that cattle pore tikrit. we have this report from osama. >> reporter: iraq's military wants the world to see advances in tikrit. iraqi forces making headway despite suicide attacks. >> i think the tide turned in tikrit and would be liberated. sooner than expected. the military doesn't show iranian backed shi'a militias. many believe they serve more credit. the unofficial leader is the iranian general. forces backed by shia militias. now the commander - he is reported to be in tikrit. the general is leading the fight against the city. the influence is beyond the battlefield. many believe using a propaganda toll a general who never loses battle. in this rare video, she he is giving advice to those battling i.s.i.l. >> if you seek high expertise and studies, in the future you'll help more the oppressed people of yours, the iraqi people. >> reporter: the u.s.-led forces is relying on the iraqi forces. whether it is militias groups struggle against i.s.i.l. the neighbours allege that the militias extend. the man l

. >> tell me more about tikrit. we knew it was a stronghold of the boss man, saddam hussein. >> exactly. tikrit was the capital of the boss, if i may call it like that. all the bosses after the fall of saddam hussein's regime they fled to this area. and they hid in this area. and one of them it is believed that the former vice president was hiding there. we don't know if he's still there. but it was at the center at the heart of the rebellion against the government. >> so it's fair to say isn't it that some of these may have allied themselves with the i.s.? >> this is what the government believes. because they are the enemy of the government so they have to do like alliances with local forces and with the islamic state. and this is what made tikrit a very easy target for the islamic state to occupy it. but now, if the government manages in retaking tikrit this would be a step forward toward the mosul -- >> and that's really key, isn't it? mosul. when that fell it sent shock waves around the world. >> well this is th

what do you know about what is happening in and around tikrit. >> reporter: residents of tikrit including officials here say indeed iraqi forces backed by shia militias have entered the city and are holding parts of the city. it is saddam hussein's former hometown. residents there say that the parts of the city have been rigged with explosives which is part of the reason it has been such tough going. but they are also reporting that one of the key bridges into the city has been blown up. that hasn't yet been confirmed. they say isil fighters using explosives have detonated one of those bridges, and that has been happening along that very tough route to the city. >> i was mentioning this was perhaps a prelude to try to recapture mosul. in the comparison between the two, is there much to put them alongside each other? >> reporter: well, tikrit is kind of a test. and it will have implications for how well or badly mosul goes. but no one is under illusion that mosul will be as easy as tikrit. mosul is the isil strong hold. but apart from that it's quite a diverse population. tikrit has a popu

s in tikrit. hundreds in fact, were used. the fact that it's also been used north of mosul against peshmerga forces does not surprise me in the slightest. if you have no protection from a gas mask, if you breathe it in, that chlorine mix witness fluids in your longs and burns your lungs. however, chlorine is not as toxic as car run which we've seen astandard use tomorrow is the 100th anniversary of use of chlorine in war. assad gassed with sarin and must mustard gas. it creates terror. >> the iraqi military said to be holding its position on the city of tikrit trying to flush out isil fighters. the iraqi forces are calling for reinforcements as they try to regain control of the city. they have secured northern and southern parts of tikrit, but isil fighters still holding about half of the city. iraqi forces regaining control to have the momentum to move toward another isil stronghold, mosul. peshmerga forces have blown up a bridge in northern iraq. the peshmerga have taken control of that area from isil about five months ago.

tikrit is controlled by isil. the city is on the highway linking baghdad to mosul further north, which is isil's stronghold in iraq. progress has been slow because of boobie traps and. >> despite my injury and called by my commander to leave the battle i told him i would not leave. hopefully we'll take the city today. so far we're in control and we have the upper hand with no casualties as of yet. just slight injuries. >> but there are fears if tikrit falls, militia will take revenge on sunni population who have been seen as collaborators of isil. the iraqi army is the majority shia. there are around sunni tribesmen involved in this offensive. tikrit will be an important test. not if they can fight off isil all together, but whether they can keep the peace after doing so. >> after the response, isil fighters have launched a series of suicide-bomb attacks on army and security positions in ramadi ramadi. five people were killed in the attacks including two police officers. one of the bombs exploded near a bridge in

stephanie dekker reports. >> reporter: this is northeastern tikrit. the iraqi army together with shia militia and some sunni tribesmen are trying to push isil out of the city. >> we want to tell the iraqi people that tikrit will be liberated, and retaken from isil terrorist groups. security forces have advanced on the city from all four fronts and started to retake the neighborhood. we're head fog tikrit to liberate it from isil groups and we shall advance. >> freelance journalist shot this footage for al jazeera on wednesday. tikrit is is on the highway linking mosul further north and isil's stronghold in iraq. progress has been slow here partly because of boobie traps left by isil and the threat of sniper fire, but they're confident that they'll take tikrit. >> despite my injury and being told by my commander to leave the battle, i will not leave. so far we're in control and we have the upper hand with no casualties as of yet. just slight injuries. >> but there are fears if tikrit falls, shia militia will take revenge on the sunni population for bei

