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Russia Begins Air Strikes in Syria; Palestinian Authority Will No Longer Honor Oslo Peace Accords with Israel; Afghan Forces Take Back Kunduz; Hurricane Joaquin Getting Stronger, Heading Towards U.S.; One Spot in Northern Atlantic Abnormally Cold; Taliban Drives Some Out of Afghanistan; Volkswagen Scandal Puts Spotlight on Emissions Tests; Has Tomb of Nefertiti Been Found. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired October 01, 2015 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:18] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Human rights groups accuse Russia of killing civilians after its military launches air strikes on key sites in Syria.

ERROL BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, Hurricane Joaquin strengthens into a category 3 storm and may be setting its sights on the U.S. east coast.

CHURCH: And later, researchers say they have found the final resting place of one of Egypt's most famous queens.

Hello, and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around world. I'm Rosemary Church.

BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett. We are your anchor team here for the next two hours. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

It's 9:00 a.m. in Syria, where an opposition group says 36 people, all civilians, are dead after Russia unleashed a series of air strikes there.

CHURCH: Russia says Syrian President Bashar al Assad asked for the country's help in fighting ISIS but a senior U.S. official says that's not what's happening at all. That official says Russia is targeting opposition groups like the Free Syrian Army, which is supported by the United States.

BARNETT: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met at the U.N. on Wednesday. They agreed military officials from both sides should talk soon to figure out a way of how to stay out of each other's way. That talk could come as soon as Thursday.

Our senior international correspondent, Matthew Chance, has more on the Russian airstrikes from Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(SHOUTING)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the aftermath of Russia's first airstrike in Syria, and its violent announcement of involvement in this brutal war. The Kremlin says it's targeting ISIS forces. But these chaotic images are from the province of Homs, where other rebel groups hold sway. Moscow draws little distinction, it seems, between the enemies of its Syrian government allies.

It took Russia's parliament less than half an hour to rubber-stamp the use of military force, albeit temporary and limited to air power. But Russian officials justify it as legal under international law, and like the airstrikes, they say, carried out by the United States and its allies.

SERGEI IVANOV, KREMLIN CHIEF OF STAFF (through translation): I want to inform you the president of the Syrian Arab Republic addressed the leadership of our country with a request for military assistance. So we can state that it is necessary to fight terrorism. International efforts should be united. But complying with the norms of international law is preferable.

CHANCE: But few expected to see Russian military action so soon, despite emerging evidence over the past month of a Russian military build-up.

(on camera): Moscow has good reason to support its Syrian ally, including military and economic interests in Syria, and a genuine concern about the spread of radical Islamic groups like ISIS. But the Kremlin also seems driven by a desire to reassert its power and to show that Russia remains a global force to be reckoned with.

(voice-over): It was a message delivered by Vladimir Putin so forcefully at the U.N. General Assembly earlier this week. Western policy on Syria and elsewhere, he said, had failed, leaving chaos in its wake.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): I'm urged to ask those who created this situation, do you at least realize now what you've done? But I'm afraid that this question will remain unanswered because they have never abandoned the policy which is based on arrogance, exceptionalism and impunity.

CHANCE: But now it seems Russia is offering its own answers. These are the first official images from the Russian defense ministry of its airstrikes. Military equipment, communication centers, and motor vehicles were among the targets attacked, it says. And this is just day one of what could be Russia's open-ended Syrian war.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: CNN military analyst, Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona, joins me now to talk more about what's going on in Syria right now.

So, Colonel, from what you have been able to ascertain, what were the targets that Russia likely hit in these airstrikes in Syria?

LT. COL. RICK FRANCONA, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: It looks like they were going after anti-regime rebels. I know their talk about going after ISIS was probably just that. The areas that they struck in Hamah and Homs, there's very few is targets in that area. And all of the videos that we've seen coming out after the strikes don't show any ISIS involvement.

[02:05:04] CHURCH: So it begs the question. What is Russia's intent here in Syria, do you think? And wouldn't it have been a wiser move for Russia to go after ISIS targets first no, matter what its intentions are?

FRANCONA: Yeah, I would think that -- I thought they would go after ISIS first and kind of establish that as their baseline. Much as the Turks did. The Turks went after ISIS first, and then they devoted their attention to the PKK targets. I thought the Russians might do the same. It looks like their intent is solely to prop up the Assad regime. They want to maintain access to those bases in the future. And if Assad falls, they may lose that.

