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ISIS Lays Siege To Iraqi Town; Inside An ISIS "Laptop Of Doom"; Mom Of Slain U.S. Jihadist Speaks Out

Aired August 29, 2014 - 15:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: You're watching CNN. Just past the bottom of the hour. I am Brooke Baldwin. We haven't talked about airstrikes in Iraq for a minute. Let's start there. There's news at this moment, look at the state of chaos in Iraq. Want to take you there live.

We are going to focus on this one Iraqi town north of Baghdad. It's called Amerli. It's surrounded by ISIS for 80 days now. CNN's Anna Coren is live for us now from Erbil. Anna, tell me about the situation in Amerli?

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, finally, Brook, there seems to be a bit of a break through. Iraqi forces certainly descending on the surrounding area, taking at least six villages around Amerli. We know it has been under siege now more than two months.

We heard that desperate plea from the U.N. special representative to say that potential massacre is under way in this township made of Turkmansheer, a population of less than 20,000 people.

We have the Iraqi prime minister designate saying we need help now to save these people. Finally the Iraqi military turn up. They did so and according to them killed at least 59 ISIS militants in these villages.

But yet to get to the township of Amerli. So still a great deal of fighting happening around there, and as what ISIS does when it retreats, it leaves IEDs, booby traps houses so this is something that the Iraqi military is encountering.

But you know, they have been making the occasional aid drop because ISIS they've cut off the power. They've cut off the water. Situation is dire. According to the Turkman Foundation, which is an organization with family, friends in Amerli.

They say that dozens of children have died as a result of food shortages as well as dehydration -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: So that's Amerli. Let's get to these reports of U.S. airstrikes near Mosul. We talked a lot about the contested dam. At one point in ISIS control, which was very significant. Back perhaps in Kurdish control. Tell me what's happening right now there? COREN: A fierce battle is still waging around Mosul Dam. You know, it's funny, Brooke, when we were there last week after Kurdish forces had taken back control of it after ISIS claimed it earlier in the month.

We thought that the Peshmerga had a pretty good hold of it and it was seemed to be making advances around the surrounding areas. Well, the militants have been digging in and there has been fierce fighting.

According to Kurdish forces, they're moving them out with the help of U.S. airstrikes. The airstrikes making a huge difference to the military strategy on the ground. But according to officials, they need more.

U.S. central command says in total there have been 110. The focus obviously on Mosul Dam and that surrounding area. Kurdish officials are saying they need the United States to expand that operation and to increase the number of airstrikes in Northern Iraq.

BALDWIN: OK. Anna Coren, thank you so much for us in Erbil right now.

Let's turn to Syria because we have to talk about this disturbing find deep in ISIS-held territory. So these reporters from "Foreign Policy" magazine, they have gained access to what they have dubbed this ISIS laptop of doom.

Deep inside these hidden files, they have discovered outlines for unleashing a biological weapon attack. "Foreign Policy" magazine say they uncovered this 19-page document on this laptop, computer.

The document details efforts to develop biological weapons, even weaponize bubonic plague from dead animals. It suggested using grenades to help disperse the bio terror, and targeted closed areas like stadiums and subways to maximize casualties.

Paul Cruickshank, let me bring you right in, CNN terrorism analyst. You say it is an important distinction. It is one thing to have research and documentation about chemical or biological weapons, but it's quite another to actually carry it out.

PAUL CRUICKSHANK, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Well, Brooke, that's absolutely right. It is very, very difficult to operationalize this kind of thing, al Qaeda has been trying to do this for 20 years and they haven't come close to developing this capability. We saw, for example, back in 2011, al Qaeda in Yemen trying to harness the toxin ricin to put in bombs. They weren't able to get that capability -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: So if al Qaeda has been working on this for 20 years, how close is ISIS, do we have any idea?

CRUICKSHANK: Well, Brooke, I mean, al Qaeda was doing it in places like Afghanistan in the '90s, far away from civilization in these training camps. The trouble with ISIS is it has control of a lot more territory, it is very cash rich, has tens of millions of dollars of cash reserves, has all of these foreign fighters from all around the Middle East, some with scientific backgrounds.

