is, you know, the president has said no u.s. ground forces in iraq. but, these guys, these 100 special forces, they are always prepared for combat. i don't know a single member

barbara starr joins us over the phobe from washington this morning. barbara, what does manning have to gain from writing this and why now? >> well you know, i think it's absolutely fascinating. we assume that military authorities where he -- she's incarcerated were aware of this. there's no indication it got smuggled out of prison. chelsea manning is by all accounts the same rights to opinions teen speak as any other american. perhaps, perhaps wanting to be a very heartfelt voice and current debate, but as to the facts. i think there's a lot of validity to, in the early years of iraq, looking back many feel the full picture of the problems in iraq and the full criticisms were not presented. was that because reporters were embedded and got too cozy with the military? perhaps some. i think there's a good case to be made that journalistic life moved on very rapidly from that potential assertion. you only have to look at our only arwa damon, an incredible journalist who, for years, has very assertively, independently reported at great personal risk from i

first, we have breaking news from the pentagon, let's go to cnn's barbara starr. >> hey, s.e. i just talked to a military official who was actually briefed on the findings of the initial investigation report when bergdahl disappeared back in 2009, when they took a look at it and tried to figure out what happened. in fact, we now know that that report determined bergdahl did leave the post of his own free will, and the big piece of evidence that they came to this conclusion by was that his bullet-proof vest, his night vision goggles, and his weapon were left behind deliberately. now this does not mean that they ever came to a finding of desertion, because in the military, to make finding of desertion, you have to be able to determine intent. you have to know that that military person intended to desert the u.s. military. and because, of course, they couldn't talk to bergdahl, the investigation couldn't wrap that point up. now a new investigation will begin when he is able to talk. they will talk to him and they will try and get the facts, get his version of events about what re

our pentagon correspondent barbara starr takes us through the highlights. >> reporter: chanting "praise for their leader" 18 armed taliban militants seen standing in wait, perched on grassy hills in the valley, guns and rocket launchers at the ready. the narration says this meeting took place at 4:00 in the afternoon in khost province, eastern afghanistan. at the center of the action, a silver pickup truck. bow bergdahl seen inside, sitting in the back seat. bergdahl, dressed all in white. he appeared to be nervous, blinking, shakiy. bergdahl seen talking with one of his alleged captors. at one point, the army sergeant even cracks what looks to be a smile while talking. and then wipes his eyes. seen flying overhead, a twin engine plane approaching the meeting point. and then suddenly, like a seen out of the movies, the special forces blackhawk helicopter descends. two taliban militants immediately escort bergdahl towards the chopper, waving a white flag. three u.s. special open races commandos approach, shaking hands with the militants. they pat bergdahl's back and immediately begin esc

>> thank you barbara starr. the iraqi government wanted the u.s. to launch air strikes calling it the best way to stop the isis events. the white house rejected that for now. senior officials are telling cnn they would like to see someone other than nuri al maliki running the country. president obama isn't expressing confidence in al maliki's leadership. >> it's not our job to choose iraq's leaders. i don't think there's any secret that right now, at least, there is deep divisions between sunni, shia and kurdish leaders. as long as those deep divisions continue or worsen, it's going to be very hard for an iraqi central government to direct an iraqi military. >> nic robertson is live in baghdad this morning. nic, are those divisions becoming sharper and more pronounced against iraqis? >> reporter: oh, you bet, miguel, they are. it's the way al maliki handled the crisis. they called on iraqis to stand-up and join the fight. a lot of the shia militias that al maliki and others turned a blind eye to that were involved in terrible sectarian violence. th

for several days now, speaking to military officials, myself and barbara starr a pentagon correspondent, we heard a consistent message about what those options are. yes, air strikes, though, limited air strikes, in addition to that, the u.s. sending additional military advisors into iraq to help coordinate iraq's military response. now to be clear, these advisors would not be on the front lines where they could be at risk breaking the president's promise not to have boots on the ground but in the embassy compound where there are already 200 some odd advisors that act in a similar capacity, bolstering that capacity and the other component, flights and we're told those flights have begun. so flying over those isis positions getting intelligence that the u.s. can share with the iraqi side and possibly use if the president decides to launch missings or bombing missions over those sites, as well. >> general marks, the fact that this target list is being put together and refined as events change on the ground, there are flights, that might sound like air flights are imminent. this is somethin