CHURCH: And they seem to be pretty open about that by actions here if they're not saying it. And of course these Russian airstrikes come just a few days after that very frosty meeting between President Obama and Putin at the U.N. G.A. on how to coordinate military action in Syria. So given that, how should the United States respond to Russia's actions? And how dangerous is this new phase of U.S.-Russian relations?

FRANCONA: Right. The way the Russians went about this today, marching into the U.S. embassy in Baghdad and demanding that we remove our aircraft from Syrian air space and were going to begin bombing in one hour, that's not how you act to people you're supposed to be coordinating with. This is going to get very dangerous. Right now, you've got the aircraft of the Syrian air force, the Russian air force and the U.S.-led coalition operating in a very confined area. These are high-performance aircraft, lots of weapons, lots of people on edge when they're flying these missions. Any misjudgment could result in an incident that will lead to fatalities on somebody's side. The de- confliction has to be worked out. But there's going to be a confrontation between the United States and Russia over who controls that airspace. And right now we're saying the gauntlet laid down, and I think we're going to see what each side is made of.

CHURCH: You say confrontation. What sort of confrontation are you suggesting there?

FRANCONA: Well, I think it's going to come in the form of somebody in the air, like the American pilots are going to see Russian pilots attacking pro-U.S. rebels on the ground. Are they going to be ordered to stand down while Russian pilots decimate our allies or are we going to warn the Russians off or are we willing to engage if they don't? These are questions that haven't been answered, haven't been thought through. And we're doing this on the fly. I heard the foreign minister of Russia and the secretary of state of the United States today saying we're going to get together and work out de-confliction as soon as possible. They need to have done this yesterday.

CHURCH: Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona, a very delicate situation. Thank you very much for your analysis, keeping an eye on what is perhaps occurring on the ground here in Syria. Many thanks to you.

FRANCONA: Good to be with you.

CHURCH: And coming up in our next half hour, we will speak with the co-author of "ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror." We'll get his view on whether these Russian airstrikes could be a game changer for the region.

The Palestinian flag is now flying outside the United Nations headquarters in New York. Now, typically, only the flags of member states are on display. And the Palestinian Authority has non-member observer status. Palestinians see the move as a symbolic step toward cementing their place in the international community.

Meanwhile, the group's president, Mahmoud Abbas, addressed the General Assembly, saying the Palestinian Authority would no longer honor the peace agreements with Israel known as the Oslo Peace Accords.

BARNETT: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to respond when he gets his turn on the U.N. stage Thursday. He also said he will discuss the Iran nuclear deal.

For more on all of this, let's bring in CNN's Oren Liebermann, who joins us live this morning from Jerusalem.

Oren, how are the Israelis responding to the Palestinian flag being raised at the U.N. and the fact that Mr. Abbas has publicly abandoned the Oslo Peace Accords?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Israel leaders have dismissed the flag-raising ceremony as simply, that as simply a ceremony, and they've called for direct negotiations and said that this ceremony can't create a state. That's been their criticism of the flag raising from the very beginning. They were one of eight states, including the United States, to vote against the flag raising at the United Nations. As for what Abbas said, he made it very powerful statements. The question is where do these statements lead? He hedged just a little bit, saying that if Israel won't follow these accords, including the Oslo Accords and other agreements, then the Palestinians won't either. So he didn't say these accords are off the table. If he wanted to, he could have easily come out and said that right at the top of the speech, I'm canceling Oslo, I'm canceling security coordination, I'm canceling all sorts of cooperation. He didn't say that. That would be a big statement.

Oslo is essentially the basis, the foundation upon which the Israelis and Palestinians coordinate their working together. It was signed 22 years ago. Palestinians acknowledged Israel's right to exist. Israel acknowledged the Palestinians' right to self-determination and acknowledged the PLO as the leader of the Palestinian people. But Abbas hedged just a little bit. The question now, what does that actually change on the ground? Are we going to see the canceling of security coordination, Errol? If so, it's a very big statement. It's a very big moment that could really shake up the region. If not, it could just be more statements here. [02:10:33] BARNETT: And so what you've outlined there then, Oren, is

that Mr. Abbas has left some wiggle room, essentially. I mean, skeptics wonder if that was more desperation on his part because the P.A. has been rendered so weak politically recently, or if this is just a different way to get Israel to fall in line. As you say, the way he set this up was, if Israel won't abide by it, we won't either.

