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U.S. Increases Airstrikes Against ISIS; Scottish Independence Vote Less Than Two Days Away; Building a Coalition Of the Willing In Middle East; One Square Meter: Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi; U.S. Throws Might Of Military Behind Combating Ebola Outbreak; Sunni Town Stands Tall Against ISIS; Attack in Kabul Kills 3 NATO Troops; Interview with Sediq Sediqqi; Child Laborers in Egypt
Aired September 16, 2014 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: The war against ISIS escalates, America sets up its air campaign in Iraq, but is it too little, too late for a region in
crisis? We're going to break out the shifting alliances of what could be a new Middle East.
Also ahead, fighting back: Barack Obama enlisting the U.S. military in the battle against Ebola in West Africa.
And making their case: there's two days until Scottish voters head to the polls. Both sides make their final pitches to the undecided.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World with Becky Anderson.
ANDERSON: Right. Good evening. It's 7:00 in the UAE. As U.S. President Barack Obama promised, the Pentagon has expanded the area of target
operations in the fight to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIS.
U.S. war planes hit ISIS positions southwest of Baghdad in what appears to be the closest the aerial campaign has come to the capital. Jet fighters
also struck targets in the north near Mosul.
Kurdish Peshmerga forces have been fighting ISIS on the ground to regain territory and open a path from Mosul to Irbil.
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel updated lawmakers just a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHUCK HAGEL, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: American military power alone cannot, will not eradicate the threats posed by ISIL to the United States,
our allies and our friends and partners in the region. Iraq's continued political progress toward a more inclusive and representative government
and its programs of reform and reconciliation will be critical to achieve the progress required.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Jomana Karadsheh joins us now live from Baghdad with more. As the fight against ISIS gets closer to the gates of the capital --
Jomana.
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, what we know is according to U.S. Central Command is that this airstrike took place
about 35 kilometers southwest of Baghdad. This was not an immediate threat to Baghdad, not an operation that was moving towards, or an advance by ISIS
towards Baghdad, rather it was Iraqi security forces who were coming under attack by ISIS from an ISIS position there and that is where the U.S.
airstrike came into play.
Iraqi official we spoke to earlier said that the attack -- the strike took place in the vicinity of the town of Yusafiya (ph). Now Yusafiya (ph), if
you recall in the days of the height of the insurgency here was part of a three towns, they were called the Triangle of Death. And this was very
active in the old days. And it is very active right now.
Over the past couple of months, we have seen intense battles taking place around that area between Iraqi security forces and ISIS militants there.
Now, this expansion of the airstrikes is not just geographical, Becky, it's not just that we've seen these airstrikes mostly concentrated in the
northern part of the country with some exceptions in other areas, this is also the broadening of the scope of the operations as we heard President
Obama say last week that it was not only going to be limited to the humanitarian intervention or just the protection of U.S. facilities and
personnel, it would also be expanded into supporting the Iraqi security forces to allow them, to enable them to go on the offensive. And this is
what we're seeing.
Of course, this is very welcome by the Iraqi security forces. They desperately need that air cover to try and make these advances. Now
whether they will be able to hold any ground they regain is something that is yet to be seen, Becky.
ANDERSON: How long this will take is an important issue here. We heard from the U.S.'s top general Martin Dempsey also testifying in front of
congress, about the threat of ISIS. And Jomana, just for our viewer's sake, I just want them to get a sense of what he said. He said this will
require a sustained effort over an extended period of time. It is, and I quote, a generational problem, he said. And we should expect our enemies
will adapt their tactics as we adjust our approach.
A generational problem. This could be an extended period of time. How would Iraqis, and to a certain degree, the rest of the region feel about
U.S. presence not perhaps only in the air, but possibly on the ground, for an extended period if time feel?
KARADSHEH: Oh, everyone here that we've spoken to, Becky -- officials, or ordinary Iraqis, people are opposed to seeing U.S. combat forces back in
Iraq. This is this feeling that this could increase -- worsen the situation here, that this could be a return to some sort of an occupation,
as some have described it.
What is concerning here is -- here in Shia militias, who these powerful Iranian-backed, Iranian trained and financed militias, that a couple of
months ago were not opposed to having U.S. airstrikes as they are the ones on the ground supporting the Iraqi security forces, these militias have
been key in regaining some territory and defending Baghdad and the southern part of the country, too.
