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ISIS Bulldozes Ancient City in Northern Iraq; Iraq Condemns Destruction of Ruins by ISIS; Taliban Blew Up Buddha's Statues in Afghanistan; ISIS Destroyed Artifacts at Mosul Museum; Iraqi Forces Liberate Town Near Tikrit; Iraqi Forces Battle to Recapture Tikrit; Militants Throw Homosexuals Off Buildings; Homosexuals Executed In ISIS Stronghold Of Raqqa; Executions Force Homosexuals To Flee Syria; Boko Haram Video; February Jobs

Aired March 06, 2015 - 13:00   ET

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

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer. It's 1:00 p.m. here in Washington, 6:00 p.m. in London, 8:00 p.m. in Jerusalem, 9:30 p.m. in Tehran. Wherever you're watching from around the world, thanks very much for joining us.

Up first, from present day atrocities to attacks on the past, ISIS militants are destroying more cultural treasures. This time, the target is the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud. Seen here in earlier video, Iraq's ministry of tourism says ISIS has actually bulldozed, bulldozed, virtually the entire site. Just last week, ISIS released a video showing militants destroying artifacts at the ancient Mosul museum. They used sledgehammers to smash some of the sculptures.

Our Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr is monitoring what's going on. Barbara, what do we know about the extent of the damage to this ancient city that, for all practical purposes, has now been bulldozed with all these historic artifacts?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: You know, Wolf, I have to tell you, the information very sketchy. Coming out of the Iraqi government, they are saying that ISIS went there and did bulldoze Nimrud. This is in northern Iraq. This is a priceless site. These are artifacts, an ancient city that dates between 900 B.C. and 600 B.C. If you look at the existing photos, you can -- images, you can begin to get a sense of the great historic and cultural treasure that this location is. The Iraqis say that it has been virtually destroyed. And, of course, the world awaiting more information about what exactly did transpire here.

It would not be the first time ISIS has done this, as you say. Also, in northern Iraq in Mosul, this is several days ago, they went there and destroyed another set of priceless artifacts in a museum in Mosul. I have to tell you, the United Nations speaking out about this, saying that it cannot remain silent. The world cannot remain silent. That this is just utter destruction of valuable world history. But the reality is, right now, there is nobody on the ground to stop what ISIS is doing -- Wolf.

BLITZER: As perverted and barbaric as this is, what do they say the purpose, are they destroying these cultural treasures? STARR: Well, I mean, you know, the candid answer is, who knows what

motivates these people to do this? There have been some statements after the destruction in Mosul at that museum about destroying idols, destroying idolatry by ISIS. This is what they have said. But I have to tell you, the United Nations speaking out about this just considers it wanton destruction and is saying that the world must stop it because besides the -- this -- again, I don't know how -- it sounds so trite, but it is priceless ancient history.

Some of these artifacts, again, dating back to 900 B.C. so this will never be seen again by the world once ISIS destroys it. And, of course, the concern by the U.N. and other world organizations as well as the Iraqi government is that ISIS will not stop Iraq, full of priceless treasures, of the ancient world and the concern is that ISIS may have other architectural and archaeological site in its cross- hairs -- Wolf.

BLITZER: What a tragedy. All right, thanks very much, Barbara Starr, with that report. These are sick, sick people.

Now to the ground war against ISIS. Iraqi forces take a significant step in their battle to recapture the city of Tikrit. Officials say Iraqi security forces and their supporters have liberated the town of Al Dur (ph) from ISIS control. Al Dur is about 15 miles or 25 kilometers south of Tikrit.

Our Senior International Correspondent Ben Wedeman has an update now on this Iraqi military offensive and Iran's role in the fighting.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tikrit is the target. Heavy rounds fired into a city now the focus of Iraq's biggest yet offensive against ISIS. The group overran the city last June. There are no signs of life there. Many civilians have already fled as well as some ISIS fighters, according to the soldiers here.

(on camera): We're at a base just two miles or 3.2 kilometers from Tikrit. ISIS is just on the other side.

(voice-over): That was an outgoing round. Our visit was organized by the Hushdashobi, a Shia paramilitary force created when the Iraqi army nearly collapsed during last summer's ISIS onslaught. Increasingly, Hushdashobi is playing a central role in the fight against ISIS. Muin Al Kadhami, one of the Hushdashobi commanders, has learned a lot over the last few months about ISIS' tactics.