forces are heading towards the city of tikrit. we are a collection of collaborating forces and by the help of god, we will be in tikrit very soon. >>reporter: the government has predicted several times before that it will win back tikrit. gaining control is seen as a vital step to eventually taking back mosul, iraq's second city which isil took over last june. >>> still to come here on the program, a fight for food desperate people in sierra leone defy a government lockdown. >> and tens of thousands come out in singapore to say farewell to their country's founding father. >> go one on one with america's movers and shakers. >> we will be able to see change. >> gripping. inspiring. entertaining. talk to al jazeera. tonight, 6:30 eastern. >> sunday night. >> 140 world leaders will take the podium. >> get the full story. >> there is real disunity in the security council. >> about issues that impact your world. >> infectious diseases are a major threat to health. >> "the week ahead". sunday 8:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america. >>>

we will liberate tikrit from isil. and from there we'll move to mosul. >> they shot footage on wednesday. tikrit is controlled by isil. the city is on the highway linking baghdad to mosul further north. progress has bid slow here. partly because of boobie traps left by isil and there is a threat to sniper fire. the iraqi army is confident that they will take tikrit. >> despite the injury to leave the battle i told them i would not leave. hopefully we'll take the city today. so far we're in control and we have the upper hand with no casualty as of yet. just like injuries. >> but there are fears if tikrit falls, shia militias will take revenge on the sunni population for being seen as collaborators and sympathizers of isil. they have carried out revenge killings in the highly sectarian conflict. the iranian backed militias fighting along side shia militia number around 20,000 and there are 2,000 sunni tribesmen fighting along side them. the question is whether they'll be able to keep the peace after doing so. >> in a con

, the entire city of tikrit. so they have already conslated their control over several parts of the city. especially in the north and in the south. however, they are still facing fierce resistance from, as they say, few hundreds of islamic state militants. we went yesterday, and visited with the army to the northern parts of the city just to see it away from the main districts of the city where the islamic state militants are entrenching their possessions, but true, as you said, the battle is still raging. it's still far from over. over this strategic city. and even if they won the battle in tikrit, they haven't won the war, the real war and the real battle is further north to the city of mosul. the main stronghold of the self-declared islamic state. >> that's exactly what i was going to ask next. how likely are they to hold on to tikrit if they manage to retake it and the big price is mosul, how close are they to that? >> well, yes, this is the real concern, really, among the army generals and the shia militia l

just how big a test is tikrit for the iraqi forces? >> i would say is a very big test will stop is right on the tigris river valley and allows for a movement of forces from baghdad to muzzle. we saw with the revelation, the release of information regarding the possible offense against basel, that muzzle is clearly one of the key objectives. logic would take that it would be since it is the second-largest city in iraq and captured by islamic states. -- by a slavic state. iraq needs to recapture it if it's going to keep its viability as a state. >> is it mostly shia militias -- a rating in general is commanding some of the troops will stop >> yes stop he's basically responsible for all of the operations external to it ran -- external to iran. what he is doing is taking a personal interest in this. he is reported to be in and around tikrit, managing and leading the forces in this area. he's obviously a very hands-on commander. ask how are the americans supporting this battle? >> it's interesting because according to official statements fr

but the problem that you have is if you don't move forward from tikrit -- let's say they do capture tikrit, then it's a real problem if they don't keep the momentum going. you have to keep the momentum going in order to actually make gains that are required, and defeat and destroy isis. >> well, colonel, i know there's critics who say can you trust iran and are you doing their dirty work for them? a real quick response and then i want to talk about how we're helping them. >> sure. the iranians have their own national interests in this case.úze so what you cannot trust them but in certain cases they're going to do the same exact thing that you would want to do if you were in their shoes. that's why iranian generals on the ground in tikrit, and they're really conducting military operations there. >> all right. so a couple of things. can you point to anything positive how they are doing the fighting there on the ground the iraqi soldiers there, and if they cannot succeed, do we go in? >> well right now the iraqi forces are doing a pretty good job of in essence a modified combined arms approa

in tikrit? that will have grave implications if that happens for the eventual liberation of mosul, a much biggertown north and west of ski truth. it's the size of washington d.c. it will be a complicated operation to liberate mosul. bill: tikrit is 80 miles north of baghdad. mosul is 240 miles north of baghdad. apparently there is a cemetery around tikrit where 1,000 shiia soldiers were murdered by isis. just a short time ago. that's when you talk about the reprisals. if that's what you get then you just get a repeat of the violence we have watched the past 20-30 years. but when it come to mosul that will be the battle. if you read the "new york times" today there is an article suggesting isis is in retreat today. do you agree with that? >> i think the air campaign has helped cut isis' lines of communication in the north. in from syria to mosul. that's a first step to retaking mosul. but the key in the long run is going to be whether the new prime minister al-abadi can get the sunni tribes to wo