And in the past couple of days, we have heard statements, including one from Shia cleric Muqtada al Sadr, who has a large number of followers and
commands the Mehdi Army, as it used to be known, now rebranded under a different name, but these are a fighting force. And the warning message
was, Becky, that the United States should not get involved. If you're back, we are back is the message from Muqtada al Sadr, a real warning here
of what experts we have spoken to saying is this is what happens when Iran is sidelined here.
These Iranian-backed Shia militias here could retaliate and could make the job much more difficult for the United States even if it's just logistical
support for operations here, or its trainers and advisers.
ANDERSON: I think Jomana would agree, you cannot overscore the complexities of what is going on at present.
We'll dig deeper into the war against ISIS, or the counterterrorism effort as the U.S. would have it known. I'll take a look at the complexities of
the Middle East landscape and discuss trying to build a coalition against this militant group while also balancing geopolitical interests in the
region.
Also, an inside look at a secret code authorities say an American jihadist used to communicate with suspected militants on the other side of the
world. That and more later on Connect the World with me Becky Anderson.
Well, as the U.S. runs up its fight against ISIS, President Obama announcing plans to combat another deadly threat, and that is Ebola. In
just a few hours from now, the U.S. president will outline four main goals to tackle the epidemic spreading across West Africa.
Now this plan, we believe, includes sending up to 3,000 U.S. forces to coordinate treatment efforts in the region.
Well, President Obama will unveil his Ebola strategy at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. That's where Elizabeth Cohen is
standing by.
Boots on the ground, a four-point plan. What else are we to expect him to say?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, this plan actually has a lot of different points to it. So I'm going to hit
some of the highlights.
For example, they want to send U.S. personnel to train health care providers in Africa. And they hope to train 500 a week, that's the plan.
They also plan on opening up Ebola treatment facilities. They plan on opening 17, each of which would have 100 beds.
And so there's multiple points to this. And I think, you know, the kind of difference that it might make really remains to be seen. A lot of it
depends on how quickly they can do this, because as we know this epidemic is growing, you know, exponentially. It's growing every single day.
ANDERSON: Elizabeth, how long should we expect Americans to be involved, as it were, right on the ground. Do we know how long they'll be in situ?
COHEN: You know, we -- there was a teleconference last night with the press and the White House and people really tried to nail them down on that
point. And all the White House would basically say is that they hoped to have troops there in a matter of just weeks.
Now it doesn't mean that everything will be up and fully operational by that time, but they're hoping to start this soon.
You know, I think one of the concerns that some public health folks, like the folks here at the CDC have, is are we sort of setting ourselves up to
expect too much? This in parts of West Africa, this outbreak is so out of control that even sending 3,000 U.S. personnel, even spending millions and
millions of dollars, or hundreds of millions of dollars, is that enough to put a cap on this train of transmission?
Some people fear that even this effort might not really make a dent. And everyone, I think, everyone I've talked to has said this really should have
been done many months ago.
ANDERSON: Yeah. All right, Elizabeth. Thank you for that.
Well, with just two days to go before Scotland's independence referendum, Britain's leaders are pulling out all the stops to try and keep Scotland
from leaving the United Kingdom.
In a rare move, David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Ed Milliband, who is the opposition leader, of course, are going to join promise of more powers for
Scotland if people vote no to independence.
Opinion polls have put the yes and no camps neck and neck in the runup to Thursday's vote.
Well, Max Foster has been following events for us and joins us now from Einburgh with the very latest on just how people feel about this.
And what was the atmosphere like? I mean, this is -- this is a first in 307 years. Must be pretty exciting stuff, isn't it?
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it really is.
Yeah, I have to say a lot of Scots you talk to are sort of a bit weighed down by all of this. They've had two years of this. But when you talk to
the Westminster politicians, they, I mean there's a sense of panic it has to be said. That speech last night from David Cameron when he was in
Aberdeen, very impassioned. You felt that there was something really personal there.
Ed Milliband, leader of the Labour Party, has been working the streets. Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has come out saying a million jobs will
be at risk if there's independence in this country.
Meanwhile, Nichola Sturgeon speaking for the yes campaign, the deputy first minister for Scotland, saying actually all you Westminster politicians, you
come up, it's a little too late. Actually we've won the argument already.
But there is this large group of undecided voters. You say undecided, actually it's more like wavering voters. They go from one side to the
other, because it's a bit of a tug between the head and the heart on this one. I spent some time on the campaign trails with both campaigns.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: She won't be voting in the referendum, but her dad's decision will define the Scotland that she grows up in.
At this late stage in the campaign, it's about convincing the undecided voters.
