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More Than 50,000 Troops Advancing Towards Mosul; Human Rights Group Warn Battle for Mosul Could be Humanitarian Crisis in the Making; New Polls Show Clinton Leading Trump; EU Foreign Ministers Discuss Crisis in Syria; Thailand Mourns Its King; WikiLeaks Releases More Hacked E-mails. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired October 17, 2016 - 03:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:00:00] MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Max Foster in London following the breaking news for you out of Iraq.

More than 50,000 troops are advancing towards Mosul for the biggest fight yet against ISIS. The Iraqi state media report that nine villages in the area have already been liberated the Iraqi troops, Peshmerga fighters, Shiite paramilitary groups and others have all joined the fight. But they have a huge concern.

The estimated one million civilians still inside Mosul.

CNN has spoken to two residents of the city air strikes they report air strikes and shelling overnight and into the morning. They also say they've seen ISIS fighters moving to the western part of the city.

The Iraqi Prime Minister announced the start of the offensive is send the message of hope to the people of Mosul on Sunday. He says victory is coming soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAIDER AL-ABADI, IRAQI PRIME MINISTER (TRANSLATED): Our dearest people in Nineveh province, the victory bell has rung, and the operations to liberate Mosul have begun. I am announcing today the beginning of these heroic operations to liberate you from the brutality and terrorism from ISIS. God willing, we will meet soon on the ground of Mosul where we will all celebrate the liberation and your freedom.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Our CNN international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh, he is embedded with a Peshmerga unit near Mosul. He describes what he's seen on the ground there.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We are with Peshmerga units that have for about two or three hours now being headed in the direction of the open sprawl of Mosul that is still some far distance behind me. And we are with a unit at a berm near pretty much the first village they came across on the way.

Now we have seen pretty intense exchange of fire, given how small that settlement behind me actually is and given how we saw it hit by coalition air strike about hour and a half ago roughly.

We've since then seeing where Peshmerga fighters here feed was in fact a suicide bomb in a car driving towards our position here. That sparked considerable panic both from far opponent and then it seems like some sort of explosive device took it out. That could be one of the many coalition aircraft we'll be hearing in the sky above us here.

But this small village behind me here has send a lot of fire back towards the Peshmerga. They have old weaponry, I have to say, it's fair to say over here. I recall as rifles heavy machine guns are consistently jammed. But this is the first wave really of what many say is the last chapter of ISIS in Iraq.

This assault against Mosul here and many had hoped to potentially be advance towards the city of Mosul. I can't be too geographically specific with you here. But that kind of men has got so many (Inaudible) slightly to this direction and I hope our signal stays strong as we do that.

You can see some of the environment we're standing in here, a lot of black smoke on the horizon and we've heard the consistent flood of artillery or mortar landing in the past hours or so.

But still at this stage, the hopes of maybe this advanced across the plains towards Mosul would be that effortless that perhaps ISIS had been pounded adequately by coalition air strikes that they simply weren't going to be able to put up a fight.

While those hopes do seem to obtain substantially given the kind of resistance here. The coalition they say have put up a massive preparation into this. There is a foreign presence; it's fair to say in the Iraqi convoys that we're seeing here.

We don't give too much away, obviously for the operation security of the people that we're actually traveling with on our own, but still over this berm here is a remarkably small hamlet that's putting up pretty this (Ph) resistance.

And it does show devices that they are willing to defend even the most small positions in the direction of Mosul.

FOSTER: Nick Paton Walsh there. Now senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman has been following the build-up to this operation for several days now. He joins us from east of Mosul in Irbil.

Ben, what do we know about civilians in the city? How many are there and how are they going to be protected if, at all.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Precise numbers, Max, are hard to come by. But the estimates range between 700,000 and a million still inside the city, the situation has been difficult for them for quite some time, simply living under ISIS is no easy thing to do.

But in recent weeks people have been hoarding food and other supplies because things are running low, cash is run quite low for quite some time. Because many of the residents of Mosul are government employees and since the ISIS took over Mosul on the 10th of June 2014, government employees have not been paid, so there's an extreme cash shortage as well.

[03:04:55] Now, night before last Iraqi aircraft dropped leaflets over the city instructing people on how to act when the offensive begins. The Iraqi government has made it clear, it wants civilians, if they feel safe to stay in a home rather than flee the city and perhaps clog up an already stressed network for aiding refugees from Muslim.