and you just heard some of them with barbara starr's report. the danger of a safe haven for terrorists from which attacks would be launched against us but also the danger of this broader sectarian war going on through the whole region. there are no easy answers. >> did general petraeus say there's a real threat by isis to the united states homeland? >> i don't want to get into quoting him exactly. he needs to speak for himself. there's no question there's a real threat to the u.s. homeland because a number of people with european and american passports have gone to syria to fight there and it will be relatively easy for them to come to europe and the united states and that's different from the way it used to be. it's different from the way it was in afghanistan. >> when you talk about these people that have u.s. passports, but this brings me to the crucial question here which is, i'm not surprised you just had that concern because you have said recently you're concerned that these terrorists are going to attack the united states. given that you

barbara starr has more. >> reporter: army sergeant bowe bergdahl was physically abused during his five years in captivity by the taliban. after his escape, he was put in a cage or box, a senior u.s. official tells cnn. one indicator of an injury, a classified video of bergdahl made by the taliban last december included scenes where he is cradling his arm. bergdahl is also suffering from psychological traumas, the official tells cnn. bergdahl's captivity conditions changed over time as the taliban loosened or tightened security around him. they also moved him frequently to avoid detection by the u.s. the top u.s. military commander told christiane amanpour that bergdahl is not yet being formally questioned. >> i wouldn't say he is being debriefed yet, what we're concentrating on is his health. he has been in a very tough place for a long time. >> reporter: sources say that bergdahl is psychologically able to speak with his parents but has not yet done so. with the army opening a new review into what happened the pentagon is getting more cautious in their public statements. >> we really

and also barbara starr. we're going to continue our conversation about the capture of a man involved in the attack in benghazi. we'll be back to tell you more. the coast of california. the new ram 1500 ecodiesel. with 9,200 pounds of towing and 28 highway miles per gallon. west will never end. guts. glory. ram. if yand you're talking toevere rheuyour rheumatologistike me, about a biologic... this is humira. this is humira helping to relieve my pain. this is humira helping me lay the groundwork. this is humira helping to protect my joints from further damage. doctors have been prescribing humira for ten years. humira works by targeting and helping to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to ra symptoms. humira is proven to help relieve pain and stop further joint damage in many adults. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. blood, liver and nervous syst

thank you very much, barbara starr. and we have someone who just had spent years in captivity going to speak to us what that was like when he first met his family. he is with me now along with kimberly dozier, who as we said is the daily beast reporter who obtained those letters that he wrote to his family. roy hallums is an american contractor who was kidnapped in iraq and spent near lay year in captivity. kimberly, let's start with those letters. what was in them? >> well, there were two. one sent in 2012, and one in 2013. they are in some cases the first one is pretty rambling. it talks at first about that he is being fed, he is getting water, and then some parts of it are blocked out, presumably by the taliban. and then it goes off into a long strange diatribe about god and nature. you kind of got to wonder was he just taking advantage of this chance he had to write, and writing as long as he could after so long in isolation when he was in captivity, and then he got this brief moment. the second letter, however, he

barbara starr said that u.s. officials now say isis is functioning, to quote them, an increasingly capable military force. that happened really quickly. the u.s. went knowing nothing about this group, not talking about it, so saying they're incredibly militarily capable in just days. how could they have missed on something that's such a significant threat? >> it shows that they lack sources inside syria. look, isis has been inside syria for years, regenerating its combat power. it's only in the recent days and weeks when it came across the border in iraq that we're able to see how effective it's become as a military force. our forces inside syria are lacking and we have a dearth of information on what's going on in that country. >> when you look at the space you're talking about in the middle east, when you look at syria and you look at iraq, you're talking about an incredibly large swath of space for 10,000 fighters to be controlling. is 10,000 fighters something that surprises you that it is so few and makes it

barbara starr, reporting at the pentagon. and with me right here is the former united states attorney general michael casey. also, bob bair, national security analyst and former operative himself and former navy s.e.a.l. christopher heden. i'd like to begin with you, this man is on board a united states ship, presumably in international waters, although his location's unknown at this point. as i mentioned, it is a slow boat to the united states of america. what can americans do to integrate? what can't americans do? >> well, americans can do pretty much whatever it takes so long as they don't engage in tactics that violate u.s. law like torture. but they can interrogate him for as long as it takes to get necessary intelligence. and then turn him over to a so-called clean team of fbi agents and then give him his miranda rights. he should be interrogated by intelligence people first for as long as it takes. >> what are the department of justice capture and interrogation protocol? because if you arrest me for a crime in the unit