out of tikrit. the question is what comes after in terms of their willingness to let sunni families move back into their neighborhoods. whether they work to restore the basic services that are going to be necessary or whether it results in atrocities and retribution. >> that is what the you know, and its allies are concerned for more inclusive government in baghdad one that makes all iraqis feel like they are part of the country. it was a point hammered home later in the day in this same briefing room by british defense minister michael fallon, who was here for meetings with his american counterpart ash carter. >> we have been working to ensure that the iraqi government is genuinely inclusive where they are able to retake ground from i.s.i.l. that they can hold those towns and villages with the consent of the local people. and that means in the training and support we're giving to the abadi government, that means that they have to carry through reforms that they are planning. >> meanwhile the u.s. m

out of tikrit is important both for iraq's military and the shia militias. >> it's not just tikrit we are talking about. it's about the future of iraq and the united states and its partners does not want it to become dominated and controlled by the shias. >> the distrust isn't just between the u.s. and militias. there are reports that there are human rights violations. video posted by the shia militia. the reporter says he is with the abu nimah brigade. human rights forces have reported these tactics in areas controlled by shia forces. the iraqi military continues to say the that repatriation of tikrit is not far away. >> marine le pen. plus switzerland leaders say they're closer than ever with a deal with iran. when we come back. >> al jazeera america, weekday mornings. catch up on what happened overnight with a full morning brief. get a first hand look with in-depth reports and investigations. start weekday mornings with al jazeera america. beginning monday, open your eyes to a world in motion. >> hello again. reminder of the top stories on al jazeera. saudi arabia says its coalitio

the iraqi army has retaken a town outside tikrit. olivia has details. olivier: cause for celebration as they regain control of al-ain 8, does north of tikrit. a town was retaken by loyalist fighters. it was the next target in the battle to reach tikrit, the hometown of saddam hussein. >> units from the militia, the army, the federal police and tribal fighters have had victories here. >> for over a week iraqi soldiers have been engaged in a major offensive to regain control of the town. their ranks have been reinforced by shiite militias and they are confident they can retake tikrit without the help of the us-led coalition. tikrit is a strategic point on the road to mosul iraq's second-largest city that has been in the hands of islamic state for nine months. >> more obstacles for us. the islamic state organization cannot just run away. i salute the iraqi people and i promise you that tikrit will be liberated. >> the iraqi army may face more obstacles. later tuesday, islamic state militants blew up the only bridge crossing the tigris river in the tikrit a

tikrit is scored controlled by isil and it's fall would be significant. progress has been slow here partly because of boobie traps left by isil, and there is a threat of sniper fire. but iraqi army is confident that they will retake tikrit. >> i told my commander we would not leave. hopefully we'll take the city today. so far we're in control and we have the upper hand with no casualties as of yet. just light injuries. >> but there are fears if tikrit falls shia militias could take revenge on sunni neighborhoods for being seen as collaborators and sympathizers of isil. there are around 2,000 sunni tribesmen involved in this offensive. tikrit will be an important test not just if they can defeat isil together, but whether they can keep the peace after doing so. stephanie dekker, al jazeera. >> a conference in northern iraq e sunni politicians have criticized iranian involvement in iraq saying they're worried about the role shia militia are playing in the country. >>> well, let's talk about this in more detail. in london, thank you so much for joining us ju

. >>> the battle for tikrit. bombs and booby traps hamper iraq's army as it tries to recapture the city from i.s.i.l. plus... >> i'm in the northern philippines. there was excitement as the tribe welcomes a new arrival. >>> a saudi arabia-led coalition has been targetting houthi fighters in yemen for a fifth night. arab league leaders say it will continue until the hughesies withdraw and surrender weapons. let's have a look in the capital sanaa. war planes targetting fighter jets seized from the yemeni head force. and they struck a camp in huda yrk dah. it's home to the second largest port. they bombed positions in saada, the main support base. >>> air strikes hit targets across the country. including in the capital sanaa. jets from the saudi arabia-led coalition have bombed ammunition depots airports and long-range rocket launchers in sanaa, ibb and hugayhah. this is the aftermath of an attack on the al-daylami airbase. it destroyed helicopters, fighter jets and facilities. the saudis deployed thousands along th

backed by iraqi air strikes but slow advantage to tikrit. this is a trip wire for a roadside bomb laid by i.s.i.l. explosives team detonates this one of hundreds they found along the road. 30 kilometers they go past abandon fields. >> translator: we are still advancing, we have reached 50 kilometers through the reference terrain and desert going to tikrit and by the help of god we expelled i.s.i.l. from 15 agriculture villages behind me farmland and desert and exposed i.s.i.l. from there. >> reporter: houses and schools are empty here and civilians fled months ago and left their crops in the fields. security forces here too have detonated more than 200 roadside bombs, sometimes by shooting at them. i.s.i.l. built sand brooms to block advance by security forces. the bulldozers are dismantling them. it's been four days since the start of offensive and fighters are still clearing villages along the way to tikrit. it's clear that i.s.i.l. is on the defensive but the main battle won't begin until troops reach the city. jane with al jazeera, baghd