They've been told to put out white flags to show that they are not combatants to stay away from any ISIS positions, to avoid anywhere where there has been any explosion or bombing for the -- because of the possibility of follow up explosions, so they have been told how to act.

They've even been given a phone number if they have information that they can provide to Iraqi forces as they enter the city.

And we know with reporting from our Arwa Damon going back several months, that there is a network of fighters against ISIS within the city, they mark the walls with the Arabic letter "m" which stands for "mukawma" or resistance and that they have been conducting hit-and-run attacks on ISIS members and positions.

Now what we're hearing from residence inside Mosul is that ISIS is in a rather agitated state, that some of the fighters have moved from the eastern side across the river to the west where it is expected that ISIS will put up more of a fight that the eastern is expected that that will be the initial target of the brunt of the offensive.

On the western side, you have the old city where it is difficult for large armored vehicles to drive through, so it is expected that that is where some of the resistance may be the stiffest. But as I said, caught in the middle anywhere between 700,000 and a million civilians largely helpless at this point. Max?

FOSTER: But if they did manage to recapture the city, that would -- would it be the effected defeat of IS in Iraq, by definition?

WEDEMAN: ell, certainly when you look at the symbolic significance of Mosul it is the second largest city in Iraq. It is the largest city controlled by ISIS either in Syria or Iraq.

It was there that on the 29th of June 2014, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS declared the establishment, the re-establishment of the caliphate after it was abolished by Ataturk in March of 1924.

So, in terms of symbolic significant, strategic significance, political significance, the loss of Mosul would be huge. But there are still three towns that ISIS controls Hawija in central Iraq. There's the Al Qa'im on the Syrian-Iraqi border and there is the town of Tal Afar between Mosul and the Syrian border.

So, this would be certainly the biggest city to fall but there is still a bit of a battle to go. Max?

FOSTER: OK. Ben, thank you. Back with you later.

The U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter release the state This is a decisive moment in the campaign to deliver ISIL a lasting defeat. The United States and the rest of the international coalition stand ready to support the Iraqi security forces, Peshmerga forces and the people of Iraq in the difficult fight ahead.

We are confident our Iraq partners will prevail against our common enemy and free Mosul and the rest of Iraq from ISIL's hatred and brutality.

CNN military analyst Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona joins me now. What role will international forces have in this, they've been very clear that it will be Iraqis that ultimately take the city when it comes to that?

RICK FRANCONA, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Right. You're going to see the coalition doing mostly advice and assist that we've been talking about for several weeks, probably down to the battalion level, but as you said they're not going to be involved in the actual fighting nor will they probably enter the city of Mosul with the Iraqi forces.

But the air campaign over Mosul will be mostly coalition fighters. There is some Iraqi army aviation going to be involved and some Iraqi air force. But the bulk it's going to be U.S.-led coalition. And that we are seeing that already. There's pretty heavy bombardment over the last couple of days.

We also have U.S. army artillery batteries firing into Mosul right now. So, they will be supporting, but this is going to be an Iraqi operation.

FOSTER: And, you know, months in the planning, isn't this operation what's the big challenge, would you say, apart from the civilian factor that we're just talking about that been there.

FRANCONA: Well, yes, as you know, as Ben said the city fell to ISIS in 2014 in June. And they've had two-and-a-half years now to prepare the defenses of the city.

[03:09:59] They know this fight was coming. It's been no secret that the retake in Mosul was the primary objective of the Iraqi military, they've been training for this for two years but ISIS has a network of tunnels they can move forces around very quickly inside the city to mass force where they need it.

So, when the Iraqis finally get into the city, they will be met with stiff existence. There's a point they have to get to the city. We see all this fighting where Nick Paton Walsh is, there's still about 15 miles from the outskirts of the city, so they've got to fight their way to the city and then into the city. So, I think we're looking at a campaign of many, many weeks, maybe several months.

FOSTER: And we can expect units of suicide bombers as well, how did you deal with that, how did you prepare for that.

FRANCONA: Yes. Well, you know, the Iraqi counter terrorism forces have trained to do just that. And they've got a lot of spotters watching for just this thing and when they see these vehicles moving they've got a protocol on how to address them, not only using, you know, their ground based weapons, but they're also using coalition aircraft to come in and blow these things up before they get to them.

It's a very effective weapon that the ISIS people have perfected. And they don't just use one or two, they bring them in waves. So it's a real problem for the Iraqis. But we're not going to see a lot of that until they get into the city.

