trying to drive them from mosul and the area surrounding it. now we have heard from some paramilitary units that are responsible for clearing isis from towns and villages to the west of mosul. they have said they have intelligence leading them to believe baghdadi is in that area. this is northwest iraq between mosul and the syrian border. they say he s in a relatively small area between two towns that are only around an hour s drive apart. other members of this iraqi coalition don t necessarily agree. the iraqi defense ministry says the last it believed it had on baghdadi was when he left mosul shortly after this big offensive began, about a month ago. they say he went west but they don t know where he went after that. of course, he could have gone further west across the syrian border into isis-controlled syria. the kurds, the peshmerga force that makes up part of this operation, a senior officer with them has told us he doesn t believe baghdadi is in that area as these paramilitary g
adviser, michael flynn is trump s only pick for that position. it s no secret that flynn considers obama weak and spineless. that s what he s called the president. he also considers him incompetent in his foreign policy. flynn is also quite a hawk. so how would he change american strategy against isis, do you think, jason? well, you know, i served in jsoc under directors like general flynn when he was is d.i.a. and we know they have an aggressive policy. number one is to craft again the u.s. national interests first, and that s about divining first and foremost what is most efficacious, what s the most effective way that the u.s. protects our interests, and make sure that when we put soldiers in harm s way they re dying for a specific cause. right now if we give mosul, if we win mosul what s happening on the ground right now is when we turn that land over, we re going to cede it to a government that is almost a proxy right now of iran. and when we talk about, you know, bad allies a
because i don t know when i will be able to walk on the streets with my head scarf back on again. what would you say to those who support trump and are enthusiastic about his presidency? that this was just one crazy guy, that did something wrong, and that s not how the vast majority of americans feel about muslim americans. i d say get to know your muslim neighbors. get to know more about islam. talk to your friends who will most likely be muslim in your local neighborhoods, just get to know us more, because we are extending a hand. we are being targeted right now, and it s not safe. so help us by extending a hand to us, and reunifying america, if you will. alaaa, thanks for sharing your story this morning. i do appreciate it. thank you. still to come you re welcome. he s the leader of isis and he s
launch mortar rounds into the civilian population. it s a classic isis tactic in order to distract, drive tension away. back to you. phil black reporting live from iraq. the next hour of cnn newsroom after a break. how else do you think he gets around so fast? take the reins this holiday and get the mercedes-benz you ve always wanted during the winter event. now lease the 2017 gle350 for $579 a month at your local mercedes-benz dealer. loothat could savecare presyou money?rug plan at unitedhealthcare, we offer three plans to choose from to help meet your needs- including one that s brand new for 2017. introducing the aarp medicarerx walgreens plan insured through unitedhealthcare.
behind good leadership. it s something we ve been missing. and that s something that president-elect trump is going to bring to the table. you ve got to pick the right team. and he s in the process of doing that right now. okay. here s why some people worry, colonel francona. as you know syria and russia are working to the in syria, and mr. trump admired vladimir putin, senator john mccain worries about trump s desire to improve relations with vladimir putin and russia. he said quote at the very least the price of another reset would be complicity if putin and assad butcher the syrian people. that is an unacceptable price for a great nation. when america has been at its greatest is when we have stood on the side of those fighting tyranny. this is where we must stand again. so what do you see happening colonel francona? well, syria is a basket case. our policy in syria unfortunately hasn t changed since 2011. we re still demanding the removal of bashar al assad, and of course that s