fighters in tikrit. >>> leading an assault against a hospital in tikrit where they think that isil fetterers hiding. we have reports bombs and boobie traps make their job more difficult. >> government forces and militias are closing in from the southern and western sides of tikrit the hometown of saddam hussein. the military backed by shia militia are deployed to taking the city. they've said they're close to taking tikrit for weeks. >> we hope that it will be today today. >> the operation was launched on march 2nd. but progress has been slow. >> our advance is slow because of the ieds and boobie-trapped roads. there is some resistence, but it is mainly due to the booby trapped houses. >> the peak condition thatthey said they do not need help from the u.s. army, and now many are back incorporated in government security forces taking credit for pushing isil out of tikrit is important. >> it's not just tikrit that we're talking about we're talking about the future of iraq. and they do not want to see it dominated and controlled by the shias. >> the distrust is not just between the u.s. and mil

tikrit is controlled by isil. progress has been slow here partly because of boobie traps left by isil, and there is a threat of sniper fire. they're confident that they will take tikrit. >> despite my injury and my commanding telling me to leave the battle, we will stay, so far we're in control, and we have the upper hand with no casualties as of yet. just slight injuries. >> but there are fears if tikrit fall shia militias to take revenge on the sunni population for being seen as collaborators and sympathizers. there are around 20,000 military and 2,000 sunni tribesman. the concern is if they can keep the peace after. >> sunni politicians have criticized iranian involvement in iraq and are worried about the role that shia militia are playing there. >> there are external factors that will determine iraq's future. iran is waging it's own proxy war against the u.s. on iraqi soil. iran is more in control of the military operations than the united states. >> a response to the offensive in tikrit isil fighters have lau

forces are heading towards the city of tikrit. we are a collection of collaborating forces and we will be in tikrit very soon. >>reporter: the government has predicted several times before that it will win back tikrit. it's seen as a vital step towards eventually taking back mosul, iraq's second city which isil took over last june. >>> good to have you with us. the saudi-led coalition continues to attack houthi defense, missile, and weapons storage facilities across yemen in its fourth day of air strikes. we're hearing at least 40 fighters have been killed there. >>> thousands of people in niria are taking to the streets to protest over the alleged killing of opposition campaign workers and voting irregularities. the leche to recall commission says it's investigating >>> and iraqi military forces are struggling to recapture tikrit from the islamic state of iraq. u.s. air strikes are supporting the operation. >>> the port city of jabuti in east africa is bustling with new investment from multinational cooperations but also military

tikrit today. we hope that the end of the action in tikrit will be today. >> reporter: the operation was launch odd march 2nd but progress has been slow. >> translator: our advance is slow because of the i.e.d. and booby trapped roads. there is some resistence from the enemy but 345eu7bly due to the booby traps set up in the roads, houses, shops and government facilities. >> reporter: last week the u.s. air force joined the operation. with the precondition that shia militia withdraw from tikrit the two main groups of iran-backed fighters say they left the front lines because they don't need help from the u.s. army. and now many are back. reportedly incorporated in to government security forces. taking credit for which they push isil out of tikrit is important both for iraq's military and the shia militias. >> it's not just tikrit we are talking about, we are talk about the future of iraq and the united states and its partners do not want to see it become dominated and controlled by the shias. >> re

still the fighting continues on the ges of tikrit -- the edges of tikrit. here members of a shi'a coalition target the militias. these are part of forces trying to recapture the town. that force numbers 23,000, compared to hundreds of i.s.i.l. fighters. on friday, backed by missile strikes, they enter the area on the outskirts of tikrit. in some errors they are having to fight for every block. elsewhere there are reports that fighters have destroyed this place - the ancient arc logical site of adra. fighters targeted to remove artefacts on thursday. now they have reportedly used explosives and bulldozers to pull down the u.n.e.s.c.o. world heritage sites. it comes days after this emerged athey attacked an ancient city founded in the 17th century b.c. >> they are dicking in in tikrit. if i.s.i.l. is driven out here it opens up the way for an all-out assault on mosul. that could be some way off >>> yemen's defence minister safely arrived in aiden, after escaping house arrest in sanaa. five of the body guards were killed when his convoy was ambushed. houthi fi