In the outskirts they're going to fight this delaying action, and we're seeing that already. I think the Iraqis have just now realized they'll not going to drive right up to they see it, they're going to have to fight their way in and I think that's already affecting their planning.

FOSTER: OK. Thank you very much, indeed. Back with you later as well. Here with me now is Fawaz Gerges. He is the author of the book "ISIS, A History." He is also the chair of contemporary Middle East southwest London School of Economics. I thank you, Fawaz for joining us.

What sort of timeline are you looking at here, when do the main battle begin?

FAWAZ GERGES, "ISIS, A HISTORY" AUTHOR: Well, let me and this is the first phase. It just -- it has just begun. The real fights for most of the city itself probably once it starts till the end of November or even December or probably January.

It's a huge city. To give you an idea just the center of the city it's 10 miles wide and 10 miles long. You have between 5,000 and 8,000 fighters, ISIS fighters here. I mean, deeply entrenched in the city.

They have had two years in that to basically entrench themselves in Mosul. It's a very difficult fight. The big question for us is that the morale of the ISIS fighters, are they willing to stand up and fight. So far they have shown that this is their nation based in Iraq.

It's the second largest Iraqi city. If Mosul falls, Max, this would mean the end of the territorial caliph. This does not mean the end of ISIS as terrorist organization.

FOSTER: But does end the caliphate?

GERGES: Absolutely, territorial wise, it's gone. You're losing, I mean, this is the jewel and the crown, Mosul. This is where Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS declared the establishment of the caliphate. This is the seat of the caliphate. This is the cultural capital of caliphate. So, yes, it would be a shattering blow. There are so many ifs, we have to wait and see. This will be -- I mean, it's going to be, as the American Defense Secretary, it's going to be difficult fight. The question is will it take a few weeks or will it take few months. And the greater question is that the post-ISIS more in reconstruction plan does the Iraqi government really have a plan in place.

FOSTER: What do we know about that? Do they...

GERGES: Well, we, so far, I mean, I think if we know from Fallujah and Tikrit and Ramadi, I mean, it's not good. But the reason why I'm a bit optimistic about Mosul that's because the Americans have invested a great deal of effort.

The Americans have impressed on the Iraqi government the need to deal with the humanitarian crisis. The United Nations and also international organizations have done a great deal of planning. You have between 800,000 and one million people.

So, I mean, just hopeful that Mosul is a different situation than Fallujah and Tikrit probably.

FOSTER: So they need it to work, it needs to look as though it's been handled properly.

GERGES: Absolutely. And not just in terms of the humanitarian crisis, you have, I mean, the 800,000 people. Also, in in terms of ethnic divisions. How will the Iraqi government and the Kurds deal with each other after the city is city is liberated. How about the Sunni and the Shiite coalition.

Also one particular word that the prime minister uttered last night about the Mosul foundation - battle. He said, only the Iraqi army and the Iraqi Armed Forces will enter Mosul. And that means that the government Shiite allies will not enter Mosul.

Because as you well know that the so-called mobilization forces that the Shiite-led coalition or forces are extremely controversial.

[03:14:59] This is mainly a Sunni dominated city. So the fact obviously the Americans have impressed on the prime minister the need to really, this is an operation for the Iraqi army. It should be at -- I mean, taken ownership by the Iraqi army and keeping the Shiite that pushes out of Mosul is a good sign.

And also the Kurds the Peshmerga forces now are closely working with the Iraqi army and the Iraqi forces. Final point on the military situation, the Americans have 500 Special Operation Forces embedded with the Iraqi army and the Kurdish forces. This tells you how strategic this particular battle for the Obama administration even though Barack Obama will not be in the office when the city is liberated.

FOSTER: OK. Fawaz, thank you very much indeed for analysis.

The human rights groups warning the battle for Mosul could be a humanitarian crisis in the making. The U.N. estimate more than one million people maybe force to flee the city, more than 64,000 civilians are already being displaced from Mosul since March, and nationwide, more than three million people are being forced from their homes since the start of 2014.

Millions more across the station across the country need humanitarian aid.

And we will have more on the battle from Mosul in just a moment. Plus, the U.S. presidential race getting even uglier, would you believe. We are getting a first look inside the firebomb republican campaign office. Both presidential candidates are now reacting to the shocking vandalism.

[03:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Welcome back. Iraqi forces are advancing on Mosul in the long awaited offensive to retake the strategically important city from ISIS. The resident inside Mosul tell CNN there's been heavy shelling. And she saw a large number of ISIS fighters moving to the western side of the city.