Their basic strategy, he tells me, is to avoid face-to-face confrontations. They depend on improvised explosive devices and snipers. The forces received training, ammunition, weapons and high- level battlefield advice from Iran.

Our tour included a stop at this mosque east of Tikrit. Until just a few days ago, it was deep inside ISIS-controlled territory. Iraqi parliament member, Sitar Al Ghanim, visiting the troops was quick to praise Iran for its backing in the fight against ISIS.

Today, the Iranian support is much larger than the American support which is limited, he says, praise for Iran mixed with criticism for the U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition. Unfortunately, says spokesman Abbas Zaidi, we've seen no effort by the international coalition here and that really doesn't reflect well on them. The Iraqi government has said it didn't request assistance from the coalition for the Tikrit operation. If this operation is successful, these fighters and Iran will take the credit.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And Ben Wedeman is joining us now live from Baghdad. Ben, excellent report. Do these Iraqi forces appear to be gaining momentum against ISIS in this battle for Tikrit? Because they tried earlier and failed.

WEDEMAN: Yes, that attempt last summer was a complete disaster, more than a seven -- 1,700 Iraqi soldiers executed by ISIS. This time around, it looks like a much more deliberate, much better-planned operation. As we made our way towards Tikrit, we saw a lot of hardware on the move in both directions. And, in general, they do seem to be making some progress.

As you mentioned at the top of your report, they did, today, declare that they've retaken the town of Al Dur, a very strategic piece of territory. On the other side, the east bank of the Tigris River.

But, of course, they are being slowed down, somewhat, by the fact that when ISIS left that city or gave it up, they left behind, apparently, hundreds of IEDs and booby traps and car bombs in the city. So, even when they take territory, it's very difficult to really clear it and eventually allow the civilian inhabitants to return. And if that's the problem in Al Dur, it's going to be much harder when they go into Tikrit which is about 10 times bigger than Al Dur -- Wolf.

BLITZER: We know the Iraqi military, Ben, is getting help, some advisers, military equipment from the U.S. We know there are these Shiite militias there. But what exactly is the role of these Iranian military forces who have come in to help the Iraqi military?

WEDEMAN: Well, they also have advisers, a much smaller number. The U.S. has about 3,000 advisers here in Iraq. Iran, reportedly, only has around 100. But what we saw today, we got a handout from the Hushdashobi, a video handout. And it included a short clip of what is, clearly, Iranian advisers. They're speaking in Farsi. Gathered around a map, clearly very close to the front lines. So, whereas U.S. advisers keep a distance, it seems that the Iranians are very hands- on. And, of course, hands-on in a big way.

We've all heard that Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the elite -- the elite Al Kudz force is on the ground. And, according to the Iranian media, he is helping supervise the operation. So, it's a significant role and a role that's really been developing since last summer where they -- or rather in the fall when they played a key role in the breaking of the siege of Amerli to the northeast of Tikrit. And Jafasaker (ph) was another operation where Soleimani was present, there were Iranian advisors present. And that operation was southeast of Baghdad. So, very much a significant role here in Iraq.

Ben Wedeman in Baghdad for us. Ben, thank you.

ISIS images meant to shock and terrorize have been distributed, once again. We're about to include them in this coming report from our own Arwa Damon, because we thought it's important for you to know about how ISIS carries out its perverted justice against gays in both Syria and Iraq. Life for homosexuals in the Muslim world, is difficult as it is but in the areas where ISIS rules, the retribution is beyond cruel.

And another example of their inhumanity on display. The names of the men we spoke to for this report have been changed. Their identities concealed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These stills dated March 2015 purport to show a man being thrown from a building. According to the last caption, he was also then stoned to death. His alleged crime? Being gay. These images were posted by ISIS in its stronghold of Raqqa. This series as well from January show an older man seated in a chair and then tumbling to the ground. Also, in January, these from ISIS in Mosul, two men murdered in the same manner.

In all the photographs, dozens of people are seen watching the killings, seemingly unfazed. Nor (ph), a gay Syrian man, says that makes the atrocious act even more nauseating.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And their facial expressions are really scary because they are not even scared of what's going on. They may be a little bit excited or maybe happy to go -- to get rid of homosexuals in the -- in the -- in the city.