LIEBERMANN: Well, there have been a lot of critics of Abbas recently. As you mentioned, his popularity, the popularity of his political party has waned, especially in recent months, and just last month we saw half of the PLO executive committee resign, including Abbas. That was seen by critics as a way for Abbas to consolidate his power. Critics say again this could be just another way, more big statements but very little in the way of action. The real question will be what does it change here? How does it change here? That's something that if it does change we should find out very soon.

BARNETT: All right. Oren Liebermann live for us in Jerusalem this morning. 11 minutes past 9:00. Oren, thank you.

Now we want to move to some other big stories we're following for you.

After days of bitter fighting, officials in Afghanistan, they say government forces are back in control of most of Kunduz. It was the first major city to fall to the Taliban since the militants were forced from power back in 2001.

CHURCH: Now, the Taliban easily seized the city on Monday. We reported about that. But U.S. airstrikes and NATO forces backed the Afghan effort to retake the city. A police spokesman says two of the city's six districts are still under Taliban control.

Sune Engel Rasmussen is a reporter with "The Guardian" newspaper. He is in Kabul and joins us now live.

So, Sune, Afghan authorities as we said say they are now in control of Kunduz. But the key question of course is whether Afghan forces can hold on to it as well as clear out the Taliban hiding out in the surrounding area. So how likely is that?

SUNE ENGEL RASMUSSEN, REPORTER, THE GUARDIAN: Still fighting going on inside the city. Not in the city center but, for example, around the police headquarters which is a pretty central place in Kunduz. The districts around Kunduz district itself are still contested. As you said, the Taliban are only effectively in control of two of them. But that doesn't mean there's not fighting going on potentially later and still part of districts that are under Taliban control. The problem here and the crucial question is if the government security forces are able to exert authority and get people's support behind them. This has long been a problem for the government security forces in Kunduz, that there is public animosity against them and there is potential support for the Taliban in the future as well. I think it's not just about clearing the city of insurgents, as you can see, but this requires a more long-term solution to create stability in Kunduz.

CHURCH: Yeah. It's difficult when the authorities, Afghanistan authorities don't really have the people there on site, do they? So how long would it likely take to clear out all the Taliban in the area and ensure they don't return to Kunduz? Is that even achievable?

RASMUSSEN: This has been the problem for the last 14 years in Afghanistan. The international forces thought you could flush out the Taliban completely, and that's just not possible. The Taliban is not this coherent uniform movement that you can just flush out of an area. This is about getting people on the side, as you said, of the government security forces and one of the big problems is that a lot of the security relies on private militias that are not necessarily under the government's control but that are still fighting against the Taliban, and these militias have a long reputation of abusing the local population, of human rights abuses and things like that. So unless you get security forces in and have a more streamlined defense and a more streamlined defense of the local population, I think this local unrest in Kunduz is going to foment for a very long time.

CHURCH: Some major problems there.

Sune Engel Rasmussen reporting live from Kabul. Many thanks to you.

And we will have more on the battle in Afghanistan, and one former soldier's story of fleeing the country to escape the Taliban and ISIS, coming up in the second half of CNN NEWSROOM.

[02:15:18] BARNETT: Also ahead for you, Hurricane Joaquin is getting stronger and moving slowly toward the U.S. We'll look at its possible paths when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATE RILEY, CNN WORLD SPORTS ANCHOR: I'm Kate Riley, with your CNN "World Sport" headlines.

It's been a better night for the English clubs in the Champions League with boast Manchester United and City coming from behind to win. City fought back to claim a crucial 2-1 win. An own goal leveled the match. And then City were given a further lifeline, a penalty in the last minute as Sergio Aguero won the game. And in Manchester, United also triumphed 2-1. Wolfsburg went ahead early, but then their goal scorer Gheri handed Juan Mata's cross in the box. Mata stepped up to equalize. The Spaniards' Smalling gave the Premier Leaguers victory.

Elsewhere, it was a memorable night for former Man United star, Cristiano Ronaldo. Real Madrid's main man scored his 500th and 501st goals for Madrid in their 2-0 away win to Malmoe. It means Ronaldo has now tied Madrid legend, Raul, with 324 goals for the club.

And Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho, has been cleared of using discriminatory language against the club doctor, Caniaro. Mourinho won't face any disciplinary action by the F.A. Caniaro was removed from match day duties last month and has since left the club. At the time of her departure, she was said to be considering legal action.

That's a look at all your sports headlines. I'm Kate Riley.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BARNETT: Welcome back. Hurricane Joaquin is getting stronger, and quickly. A few hours ago, it was a category 2 storm and now, already, it's a category 3.