Armored vehicles are spreading out on the approach to Mosul. Gunfire and rockets are being heard, are being fired from the village where militants are believed to be hold up.

Now the fight is expected to last for weeks possibly months before city is free to the fair fighters and weapons from Turkey and from Syria.

A broad international coalition has joined the fight to recapture Mosul. France is using the flag ship of its fleet as a base for air strikes.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen shows us what is like on board.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Take off to a combat mission over Iraq and Syria. France is one of American's closest allies in the fight against ISIS. But the aircraft carrier, Charles de Gaulle the country is drastically increasing its strikes against the terror group.

The 24 Rafale jets carried four 500-pound laser guided bombs each, a Squadron commander tells me. We can only identify him by his first name in accordance with French military regulations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rafale is a fourth generation aircraft capable of doing interrogation mission to deep fire a power to the people on the ground. The aim is to help the Iraqi forces on the ground to fight against Daesh.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITEN: France has hit hard by ISIS' terror. Fighters sent by the group killing more than 100 people in Paris last November. That prompted France to unleash its military flying mission over Iraq and Syria and deploying some forces as well. The squadron commander says his men and women are determined to destroy ISIS.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For me, it's to help prevent any more terrorist attack in France where it leaves all families and relatives, so that's very important for all the people on the Charles de Gaulle and my squadron.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: The Charles de Gaulle operates almost exactly the same way as American aircraft carriers, allowing the French to operate seamlessly alongside U.S. forces in the area.

The Charles de Gaulle is France's most powerful weapon in the fight against ISIS and its jets play a major role in the effort to liberate Mosul from the terror group.

And French fighters are already flying bombing missions over Mosul the commander of the nefarious strike group tells me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (TRANSLATED): This intensification, the French efforts around Mosul come at a key moment as the efforts of the coalition are bearing fruit, he says, ISIS is retreating on the ground and has lost big cities like Ramadi, Fallujah and Manbij.

The fall of ISIS is our ultimate goal and this goes with the liberation of Mosul and Raqqa.

And France has vowed to keep its forces in the region until the goal of ultimately eliminating ISIS is achieved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: Fred Pleitgen, CNN, on the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in the Mediterranean Sea.

FOSTER: Now, CNN polls show Hillary Clinton leading Donald Trump heading into Wednesday's third and final U.S. presidential debate. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll has Clinton up 11 points actually, 48 percent to 37.

And ABC News/Washington Post poll shows a much closer race. Hillary Clinton has a four-point lead in that one with a margin, and that's within the margin of error.

We're now getting up close look inside the republican campaign office that was firebomb in North Carolina early on Sunday. Authorities are yet to name any suspects. Vandals also spray painted "Nazi republicans get out of town or else" and a Swastika on the building next door. Now in response Donald Trump tweeted, quote, "Animals representing

Hillary Clinton and dems in North Carolina just firebombed our office in Orange County because we're winning."

Hillary Clinton now tweeted, "The attack on the Orange County headquarters office is horrific and unacceptable. Very grateful that everyone is safe."

Now it's important to note that authorities haven't said anything that indicates the identities or affiliations of those responsible for this firebombing.

Donald Trump has been losing support ever since the recording from 2005 was released in which he bragged about groping women. Since then nine women have come forward to accuse the candidate of essential misconduct. Trump dismisses them all as liars and says they are part of smear campaign by the media and he's ramping up his claims, the election is rigged.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The election is being rigged by corrupt media pushing false allegations and outright lies in an effort to elect Hillary Clinton president.

(CROWD BOOING)

[03:25:05] But we are going to stop it. We are not going to back down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, former New York City Mayor and top Trump adviser Rudy Giuliani spoke with CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday about the allegations of sexual assault facing the republican nominee.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: No, I believe my friend, Donald Trump when he tells me he didn't do it. I know Donald. I've been with him for 28 years. I haven't seen him anything do like that. I haven't been able to focus on every single one of the things that they said. The one on the airplane, there is an independent witness who says it's not true. The one involving...

(CROSSTALK)

JAKE TAPPER, STATE OF THE UNION SHOW HOST: That guy who use to procure under -- the former pent guy that you're talking about.

GIULIANI: Well, I mean, look, you don't pick who the witnesses are to watch something. I don't get -- I don't get to select who the witnesses are that are sitting around me. So far no one has come forward to corroborate what she said and this man has come forward on his own and said it's not true.

