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Indian PM Visits Pakistan; Iraqi Forces Close In on ISIS; CNN International Correspondents on ISIS; Southern U.S. Ripped by Storm; Christmas Season in Israel Marred by Violence; New Life in the U.S. Aired 12-12:30a ET
Aired December 26, 2015 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Writing new history: India's prime minister makes a surprise visit to Pakistan, the first of its kind in more than a decade.
Iraqi forces battle their way through Ramadi, closing on in remaining ISIS fighters ahead of a final push to reclaim this key city.
And another severe storm tears through the southern U.S., the destruction and what lies ahead. It's all here next on CNN NEWSROOM. And Merry Christmas to many of you and thank you for watching. This is CNN, I'm Natalie Allen.
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ALLEN: And we begin with this story, encouraging signs the icy relationship between India and Pakistan may be thawing. This, as Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday became the first leader of his country to visit Pakistan in more than a decade.
Modi met with his counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, and talked about restarting a dialogue and increasing contact between their nations. But as CNN's Sumnima Udas reports, the countries have much to overcome if they're ever able to live side by side in peace.
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SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Any time the prime ministers of India and Pakistan meet, it becomes significant. The two countries have been arch rivals since independence nearly 70 years ago.
But India prime minister Narendra Modi's visit to Lahore is getting particular notice; it was a surprise layover after a visit to Kabul. It's the first time an Indian prime minister has visited Pakistan in almost 12 years.
Modi's visit with his Pakistani counterpart was brief. Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif welcomed Modi at the airport. They exchanged pleasantries over tea at Sharif's ancestral home. It also happens to be Sharif's birthday.
But is this all symbolism or is there anything more to it?
That's what many people are asking today. Relations between Pakistan and India have been tense for the past few years. The two sides weren't even talking and cross-border skirmishes have been routine. Contentious issues, like terrorism and the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir remain.
But political commentators in India say there appears to be a shift in prime minister Modi's foreign policy, vis-a-vis Pakistan. On the sidelines of COP 21 in Paris this image of Modi and Sharif talking created a lot of buzz. It was just a 2-minute meeting but it symbolized a perceived thaw in relations. Whether there is anything beyond the optics is still to be seen. But many analysts say this impromptu meet is a step in the right direction -- Sumnima Udas, CNN, New Delhi.
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ALLEN: Joining me now is Aparna Pande. She's director of Initiative on the Future of India and South Asia at the Hudson Institute.
Ms. Pande, thank you for joining us.
APARNA PANDE, INITIATIVE ON THE FUTURE OF INDIA AND SOUTH ASIA, HUDSON INSTITUTE: Thank you, Natalie.
ALLEN: Let's talk about the significance of Prime Minister Modi's surprise stopover in Pakistan.
PANDE: Well, it's a diplomatic breakthrough but it's also something not new. Mr. Modi's not the first Indian prime minister to extend a hand of friendship to Pakistan. Every prime minister for the last six decades has sought to make peace with Pakistan, their legacy. So in one way Mr. Modi's simply continuing an old policy. What is new, however or different, is the style of (INAUDIBLE).
ALLEN: And tell us about the style.
PANDE: The style is Mr. Modi's foreign policy, his first act on building relations (INAUDIBLE) was to invite all South Asian leaders, including Mr. Nawaz Sharif, to his inauguration. For the last one and a half years, Mr. Modi was on foreign policy in which he travels to countries and builds personal ties with leaders.
He has also emphasized that South Asia is very important for him and that India can not become a leading par without his neighbors rooting for India. So it's part of foreign policy paradigm that he trying to set up and push forward. And part of that is the boosting of Pakistani civilian government and pushing for and creating commercial ties with Pakistan, (INAUDIBLE) may give the civilian government a leverage against the Pakistani military.
ALLEN: Is that --
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ALLEN: I'm sorry to interrupt you. But I just want to say is that what has kept these two countries from moving forward, the mistrust and the fact that the military is so involved in the government there?
PANDE: Yes. I believe that, at the root of (INAUDIBLE) relations lies mistrust, mistrust between the two establishments, I mean, the --
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PANDE: -- political military establishments and the fact that the Pakistani military intelligence establishment still sees India as an existential threat and therefore is unwilling to allow anyone, even if (INAUDIBLE), who changed the paradigm and to allow a paradigm shift and to allow better ties.