CHURCH: Our Pedram Javaheri is here, our resident meteorologist, talking to us about where it's heading, who is in its path, and just how likely it's going to be.

[02:19:39] PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: This is one of the most difficult forecasts we've had to do in a very long time. There are so many models, some of them taking directly toward the United States and some reliable ones, statistically the most accurate ones that are continuously saying this is going to go well offshore. The national hurricane center is splitting the difference and taking it parallel to the eastern seaboard and we know the reason it's a big story is there had been a previous story before this, six to 10 inches of rainfall over portions of the eastern U.S. in the past couple of days having nothing to do with an approaching hurricane. So you bring such moisture yet again in the same time, in about a week period in this region, this could be a devastating sorry. And 80 million people could stand to be impacted. We'll show you exactly how this will break down. The next three days. Moisture here across portions where the Atlantic ocean's labeled, Turks and Caicos and Bahamas, that's tropical rainfall associated with Joaquin. Well to the north another round of moisture associated with a low pressure center that has cruised by in the region and will continue to bring in rainfall. To the north we have a drought in place. In fact, the driest September on record for the state of Massachusetts coming to an end and now of course you look to the south, things could change very quickly. Category 3 hurricane, Joaquin sitting there, 120-mile-per-hour sustained winds. Hurricane watches and warnings have been issued for the Turks and calicos, Bahamas Island, and the concern with this is a very slow-moving storm system, going at about six miles per hour. So you literally can jog at the speed past the storm system at the speed it's moving forward. But here's the concern we have with the difficulty in the forecast. We call it a negatively tilted trough. I know it sounds fancy. Essentially, talking about how it's pointed to the northwest. When you have this sort of a scenario lined up and you have a tropical feature offshore, what it would like to do is typically steer the tropical feature to the north. Sometimes guides it toward the trough. If that happens we have this impact in the eastern United States. Offshore, large area of high pressure, clockwise flow around it. That also likes to pull the tropical feature toward itself. That's where the models are having trouble with the storm system because it literally is going in both directions when you take a look at the models. And some of the most reliable models that we have, the European model, which, by the way, literally had a spot-on forecast for Hurricane Sandy three years ago, is giving the storm eye track that would take it well past Bermuda and off to the east. But the vast majority of the models right now and now the national hurricane center kind of going along with this guidance would take the storm system up toward the eastern seaboard, eventually bringing it in somewhere toward Delmarva, potentially northern North Carolina, Virginia, even areas as far north as northern New Jersey for landfall as strong as a category 2 Sunday afternoon, Sunday night. And if this happens rainfall is going to be incredible across this region, upwards of ten inches could come down. So we're talking nearly half a meter of rainfall on top of fully saturated soils. And these areas had gone on a very, very dry stretch for the summer season, and now we're talking this much rainfall. There's a spot-on knock-on effect of what could happen here. The fall foliage, the peak colors here, of course, the industry of tourism, all those leaves would be gone. Of course, the tourism industry hit along with the aviation industry. This could be a very large story.

BARNETT: Could be a wet winter. It will be a wet weekend but you're saying there could be more weather systems behind it perhaps to balance things out.

JAVAHERI: Yeah.

BARNETT: Pedram, thank you. We'll see you again next hour.

CHURCH: Thank you.

JAVAHERI: Thank you.

BARNETT: Now, 2015 could go down as the warmest year on record. But that is not the case everywhere on our globe. You see, there's a particular spot in the northern Atlantic that's abnormally cold.

Jennifer Gray explains why this could affect weather patterns around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You may remember the blob, that area in the Pacific where temperatures were running well above normal. It impacted everything from the fisheries to the weather. Well, now we have the Atlantic blob. It's quite the opposite.

(MUSIC)

GRAY: With the entire globe warming, you may find it odd there's a spot in the northern Atlantic that's breaking records for cold. In fact, globally, we have seen some of the warmest temperatures on record. 2015 has had eight of the warmest months ever. But if you look closely, it's easy to notice that blue blob. It's an area where temperatures are well below normal. In fact, some areas are record- breaking. The ocean acts as a huge conveyer belt. Salty warm water in the south travels north. As it does so, it cools. As it cools, it becomes so dense it sinks, and it mixes with the cooler water deeper in the ocean. This circulation is constant. It helps maintain balance in the ocean. But if too much fresh water is added, the water is too buoyant to sink. That can either slow the circulation or grind it to a halt. That's exactly what's happening in the northern Atlantic. The Greenland ice sheet is melting and it's dumping massive amounts of fresh water into the ocean. It's causing that circulation to cool. The result, that large pool of colder water. With the circulation slowing, it could mean faster sea level rise for the east coast of the U.S. It could also mean different storm patterns in Europe.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: Now, if you'd like to learn more about climate change and our Two Degrees Initiative, just head to our website, type in CNN.com/twodegrees.