Second, one of them, I think it was one of the contestants was telling her cousin wonderful things about him up until the time he didn't go to her restaurant opening about three or four months ago that she turned on him and became very bitter. And he doesn't that's true.

TAPPER: So, you think the nine women are lying. You believe Donald Trump...

(CROSSTALK)

GIULIANI: I would not say it that way. I believe Donald Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Rudy Giuliani. Now meanwhile the largest of offensive against ISIS is getting underway in Iraq. We'll have more on the fight for Mosul, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:29:59] FOSTER: Welcome back to our viewers from around the world. I'm Max Foster in London. Let's update you on our top stories this hour.

Tens of thousands of troops are fighting to retake Mosul from ISIS the terror group's major stronghold in Iraq.

Our teams on the ground have heard gunfire and rocket strikes over the last few hours and recent reports say nine villages around the city are being liberated.

More than a dozen people are dead and many are missing after a ferry are sunken in Myanmar. According to multiple reports rescue official says the boat was packed with people and warns the death toll will likely rise.

There were smiles and tears of joy in Nigeria when 21 schoolgirls were reunited with their families on Sunday. Boko Haram kidnapped more than 200 girls in Chibok two years ago. The ones in this video were the first to be released after negotiations between the Nigerian government and the terror group.

China has launched its most ambitious space mission yet. Two astronauts are headed to a new lab where they'll spend 33 days in orbit, the lab is approach to China's ultimate goal, which is a permanent space station who set into orbit in 2022.

We're getting more now though, on the operation to liberate Mosul from ISIS.

CNN's Arwa Damon and her team are near the city. We spoke with her earlier and she described the scene there.

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: From this position the Peshmerga fighters have been launching mortar rounds as well as the series of rockets into the villages down below.

We have also, from this vantage point, seen one fairly large explosion, as well as a lot of other smaller ones, there was a building that had caught fire. It would seem from the rockets that were launched from this particular position.

There has been quite a concerted effort to soften the territory as it is called before these various different forces do move in their advanced towards the city in and of itself.

And speaking of the city of Mosul, there are around 1.5 million civilians still believed to be there and, of course, their fate is of utmost concern at this stage, the Iraqi government did drop leaflets on the city trying to tell people how to keep themselves safe, giving them details on exactly how they should be taping up their windows, advising them to disconnect the gas cylinders, take them outside if they possibly can.

Stay away from explosion sites and to try to stay indoors and always keep a wet cloth with them. The handful of civilians that we have been able to speak to over the course of the last few days, bearing in mind that it's incredibly difficult for anyone to make contact with someone inside Mosul.

Because just to be caught with a cell phone could potentially be a death sentence as ISIS views just about anyone who has trying to place a call as being an informant have told us about shortages in basic food supplies.

Saying that they've also noticed a different posture when it comes to the ISIS fighters. We do know from a series of sources within the city that it would appear that ISIS had released some of its own detainees from prison.

People that had been detained for things like, smoking or shaving of wearing western clothing and had ordered them to begin digging underground tunnels. We also have a series of reports from witnesses saying that ISIS had executed dozens of its own for allegedly attempting to flee the city.

This is, though, as we have been reporting very much the initial stages of what promises to be a very difficult and very long battle, especially at these various forces do get close to the city itself.

FOSTER: Well, as the operation to retake Mosul begins here are few reasons why the city is so important. That was Iraq's second largest city before ISIS took over with more than two million residents. The city lies there oil fields and a pipe line to Turkey as well.

But Mosul was an airport -- important to trade hub really between Iraq and Syria and Turkey. And as far as Gerges has said just a few moments ago, the deliberation of Mosul would be a shattering blow to the self- declared ISIS caliphate.

For more on the Mosul, I'm joined now via Skype by Scott Lucas, he's a professor of the international politics of the University of Birmingham here in the U.K. We've heard -- thanks for joining us.

But we've heard intelligence chiefs in Europe warned in recent months that if there is a big sort of operation to reduce their success on the battlefield of ISIS, then there will be backlash here in Europe, are you concerned about that?

SCOTT LUCAS, UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICS PROFESSOR: I think you have to be prepared for it. When the push back against Islamic state, not only in Iraq but in Syria in late 2015, the Islamic state shifted its approach and began discussing organized operations in Europe.

Now, this was just before the attacks in Paris and in Brussels. So, sure, they're going to try to strike back with what you might call asymmetric warfare.