barbara starr tonight report. >> reporter: ahmed abu khatallah was lured south of benghazi. army delta force commandos, the fbi, and intelligence agencies had been watching him for days. they swooped in sunday night. the chairman of the joint chiefs hinting at how dangerous it all was. >> the abu khatallah operation though it may have looked rather routine, it took us months of preparation and intelligence. >> reporter: khatallah, a key operator in ansar al sharia, the group the u.s. blames for the compound in benghazi. intelligence gleaned from local libyans helped draw khatallah to the location. they captured him with no shots fired, no one getting hurt. then u.s. commandos whisked him to the uss new york in the mediterranean. he is now undergoing questioning. delta force commandos had been in libya before. in october, they captured alleged operative anas al libi in tripoli in a raid that took less than 30 seconds. some wonder why it took so long to get to khatallah when journalists like cnn's arwa damon found and talked to him more than a year ago. >> we met with ahmed ab

barbara starr is our pentagon correspondent. barbara, what are you hearing at the pentagon? the president says all options with the exception of military boots on the ground all options are on the table. what are you hearing? >> what we understand is the president has not at least at this moment publicly made a decision about how to proceed in iraq. the pentagon clearly offering the president all of the options as they do on the table. he has ruled out boots on the ground. what i can tell you is we have learned just a few moments ago that the pentagon now is planning, planning, to send aircraft carrier george h.w. bush from its current position in the north arabian sea on into the persian gulf. this is a plan. what it would do is give the president the option if, if he were to order air strikes, you then have those f-18 fighters jets on the deck of the carrier inside the persian gulf much closer to be able to strike targets in northern iraq. they can't really get that far from the north arabian sea. that's several hundred miles further away. so our understanding at this hour

let's begin with our pentagon correspondent, barbara starr. what's the latest you're picking up there, barbara? >> well, wolf, we've now been told that defense secretary chuck hagel telephoned sergeant bergdahl's parents in idaho earlier today to reassure them the department of defense would continue to support bergdahl and his medical recovery. the question of sergeant bergdahl's health is one that keeps swirling around. the first images of the actual bowe bergdahl swap emerging on the taliban's website. bergdahl dressed all in white. he appears to be nervous. blinking. shaking. then suddenly like a scene out of the movies the special forces blackhawk helicopter descends. two taliban militants immediately take bergdahl toward the chopper. waving a white flag. three u.s. special operations commandos approach shaking hands with the taliban. they pat down bergdahl's back and immediately begin escorting him to the helicopter. bergdahl walked to the helicopter on his own, but u.s. officials say it does not tell the whole story. in recent months, t

first, to cnn's barbara starr at the pentagon. what do we know, barbara? >> reporter: good morning, chris. we are just getting confirmation from a u.s. military official that five u.s. forces were killed in southern afghanistan in a place called the argendone, a very violent area. apparently they came into contact somehow with enemy forces but what the u.s. believes happened is that when they called in support, somehow a helicopter, a friendly helicopter fired on their position. let me read you just the very scarce details that we are getting from the military at this hour. let me read you a short quote. the casualties occurred during a security operation when their unit came into contact with enemy forces and tragically there is the possibility that fratricide may have been involved. the incident is under investigation. it looked like this tragic incident happened. u.s. forces in contact with enemy forces and they called for help and, somehow, they were fired upon by friendly forces. brooke? >> barbara starr, thank you. >>> the pakistani taliban is now cl

barbara starr at the pentagon for us. barbara, thank you so much. let's continue to discuss with christiane amanpour, cnn's cheechief international correspondent. i think barbara lays it out really well. you have four u.s. warships moving into the region now. she talked about 550 additional marines that are going to be on board. they're positioning in the region, is this symbolic or is this getting ready for something more, do you think? >> we have to see certainly a show of force is necessary, but the real urgent thing is two parts, one, militarily to hold the isis advance. i talked to a top u.s. commander who said, and this was just last week after they had taken mosul and were headed further south, once the groups get this kind of momentum, it is incredibly difficult to push them back. very, very difficult. i'm being told by top u.s. commanders and politicians in the field, including allawi, the former prime minister of iraq, that what is possibly happening is the end of iraq as we know it. the partition of iraq, the de facto new front lines crea