TIA MCFARLANE, CAMPAIGNER, YES SCOTLAND: Hello, sir. Are you voting in the referendum?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Um, yes.
MCFARLANE: Do you know how you feel about it yet?
FOSTER: So, when people come along to the store, what typical sort of conversations do you have with them?
MCFARLANE: We get a lot of people that are already quite committed yes voters that want to pick up merchandise. So, you know, we have posters and
badges and stickers.
FOSTER: If there's someone that's wavering, how do you try to convince them?
MCFARLANE: Some people have a variety of reasons, other people might be very worried but want specific things. And sometimes there's specific
facts and figures that you can give back to them.
You know, they say, oh, I'm worried the oil will run, which is still here.
Even at this late stage, there's some people that their arguments against are so basic.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the sister is an absolute yes.
FOSTER: Just up right the road in Glasgow's West End, the better together campaigners are pounding the Georgian streets with arguments for a no vote.
KEVIN MCGINNIS, CAPAIGNER BETTER TOGETHER: I mean, we're trying to reach out to as many voters as possible and particularly undecided voters as we
go toward the election.
FOSTER: What's your sell with them once you know that they're undecided, you've got them on the doorstep?
MCGINNIS: Sure.
Well, our sell essentially is that we put some that we believe we'll get the best of both worlds in the United Kingdom. We've got a very strong
Scottish parliament with the prospect of more powers to come. But at the same time, the benefit for being part of the United Kingdom.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was out with one of my oldest friends yesterday whom I haven't seen for several months. And he was explaining to me that he and
his wife are voting yes. And I was quite shocked.
FOSTER: So you're wavering all the time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am to some extent. And I was much clearer in my mind until yesterday.
FOSTER: Estimates for the number of undecided voters vary greatly. As many will be voting for the very first time.
But what's undisputed is there will be a very high turnout.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's such a very historically important time, because whatever happens Scotland and England things will never be the same again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We cannot change it easily back again if we make the wrong decision. So people should get involved and vote.
FOSTER: In the early hours of the 19th of September, the results of the referendum will be announced here in Edinburgh. It'll define Scotland and
potentially redefine the whole of the UK, once the most powerful empire in the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: I guess empires come and go, don't they, Becky. But what you're talking about here is the breakup of a state, which has been in existence
for more than 300 years. And it doesn't come out of conflict, this come out of debate.
ANDERSON: Max Foster in Scotland for you.
You're watching Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson. A suicide attack hits a NATO convoy in Afghanistan just months before most coalition
troops withdraw from the country. We're going to get you live to Kabul with reaction from the Afghan government.
And a region in flux, a landscape shifting, we're going to take a look at the current state of the Middle East, how ISIS is shaping the narrative and
the geography.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: This is CNN and Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson. Back to our top story as U.S. airstrikes against ISIS get closer to the capital
in Iraq, we've been discussing how the emergence of the group has upended the status quo in the Middle East, in effect forcing regional countries
here to rethink their policy objectives.
What are those objectives, though? And how are they changing now? Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Almost 3,000 kilometers separate Cairo and Tehran, and to travel between them is to find a Middle East region emerging from a summer of
reckoning, grappling with ongoing conflict.
In Egypt, President Abdul Fatah al-Sisi is striving to restore order after the years of post-Arab Spring instability. In an effort to restore
stability, the country's oldest Islamist movement has been banned, designated as a terrorist organization by the former general.
Importantly, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and other Gulf Arab countries have thrown their weight behind Egypt's new president. They see
the Muslim Brotherhood as an existential threat to their monarchies pitting them against Gulf neighbor Qatar and non-Arab Islamic power Turkey who have
offered safe haven to the Brotherhood's leadership.
You still have the Palestinian-Israeli crisis with no sign of any permanent settlement to a conflict that many say provides the oxygen for extremist
Islamic terror movements across the region.
Witness the sectarian Syrian civil war across the border. And now the rise of ISIS. And a newly invigorated U.S. policy in Iraq and Syria to combat
that threat.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Shifting alliance, shifing sands, akin to a game of Risk, if you will. Regular contributor Faisal al-Yafai joining me at the board to
explain the oft times competing strategies and diplomacy at play.
Let's start with the emergence of ISIS as a new player in all of this.
FAISAL AL-YAFAI, COLUMNIST: So, look at the map of the Middle East. The map cuts across by borders that were formed years ago and have held for
decades into this complicated geography comes the Islamic State, or ISIS, right there in the middle between Syria and Iraq, recognizing no borders,
declaring itself a caliphate and murdering people on both sides.