CHURCH: Russian fighter jets take aim at targets in Syria. Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, we will look at how Russia's violent entrance there could affect the region.

[02:25:15] CHURCH: Also coming up, scientists believe they've found the final resting place of an ancient Egyptian queen. We'll tell you how another royal's tombs may provide clues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BARNETT: Welcome back to those of you watching here in the states and those of you tuned in all around the world. I'm Errol Barnett.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. It's time to check the main stories we have been following this hour.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address the U.N. General Assembly Thursday. He is slamming Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, for his U.N. speech. Mr. Abbas says his group will no longer be bound by the Oslo Peace Accords signed with Israel in the 1990s.

BARNETT: Afghan officials say government forces have retaken most of Kunduz from the Taliban. The militants easily seized the key northern city on Monday. It was the first time the Taliban took over a provincial capital since 2001. But a Taliban spokesman has now tweeted that his forces have pushed back the Afghan military and, quote, "defeated them."

CHURCH: U.S. and Russian military officials could meet as soon as Thursday to talk about how to stay out of each other's way while carrying out airstrikes in Syria. Russian fighter jets began bombing targets on Wednesday after giving the U.S. just one hour's notice. Russia says it's hitting ISIS targets but U.S. officials say Russia is actually hitting Syrian opposition groups.

[02:30:08] BARNETT: Russia's actions this week have been very fast moving.

So let's bring in our CNN contributor, Michael Weiss, for more. He joins us via webcam from Paris to discuss what's really changing in the region.

Michael, Russia's making bold and obvious moves to prop up the al Assad regime but that what could be the strategy post-Assad because their actions against rebels only helps ISIS in many ways. What could be the long-term plan here? MICHAEL WEISS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think the fact is there isn't

much of a long-term plan with Russia. Their goals are twofold, as you say, to prop up the al Assad regime and also to deter the United States and embarrass the United States. You look at the way this airstrike was conducted, in the midst of the United Nations General Assembly, just days after Vladimir Putin gave his first speech in decades in which he called for an international anti-ISIS coalition tantamount to the allied powers of World War II who lined up against Hitler. And then who did they bomb? Everyone but ISIS, in fact. They killed an FSA commander, that's a Free Syrian Army commander, in Hamah. This guy had been on the ground fighting both Assad and jihadists since 2012, actually. He hung in there. He was also a recipient of U.S. aid backed by the CIA. He received the toe anti- tank missiles which, let's be honest, given the manifold groups on the ground ranging from nationalists to outright Salifist jihadists, to be vetted by the CIA to receive these missiles meant that this guy was actually OK. He was one of the few good guys left. So, yeah, Russia wants to destroy any credible opposition to the regime. They don't care about ISIS. Nor does Assad. You look at the number of sorties that the Syrian air force has flown, few of them, comparatively speaking, have been against the Taqfiri jihadists, who are lined up in the east of the country. Assad is in control of about 14 percent to 15 percent of Syrian territory. What Russia has done is create a bubble of air supremacy over that sliver. They have sent in SA-22 anti-aircraft missiles. They have sent in some of their most sophisticated attack jets with missile -- or air-to-air missile capability. Now, what do you need air deterrence for? ISIS hasn't got an air force and Abu Bakr al Baghdadi isn't exactly flying around on a flying carpet in Syria. This is to deter the United States.

BARNETT: Which they've done successfully, especially --

WEISS: That's true.

BARNETT: -- if their aim was to embarrass the United States. But let's remember Barack Obama's -- remembering history in the region. If you go into Iraq and take out leadership, you're then responsible for propping up whatever government comes after that. That's what the U.S. is avoiding in Syria. Russia is going for it but with risks. Let's talk about that. Russia is economically strained back home thanks to low oil prices and sanctions. And let's remember it was a lack of funds that forced the Soviet Union to abandon efforts in Afghanistan in the '80s. Could Syria be another Afghanistan for Moscow?