[03:35:00] That said I think there have been preparations and indeed a great deal of law enforcement in recent months to try to block this possibility. So, I wouldn't, you know, live my life in fear that we're going to immediately have, you know, bombings throughout Europe because of this operation to take Mosul.

FOSTER: But it's going to hit it very hard, isn't it, psychologically as much as militarily if they lose Mosul because it's an important city, of course, but it is where the caliphate was declared. So, we heard from an earlier guest that the caliphate is over if Mosul is liberated. And that can do huge harm to the ISIS' core.

LUCAS: This changes the nature of the Islamic state. I mean, that the difference between the Islamic state and say that an Al Qaeda is that the Islamic hoped to become a governing authority. It would actually rule parts of countries like Iraq and like Syria, and that's what the possibility opened up two years ago when Mosul was captured, as well as cities like Tikrit, Ramadi and Fallujah.

But Mosul is the last city, it's the last major city that they hold in Iraq. They only hold one real major city in Syria Raqqa, if those go, the organization moves back from being a government authority to being, let's point blank, an insurgency, you know, getting back with bombings causing violence but no longer they were being to claim, you know, forget the words caliphate any notion of the government.

FOSTER: In terms of what it means on the ground all those civilians caught in the city there's a huge amount of concern about them, and we turn to Ben Wedeman about that little earlier on. If they do get out, where do they go, what sort of systems are in place from your understanding.

LUCAS: It's surprising. We haven't had that much discussion about it's possible because of security not to tip off that the offensive was going to begin. But I will suspect that you have preparations that civilians who are moving in to Kurdistan, for example, which is near Mosul, that there be camps set up there.

Although there will be facilities set up in Kurdish camps in cities to deal with them. There will be some civilians who moves to the south, however, to areas such as Tikrit, where of course we had ongoing issues of sectarian violence, Shia versus Sunni violence sparked by the Iraqi civil war for years. And the question of how not only you give those people shelter, but

how you prevent communal conflict, that's going to be an equally important question, as important any, you know, immediate military consideration over the operation in the next few days and even months.

FOSTER: But what do you think about this idea that they can't get civilians out because the ISIS are famous, aren't they, for using as civilians as shields. There is no way they are going to let them live if they have any control over the city.

LUCAS: We've got a bit precedent for this. And that is in cases such as Tikrit, Ramadi, and Fallujah and indeed in Syria, what would happen is that the surrounding forces would allow a corridor. Now that corridor would allow civilians to get up. You could even see some Islamic state fighters to try to escape.

And why you can't guarantee that, you know, the most civilians will get out, it at least allows an opportunity to limit the damage inside the city when they attempt.

And remember also, we're not talking about a corridor that is going to be open for day or for weeks, this campaign will take months. It will not be an all-out attack on Mosul. That would risk too many civilians lives, so this is doing to be a slow ongoing process to limit, and I hate using this phrase, collateral damage from the attacks on the Islamic state.

FOSTER: And then once the city is liberated if indeed it is. You've got this sectarian tinder boxes will this emerge from the liberation of other cities and this is going to be no different.

LUCAS: Let's be clear, I mean, as much as the headlines will rightly gather around this operation, this is a way to start of the challenge. Iraq has been a country which has been politically broken for many, many years, before the 2003 Iraq war and afterwards.

The sectarian issue it has gotten worse over the past decade. And it will be a challenge for the Iraqi government along with those who support it, can you establish legitimacy. Not just on the Shia versus Sunni issue but probably in a more important on providing basic economic services and providing basic security so you do not have a repeat of what happened with the Islamic state offensive in 2014.

FOSTER: OK. Professor Lucas, thank you very much for joining us from Birmingham.

LUCAS: Thank you.

FOSTER: Our European Union foreign ministers are meeting in Luxemburg to discuss the crisis in Aleppo and Syria. Meanwhile, the talks come that air strikes have killed civilians and destroy hospitals and water stations in the city. Activists say that 45 people killed in air strikes on Sunday and on Monday.

And western leaders are calling for an investigation of possible war crimes in the Russian back defensive by the Syrian military against rebel held areas in Aleppo.

The E.U. is expected to condemn the bombing campaign and call for a ceasefire.

[03:40:00] North of Aleppo ISIS militants have been being driven out over Dabiq, Turkish-backed Syrian rebels reclaimed it on Sunday.

Ian Lee explains the symbolic importance of that town.

IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Another major setback for ISIS. Syrian rebels backed by Turkeys and the United States liberate the village of Dabiq Sunday. Not a major strategic prize but for ISIS it's the prophesize location of their apocalyptic show down.

Dabiq featured heavily in the group's propaganda in the title of ISIS' online magazine. An ancient Islamic prophesy foretells this location where the Messiah descends from the heavens to defeat the anti-Christ.

Instead, an American A-10 war hawks swooped from the sky showering bullets down on ISIS's 1,200 defenders finishing them off with air strikes, 2,000 Syrian rebels cleaned up minimal resistance supported by Turkish tanks and artillery, part of Turkish Operation Euphrates Shield. Armageddon aborted an another ISIS black flag on the dust heat of history.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (TRANSLATED): This is not the great clash that the profit peace be upon him talked about. You are the outlaws. You are the dogs of fire. If you do not come back, you will die and be harshly punished. We will kill you in every place, in every house. We will follow you until the last fortification.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEE: The loss of Dabiq deals a major psychological blow to ISIS as it prepares to defend Mosul in Iraq, the largest city in the terror group's control. Now in the crosshairs of Iraqi-Kurdish an American coalition forces waiting for zero hour.

ISIS used the prophecy as part of its propaganda for recruitment with the fall of Dabiq followers will feel the chill of reality as ISIS is exposed for the fraud it was all along.

Ian Lee, CNN, Istanbul.

FOSTER: Now the people of Thailand are expressing their love and adoration after the passing of their beloved king. Now it appears the succession of the crown prince will take longer than expected. Details coming up.

[03:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: The people of Thailand are grieving deeply over the passing of their beloved king.

Will Ripley reports now from outside the ground palace in Bangkok where so many are showing their love and adoration.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: To give you an idea of just the incredible show of grief that we're still seeing here in Bangkok on Monday after a weekend of mourning. It is two hours before the grand palace opens. You can see the police getting the palace ready.

But look at this, there's already a sizable queue, these are people some of whom were sleeping here overnight waiting in line to sign a condolence book for K Bhumibol who died on Thursday at the age of 88 after a 70-year reign.

People bringing with them the photos of the king and the royal family that many Thai people have in their homes. People also dressed, for the most part, pretty much everybody in this queue dressed in black or white. The primary mourning colors during this very somber period, a mourning period that is expected to last here in Thailand for the last year.

This is authentic. These are not people who are told to come here. These are people who wanted to come here because they care so much about their kind and they want to let the royal family know that they are grieving along with them.

Over the weekend, the Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn issued a message to Thai people through the prime minister asking them not to worry about the issue of succession because the crown prince surprised many in this country because he said that he needed more time to grieve before ascending to the throne.

His father, when he ascended to the thrown in 1946 became king that very same day that his older brother died mysteriously and many expected the same happened, but the crown prince said, after a 70-year reign and clearly so much love and adoration for his father, the country needs time before naming a new king.

Right now he says it is a time to grieve. And as a result, even visitors and tourists here in Bangkok were ask to dress in somber colors. They're asked to respect the mourning protocol that's in place. That means that entertainment activities are significantly are scaled down, sporting events are cancelled.

Outdoor drinking is not happening. The red light district pretty much empty. And people are ask that to show respect as they come to visit here.

But in the meantime, Bangkok is trying to get back to some semblance of a normal life. Banks and public services are back up and running. Schools are open and people will be out in this city going on with their lives while also acknowledging that things here will never be the same.

Will Ripley, CNN, Bangkok.

FOSTER: Hillary Clinton may be leading in the latest polls, but one issue is still thrown in her side. The latest installment of her stolen e-mails is coming out.

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PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Weather watch time for the Americas. Pedram Javaheri with you watching the northwestern United States.

Southern Canada here, as the third storm in line of storms here move in across portions of the northwest. And with it, tremendous rain fall, high elevation snow fall, and of course, devastating winds in some of these areas have left hundreds of thousands of people in the dark.

And the pattern looks to remain unsettled. It's going to improve slowly over the next couple of days as far as the wind element is concerned but still calling it for a blustery Monday across the northwestern corner of the United States and Southern Canada.

[03:50:05] And then work your way farther out towards the Midwestern and northeastern United States. Showers going to be the theme across that region and very much on the warmer side down across the southern tier of the United States.