ANDERSON: Extremist violence we have seen from this group. Enter the United States and what they hope will be a coalition of the willing
regionally. Who is willing here?
AL-YAFAI: So the United States planes are already in the air over Iraq, but they want support from the Sunni Arabs, from Turkey, from Jordan, from
Saudi Arabia and from the UAE.
Now both Saudi and the UAE have the weaponry. They have the most sophisticated air forces, but more than that, more than logistics, more
than weaponry, what the U.S. wants is political cover.
When you have a country, a Sunni country the size of Turkey, you have Saudi Arabia, the custodian of the two holiest places in Islam, when you have
them part of the coalition against this so-called caliphate, then it starts to look not like a second invasion, but like an attack on a small mutant
ideology.
ANDERSON: No boots on the ground, say the western coalition partners. So who is going to be on the ground fighting ISIS?
AL-YAFAI: Well, look at how crowded it is already. Here are the Iranians, already very involved in Iraq. Here are the Syrians, the Assad regime,
already very heavily involved. And in the middle of it all you have the Peshmergas, the Kurds in the north, you have the Shia, you have the FSA,
you have all of these groups that have been fighting ISIS. It's a very crowded region. You don't need any more boots on the ground. What you see
is political cover.
ANDERSON: The UAE in what I believe was its most detailed statement to date said that it will back this coalition. It also went on to say that
ISIS is not the only threat to this region at present. Explain.
AL-YAFAI: Well, let's bring in Egypt. Egypt has been the most important bone of contention between the various states of the GCC. And the GCC
wants it to be stable, it doesn't not want it to be ruled by political Islam.
ANDERSON: There are two super powers in this region, that being Iran and Saudi Arabia. For decades, they have been foes. Is there a sense of
rapprochement at present? And if so, why?
AL-YAFAI: Oh, I think the answer actually is no. The problems between Iran and Saudi go far deeper than just ISIS.
Let's just take a look at this. If you have -- you have the Iranians supporting the Hoathy (ph) rebels in the north of Yemen right on the border
with Saudi Arabia, you have them supporting Bashar al-Assad in Syria, destabilizing Jordan and putting millions of refugees in Jordan again right
on the border. You have them in Iraq, again right on their border.
The danger that Saudi sees in Iran goes far beyond what is happening in ISIS. This particular problem might make them talk, it won't make them
best friends.
ANDERSON: Faisal al-Yafai, the chief columnist for The National newspaper here in the UAE.
And we will develop that risk game, as it were, as a metaphor for what is going on as the days and weeks continue.
Live from Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World with me Becky Anderson.
You have news headlines coming up at the bottom of the hour. First, though, the UAE's latest retail jewel, all 235,000 square meters of the Yas
Mall set to open in November as the Emirates sets to expand its retail operations and offerings. That is coming up in the CNN show One Square
Meter. It's our property show. And it's up after this.
(COMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A ship needs to set anchor when docked on an island. On Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, this expansive mall is designed
to be the anchor for what is already the home of a Formula One racing circuit, and Ferrari World.
Talal al-Dhiyebi of developer Aldar describes Yas Mall as the missing piece of their puzzle.
TALAL AL-DHIYEBI, ALDAR: The great infrastructure, the connectivity was great, the hotels and the theme parks, but we needed the mall, that's
what's going to, you know, change the whole dynamic of Yas.
DEFTERIOS: A big burden for a big space that sits 20 minutes outside Abu Dhabi.
MOHAMMED KHALIFA AL MUBARAK, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, ALDAR: We have a fantastic mix of international and national retailers.
DEFTERIOS: But chief executive Mohammed al-Mubarak, who is bringing this California inspired project to market is confident. An artist in his spare
time, he shows me the work he commissioned to help define the mall and on a much bigger scale, the Emirate. Abu Dhabi will start to open the first of
three major museums in late 2015.
AL MUBARAK: I cannot think of a location worldwide where you can be at Yas Mall or at Ferrari World or at the water park and 10 minutes later you can
be at the Guggenheim, the Louvre, the Shizaib Memorial (ph), it's really a fantastic destination.
DEFTERIOS: It's the destination that sees its (inaudible) area not just in domestic terms, but beyond. Within a seven hour flight radius of the UAE.
Investor Ahmed Galal Ismail says scale is important. His team is building a 20 screen cinema complex with room to grow.
AHMED GALAL ISMAIL, INVESTOR: We agree with Yas Mall strategy of creating a destination within a destination to attract people from Abu Dhabi as well
as tourists to come onto the island and spend a full day here in the shopping center.