barbara starr, thank you so much. chris? >>> let's bring in matthew f farwell, writer for "the rolling stone" magazine and he served in the same area as sergeant bergdahl. he put a lot of time and effort into a report that came out in 2012 on bergdahl, ran in "rolling stone." very insightful at the time. maybe even more so now. he joins us. pleasure to meet you. thank you for your service. >> appreciate it. >> now you're one of us. let's talk about what you learned report thong situation. when you see this video, what strikes you about this? let's look at what we are able to see here as we move the video forward. let's see. start playing here. here we go. barbara was just talking about the hood was up on the truck. could be it's in the desert and overheating, a prearranged sign. what strikes you? >> the intensity that's on bowe's face, you don't know what he's thinking, he doesn't know that the helicopter is coming in. remember, he's been in captivity for five years. >> a lot of assumptions about his health. one of the thing

also joining us on the phone cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr. barbara, i want to start with you first. what can you tell us about this effort we're learning about to protect the embassy there in baghdad. >> reporter: good evening, ana. what we're learning from the state department and other administration officials including the pentagon that somewhat less than a hundred u.s. troops, somewhere between 50 and 100 u.s. troops have arrived at the u.s. embassy in baghdad. either a mix of marines and army soldiers. they are going to go and stay put there. they are going to be there to reinforce protection at the embassy. at this point, they are not going to be involved in any evacuation of american employees or american civilians from baghdad or from iraq. they are simply going to the embassy to reinforce security there, but, of course, this comes, as we learned, just a short time ago, that the state department has indeed ordered a partial evacuation of some americans working at the embassy. some will be moved out to jordan and some will go to other

let's go to barbara starr for more on this incredible story. barbara, good morning. >> victor, christi, it was an extraordinary negotiation, five taliban for one american soldier. >> i'd like to say to bowe right now who is having trouble speakispeak english. [ speaking in foreign language ] . "i'm your father, bowe." >> reporter: an emotional moment as bowe bergdahl's parents stand with the president. >> i just want to say thank you to everyone who has supported bowe. >> after nearly five years in captivity, their son, bowe, is coming home. >> release me, please. i'm begging you, bring me home, please. bring me home. >> reporter: behind the scenes a secret choreography had quickly been worked out in the last several days. a u.s. command center was set up at an undisclosed location. u.s. commandos secretly flew to a point near the border where the taliban said they would be waiting to turn bergdahl over. back at guantanamo bay, officials from qatar were on standby, waiting to take custody of the five taliban detainees the u.s. was releasing in

our pentagon correspondent barbara starr joins us by phone now. barbara, what can you tell us about how this investigation will get going? >> hi, fred. the one thing we won't do is look at that swap deal per se. this is much more, almost completely focused on bowe bergdahl himself. what happened and caused him to leave his post in afghanistan that night. what happened, how did he do it, what was he thinking and how did he get captured by the taliban? also, what does he know, maybe, about the taliban, given his experiences. this two-star army general will begin by basically looking at the facts, reviewing interviews with teammates that already exist. it's not clear just yet when he will start questioning bergdahl himself. but what army officials are telling us, once that more formal questioning process begins, the letter of the law will be followed. sergeant bergdahl will be advised of his rights, he will be offered counsel. it is a fact-finding investigation at this point but it's a very complex case so they are going by the letter of the law as t

let's bring in our pentagon correspondent barbara starr. barbara, does the u.s. think the iraqi military can hold? >> well, that was a question the pentagon was not willing to answer today. the chief spokesman here was asked that twice by reporters and side stepped it. can they -- can the military hold? can the rebel -- this insurgent force make it to baghdad? can the iraqi government defend against these guys taking baghdad? there's a lot of concern, wolf. the forces that are on the move, very difficult to strike. these are very dispersed forces. they've been moving very fast. what to do about it? already the u.s. has increased surveillance flights at the request to the iraqis. they are considering, they're very close to making that decision to send the aircraft carrier. that would at least give them ability to give the president the option for air strikes if he was to choose it, wolf. >> what are the u.s. military challenges as far as intervention is concerned? i guess one of the key questions, does the u.s. really believe it has a full intelligence picture of

barbara starr reporting live this morning. thank you. i want to talk more about this video moment by moment, freem by frame, peter bergen is with me along with chief national security correspondent. peter, this video was slickly produced by the taliban, posted or their website, even as a music bed. you're the expert. what's the most striking thing about this video in your mind. >> how unsurprising it is. this is a group that's had a propaganda arm that has been pretty active for the last decade. they tape almost every operation they do. they have their own dedicated spokesman who is on call 24 hours a day, a sort of taliban jay carney, if you will. they are very media adept. the fact they've produced this video to me is not surprising, carol. >> matthew, these images, you can seeberg dal is clearly unwell. if you look at his military photo in 2009 and look at him now -- do we have that? i think we do. anyway, if you compare his condition from when he went into the service to now, you can see clearly something is up with him. what are the