ALLEN: Aparna Pande, thank you so much for your expertise, we appreciate your joining us.
PANDE: Thank you.
ALLEN: A top Syrian rebel group has confirmed that their leader was killed. Syrian state media report that Zahran Allouch, the general commander of the rebel group Jaysh al-Islam, died after airstrikes hit a suburb of Damascus.
State TV aired this video, which they say shows the airstrike that killed him. But it's still unclear if it was Syrian or Russian aircraft which dropped the bombs. Jaysh al-Islam has no affiliation with ISIS or Al Qaeda but the Syrian government still referred to Allouch as a terrorist when reporting his death.
The Iraqi military is closing in on an ISIS-held government compound in Ramadi in its attempt to retake the key city and the U.S.-led coalition is lending its support for the final (INAUDIBLE). CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr reports.
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BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: As Iraqi forces continue to press against ISIS positions in the center of Ramadi, the fighting is growing more intense. Both U.S.-led coalition and Iraqi aircraft overhead continue to pound ISIS positions in the city, Iraqi forces moving very carefully, very cautiously through fields of IEDs, mines, tunnels, all kinds of barricades and weapons that ISIS, over the months, has laid in the city.
In just one round of airstrikes, U.S.-led coalition bombers exploded seven houses on the ground near Ramadi that were wired with explosives. The only way to get past them was to blow up those buildings. That's the level of fighting that we are seeing.
This is really becoming a must-win for Iraqi forces to demonstrate that they can actually take territory back from ISIS. And everyone is watching to see what the next step will be. If the Iraqis can get Ramadi back, will they be able to hold on to it without a new round of sectarian violence breaking out and will the Iraqis be able to take the next step, head north, clear some villages there, begin to control supply lines and move on into Mosul and get Iraq's second largest city once and for all back from ISIS? Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
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ALLEN: Well, the rise of ISIS has certainly dominated headlines this year. Five of CNN's top international correspondents sat down to discuss what they've learned from covering the story and why ISIS is different than anything they've seen before.
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CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Paris has been such a game changer, because as closely as I've been following the sort of reach of militant groups of ISIS in Europe and the West, I had never expected them to be able to pull off something this organized, something this well --
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NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Did you think it was that organized and that well orchestrated?
No, I don't think it was.
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WARD (voice-over): The main thing that didn't go as well as they were hoping were the vests, the suicide vests.
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WARD: They accomplished their goal.
ELBAGIR: But they accomplished their goal.
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ELBAGIR: There's a difference between extraordinarily complex, well organized attacks that need an infrastructure and eight guys with some vest --
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WARD: Oh, no, I think they had an infrastructure.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What surprises me a little bit about this is I think the lack of a short-term memory. I mean, it was a decade ago that we were looking at Al Qaeda carrying out massive attacks, which killed scores of people and we kind of forget the fear and panic of those days.
WARD: Well, also, the whole nature of recruitment was different. Like, Al Qaeda was recruiting in the (INAUDIBLE), in the mosques.
WATSON: In the mosques.
WARD: And it was an entirely different prospect. Jihad was very abstract.
WATSON: Now these are Facebook --
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WARD: Now these are like your own friends.
WATSON: Who are doing it in their bedroom, yes.
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WARD: -- each other in their bedrooms. So it's a completely -- I think for intelligence authorities, it's a very frightening prospect.
ELBAGIR: But this kind of, I know he grew a beard, he started going to mosques, these are the telltale signs of radicalism, that entire landscape --
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ELBAGIR: -- has changed now.
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: But that also -- all that goes to the greater underlying issues that we have in society and what ISIS has now done for people that are even slightly so inclined is give them that sense of purpose.
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DAMON: So the next question is, it's not in terms of intelligence, how do we fight this, but how do you actually fight that ideology?
How do you revamp society where these kids have a different sense of purpose?
WATSON: All of these kids, their parents came to Europe for a better life. And the --
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WATSON: -- sad irony is that their offspring grow up into people who attack Europe.
WARD: And we have this misconception that ISIS is all about radical Islam. ISIS is a product of a bunch of very complex geopolitical historical trends that have been brewing for years.
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WARD: It's not just about Islam. NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's also terrifying that some guys who clearly aren't particularly mentally well configured, in San Bernardino, can go and shoot some coworkers with a lot of assault weapons and put something on Facebook and that somehow joins a global movement.