DEFTERIOS: Yas Mall may be the biggest property coming online, but it's certainly not the only one. Abu Dhabi added 168,000 square meters of
retail space in 2013, ranking it 18th in the world and number one in the Gulf. And there's five times more capacity in the pipeline over the next
few years alone.
Many believe these numbers point to a potential glut in the UAE capital, especially because it is only an hour away from global shopping hub Dubai.
British Retailer, House of Frazier is not one of them.
KENAN BARNETT, HOUSE OF FRAZIER: In Dubai, you know, you see those brands up there, but here it just hasn't obviously come to fruition yet. And
being the first one, that was a real opportunity for us to grab.
DEFTERIOS: A total of 360 brands feel the same way as they move in to their new Yas Island home.
John Defterios, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. The top stories for you this hour:
The Taliban claim responsibility for killing three NATO troops in the Afghan capital of Kabul earlier today. A suicide bomber targeted their
convoy. Two Americans and one Polish servicemember were killed; at least 13 Afghan civilians were wounded.
The U.S. President Barack Obama will announce plans today to help fight the deadly Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The plan will include up to 3,000
American troops and will help build desperately needed medical units there.
Looners (ph) in the U.K. are making a last ditch effort to convince voters in Scotland to reject independence. Britain's three main political parties
are promising Scotland will get extra powers if it votes no in Thursday's referendum.
And U.S. defense officials are warning Congress today about the threat of ISIS. The country's expanded its mission against the militant group,
hitting ISIS targets southwest of Baghdad with air strikes yesterday. Jet fighters also providing cover in northern Iraq with Peshmerga forces on the
ground trying to clear out ISIS and militants between Mosul and Erbil. The U.S. Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, briefing lawmakers on Capitol Hill
during what was a public hearing this morning. He said, "The war against ISIS will take a lot more than America's military might."
Chief U.S. security correspondent Jim Sciutto joining us live from Washington. And what more did he have to say?
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDNET: Well, I'll tell you, Becky, the big headline here is that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, Martin Dempsey, General Dempsey, saying that if necessary he would recommend to the president that the U.S. military advisers now in Iraq
would go closer to the front lines in what he described as a close combat advisory role. For example, he said, in big missions like retaking the
Mosul Dam, a key piece of infrastructure in the country.
This means that the administration now, the Obama administration, parsing very finely now the president's pledge that there would be no ground
troops, no combat role for U.S. forces there.
Now, General Dempsey said this is something he would recommend if necessary; he hasn't recommended it yet. But he went on to say that the
president did say to him come back to him on a case by case basis if you believe U.S. troops, U.S. advisers, have to be in a different role closer
to the front. And that's a big difference, Becky. It is parsing that "no ground troops" pledge very finely, and it raises the possibility, which of
course raises concern here in the U.S. from many quarters about U.S. forces in greater danger there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. MARTIN DEMPSEY, CHAIRMAN, U.S. JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: This will require a sustained effort over an extended period of time. It's a
generational problem and we should expect that our enemies will adapt their tactics as we adjust our approach.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: That's another point he makes there, which I think is telling, Becky. To say that this is a generational problem, the threat from ISIS a
generational problem, talking about years - 25 years if you take it literally. And I think this is something I've heard from a lot of U.S.
officials now, that this is a long fight, one frankly that President Obama is likely to hand to his successor. It's not one that's likely to be
finished in the next couple of years.
ANDERSON: And, Jim, a long fight that, when you talk to people in this region and of course we're broadcasting from the UAE, people say a fight
that really should be fight by the region and not by a coalition led by the United States, specifically not with U.S. boots once again on the ground.
What 's your sense of where things lie so far as this broad coalition of the regional willing, as it were?
SCIUTTO: Well, Becky, I think frankly that if the nations in the region were willing to take up the task on their own, the U.S. would say go ahead.
But the fact is that's not happening. They are getting some support from the region. General Dempsey, Secretary Hagel, Defense Secretary Hagel,
saying that more than 30 countries now have offered military support.
I'm told by a senior U.S. military official that more than one Arab nation has offered to take part in air strikes, combat strikes, against ISIS
forces. But when you're talking about the full scope of this operation, not only leading that coalition but leading in air strikes that could
happen a dozen times a day, you need dozens of aircraft, you need aircraft carriers in the region, bases, et cetera. One, it's assets that frankly
the U.S. has, and, two, it's a risk that, despite all these proclamations of support from countries in the region and from Europe, that those
countries aren't willing to, from what U.S. officials say, to take on this burden entirely on their own.