barbara starr is joining us. you've been talking, barbara, to pentagon officials, other u.s. officials. what are you hearing? >> wolf, lots of diplomacy but hard military facts on the ground at this hour. here is where we are. the u.s. estimates that isis has up to 10,000 fighters under its command in that region between sir why and iraq going back and forth across the border, being in both countries. heavily armed and engaging in extortion to raise funds to continue its march. no estimate precisely how many are inside iraq at the moment. because the boreder with syria essentially is gone. people are moving back and forth. so that is what iraq is facing. up to 10,000 militant in its own country. now, u.s. military advisors on the ground, about 130 now on the ground innite rack, another a coming in the next several days. this is the effort to try and assess both the ability of iraq to fight for itself and the ability to counter isis. so what happens if, if it comes to u.s. airstrikes? let's put a map up and show you what the military facts are about what u.s. has at its dispos

our pentagon correspondent barbara starr explains. what are these local villagers telling us? >> jake, it's important what you just said. they are claims. we can not independently verify any of this. but a local afghan security official who was on duty in the area when bergdahl was captured is telling cnn bergdahl apparently wandered into a village. the afghan villagers tried to tell him, apparently, it was too dangerous, he shouldn't be there, that he should return to his base but they have language difficulties. nobody understood each other. there is also report that he was on hall looucinogenic drugs. we cannot verify that. but what happened is the taliban in the area grabbed him and took him into captivity. this is part of the narrative and it is very difficult now to piece together what happened. >> barbara, what have you learned about bergdahl's actions while being held by the taliban over the previous five years? >> actually, a u.s. official is telling me that they have information that bergdahl may -- may have tried to escape at least twice during his five years in cap

barbara starr joins us now more. good morning, barbara. >> good morning, carol. in the last 24 hours the u.s. military did begin flying armed drone patrols over the baghdad area. we know this is happening not because we are told that the u.s. plans any offensive air strikes into baghdad into iraq. that is still a decision president obama has not made, but u.s. troops, about 180 military advisers, are now fanning out across the baghdad area, doing that assessment work of how the iraqi military is doing, what the isis threat is. with u.s. troops on the move potentially around baghdad, there are armed drones overhead to protect them. this is a forced protection measure according to a u.s. official who has direct knowledge of this effort. it all began in the last 24 hours because u.s. troops are now there and on the move. this, however, has been commissioned to another level. until now there have been no armed drones over iraq. th there had been manned reconnaissance flights, pilots in the cockpit. those aircraft were armed, of course, to protect the pilot. these arm

one of the officers there started to work backward, they walked him toward the chop per, barbara starr, appreciate the update, there is more footage of bergdahl's return seen in the afghanistan province. we have added the sub titles, this is being seen around the entire region, let's take a look. >> when we got to the area we first saw two big planes roaming over our head. then three helicopters came to the area and landed only 15 meters. our arrangement was that once the helicopters are on the ground three people from the other side would get off the helicopter and three from our side including the two. we waited in the area for around ten minutes before the helicopters arrived and there were 18 muhadin. we told them that once they arrive in the area we would be having a white flag, when they landed they were too afraid and worried that they shook hands only with two people. we handed them over, the american soldier who was captive with us and then they didn't spend any time on the ground, and in hurry they ran back to the helicopter. they first asked us about the health condition of

barbara starr, what do we know about this incident for sure? >> very few details but it looks like in one of the toughest areas in ofafghanistan, somethi went terribly wrong. five special forces troops were killed on a security operation in advance of saturday's presidential runoff election. working in southern afghanistan is a violent province and the americans ran into militants. a fire fight ensued and they called for air support. it's now suspected that an air force b-1 bomber may have dropped its weapons accidently on the u.s. troops. the incident is being investigated. >> we do have reason to suspect that friendly fire was the cause here. specifically, friendly fire from the air. but the issue is under investigation. >> there have been at least five major so-called friendly fire incidents since the war began in 2001. among the most well-known, the 2004 death of pat tillman. tillman gave up a lucrative contract with the arizona cardinals to join the army. the army said he was killed leaving a counterattack against enemy forces. only later