WEISS: Yeah. I frankly don't buy this whole Afghanistan sequel argument. For one thing, look, Russia's objectives in Syria are very limited. They're not looking to occupy the entire country or install a puppet regime. They're looking to safeguard and fortify existing, albeit, much vitiated, quote, unquote, "state institutions." Number two, they could have actually succeeded. This is odd from the Western point of view, but they have succeeded in repressing all information inside Russia about dead Russian soldiers that have been deployed to Ukraine. A website that I edit, the Interpreter, came out with a report two weeks ago suggesting that, look, we can find evidence for about 600 dead or wounded Russian soldiers who have been deployed to the Donbass east Ukraine in the last year, and their deaths or their injuries have been uncovered by Russia's civil society. The problem is, given the policies of the Kremlin today, any attempt by Russian journalists or NGOs to bring attention to the fact that so-called Cargo 200, or dead Russian soldiers, have come back is categorically suppressed. People are beaten up. There was one Russian opposition leader in Pskov who was beaten within inches of his life. Journalists are attacked. They are branded Fifth Columnists and traitors. So if Putin is able to cover up, you know, 600 dead or wounded Russian soldiers in Ukraine, and that's after deploying thousands of them, then in Syria, he's only deploying maybe 1,500 to 2,000. This is mostly going to be an aerial bombardment campaign. If even a few hundred Russians are killed in Syria, once again, this will be summarily covered up. So he's not looking to a full-scale occupation in place, a la even the United States and Afghanistan or Iraq. So I think we have to be much more hardheaded in the approach here. He's not had his waterloo moment yet. This is what I'm trying to get.

[02:35:13] BARNETT: And it is stunning the manner in which Putin's been able to line up intelligence sharing with Iraq and Iran in the region. And then, as you mentioned, the speech at the U.N., and now the action so quickly.

Great to have Michael Weiss on.

Our viewers can Google his name -- he's a writer for "The Daily Beast," as well -- to get some more insight from him. Taking very interesting angles on this story.

Michael, thank you for your time today.

And certainly, if our viewers want to learn more about Russia's intervention in Syria in general and what kind of impact this could very well have on the Middle East, just head to our website. That address, of course, CNN.com/international.

Now, fears that ISIS may gain a foothold in Afghanistan as well as the persistence of the Taliban have driven some Afghans out of their homeland.

CHURCH: One former soldier made the risky journey through three countries before pausing in Germany, and he told his story to our Nick Paton Walsh.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You can't imagine what's going through Wahid's head as he sat in a Munich cafe. The fears he's overcome and those he still has for the safety of his family. Let me take you back to where he was two months ago.

(EXPLOSION)

PATON WALSH: This is the front line of what was once America's longest war. Here, Abdul Wahid Saeed Hali is still fighting it.

(EXPLOSION)

PATON WALSH: He filmed his Afghan army unit battling a resurgent Taliban in the worst clashes outside Kunduz. But now America is leaving, they are left wanting for basics and losing.

ABDUL WAHID SAEED HALI (through translation): Once the Taliban surrounded us in a base for 12 days. Our dead bodies began to stink. Our wounds are bleeding. We didn't have food or ammunition to fight. But we had to watch officials tell local TV that we did and were no longer under threat.

PATON WALSH: Back in August, Wahid confided in us in Kabul telling us how army money was often spent not on basics like fuel but instead on perks for commanders, like grilled chicken. How three-fourths of his unit had fled. No comment from Afghan officials.

He quit the army but soon realized he would have to flee Afghanistan, too.

The Taliban and ISIS knew where he lived, even rang to recruit him. Staying brought that threat upon his family.

The nightmare journey through Iran, Turkey, Greece, to Germany was, he felt, the safer option.

HALI (through translation): Better than being killed by the Taliban or have them behead me in front of my family or kill me in front of my children.

PATON WALSH: First came a simple flight to Tehran. But then at the Iranian border, smugglers led them to a cave where 100 migrants huddled with no food, water or toilet. Smugglers here sell them water at inflated prices.

One night, they took 50 on a four-hour march to the steep mountainous border. The climb was easy for an Afghan soldier, and he led the way.

HALI (through translation): When we got closer to the mountaintop, the Iranian police saw us and start shouting. Some ran away. Others ran to the top with me. The police start shooting. But I knew the bullets were fired in the air. So I told people keep running. But the bullets got closer and closer. So we hid behind some rocks. I got 15 people out and across. We walked for 18 hours.

PATON WALSH: In the next pictures, we see Wahid's smile is not that simple. In Turkey, smugglers shaved his beard for this, the trip to Greece. But they also held him captive until his family wired them money.

Wahid knows what fear is, and he felt it on this boat. 30 people drowned days earlier in high winds.