It's - you have the Obama administration here trying to make this coalition as international as possible and it appears that it will be, but yet again
here you have the U.S. leading a military operation in the region, in Iraq. This is not something that this president wanted. It's certainly something
that he actually ran against, both in 2008 and 2012.
ANDERSON: And the U.S., again, here in the region, it's fascinating to see the complexities of this. The U.S. dancing a very diplomatic dance here
when they are looking to their sort of powerful allies of all that being, for example, Saudi and the UAE here, and then to the likes of Qatar and
Turkey, two countries who have been distinct odds with the UAE and Saudi, with the this sort of rift in the Gulf developing and this sort of rise of
political Islam, which seems to be being fostered by Qatar and Turkey to the detriment, people here say, of the UAE and Saudi. This is an
incredibly difficult diplomatic maneuver here, isn't it?
SCIUTTO: Absolutely. You make a great point there, Becky, that you have - it's a pretty remarkable coalition to come together because, frankly, you
have countries on opposite sides of this conflict, of the Sunni-Shia divide which is playing out in a proxy war in effect on the ground in Syria. You
have Iran supporting the regime of Bashar al Assad, Shia regime against largely Sunni rebel forces. And then within those Sunni forces you have so
many divisions there, some fighting each other, some supported by different Sunni governments in the area as well.
The one thing it seems that these countries all agree on is that ISIS, at least, is a threat. And you have a lot of countries now fighting them.
Even Iran contributing to Kurdish forces in the north of Iraq to help them fight ISIS.
So it's one of those rare cases where all these disparate forces in the region seem to agree on something. The trouble is can you get them to work
together on it, particularly when military power is involved? That's going to be an extremely delicate task.
ANDERSON: We await the sort of final verdict as it were when President Obama has promised to host the security council meeting, of course, at the
U.N. General Assembly next week, Wednesday, I believe, at least the 24th if I'm getting my dates right. Jim, always a pleasure. Your analysis
incredibly insightful, thank you.
Well, ISIS has built a powerful social media machine designed to spread their message of terror, and the FBI suspects that a U.S. citizen wanted on
terrorism charges could be involved in that online campaign. Now, new audio has surfaced, let me tell you, revealing how he and other suspected
ISIS militants are communicating with each other.
Deborah Feyerick has that part of the story for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Boston man wanted for questioning in connection with ISIS and its grisly propaganda spoke
frequently with friends about waging jihad against America and U.S. troops.
Ahmad Abousamra, pal Tarek Mehanna, and others often spoke in code according to court documents. "Culinary school" was code for training
camps. "Peanut butter and jelly" code for jihad.
Listen as Mehanna talks to another English speaker apparently in Somalia who tells him to come fight.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, right now I'm in a culinary school and I just made peanut butter and jelly.
TAREK MEHANNA, AMERICAN JIHADIST: Right, right.
FEYERICK: The phone call recordings were introduced at Mehanna's terror trial. Other court records show Pakistan was referred to as "P-town," Yemen
was the "YMCA," and the FBI was referred to as Bob or Brian. Listen again to Mehanna asking his unidentified friend for an email address.
MEHANNA: Do you have like an email or something that you're checking, or just the phone?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, actually I'm not even on the internet. Trust me.
MEHANNA: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no way I'm going to be on the internet.
MEHANNA: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not that there isn't some here, but where I am right now, no.
FEYERICK: Prosecutors say Mehanna and suspected ISIS fighter Abousamra traveled to Yemen together in 2004. Initially telling U.S. authorities they
were going to check out schools. Prosecutors say they were unable to find a training camp in Yemen. However, Abousamra allegedly traveled to Fallujah
in Iraq in February 2004 during U.S. fighting there.
Two years later Abousamra was studying computer science at the University of Massachusetts in Boston when FBI agents questioned him about his travel.
He left weeks later and fled to Syria. His buddy, Tarek Mehanna, never traveled there, though his other friend encouraged him to wage jihad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come immediately.
MEHANNA: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But look, look, I'm not kidding. I'm going to give you an advice and I have to let you go real quick. Dude, come now.