ELBAGIR: And there's almost like a wave of hysteria that's building on each other. You saw Paris happen and then you saw San Bernardino kind of crest off it and then -- it's like a contagion in a way.
DAMON: But I there needs to be not hysteria, but, like, let's not underestimate the threat, either.
WARD: Yes.
DAMON: I mean, it is huge.
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ALLEN: Our correspondents on ISIS making headlines this year.
U.S. President Obama and the first lady spent part of their Christmas with U.S. service members, family visited a Marine Corps base in Hawaii Friday. The president also paid tribute to six U.S. troops recently killed in Afghanistan.
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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hello, everybody.
As we know, you know, when you're deployed overseas, it's tough. And even though we've been able to reduce the number of folks who are deployed in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, there are still folks over there every single day.
And it's still dangerous, as we saw this past week, where we had some outstanding, brave men and women who were killed.
And so we never take for granted what all of you do for the American people. You help keep us free. You help keep us strong. And whatever service you're in, whatever branch, we are extraordinarily grateful for everything that you do every single day.
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Mr. Obama spent part of his childhood in Hawaii, the first family travels there every Christmas.
The Afghan Taliban are denying reports they've been coordinating with Russia in the fight against ISIS. The Taliban say such help isn't needed but also say they reserve the right to seek help from other countries.
This contradicts a spokeswoman from the Russian foreign ministry, who says the Kremlin has been sharing intelligence with this old enemy, the Taliban, as ISIS increases its presence in Afghanistan. One analyst says Russia may be helping because of concerns about the
flow of jihadists from the Caucasus region.
In the southeastern U.S., flooded streets and homes and people afraid of yet more damaging wind and rain, we'll tell you what's behind this unusual weather. Derek Van Dam will have that for us.
Plus an earthquake rattles Northern Afghanistan and is felt hundreds of kilometers away.
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ALLEN: It is still unclear how many people were killed in a gas tanker explosion in Southern Nigeria. The country's president says dozens were killed. A report from one journalist says as many as 100 may have died.
The explosion happened as people were lined up to refill their cooking gas containers on Christmas Eve. The fire engulfed a factory and surrounding buildings. Authorities don't know what caused the tanker to explode.
In parts of southeastern U.S., some people spent Christmas Day with their homes and streets flooded. Up to 25 centimeters of rain hit Mississippi on Friday and, in Alabama, people feared possible tornadoes. This video shows the storm damage left behind the city of Birmingham. Here's that city's fire chief.
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BIRMINGHAM FIRE CHIEF: The damage was done that was confined to approximately one square mile. We had three structures, three houses that collapsed. We transported one patient from the scene; there were two others that were removed from the structure but were reported no injuries.
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ALLEN: Derek Van Dam is here with us, the rain, as he was standing there, kind of tells the whole story.
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ALLEN: Yes, heavy and dangerous, 15 people have died in three states this week.
DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Not the Christmas holidays that anybody anticipated nor would ever want. And it was a very dangerous situation and unfortunately, Natalie, there is the possibility of more severe weather to come and that's not only tornadoes; the risk of hail and strong winds, it's ice and heavy snow and blizzard conditions on the cold side of this storm. I'll show you what I mean in just one moment.
ALLEN: Oh, my goodness.
VAN DAM: So take a look at some of this footage now. This is going back to the heavy rainfall in Huntsville, Alabama. There were some rescues that took place and there were two individuals, two women and a baby. They were caught off guard by this high-rising and quick- moving water. Fortunately they were rescued and they were safe, but there was a significant amount of rainfall in this area.
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ALLEN: At least 30 people were injured when a 6.3 earthquake shook Northern Afghanistan late Friday. It happened on the mountainous border with Tajikistan where most homes are made with mud and prone to earthquake damage. Most of the reported injuries occurred in Peshawar, Pakistan, about 320 kilometers from the quake's epicenter.
Hundreds of thousands of refugees left their homes this year in search of a better one. Ahead here, what good fortune looks like with the glimpse of the new life of an Eritrean refugee who made it to the U.S.
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ALLEN: A typically quiet, peaceful time in Israel has been marred by violence. In just the past couple of days, Israeli police say a Palestinian man stabbed two security guards and a woman tried to run over Israeli officers. Both suspects were killed. Oren Liebermann filed this report from Bethlehem on the mood there.