It also controls cities. It could potentially have access to laboratories, to hospitals and things like that. There is worry that ISIS could get further down the line. But it is still very, very difficult to weaponize these kind of biological and chemical agents -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Just quickly on that point, you mention labs. ISIS seized Mosul and there's a university with a chemical lab that's there, correct?

CRUICKSHANK: The belief is, yes, that there are chemical labs there. There are hospitals, other medical facilities where they could get hold of some sort of chemicals, even radioactive isotopes and things like that, but it is very, very difficult to make these kinds of things into devices, which will do a big amount of damage -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Big difference. Paul Cruickshank, thank you so much as always for coming on.

Coming up here on CNN, the U.K. is raising its terror alert level today. Thus far, the United States is saying that ISIS poses no threat to the U.S. homeland, so what are the different strategies here between British Prime Minister David Cameron and President Barack Obama. We will tap into that coming up.

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BALDWIN: Two countries, two very different responses when it comes to the same threat, ISIS. The United Kingdom raised its threat level today to severe for the very first time in three years.

We heard from the British Prime Minister David Cameron saying he is ready to start seizing passports of possible suspects. As far as United States goes, U.S. has far fewer potential foreign fighters overseas, not quite perhaps as imminent of a threat.

But President Obama speaking yesterday at the briefing saying the U.S. has no strategy for dealing with ISIS and definitely today facing some criticism for that.

Joining me now, host of "THE LEAD", Jake Tapper, and so you have these two comparisons. You could say one is more forceful, one more cautious, how are you reading it?

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST, "THE LEAD": I think first of all as you mention, the threat does seem more imminent in the U.K. because it is geographically closer to the Middle East, because more members of the country are members of ISIS than Americans.

And then also we should keep in mind that the United States is currently bombing ISIS targets in Iraq, although the question is will they do so in Syria. But the question that I've been hearing a lot of conservatives saying, the argument conservatives have been saying is that Cameron was more of a leader. He seemed to be having a plan and clearly they had two different messages, President Obama was trying to put on the brakes on expectation that the U.S. was going to be bombing ISIS targets in Syria any time soon.

Cameron definitely wanted to be conveying that he was on the case to protect the British people. Take a listen to excerpts from both men's remarks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The purpose of moving the threat level is that it does trigger a series of actions by the police and indeed by others in other parts of life to make sure they put in place all the extra security that they can.

We are stopping suspects from traveling by seizing passports. We are barring foreign nationals from re-entering the U.K., depriving people of citizenship, and we are legislating so we can prosecute people for all terrorist activity, even when that activity takes place overseas.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I don't want to put the cart before the horse. We don't have a strategy yet. I think what I've seen in some of the news reports suggests that folks are getting a little further ahead of where we're at than we currently are.

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TAPPER: So Brooke if you judge it based on tone and leadership style, which of those two men is currently the head of a government that is bombing ISIS targets in Iraq, Cameron or Obama? You would probably say Cameron, right, but it is actually Obama. So a lot of this has to do with the presentation and delineation of steps that are going to be taken -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Wouldn't the president be criticized though at the same time if he said OK, it's go time, U.S. will strike Syria. Criticism falls either way.

TAPPER: I think that's absolutely correct and we do know that the Pentagon is and has been coming up with plans and strategies for what to do about the ISIS threat in Syria specifically, but I think again, Cameron trying to convey I'm on the case, I'm the leader.

This is what we are doing to protect people. President Obama saying everybody calm down. We're not going to be bombing any targets in Syria any time soon and that really it was a stark contrast.

BALDWIN: Definitely. We will watch you on your show, of course, parsing through all of this. Jake Tapper, see you at the top of the hour on "THE LEAD." Thank you, sir.

TAPPER: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Coming up, they were close friends growing up in Minnesota. So what could have led them to a life of terror overseas? The mother of an American killed while fighting for ISIS speaks out.

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BALDWIN: They were best friends. They were high school classmates and they were also Americans who became Jihadist fighters. Troy Kastigar and Douglas McCain both died helping the cause for Al-Shabaab and ISIS. But their life growing up in the U.S. belied what became their fate, fighting overseas for terrorists.