barbara starr has more. you're finding out commanders painted a different picture of him, correct? >> well, that is right, there was an initial fact-finding mission when he first disappeared. i have spoken to a source who has been briefed on those findings and knows them in detail. the source said his own commander his said he was a good soldier, that he did what he was supposed to do. at some point the other troops in the unit reported that bergdahl appeared bored and started saying things about wanting the unit to do more. that he thought the unit was too passive. but here is something else that is quite interesting. the troops also reported that bergdahl had left indeed the unit once before, that he had gotten outside the wire. well, how did that happen? and what does that say about unit security? because if bergdahl could slip past the wire, that also means that the taliban may have been able to find a way to get in. what type of security? what type of oversight. what kind of command was in this unit? these questions are likely to start being raised, anderson. >> the bottom lin

cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr is standing by with more on that. so these legal protections, barbara, i know it's been a sticking point in the past. what's the pentagon telling you? >> here is where we are, brook. you'll remember last week president obama said he was prepared to send up to 300 military advisers to iraq because of this emerging crisis there. but they weren't going just yet, because the u.s. had to reach an agreement with iraqis to provide legal immunity for any u.s. troops going as these military advisers, very standard procedure. it's their legal protection so that if they get into trouble they're under the u.s. justice system, not the iraqi justice system. very typical. it took a few days to work it all out. now it has been worked out. so what will happen next, we are told, is they will start -- the pentagon will start assembling essentially six 12-man teams and they will start working in the coming days in iraq. what will these military advisers do? they will start out in the bagdad area we're told, assessing the strengths and we

barbara starr, thanks very much. senior international correspondent in iraq, joining me now live from the city about 55 miles east of mosul. what's the latest from the areas that isis has gained control of in recent days. what are we hearing? >> well, they've really managed to advance towards baghdad fairly quickly just four days after they took over mosul and saw the vast majority of the security forces not even bother putting up a fight. the front lines right now as far as the information we're receiving in the province. the battle's taking place just about an hour north-northeast of the capital baghdad. video emerging from the province showing isis fighters reportedly stomping on the uniforms of iraqi soldiers and another video, as well, showing something of an isis military parade with vehicles where they're brandishing various missiles on the back of trucks. s not just gaining key territory, but also, getting its hands on u.s.-made humvees, that the iraqis purchased from the americans, a number of other vehicles

. >> congressman, we're getting breaking news into cnn from our pentagon correspondent, barbara starr. she has now confirmed bowe bergdahl, the army sergeant a prisoner by the taliban for five years in afghanistan and pakistan, he is now about to fly back to the united states from the military hospital in germany to san antonio, to a military hospital there. i don't know if you have heard about this already, but you are familiar with that very bitter exchange the defense secretary chuck hagel had yesterday with the congressman from florida about why he was staying, bowe bergdahl was staying so long. what's your reaction now that he is finally now about to get on a plane if he hasn't yet boarded that plane, to fly back to the united states? >> i think that's very positive. it means his condition both physically and mentally has stabilized sufficiently for him to come home. i know his family, i'm sure, desperately wants to see him. it's positive. wolf, i think you're right. i watched that exchange. i found it with jeff miller, my colleague, utterly perplexing. i'm not sure what the indi

our pentagon correspondent barbara starr is following that part of the story. what do we know about bergdahl's attempts to escape during those five years? >> u.s. officials are being very closed mouth about it because they do, as susan rice points out, want to talk to bergdahl, they say, and get the facts. there's been a lot of reporting out there. sources are telling me at the moment what they have is some information, some intelligence indicating that bergdahl did try and escape his captors at least once, perhaps multiple times. the information is very sketchy right now in terms of any public release of it. they want to talk to him. they want to find out exactly what happened. clearly, if he did escape, the taliban recaptured him. >> we're also learning a bit more about his treatment since he was freed last week. our own christiane amanpour asked one of the top nato commands in europe about this. listen to this. >> how is he? can you tell us, he's being debriefed, what is his state mind, what is he saying to you? >> i wouldn't say he's being debriefed yet. wh