fighters have left tikrit. and people who took tikrit months ago. >> surprisingly, we are hearing that iran and the u.s. have been working together to achieve this victory. what type of coordination have we been seeing between these two? reporter: this is an open secret in iraq for some weeks arma. they were training together in the province of anbar for this military operation that is going on now. it was iranian commanders iranian guided militias, the iraq he army and the americans working closely together in this operation. so this is nothing new for the iraqis. what is new is that apparently there are iranian tanks surrounding tikrit and even entering the city. this is a symbolic act which is very much criticized here in baghdad. >> thanks very much. >> german chancellor angela merkel will not be attending a military parade in moscow to mark the defeat of nazi germany in world war ii. >> it seemed inappropriate to attend the parade in the russian capital. instead, she will be commemorating the liberation fr

as isil retreats from around tikrit, new evidence of a massacre emerged. near the village, iraqi human rights and health ministry workers on saturday found some of those believed killed near camp spiker last august. >> can he have we have come today to open up the graves appear left remains and therefore them to baghdad. we will take them to the forensic labs to get dnas and match them with the virg i see' families. >> the malitias who took back this down saw there are 400 bodies spread across four grave site did. they are believed to be some of more than 1,000 unarmed military recruits left undefended killed by isil. making it not only a tragedy but a huge political issue in baghdad. unlike the iraqi army collapse when isil rolled into iraq last june no one is running from this fight. in the past two days, shia cleric alsadr has sent members of the peace brigades to reinforce fighters in tech crete. camp spiker is a rallying call. these fighters chant >> we are going to avenge our brothers four fold, referring to the dead recruits. they are just setting o

say they need this time to get reinforcements in tikrit. they managed to take back part of the city, but still isil controls about half of it. even in areas where if is not in control any more, they have left behind boobie-trapped buildings and explosives everywhere and neighborhoods ringed by snipers. that's really what is taking so call. they're calling for more militia reinforcements as well as explosives experts. they need them to go neighborhood to neighborhood, essentially, street to street, and clear some of those explosives before the iraqi troops and militiamen can move further in. militia commanders say that's expected to take a few more days. but then again the worry is who is going to maintain control of the city? which force will be able to hold it after they drive out isil. isil has been engaging in battles in other areas where they're driven out. near kirkuk there have been battles with peshmerga forces. in samarra there were airstrikes that followed an attack on an army post. isil managed to capture more than ten iraqi soldi

the -- you know, if isis -- it's all in for isis in tikrit. they're not going to give up that city without a huge fight. sure, air power, american air power will probably cause more damage, but at the end of the day, the force and the shia militia have to work there way into that city. and if you've seen the news reels of how these guys are maneuvering into that city, it looks like cox's army. if they take it that's a good thing. if they don't take it they're never going to march on to mosul. here is the thing lou. if they don't take tikrit and mosul, we're looking at two different iraqs. a shia iraq and a sunni iraq and none of that can be in our best interests. particularly if the sunni iraq becomes part of the isis state. it's all a dog's breakfast. >> and the generals advised the president not to use air power. >> yes. that's been the consensus sure. >> let's turn to yemen where things are no better for the interests. the region the president of yemen fleeing. >> yeah. >> the country has collapsed. and the other question is, how long will

are we gaining control of tikrit as close combat continues in hussein's hometown? >> the men say isis fighters attack them at this new front line at night. isis have been driven back three miles from here. they're not gone. >>> jeb bush's e-mail trail. new details from his e-mails as florida's governor raises questions of possible conflicts of interest. as for hillary clinton's new e-mail address, now try jimmy kimmel. >> do you have hillary clinton's new e-mail address? >> i can't share it with you. i don't think she'd want you to have it. >>> so long winter. the great thaw is on and to celebrate this wake skater is taking on the giant ice chunks off cape cod. just look. >>> good day. i'm andrea mitchell in washington. still no arrests in ferguson. the man hunt continues to find those responsible for the shooting of two police officers. a candle light vigil was held last night for those officers who home with their families. president obama condemned the shooting on a appearance of jimmy kimmel live last night. >> what had been happening in ferguson was oppressive

we're just one mile to the east of tikrit. and what we've seen this morning is a steady advance by iraqi forces. it's a combination of these paramilitary forces plus special forces as well as iraqi police. first, they fired rockets into the distance in the direction of tikrit. just an hour ago they moved toward the city. what you see behind me is oil fires that have been set by isis fighters. it's an attempt to cloud the view of the iraqi area. we did see helicopters flying overhead. while we were here we got to meet the head of the paramilitary force who told us yes, it's no secret that iran is helping these forces that they have advisors on the ground. as a matter of fact i had an opportunity to speak with some of them. he says they have provided assistance and support in a way the americans have not been able to do. once again we see the large role being played by iran in supporting the iraqi forces. speaking with the commanders here, they stress that the fighting is being done by iraqi forces and that they are surprised in