CNN's Jason Carroll talked to the mother of Troy Kastigar who is still just dealing with how her son ended up in the hands of Jihad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For years, Troy Kastigar and Doug McCain, were the picture of the average teenaged American boys. They grew up in Minneapolis, both loved playing basketball and were in some ways inseparable.

JULIE BOADA, TROY KASTIGAR'S MOTHER: There's quite a few people who I think you would say they would say they were best friends and Doug was one of those really close friends. He spent a lot of time at our house. He went to family gatherings with us. They played basketball together.

CARROLL: So how did two respectful young men go from this image to this?

TROY KASTIGAR: This is the real Disneyland. You need to come here and join us.

CARROLL: This recruitment video featuring Kastigar was posted from the militant group, Al-Shabaab. Both Kastigar and McCain ended up fighting for terrorists overseas. McCain killed in Syria just days ago. Kastigar killed in 2009 in Somalia. His mother still trying to understand how it all happened.

BOADA: I'll never not have that pain and that bitterness, but by trying to fill my life with joy and recognize the gifts and the beauty of the world, it makes it easier.

CARROLL: Kastigar's mother said he started having trouble at 16. He began using drugs and was searching for help and spiritual guidance.

(on camera): And he found comfort in turning to the Koran?

BOADA: So then he became Muslim and I don't know exactly how that happened. He had some friends who were Muslims, some friends who were Somali who had emigrated here. It was great for him. He all of a sudden was I have my boy back. His eyes were bright again.

CARROLL (voice-over): Kastigar said he was going to Kenya to study the Koran, but his destination ended up being Somalia. He'd spent nearly a year overseas with little communication. Then in July 2009, the FBI came to his mother's home. BOADO: They said he could have been recruited. I had no clue that he was going into a dangerous situation in that way or to fight. And I think he knew.

CARROLL: Weeks after that visit, her son was dead.

(on camera): Were there any warning signs along the way?

BOADA: With Doug for sure there were no warning signs because I just haven't been around him for a long time. The one thing that I thought was really strange with Troy is that they -- someone, they were willing to pay for him to come to Kenya. And I really question that. I think they were manipulated and I don't think they knew what they were fully what they were part of.

CARROLL (voice-over): Some five years after her son's death, the toughest part for her is having to explain how he died.

BOADO: I don't easily talk about it to people because I don't want to have to also defend him. My family's great and my friends are great but just in general in the world. And I mean, it is, it's the hardest, the hardest loss that there is. And I'm really grateful that I had him and that I knew Doug and you just kind of try to go on.

CARROLL: Jason Carroll, CNN, Minneapolis.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: That mother, Jason, thank you so much for sharing her story with us. Listen, you know, watching the news, it's tough. A lot of tough news in the headlines these days.

Let's end on something positive on this friday, please. Coming up, we'll share a story about a woman who is helping turn her city around, she's this week's "CNN Hero." That story is next.

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BALDWIN: It is one of the wealthiest states in America, but Connecticut also has one of the fastest growing income gaps in the country. This "CNN Hero" is battling the bad situation of the streets of the state to help save her community's kids. Here is this week's "CNN Hero."

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's tough. It's tough growing up here. It's just so easy to take the wrong path. I was walking around with a lot on my shoulders at a young age. I didn't really care about life anymore. When I met Miss Kelly, everything changed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bret was hurting. He needed a place he could just be himself. Our program provides a year-round urban oasis, seven days a week, 12 months a year for children up to 19 years old. We use horses to create pride, esteem, and healing. The children take care of animals. Take care of the farm. When they get to a certain riding is level, young men become mounted park rangers. When they put their cowboy hats on and they go out on patrol. The myth of the urban male is changed instantly. When kids see other kids ride, they want to know how it's done. That's the hook.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't tell you where I would be without this program. It changed my life. It's helped me set goals for myself. I'm a part of something.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you teach a child how to ride a horse, they learn that they are the center of their environment. Once they make that connection, they can change what happens in school, at home, and the community. It's through their minds and through their hearts. They have ability, but they just have to unlock it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: How awesome is she? I hope you have a wonderful weekend, but stay right here. "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper stars right now.