DAMON: Syria was never a nation that accepted its lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans community. The country's laws criminalize homosexual acts, punishable by up to three years in prison. Since their revolution turned war, life for Syria's LGBT community has become even more dire.

(on camera): It was not ISIS that forced Nor to leave Syria, well before ISIS emerged in a significant force. In 2012, Nor saw this video. This is the only frame that is not too gruesome to show. The video depicts two men being beheaded. They're accused of being spies. But then, towards the end of the clip, a voice references a verse from the Koran. And Nor says, when he heard that, it became one of the main reasons why he decided to leave.

(voice-over): According to the posting, the video was filmed in Idlib, Nor's home province.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a very specific verse that would say, like, only this sin of homosexuality would shake the throne of god. So, whenever we hear this on video or on audio, we know exactly that this is meant for gay people. It was the moment of clarity, a moment of understanding that this place within -- is not safe anymore.

DAMON: Sami (ph) and his partner consider themselves already married. They fled after Sami's family found out they were together. And a car tried to run them over. Two hours later, Sami's phone rang.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was a man that was (INAUDIBLE) saying, this time you could -- you could have make it and you survive. But the next time you will not.

DAMON: In Istanbul, the couple lives in shared housing with other Syrian men. When the ISIS photos emerged, one of their (INAUDIBLE) a sickening comment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He made the very absurd joke about he was so amused and he has so much fun watching homosexuals. And he say, now, gay men can fly.

DAMON: Fear of persecution continues to haunt them here.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Istanbul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: We thank Arwa for that report. Shocking. Shocking, indeed.

Still to come, Boko Haram, the militant group has carried out horrific attacks in West Africa. But now, they've taken their terror tactics to a new level.

And 50 years have passed since an historic day here in the United States. A day that changed the face of civil rights in America. We'll take you live to the bridge that spans history.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We've seen it before, but not from this group. Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram has now released a video purportedly showing the beheading of two men. CNN's Diana Magnay explains why the militant group's actions are frequently now mimicking those of ISIS. But we must warn you, the video you're about to see is disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DIANA MAGNAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bodies executed one by one and then thrown into the river. Militants doing wheelies in their tanks. And now this, the apparent beheadings of two men by Boko Haram militants, posted online, almost the mirror image of the beheadings ISIS has filmed and published online since the summer. Two distinct jihadi entities, strikingly similar imagery.

Boko Haram is an extremist group that predates ISIS by several years, but it's clearly been watching and copying the ISIS formula. Since late last year, upgrading the quality of its videos, adding the stamp of a production house and using the same Islamic chants, or nashids (ph), for soundtrack. Even down to the professed leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, assuming the role of preacher, the religious symbolism, the alcove setting, a mirror image of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi preaching in Mosul.

RYAN CUMMINGS, CHIEF ANALYST, RED24: For Boko Haram, I think emulating Islamic State is a lot - of a lot of benefit. Obviously it gains the group prominence and places them on the same platform as the Islamic State. But then we can't also discount the possibility that there are discernible linkages between the two groups and that, you know, using Islamic State's imagery and making references to the leader might be a preamble to a more established linkage between the two organizations.

MAGNAY: There's no clear evidence of any direct link yet. In its magazine, "Dabiq," ISIS writes of groups, including one in Nigeria swearing allegiance, but it doesn't specify which.

MAGNAY (on camera): A media strategy is easy enough to copy. Operational success, less so. And though Boko Haram is capturing and seizing territory, it's not using the same kind of governance tools as ISIS does and it doesn't control the same kind of economic resources, the oil wealth, that ISIS does. And crucially, so far, it doesn't have a trail of would-be foreign fighters flocking its way.

MAGNAY (voice-over): Analysts say that may change depending on how it's dealt with.

ELIZABETH DONNELLY, AFRICA PROGRAMME, CHATHAM HOUSE: If you see a more visible, more active international response on this, at that point you could risk truly internationalizing Boko Haram, which has to date actually be really more of a Nigerian terrorist movement.

MAGNAY: For now, the U.S. and others are limiting their assistance to training and intelligence, leaving the Nigerians and neighboring powers to take on the group militarily, with a hope that a regional force can succeed against Boko Haram where the Nigerian army could not.

Diana Magnay, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Another shocking story. Thank you, Diana Magnay, reporting for us.