the battle for tikrit. it has taken days to get to this point. they have cleared towns and villages along the way. they've taken them back and then lost them again. this is an indication that it really is an isil stronghold. tikrit was one of the first cities that isil seized. it's a sunnicy predominantly in a sunni area. residents here in the north of iraq in the kurdish region say they fear what could happen after. they fear there will be significant destruction in the city and they fear revenge killing prompted on revenge on those who are seen responsible for the execution of more than 1,000 military recruits. the fear is that the military and their gunmen and will be accuse as complicit. >> we go to an retired army officer and served under the bush and obama administrations. thank you for being here. how difficult do you think it would be to retake all of the city of tikrit. >> i think it's a matter of time. there is a force correlation over match. there are 30,000 or so, the army shia militias and sunn

this battle last week is an indication of why taking tikrit is slow going. the counter terrorism battalion is an elite unit, u.s.-trained. they have been deployed from nearby cam spiker to clear the road for advancing soldiers and malinc. a men. in just a few minutes, they lost five of their men on the battlefield, seven were injured. this is a side of the war not normally seen. the military and malitias won't disclose how many have died in battle. to out isil gunmen the troops set fire to the fields. as isil retreats from around tikrit new evidence of a massacre has emerged. near the village of abujuil, health workers found some of those believed killed near camp spiker last august. >> we have come today to open up the graves and lift the remains and transfer them to baghdad. there, we will take them to the forensic labs to give their dnas and match them with the victims' families. >> the malitias who took back this town said there are 400 bodies spread across four grave sites. they are believed to be some of more than 1,000 unarmed military recruits left u

the entire city of tikrit. so they have already conslated their control over several parts of the city. especially in the north and in the south. however, they are still facing fierce resistance from as they say, few hundreds of islamic state militants. we went yesterday, and visited with the army to the northern parts of the city just to see it away from the main districts of the city where the islamic state militants are entrenching their possessions, but true, as you said, the battle is still raging. it's still far from over. over this strategic city. and even if they won the bat until tikrit they haven't won the war, the real war and the real battle is further north to the city of mosul. the main stronghold of the self-declared islamic state. >> that's exactly what i was going to ask next. how likely are they to hold on to tikrit if they manage to retake it and the big price is mosul, how close are they to that? >> well yes, this is the real concern, really among the army generals and the shia militia leade

out of tikrit. they are woreried that the shia could fuel the tensions. >> sectarianism brought us to the point where we are. i look at it with concern. watching it very closely. >> reporter: watching is about all the u.s. can do because the iraqi government haider al-abadi has not invited the u.s. to help in tikrit. in a separate hearing. the top people battling i.s.i.l. denied the pentagon was out of the loop. >> we have good overhead imagery and those types of things. so the activity in tikrit was no surprise. i saw it coming. >> pentagon officials say iran has some advantages over the u.s. when it offers military assistance. the sir strikes are not as constrained by strict rules and has no self-imposed limit on boots on the ground. will the offensive be successful. if it is, will control of the area behis honoured to the sunni minority. some are bristling at the perception of why the u.s. is slowly and methodically trying to get the brigade ready the iranians are moving name bli. -- moving name

they want control of the strait that connects to tikrit. iraqi forces are meeting with resistance. >> reporter: from the air and on the ground this iraqi advance is into northern parts of the isil held city of tikrit. they lock into radio frequencees. this fighter says we are coming to get you. where are you? the isil reporter reports saying by god we will come and slaughter you. our martyrs will go to heaven and yours will rot in hell. and that's the kind of gigz division and hatred at the heart of the conflict. much of the forces made up of shia militias. iran's influence concerns residents. this is the commander of the powerful force near the tikrit battle front. many iraqis resent iranian involvement. >> some countries try to get involved in iraq's affair, not to protect the country but because they don't agree with the government. if we don't stop the militia they will be divide. >> if we hadn't helped them the day the iraqi government requested our assistance though much of the burden is on the shoulders of the iraqi people, the group

iraqi forces have halted their advances on tikrit. earlier the army said that the city would be freed within 72 hours. the iraqi military is now holding position on the outskirts of tikrit. it has managed to take several towns north and south of the city. the control of the tikrit, the former home of saddam hussein is seen as crucial in the battle. >>> staying in iraq in the town of gwar, isil has blown up a bridge it lies 48 kilometers northwest of erbil city. we have the latest from baghdad. >> essentially what iraqi militia commanders say is that they need this time to get in reinforcements into tikrit. now they managed to take back part of the city, but still isil remains in control of about half of it. and even in the areas where it's not in control any more they have left behind boobie-trapped buildings, explosives almost every everywhere and neighborhoods ringed by snipers. that's why it has taken so long, and they're calling for more militia reinforcements as well as explosives experts. they need to go neighborhood to neighbor