Here the 1,800 Euros, double the price they spent on a good boat, has paid off. They've arrived in Europe, the Greek island of Kos. He remembers filming these pictures and thinking, I'm here and I'm alive. Yet he only cried once on his journey, and that moment was still ahead of him.

(CROSSTALK)

PATON WALSH: This is the border between Hungary and Serbia. Migrants, refugees, call them what you will. The Hungarian police won't let them cross.

UNIDENTIFIED MIGRANT: Open! Open the door! Open the door!

PATON WALSH: Anger builds. Around him, young men lash out and they're soon hit with tear gas and water cannons.

[02:40:02] HALI (through translation): I didn't see one, but tens of women and children in the tents who were crushed by protesters escaping the tear gas and water cannons. Serbian police quickly sent ambulances. I could not film the scene, though, as I was crying, not because of the gas but because of what was happening to these poor people.

PATON WALSH: Tire fires are lit. The police and their fence hold.

This is an Afghan who helped NATO fight the Taliban as they said that would keep Europe safe. But now Hungary and both Europe and NATO has a front line against him, keeping Wahid out no matter if it means he's sent back to face the Taliban again.

In Munich, where he arrived through Croatia and Austria, small worries here now vie with larger ones at home.

He must register in Germany, but will that stop him going to Belgium, where he has friends and thinks asylum is easier?

But in this alien city of beer festival and autobahns, a bigger fear haunts his every step. Only his brother knows where he really is.

HALI (through translation): The Taliban think I've gone back to the army. They've taken the phone. So when I try to call my wife, they can force me to go to them. My wife is ill now, but she can't go to the doctor. She's afraid to leave the house. I love all my children the same, two sons and a daughter, but I miss her the most. She's always on my mind.

PATON WALSH: Separated from his family by a journey he barely survived but they would likely not, a new life, but left haunted and incomplete by the old.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Munich.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: So eye opening there.

CHURCH: It is.

BARNETT: We always say it's difficult for us to put ourselves in the shoes of the migrants, but hearing it from Wahid's perspective, the expense, the exhaustion, witnessing death just to get a better life.

CHURCH: And that is one of the many stories.

BARNETT: Yeah.

CHURCH: That's the extraordinary thing. There are so many other stories.

BARNETT: Yeah.

Our thanks to Nick Paton Walsh for that report.

Now, the Volkswagen scandal has exposed a huge problem with emissions tests around the world. Coming up next, we'll show you a test the car companies cannot cheat on. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:45:30] CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. After Volkswagen admitted it cheated on emissions tests involving about 11 million diesel vehicles, there's more scrutiny about emissions testing.

BARNETT: That's right. Governments worldwide rely on the carmakers to police themselves when it comes to emissions. Just think about that.

CNN's Sherisse Pham visits one independent test house that says its results are far more accurate than those found in a lab.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHERISSE PHAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what it takes to test a car's emissions. But this isn't the kind of test any carmaker could cheat when properly done. Emission standards vary from country to country. According to an ICCT report, during road tests, depending on climate and driving conditions, as well as the drivers themselves, CO2 emissions are 40 percent worse than lab results, and nitrogen oxide emissions are seven times higher than the legal limit. Those numbers would violate world standards anywhere, making lab testing useless.

STEPHEN HAYTON, HEAD OF TESTING, EMISSIONS ANALYTICS: We can see on a second-by-second basis how that car is performing as you're driving through the mountains or driving down by the coast, and see how that all impacts on the emissions.

PHAM: Emissions Analytics contributed to that ICCT report. Their equipment will measure things that can drive up a car's emissions. Everything from speed bumps to temperature and humidity.

(on camera): All the emissions coming out of the exhaust are traveling through this tube into this gas analyzer. This will measure the composition of the gas, how much CO2 and nitrogen oxide this car is putting out. Now, while all this equipment can be found in a lab, this test is designed to be mobile.

JANE THOMAS, GLOBAL SALES MANAGER, EMISSIONS ANALYTICS: Ready for the test?

PHAM: Absolutely.

THOMAS: As far as we're concerned, the way that cars are monitored on the road needs to be improved, whether that's in America testing more of the vehicles that come off the production line or in Europe testing cars as they're driven on the road rather than just in a lab.

PHAM (voice-over): What do higher nitrogen oxide or NOX emissions mean for consumers and public health?

THOMAS: It has a detrimental effect for health, particularly in urban areas, because NOX, particularly NO2, is known to aggravate heart and lung conditions such as asthma.