pentagon correspondent barbara starr has more now. good morning. >> good morning, carol. i think it's absolutely right what you just said, the president has made no decision about air strikes and there are always other options he could decide upon. intelligence sharing morks weapons shipments to iraq. let's say it was air strikes. what we're now being told is there are a number of challenges to develop a target set against these fighters, these so-called isis fighters. u.s. officials are telling us it starts with the basic concept that the targeting problem is a lack of intelligence, the lack of credible, specific u.s. intelligence on the ground. who are these people? where are they located? how do you target them? if you don't have the intelligence on the ground, you can't go against them. they have no fixed position. you see it from the video. a lot of them are just riding around in trucks. there's no command in control, no air defense sites, no radars, no military bases to strike. so who and what do you really go after? if you start dropping bombs, the risk of civilian

pentagon correspondent barbara starr joins us now with the latest. armed drones. that's not what we expected, we thought they'd be unarmed. is it just baghdad or northern iraq as well? are they looking for isis? >> at this point, what these armed drones are doing, it's just began in the last 24 hours, according to a u.s. official, they're providing overhead protection for the u.s. military advisers, about 180 of them that are now in baghdad and beginning to go out, have a look around and try and assess the strength of the iraqi forces and the strength of isis. so right now, these armed drones, that means u.s. drones overhead with missiles on them. basically are keeping watch. to keep u.s. troops safe. as they move around the baghdad area. as the mission expands, as u.s. military advisers go into other areas of iraq, i think it's a safe assumption that the same thing will happen. this is a very dangerous area right now. so these -- this small group of military advisers is going to have protect overhead in case they get into trouble. ashleigh. >> well, that's curiou

barbara starr, our pentagon correspondent, has been following these developments. what are they saying so far about the possibility of air strikes, that air option going forward? >> still on the table, wolf, still the president making no decision, and many u.s. military officials saying that air strikes basically will not solve the political crisis inside of iraq. it is not going to destroy isis. it's not going to make the iraqi military any stronger. it's not really going to achieve much. so why is it still on the table? well, there's tree basic scenarios that would make air strikes come about at this point. first and foremost, if those u.s. military advisers going into iraq came under enemy fire, you can bet warplanes will roll in and protect them until they can be got be out of that. the other two strategic issues, if isis were to make a run for baghdad, the u.s. is not going to stand by and let baghdad fall. and there are questions, no answers yet, about whether the iraqi military would be strong enough to defend all of baghdad, if that scenario were to happen.

michelle it, michelle kazinski, barbara starr, ed lavandera. it is safe it say that picture changed considerably from the one on saturday in the rose garden. president hailing release as part of his commitment to winding down the war. echoing themes he hit days before. today, that picture of a white house prize becomes something of a defensive crowd. press secretary jay carney doing a lot of defending. i spoke to him before the broadcast tonight. jay, sergeant bergdahl was held by a group your group considered a terrorist organization. as far as 2012. in reality, can it be said you were negotiating with terrorists? >> anderson, sergeant bergdahl was held as prisoner in an armed conflict. one doing on for more than dozen years. as a general principal going back to our founding. the united states military does not leave its men in uniform behind when they are held by the enemy. in captivity. as the administration in the last five years, we were doing everything we could and look at everything possible. as you know, he was the lone captive in the

michelle it, michelle ka ski zi, barbara starr, ed laugh endara. it is safe it say that picture changed considerably from the one on saturday in the rose garden. president hailing release as part of his commitment to winding down the war. echoing themes he hit days before. today, that picture of a white house prize becomes something of a defensive crowd. press secretary jay carney doing a lot of defending. i spoke to him before the broadcast tonight. jay, sergeant bergdahl was held by a group your group considered a terrorist organization. as far as 2012. in reality, can it be said you were negotiating with terrorists? >> anderson, sergeant bergdahl was held as prisoner in an armed conflict. one doing on for more than dozen years. as a general principal going back to our founding. the united states military does not leave its men in uniform behind when they are held by the enemy. in captivity. as the administration in the last five years, we were doing everything we could and look at everything possible. as you know, he was the lone captive in the

it could get extremely nasty. >> barbara starr, thanks vef. we'll certainly stay on top of this story throughout the day. but we'll take a quick break about that that okay, movie night.everyone wins. how do i win? because we're streaming the movie that you love. well, how do i win? because we ordered that weird thing that you love from the pizza place. how do you win, dad? because i used the citi thankyou card and got two times the points on alllllll of this. well, and spending time with you guys of course. that was a better answer. the citi thankyou preferred card. earn two times the thankyou points on entertainment and dining out all with no annual fee. to apply, go to citi.com/thankyoucards. ugh. heartburn. did someone say burn? try alka seltzer reliefchews. they work just as fast and are proven to taste better than tums smoothies assorted fruit. mmm. amazing. yeah, i get that a lot. alka seltzer heartburn reliefchews. enjoy the relief. the porter was so incredibly... careful... careless... with our bags. and the room they gave us -- it was