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OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a subdued Christmas in the Holy Land this year in the biblical birthplace of Jesus Christ, the very beginnings of Christianity, festivities in Manger Square next to the Church of the Nativity, not as big, not as crowded as they have been in previous years.
But there was still very much an effort to hang on to a celebration of Christmas Eve to forget, if only for a moment, the violence and the tension surrounding the holiday in Israel, Jerusalem and the West Bank.
And you can feel it. There was a very large security presence in and around Manger Square but it still felt very much like Christmas Eve. The faithful coming out to celebrate and to take part in midnight mass. But the violence continues here. Since the beginning of October, some
20 Israelis have been killed and more than 130 Palestinians have been killed, approximately 70 of which Israeli authorities say were killed while carrying out attacks.
Because of that number, some Palestinian Christian communities in West Bank have scaled back their Christmas festivities as a show of solidarity with all Palestinians. That, unfortunately, is the reality that hangs over Christmas in the Holy Land. And it is a reality that does not seem to be on it's way to ending any time soon -- Oren Liebermann, CNN, Jerusalem.
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ALLEN: Pope Francis is calling for peace in the Middle East and across the world in his Christmas Day message at the Vatican on Friday. The pope denounced what he termed "the brutal acts of terrorism" that struck Paris, France, Beirut, Lebanon, Mali and Tunisia this year.
He said Christians who are being persecuted for their faith are the martyrs of today. And he praised countries that have taken in refugees escaping the fighting in the Middle East.
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POPE FRANCIS (through translator): May God repay all those, both individuals and states, who generously work to provide assistance and welcome to the numerous migrants and refugees, helping them to build a dignified future for themselves and for their dear ones and to be integrated in the societies which receive them.
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ALLEN: Despite a number of states speaking out against refugees coming to the United States, roughly 85,000 people from around the world are expected to resettle in the U.S. in the coming year. And about 25,000 will be from Africa.
Yasmin Vossoughian spoke with a young Eritrean refugee about her new life in the U.S. state of Maryland.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can I try a little bit?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, is that the bean dish?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So this is the bedroom.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And this here, my father sleeps here.
And this is where my mom sleeps and my little brother.
This is our room. I live with my brother. My big brother sleeps here and my older brother, him, he sleeps here. And I sleep here.
I'm (INAUDIBLE) and I'm a Eritrean refugee.
YASMIN VOSSOUGHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You spent the last five years before you came here in a refugee camp.
And where was that refugee camp that you went to?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That was (INAUDIBLE).
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had to carry water every morning and I had to carry it on my back and go to my house. It was a lot of work. They even told me that I was too skinny to come here.
VOSSOUGHIAN: To come to the U.S.?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I was.
When I came here, I thought I would know English like in months or something but like it took me longer, way longer.
VOSSOUGHIAN: It's a hard language to learn.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought like, you know, this is never going to happen. I never thought I would talk English like this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's an excellent student. Her intellect was noticed right away by a teacher who saw real potential in her and got her in touch with the merit scholarship. And if she successfully completes the program, she will get a free ride.
VOSSOUGHIAN: A free ride to where?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To a university.
VOSSOUGHIAN: So when they told you you were going to be a merit scholar, what was your reaction?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was really happy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How are you doing?
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm good.
How's it going? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have the special privilege of being her Soccer without Borders mentor.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Awesome. This is good.
VOSSOUGHIAN: Do you help Kibra (ph) and her brothers, too?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. And sister, if necessary.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: America has made me a better person. I love it. Mostly I love the school. And like, we have more food.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: More food.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
I want to become a doctor. We didn't have doctors back in the camp. Made me feel like I should be one of them and, like, help people.
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ALLEN: A refugee success story. We wish her well. Looks like she's on her way.
We've all received a wrong number phone call before but, probably not from space. British astronaut Tim Peake phoned home on Christmas Even -- as in to Earth -- but he misdialed. And he sent out a tweet, saying "I'd like to apologize to the lady I just called by mistake, saying, 'Hello, is this planet Earth?'
"Not a prank call, just a wrong number."
Peake is aboard the International Space Station for the next six months.
That's pretty cool. I would like to get a call from an astronaut, even if it's by mistake.
Thanks for watching CNN NEWSROOM. We hope you had a wonderful Christmas Day. I'm Natalie Allen. Our top stories are right after this.