PHAM (voice-over): Poor testing is also bad for the consumer, resulting in worse gas mileage than advertised.

As research found, the gap between the lab and real-world driving conditions cost the average consumer an extra $500 per year. For regulators and car companies, it's still a long road ahead to cleaner emissions and better testing.

Sherisse Pham, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: We want to get you some new information we've just received here at the CNN NEWSROOM. Iraq's prime minister says Russian airstrikes in Syria are, quote, "beneficial," and he says he would welcome their expansion into his country so long as that is to fight ISIS.

CHURCH: Yeah. And Haider al Abadi made these comments during an interview on PBS on Wednesday. The leader also said he met with Russia's president and urged him to join the fight against ISIS.

We're going to take a very short break. We'll be back in a moment here on CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[02:50:14] JAVAHERI: Good Thursday morning to you. Pedram Javaheri for CNN "Weather Watch."

(WEATHER REPORT)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Hidden doorways inside an ancient tomb may lead to the discovery of a queen who ruled Egypt more than 3,000 years ago. BARNETT: That's right. This is cool. If proven true, many say it

would be among the greatest discoveries to date in Egyptology.

CNN's Ian Lee has more on the search for Queen Nefertiti's tomb.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A new dawn in Egypt as archaeologists make the greatest discovery ever, the tomb of Nefertiti. Or did they?

The queen ruled Egypt over 3,000 years ago. Her name means "a beautiful woman has come." The search for this mysterious queen starts in a valley for kings.

Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves, and antiquities minister, Mamdouh Al- Damaty, lead the expedition.

Reeves believes Nefertiti shares a tomb with Egypt's most famous king, Tutankhamen. The journey begins in the bowels of his resting place.

NICHOLAS REEVES, BRITISH EGYPTOLOGIST: I have no preconceived notions that Nefertiti might be buried here.

LEE: But subtle clues evolved into a theory.

REEVES: My feeling is this is a tomb that was originally made for a queen. It was then adapted for the burial of a -- if it was the same queen, it was a queen who had become pharaoh because we've got pharaohnic scenes here. The pharaoh in question looks to be Nefertiti, and the person burying Nefertiti looks to be Tutankhamen.

LEE: The ornate walls are a distraction camouflaging a secret, but modern technology pierces through the deception.

REEVES: Without all this distracting color, you can see all sorts of things. You can see lines which indicate corners of cut walls, and these are the things that I've been -- I noticed at first and have since been trying to provide a context forth. If I'm right, this is simply the entrance -- part of the entrance of the tomb of Nefertiti.

LEE: Another clue is that Tut's tomb, compared to the rest is, well, rather small and unimpressive.

(on camera): King Tut was a minor blip on the pharaohnic timeline, not very important. But what makes him famous is his tomb was found entirely intact.

(voice-over): And with it rooms of treasure.

[02:55:07] REEVES: There's no evidence that it's been breached in antiquity. So all the indications are that whatever was buried there in ancient times is still there.

LEE: And that discovery could depose the king. MAMDOUH AL-DAMATY, ANTIQUITIES MINISTER: If we found Nefertiti, I

think it must be more important than the discovery of the King Tutankhamen tomb itself.

LEE: But there's a lot more scanning and testing to be done before digging begins.

Even if Tut has a tomb mate, it's not guaranteed to be Nefertiti.

AL-DAMATY: Could be Nefertiti, could be other members of the family of Tutankhamen. Let us wait for the results.

LEE: Will the beautiful woman come or will she make us wait a little longer?

Ian Lee, CNN, in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: Fascinating there.

(CROSSTALK)

BARNETT: Now, one quick story before we head out. Tickets for a chance to eat Christmas dinner at Harry Potter's Hogwarts have already sold out. On December 3rd ticket holders will get to dine on the original set of the Great Hall, which is at the Warner Brothers studios in London.

CHURCH: This is very cool. But of course, you know you can't get a ticket because they're sold out. The cost, 230 pounds. That's $349. But dinner does come with a wand.

(LAUGHTER)

We should mention CNN and Warner Brothers are both part of Time Warner.

BARNETT: Better be a magical wand for that price, let me tell you.

(CROSSTALK)

BARNETT: There's an owl in Harry Potter named Errol.

CHURCH: How about that.

BARNETT: And I'm sure there's a Rosemary in there somewhere.

CHURCH: Ah, yes, I'm sure, hidden away.

Thanks for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church. Don't go away.

BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett. Stay with us.

(LAUGHTER) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)