FEYERICK: Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, the deteriorating - let me start that again. The deteriorating security situation along Israel's border with Syria has
forced the U.N. to withdraw its peacekeepers from the Syrian-controlled side of the Golan Heights. Ben Wedeman is on the Israeli-Syrian border
with the latest developments. Ben?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Becky. The United Nations yesterday pulled out of four positions as well as their main
base, Camp Faouar, on the other side of the line that demarcates the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights and Syria proper. They said that was
because there's simply too much fighting, there's too much danger to the U.N. forces. And, of course, it was only last Thursday that 45 Fijian
peacekeepers were released after several weeks in custody by the al Nusra Front, that group in Syria affiliated al Qaeda. And given that, and given
the ongoing fighting just over the line here, the United Nations decided to pull out.
Now, they still do have a limited number of forces to the north of here in areas that have yet to see the kind of fighting that has taken place really
just over the fence to my right here, but the feeling is that Syria has simply become too dangerous for these peacekeepers to stay inside.
Now, they've all located to what's called this side of the alpha line, which demarcates the demilitarized zone in Syria and Israeli-controlled
territory, and there's no indication at this point that they're going to be reoccupying their positions within Syria any time soon. Becky?
ANDERSON: Ben Wedeman reporting.
Live from Abu Dhabi, you are watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Tackling the Taliban, the militant group carries out yet another
attack in the Afghan capital. (INAUDIBLE) going on. What can the government do to defeat them? We'll be live in Kabul after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Some dramatic new video to show you of a Ukrainian lawmaker being attacked in Kiev. Now this shows an angry mob ambushing Vitaly
Zhuravsky outside Parliament. He was then thrown into a rubbish bin. After that, the group threw tires on him while pouring water over his head.
Now, Zhuravsky was once a member of former-President Viktor Yanukovych's party, also authored an unpopular bill before the ouster of Yanukovych that
put job prescriptions on anti-government protesters.
In Afghanistan, three NATO soldiers were killed in an attack in the capital, Kabul. Two American and one was Polish. At least 13 civilians
were also injured in the suicide car bombing that targeted a convoy of foreign forces.
Now, the Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack. One witness describes the moment that the blast took place.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (via translator): At the time I was taking a bus home. When the bus arrived here, the blast took place. Seeing the driver jumped
out of the vehicle and run away, I immediately got out of the car, then we were encircled by dense smoke at the scene, unable to see each other.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: All right, that's the story in Afghanistan, I'm afraid. Let's get you back to our top story this evening: ISIS marching across Syria and
in Iraq, crushing almost any resistance. One small Sunni town north of Baghdad, though, has vowed to fight the jihadist group to the death.
Jomana Karadsheh with the story for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(SHOUTING & GUNFIRE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN BAGHDAD PRODUCER (voice-over): This is a battle for survival. Young tribesmen on the front lines against ISIS, and it's been
going on for three months now. While some of Iraq's main Sunni Arab cities have fallen to ISIS with little if any resistance, the Sunni town of
Dhuluiyah, north of Baghdad, surrounded by ISIS since June, stands strong.
"We're fighting for our dignity with our blood," this fighter says.
But the fighting has taken its toll on this town, homes destroyed. And with no hospital, a school turned into a makeshift clinic.
Local fighters patrol its waters, but that didn't stop a suicide bomber in a boat last week from striking this wooden bridge, the last route in our
out of Dhuluiyah.
Its only lifeline now, four boats transporting people in and bringing military and other supplies in from a Shia town nearby. Military
reinforcements have been arriving slowly to back up local police and tribesmen. As ISIS advanced across northern Iraq in June, it moved into
Dhuluiyah, but that lasted only three days. Residents say they discovered it was just an old enemy returning.
In 2006 and '07, Dhuluiyah, like most Sunni Arab areas, was brutally ruled by al Qaeda in Iraq. Its main tribe, al Jubour, was part of the awakening
movement recruited by the U.S. military in 2007 to fight al Qaeda.
SHAALAN AL-JIBOURI, RESIDENT: If they come and enter inside Dhuluiyah, they will kill every people there. Children, women, men, everyone.
Because in their lore, all the people in Dhuluiyah, they are infidel.
KARADSHEH: We met with Shaalan Al-Jibouri, a father of four in Baghdad. He left Dhuluiyah on Sunday to take his 8-year-old son, Ali, to a doctor.
Ali's hearing has been impacted by the daily blasts. Earlier this month, a mortar missed Ali by a few meters.
I ask him if he will go to school after the holidays. "If we go to school, they would shell us with mortars," Ali said.
With a deteriorating humanitarian situation and fears of a massacre, Al- Jibouri wants President Obama to save their town.
AL-JIBOURI: Mr. President, please help us and send your plane to bomb or to attack these terrorists.