And some areas, in fact, approaching historic warmth for this time of year, even stretching out towards places like Chicago by Tuesday afternoon, high temperatures could be about 5 to 10 degrees Celsius above what it's considered normal for the middle portion of autumn.

And notice the cold air wants to infiltrate back into the picture there towards the latter portion of the week. So, we'll go at 27 degrees in Chicago, again, as impressive as they come for this time of year, Atlanta into the upper 20's. Miami makes it up to around 30 degrees.

It should be partly across that region. We're watching a little area across the Caribbean that could have some implications later in the week when it comes to some tropical weather, but at this point we'll call our partly cloudy skies across this region and some isolated storms.

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FOSTER: Now WikiLeaks has released yet more hacked e-mails of the Clinton campaign. It's the latest batch of what the groups claims its more than 50,000 stolen e-mails.

CNN's Joe Johns has the details.

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: WikiLeaks today releasing thousands more of the hacked e-mails from the account of Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, this weekend the batches of e-mails have included everything from apparent texts of Hillary Clinton's speeches addressing Goldman Sachs, debate over what types of campaign donations to accept, the inner workings of the campaign.

The discussions over allegation concerning Bill Clinton and the controversy that erupted over Hillary Clinton's private e-mail server.

One campaign advisor Neera Tanden in writing to Podesta in August of last year urging Clinton to apologize for it, something she would only do the next month, quote, "She always sees herself bending to their will when she hands over information, et cetera, but the way she has to bend here is in the remorse, not in the 'if I had to do it all again, I wouldn't do it.' A real feeling of this decision I made created a mess and I'm sorry I did that."

"No one thinks she doesn't have the judgment to be president, she's not reaffirming a negative characteristic in saying sorry." According to the e-mail, Podesta essentially replied, agreeing that he was frustrated, too, and suggesting they were trying to get her to apologize.

The Clinton campaign has been put on the defensive in light of the hacking and has tried to deflect attention by blaming Russia. Here is what democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine said today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TIM KAINE, (D-VA) U.S. VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There does need to be a consequence when a foreign nation tries to destabilize an American election, which is what Donald Trump encouraged back in, you know, late July he said, hey, Russia go see if you can cyber hack and find things that will help me win.

But when a foreign government tries to do this, there has to be a consequence. There will be time for figuring out what that consequence is, but you can't let it go in challenge, because if you do, you just -- it could encourage more of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: Russia has not been officially blamed for this hack but has been fingered by the U.S. for other WikiLeaks releases. For its part, republicans are trying to put more attention on the hacked e-mails, for example, once again bringing attention to the cozy relationship, some Clinton Foundation donors had with the State Department.

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GOV. MIKE PENCE, (R-IN) U.S. VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think what Donald Trump is talking about is frankly, what appears to be the monolithic support of the national media for Hillary Clinton's campaign. Their willful ignorance about the avalanche of hard evidence, not allegations, John, but hard evidence coming out in these e-mails of collusion and pay for play politics. And the American people are just tired of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: The State Department and the campaign have denied any pay for play allegation, CNN cannot independently verify the authenticity of the e-mails and Clinton e-mail has neither confirmed nor denied whether they are authentic. Back to you.

[03:55:01] FOSTER: Joe Johns there. Saturday Night Live is getting a lot of laughs for its taken Donald Trump, but the republican presidential candidate doesn't find the U.S. comedy show very funny at all.

Here's watch Trump tweeted on Sunday. "What Saturday Night Live hit job on me. It's time to retire the boring and unfunny show. Alec Baldwin portrayal stinks media rigging election."

Trump isn't the first presidential to slam the media. But critics say his position is far for extreme than his predecessors over the week. And Saturday Night Live knocked Trump's debate performance and the accusations dogging his campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Trump, same question. Do you feel you're modeling your behavior for today's youth?

ALEC BALDWIN, ACTOR: No, next.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you don't care about the kids?

BALDWIN: Anderson I love the kids. OK. I love them so much, I'll marry them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We received a lot of questions online about the audiotape that was released last week of you bragging about sexually assaulting women.

BALDWIN: Listen, what I said is nothing compare to what Bill Clinton has done, OK. He has abused women. Martha, she is trying to silence these women but they need to be respected. They need their voices heard.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What about all the women accusing you of sexual assault?

BALDWIN: They need to shut the hell up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Donald Trump not laughing at that on Saturday. Now thanks for joining us. I'm Max Foster in London. I'll be back with a check of our breaking news. The offensive to retake Mosul, in just a moment.

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