barbara starr has the latest starting with the new detail on the meeting place. barbara? >> absolutely, anderson. good evening. one-hour notice for a recovery mission? quite extraordinary. not the only thing that's extraordinary today. new questions and new details about what happened to bowe bergdahl. bowe bergdahl may have tried to escape the taliban captors on at least two occasions a u.s. official tells cnn. but until the army can talk to bergdahl directly, they won't know for sure. however, a u.s. official says we do have reason to believe there were times he tried to escape. bergdahl may not have fully talked about his five years in taliban captivity but recovering after nearly a week under u.s. military medical care. the pentagon said he is now speaking in english to the medical staff treating him. participating more in his recovery treatment. and is resting better. the administration continues to insist bergdahl's health and safety were at risk and to make the point, showed senators a classified video of bergdahl from december 2013. >> he looked terrible. and i th

barbara starr is at the pentagon to sort this out. so barbara, clear this up. that video where he's shown to be a prisoner and his status changed ultimately was a fake? >> well, that's what the marine corps thinks and has thought for some years now. it was about a decade ago 2004, he's serbing in fallujah, iraq, at the height the war. he goes missing. the video turns up. he's blindfolded, a sword over his head. you look at that picture, a nice clean pressed uniform. not much of a hostage scenario. the marines basically once he turned up in lebanon thought he deserted. they brought him home. when he surfaced, he comes back to camp lejeune to face the music supposedly and then he goes missing again in 2005 for a number of years. they believe he spent most of that time in the middle east. apparently over the last several months had made some overtures that he wanted to come back to the united states. he'd reached out, a couple of timings they tried, for various reasons, it didn't work. there were some issues there with perhaps some clan warfare, the ongoing violen

let's bring in our correspondent, barbara starr, at the pentagon, nic robertson, in doha, qatar. nic, what more have you learned about bergdahl's time in captivity, those five years? >> yes, wolf, i talked to a taliban source, someone woz familiar with some of bergdahl's captivity, not all of it. this is someone who's had information that's proven accurate in the past about westerners held by this same group of taliban inside pakistan. he said when bergdahl was first captured he was held in a house that had very loose security run by an old man. bergdahl, he said, was able to escape. he was on the run for three whole days. the fact that he wasn't able to get away was quite simply because the taliban controlled the whole area. they policed him up and they took him and put him in a much more secure location, where the taliban say it was clear to bergdahl he wasser in goi er in get out of that location. he learned to speak the local language, pashtu, he became proficient at it, he was able to tell the taliban he didn't like the food, saying he didn't like the lamb he was getting eve

barbara starr, dana bash, thanks so much. >> we'll watch it certainly. to another story we've been watching. writings, chilling youtube videos, friends wishing they had called the police and alerted them to danger these two were presenting. coming up, a look at the red flags that may have been missed in those las vegas killings. found all the services we needed for our riley. for over 18 years we've helped people take care of the things that matter most. join today at angieslist.com when salesman alan ames books his room at laquinta.com, he gets a ready for you alert the second his room is ready. so he knows exactly when he can check in and power up before his big meeting. and when alan gets all powered up, ya know what happens? i think the numbers speak for themselves. i'm sold! he's a selling machine! put it there. and there, and there, and there. la quinta inns & suites is ready for you, so you'll be ready for business. the ready for you alert, only a laquinta.com! la quinta! you walked into the hotel as a "5" but when she saw the room... you turned i

barbara starr has the latest. what do we know, barbara? >> good morning. reporters here at the pentagon just a few moments ago were given some new details on bergdahl's condition at that hospital in germany. a pentagon spokesman telling us the following. that bergdahl remains in stable condition, but now he is more engaged in his medical treatment. those are the words they are using. more engaged. he is conversing with the medical staff, and he is talking in english, they tell us. of course, there had been some discussion that his english had fallen away, and he was speaking in the local afghan language. now he is conversing with that medical staff in english. more engaged in his treatment, and we are also told that he now is, quote, resting better. we asked if that meant that he was not, quite understandably, resting well at the time. but they're being very cautious. there are privacy conditions regarding health. so the details are sketchy. and still at this point we don't know when he will be moved from landstuhl, germany, to his next phase of recovery i