KARADSHEH: As they desperately wait for help, the people of Dhuluiyah say they'll fight until the bitter end.
Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: I'll get you back to one of our other stories today. ISAF saying that three of its members were killed earlier today in Kabul, two
American soldiers and one Polish serviceman. But this violence comes as the country is in a power vacuum with no clear successor to outgoing
President Hamid Karzai.
Sediq Sediqqi is the spokesperson for the Afghan Ministry of Interior Affairs. He joins me now live from Kabul. And security, clearly, a
serious concern in the capital of a country without a functioning government. And promises that there would be a new leader in place by now;
in fact, months ago that was expected.
Just update, where do things stand so far as the leadership of Afghanistan is concerned?
SEDIQ SEDIQQI, SPOKESPERSON, AFGHAN MINISTRY OF INTERIOR AFFAIRS: Well, everybody hoped here that after the election, which was a very successful
election in terms of security. The Afghan forces were able to provide security as it was expected and everybody waited and hoped that we would
have the results, but unfortunately it prolongs. But, again, there are agreements and there are discussions and talks. And the outlooks, of
course, which is under way for a long time now.
But everybody wishes that there's, you know, a new government, after all. And we will see when - how that will happen.
ANDERSON: All right. Behind the scenes, you must know what's going on. Are we hours, days, weeks, months away from a new leader for Afghanistan?
SEDIQQI: I think it's days now because there are a lots of discussion right away going on in the course of the election. Both candidates are
talking to each other frequently and people are expecting an agreement very soon, within days or hours. That's what we get from both sides at this
moment.
ANDERSON: Without the announcement of this new leader, there's no opportunity for Afghanistan to ask the west, particularly the U.S., to stop
what will be this drawdown of troops. And this will escalate as the weeks go on towards the end of the year. Whether the U.S. is prepared to prevent
or decelerate that drawdown remains to be seen, if asked.
Meantime, any pullout of troops from anywhere is a very, very dangerous process, oft times, military experts tell me, the most dangerous of any
campaign. How concerned are you about the security situation in Afghanistan and what may occur going forward?
SEDIQQI: First of all, every Afghan believes and they understand that the relationship that we have built in the last 13 years together with the
West, and especially with the United States, for common goals, which was fighting terrorism. And today everybody knows that Afghans are in the
front line fighting this menace here not only for the security of Afghanistan but also for the security of region and the world. So this
partnership is highly valued and everybody hopes that this partnership continues for the years to come.
And, secondly, in one year now that the full security responsibility has been transferred to Afghans, the Afghan forces have showed that they are
able to provide security for Afghans and for the country, and that was a hope for the people. But we strongly believe that this menace, the
terrorism, that they're still here and today we faced one of the attacks. And we will still need to continue with this partnership and the way summit
(ph), in which there was support for the Afghans. That was yet another good news (ph) for Afghan people that this partnership will continue.
We still have problems in terms of terrorism. Unfortunately they are still safe havens of terrorism in Pakistan, unfortunately, and they are being fed
and financed and they are behind all those attacks, deadly attacks, in Kabul and many other provinces.
ANDERSON: All right.
SEDIQQI: But still now we are more capable. We can protect our country. I will continue to fight this not only for the security of Afghanistan but
for the security of the world.
ANDERSON: Sediq Sediqqi, we thank you for joining us here on CNN.
Tonight's Parting Shots, just before we go, we bring you the story of Egyptian child laborers forced to work to support their families. We speak
to a photographer trying to shine a spotlight on their plight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MYRIAM ABDELAZIZ, PHOTOGRAPHER: My name is Myriam Abdelaziz. I'm 38 and I am French from Egyptian origins, and I work as an independent photographer.
I have a project about child laborers in Egypt. I traveled to Mynia (ph) in the south of the country and discovered that they were able to work
there, hiring a huge amount of children below the age of 10.
There's two reasons why they resort to children. One of them is that the machines used there are very old and sometimes they dysfunction, and
because they're make - cause the storm (ph), lots of accidents including children having their legs cut or arm cut or (INAUDIBLE) to death. And
there are lots of diseases when they're in their 20s, 30s; they're just sick because they work in an environment where they're inhaling lots of
toxic fumes as a result of that cutting the (INAUDIBLE).
I think being there, what struck me the most was the scenery. I had never seen a place like that. I had to think I was on the moon. So I really
hope that this body of work raises awareness internationally but also locally and to keep families sending their children.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: I'm Becky Anderson. That was CONNECT THE WORLD. Thank you for watching.
END