tikrit is the hometown of saddam hussein. tikrit is a sunni strong hold. tikrit is now under attack, the isis people who are occupying it by shia militia including specifically the ba dump r brigades and are led by iranians trained by iranians and an individual named sol ammani who is the head of the revolutionary guard is now the most visible leader. solomani is the same guy that sent copper-tipped i.e.d.'s into iraq which killed hundreds of american soldiers and marines. we now are somehow accommodating the individual who was responsible for the deaths of brave young americans. that is not only unbelievable, it is totally unacceptable. and the question is, when the shia militias get into tikrit, how are they going to behave? there are well-documented human rights abuses by the shia militias and again mr. president, this is the same brigades we fought against in the battle of sadr city during the surge and now -- and now the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff said in january -- and i quote -- "as long as the iraqi government remains committed to inclue

they have achieved successes in tikrit. they were an elemental force in the fight in the battle in tikrit, resulting in tremendous amount of victories. >> the united nations says it needs another three billion dollars to help syrians. the request comes amid criticism that after four years the conflict the u.n. hasn't done enough to protect civilians. part of the problem has been the threat by isil. bernard smith reports. >> from the momentum they are born, most syrians are now reliant an foreign aid. here it means the difference between life and death. >> now as isil has emerged to take command of some areas in syria, security concerns make it difficult to get aid through. >> we say it's a shrinking humanitarian corridor. it's a common phrase. it's just more difficult to get supplies from here to there and for sure going deep inside syria, where we were able to get fairly easily get in, now that road is treacherous. it's very, very dangerous. >> it's just not the fighting that stops aid getting through. many of the governme

. >> the iraqi army launched an offensive to retake sadaam hussein's hometown of tikrit. a force of 20,000 militia understand and sunni tribes are push fighting to push ice oil out north of the capital of baghdad. >> today, god willing, we will start and important military campaign to liberate the citizens of the province from islamic state militants. i call upon you to deal with the citizens well. we should protect the citizens and their properties. >> prime minister abaddi this afternoon is briefing members of parliament on how that operation is going. it has a huge political component. iraqi military officials say they've launched a three-pronged offensive, they're no longer on the defensive, coming from the south, north and west of tikrit. tikrit is the first big city the first really big test that iraqi forces face, and part of the reason it's such a test is that it is a major sunni center. it's sadaam hussein's hometown. in the past few hours military officials say they have retaken the town where sadaam hussein ended up hiding when he was found. it's the base of op

they've been saying they're close to taking control of tikrit for weeks. >> god willing we will end tikrit today we hope the end of daesh in tikrit will be today. >> progress has been slow. >> translator: our advance is slow because of the ied. iedings srveg. ieds. front lines because they don't need help from the u.s. army.and now many are back. reportedly incorporated into ghoft ofgovernment security forces. >> it's not just tikrit we're talking about. we're talking about the future of iraq and the united states and its partners does not want to see it become dominated and controlled by the shies. shias. >> reportedly in a sunni area taken over by shia fighters. linked to the iranian backed coalition. the fighter says he's with the abu nima brigade. al jazeera cannot verify these images. iraqi army continues to say a win in tikrit is not far away but for the people stuck in a war fueled by sectarian hatred, peace remains a distant possibility. osama ben javed al jazeera. >> guilty of fraud and breach of trust following a trial. initially acquitted in 2012, charged with taking money from

. >>> and isis on the ropes in the key city of tikrit. the shi'a militia is gaining ground. now the top general is expecting to defeat isis. we have a live report from baghdad minutes away. good morning. welcome to "early start." i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. it is 5:00 a.m. in the east. the fallout from the disturbing video at the university of oklahoma. the racist chant by some fraternity members has led the national sigma alpha epsilon chapter to close the fraternity. the oklahoma university evicting the fraternity members. ou president david boren said monday he would seek the permanent expulsion of the sae members involved. >> the repercussions are just beginning. a top recruit from the dallas area is stating he will decommit and go elsewhere. current member eric striker denounced the video on snapchat. he said he was hurt by the video and what it brought on to the university. >> it is laying out straight and it is out there. i'm not saying it hasn't happened before. this is something that really extreme. not saying the little things that happened before sho

the push towards tikrit. iraqi troops are making slow gains in the fight against i.s.i.l. >> the iraqi government in this case did not ask for our support. >> but the u.s. is taking a seat on the sidelines. another high-level drug cartel arrest in mexico. a look at why some of the most dangerous drug king pins in the country are both revered and feared. >> he spoke the people's language. >> the big political event in china the start of the national political congress, what's at stake for region and the u.s. and the pursuit of justice 20 years after the bosnian war going after people living here and accused of committing war crimes. >> good evening and welcome to al jazeera america. i'm antonio mora. >> and i'm stephanie sy. the iraqi army is pushing towards city of tikrit in the fight against i.s.i.l. but progress is slow. >> and human rights watch has issued a warning to protect civilians who are caught in the cross fire. >> heavy losses on i.s.i.l. in its attempt to retake tikrit, a city of historic and val