When we come back, we'll shift gears. Here in the United States, it's the best jobless rate in years. So what's going to be the impact of these new numbers? Stand by. We'll have details.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Some surprising strong numbers for the U.S. economy. In February, the number of jobs added was above the earlier estimates and the unemployment rate is now at its lowest point here in the United States in seven years. Our chief business correspondent Christine Romans is following the story.

Christine.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this is a strong jobs report, no question. We're talking about 295,000 net new jobs in the month. And that's continuing a very strong trend. Over the past 60 months, the private sector has created 12 million jobs.

Another headline here, the unemployment rate, 5.5 percent. You've got to go back before the crash to get a number that low. And 5.5 percent, that's an incredibly good trend.

The recovery overall, it wasn't that long ago we were at 10 percent unemployment at the worst of the recession. It has been a slow and steady improvement here, 5.5 percent. Many expecting it to continue to go lower.

The sectors here really important because in the first years of this recovery, Wolf, those jobs we were creating were mostly food, they were retail, they were low-wage jobs. It is starting to broaden out. We see food. We see retail. We also see business and information systems. We also see construction. Wages, only 2 percent growth. You want to see more wage growth. That could be the thing that holds the Fed back from raising interest rates, at least quite quickly here. But, overall, Wolf, this is another strong jobs report.

BLITZER: Certainly is, Christine, thank you.

This is the 12th straight month that the U.S. economy has gained more than 200,000 job. That coupled with a falling unemployment rate very good news for President Obama and his administration. Let's bring in our chief political analyst Gloria Borger. Gloria, the president speaking last night - last month before the Democratic National Committee spoke about all of this. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So America's coming back. We have risen from recession. We have the capacity to write our own future. We're better positioned than any other nation on earth. And all that's thanks to the hard work and sacrifice of the American people who we serve. But it's also thanks to the values and the policies at the core of this party that all of you have fought for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: When he took office, the country was losing 800,000 -

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: That's right.

BLITZER: Nine hundred thousand jobs every single month. But he's not really getting a whole lot of political credit for all of this.

BORGER: Well, you know, Wolf, it really depends on who you ask, OK? This morning, for example, John Boehner, the speaker of the House, Republican, was saying, look, build a Keystone pipeline, you could create another 42,000 jobs really quickly. The middle class is being left behind.

But, Wolf, let's take a look at a poll on the president's handling of the economy and you will see that this month, February 2015, look, he is - his approval is 43 percent, disapproval, 54 percent. And back in November, Wolf, the president's approval rating was 10 percent less.

BLITZER: When it comes to handling the economy.

BORGER: So there you see the approval rating is 33 percent.

BLITZER: Yes.

BORGER: The disapproval was 63, now it's 54. So even the disapproval has gone down.

I think the big problem for the president remaining and why it still remains over 50 percent, his disapproval, is as Christine was pointing out, wages have not grown quickly. There's -- wages only grew by 2 percent in February. You still have long-term unemployment in this country. It takes a while for people to feel the recovery when they don't see their wages going up. So the unemployment rate can get lowered, but there are long term unemployed and they're not feeling it in their pocketbooks.

BLITZER: But if this trend, though, continues -

BORGER: Yes.

BLITZER: Presumably it could help a potential Democratic presidential candidate.

BORGER: Absolutely. Absolutely. As you know and I know, it's about the economy. It always is. And if Hillary Clinton becomes the Democratic nominee, then she will either be saddled with or run on President Obama's economy. And right now it obviously looks like it's headed in the right direction. And, you know, if you're a Republican running and things are getting better, you can't appear to be cheering for bad news. You have to applaud the good news. And so that's going to be a fine line for them to walk if these numbers continue in the right direction and if wages go up.

BLITZER: Yes, 5.5 percent unemployment is clearly a lot better than 9 or 10 percent unemployment -

BORGER: Right. You bet. You bet.

BLITZER: Which was the case when he took office.

Don't go too far away. You were speaking of Hillary Clinton. We're going to talk about her and her e-mails -

BORGER: Right, speaking of that nominee.

BLITZER: That's coming up later this hour.

Also coming up, 50 years ago this bridge, take a look, this bridge was one of many dotting the American landscape, but that all changed. The events that happened here helped change the course of civil rights in the United States of America.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)