reporter: closing in on tikrit. they say they have been able to cut supplies heading to the islamic state group. they have been fighting fierce clashes for several days. the soldiers have managed to recapture the town, according to our correspondent in baghdad. >> the enemy is using car bombs and suicide bombers to deter us, they -- but they have proven their failure. we have detonated many car bombs. reporter: about 1/3 of the village has also been recaptured by iraqi forces. battles are continuing to the north of the city. the iraqi interior ministry visited the area on sunday. despite these pockets of resistance the strategy to encircle to create -- tikrit appears to be working. >> we have advanced. now we are very near to tikrit and the surrounding area. in the coming hours, we will move towards it and go on to tikrit. reporter: campaign to retake saddam hussein's -- the campaign to retake saddam hussein's hometown is being seen as a test for an even bigger push to wrest back control of mosul. genie: authorities

also, coming up ukrainian-backed malitias join the offensive against isil in tikrit tikrit. 14 killed and dozened injury when talibani bombers target two churches. devastation where cyclone power may have left 60,000 children needing immediate help. hello. it's four years to the day since the incident which triggered syria's civil war. on march the 15th 2011, the syrian government began cracking down on demonstrations. >> month, five protesters in the town of dara became the first victims of the conflict. in july, a group of army defectors turned weapons against the government and announced the formation of the free syrian army. the next month, hundreds of people were killed by government forces in the town of hama. they formed a syrian national council. and then by the following summer, the islamic state of iraq in the levant had taken territory in the north and declared when it called a caliphate. the u.s. formed a coalition and commenced airstrikes among the armed group. a group of people in rebel-held areas of douma. the town just outside damascus. dozens more have been record kil

isis is not giving up tikrit easily. along the way, according to commanders and fighters that our teams have been on the ground with on the frontlines in tikrit say the roads are booby trapped and isis left behind hundreds of improvised explosive devices in an attempt to halt this advanced and slow down the forces. it seems beings john they are close. that is a significant end. a major victory considered here by the iraqis -- isis has had control of tikrit since june of last year. it will not only be a victory for iraqi forces but iran that has played a major supporting role for the iraqi forces on that battle field. >> it will be interesting to see what the isis forces do next. whether this is strategic retreat to fight later on in mosul. jomana karadsheh, thank you. >>> berman it is good you are already married. >> this sounds intriguing. >> party favors and engagement ring. the mind-blowing cost of a typical wedding. that's next. you c and now technology gives you home security and control in a new and revolutionary w

they've been saying they're close to taking control of tikrit for weeks. >> god willing we'll enter tikrit today. we hope that it will be today. >> the operation was launched on march 2nd but progress has been slow. >> our advance is slow because of the ieds and boobie-trapped roads. it's mainly due to the boobie.- boobie-trapped roads homes and government facilities. >> they say they do not need help from the u.s. army, and now many are back, reportedly incorporated into government security forces taking credit for when they push isil out of tikrit is important both for iraq's military and shia militias. >> it's not just tikrit that we're talking about. we're talking about the future of iraq and the united states and it's partners does not want to see it become dominated and controlled by the shias. >> the distrust is not just between the u.s. and militias. there have been accusations that shia militias are carrying out human rights abuses. this shows an explosive charge being lit in a house reportedly in a sunni area taken over by shia fighters. the video was posted by users linked to th

has no direct involvement in the battle for tikrit. and, charlie u.s. officials say that's because iraq did not request american help. >> rose: thank you holly. about 100 million americans are in the path of a storm bringing snow ice and rain along a 1500-mile stretch from texas to new england. eric fisher is chief meteorologist at our cbs boston station, wbz. erik. >> charlie, this is a kitchen sink storm bringing a little bit of everything and stretching out from all the way in eastern new mexico, all the way to massachusetts, many winter storm warnings and advisories. and the big part of this is the arctic air working its way southward. across the southeast today there were 80s this afternoon. temperatures will fall 50 degrees overnight into the 20s and 30s and as all this cold moves south everything changes from rain to ice and snow. so we're tracking all of it from texas, across the ohio valley, overnight tonight and into tomorrow. new york corridor and down toward d.c. with significant snowfall certainly some travel impact as we head through our t

nice to he sue, ambassador. >> thank you for having me. >> assume tikrit is going to take back tikrit and also mosul and things move on favorably in the direction of the iraqi. this is being run by iranian generals, what's the place of the united states down the road? we have invested a lot in iraq. are we being out of this. >> game changer whether air or training initial provision. and let me just say that we have three iraqi divisions with less than 100 iranian advisors. less than 100. so it's not led by iraqi generals. three divisions. thousands, 2,000 iraqi tribal men supporting us from tikrit providence. so this is purely iraqis led by iraqis. we are not denying that but we need them. see awkward right now as we watch from far away. u.s. maybe negotiating some deal with iran over nuclear weapons program can you understand the heightened concern. >> we do. the iraqis have always worked on the unity of the country. iranians have worked on that as well. and americans. we can see a lot of commonality in relation to the -- of the country. that's the key issue now. >> about a year ago,