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Obama Considers Options Other Than Troops in Iraq; The Sunni- Shia Conflict; Iraq Troops Not Ready When U.S. Left; Bergdahl Back in U.S.; Background on ISIS; Helping Teen Moms Go to College

Aired June 13, 2014 - 15:30   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: It is the bottom of the hour. I'm Don Lemon.

No American troops to Iraq, but other options being considered, possibly on the table, that's what President Obama said just a short time ago in response to violent militants pushing their way right now towards Baghdad.

ISIS, the militant Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, has captured one city after another in just a matter of days. The U.S. response to their attempted takeover could -- and I stress could -- include airstrikes.

But one person who would be against that move is former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She told the BBC that the U.S. should not provide military assistance, particularly, she says, airstrikes to the Iraqi government. Not at this time, she says.

And I want to go now to CNN's Michelle Kosinski. She's joining us from the White House.

Michelle, the president says he is considering other options. What's on the table here?

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: They're not telling us exactly, but based on questions and the responses they have given, we know that air strikes seem to be the number one thing that could be effective, that they are considering. They have spelled that out.

Something else, though, when you just look at the capability and what's happening on the ground, it would be drone strikes. It could be using drones to gather better intelligence. It could be supplying the Iraqis with more military equipment, even heavy equipment like fighter jets, tanks, and Humvees.

But when you consider the U.S. has been doing that over the past year, as the administration says, ramping up steadily, and then look what happens now, so you would think that would not be effective and that would not be a real option because the urgency of this situation, the surprise that it seemed to take planners with indicates that the U.S. wants to do something that would be effective.

I think what was really interesting from what the president said today, because really nothing has changed over the past two days in terms of the administration weighing carefully these options, these sort of options without a lot of detail, is that the U.S. said today that there is a requirement for the Iraqi government to step up.

So before the U.S. would do anything more significant, the president and Secretary Kerry called it a wake-up call to the Iraqis, saying that they need to show a sincere real commitment to doing more politically.

And also the president pretty much slammed the situation there on the ground, how much money, training, time, you name it, the U.S. has poured into these fighters, the government fighters, and now they're not willing to stand and defend their posts. The president said that is a huge problem.

So they want to see something from the Iraqis before the U.S. acts. Of course the big question there that we seem to all be talking around is, what is the U.S. going to do and what would be best? That's what we don't know at this point.

However, going along with what you said, in the words of Hillary Clinton and others now that have been talking to CNN, especially on the Department of Defense side, that when you look at doing possible air strikes, well, look at what any force would be up against.

You have these fighters that are dispersed. They don't have, really, fixed targets or at least that anyone really knows about on the ground. We know they don't have things like military basis or air defense stations, anything that would be an easily identified target, so how do you do this?

LEMON: And that's what most experts say. We're trying to fight an unconventional war by conventional methods and it just won't work in that region.

Michelle Kosinski, I appreciate you reporting at the White House. Thank you very much.

Radical Islamists are right now pushing toward the capitol after capturing one city after another, reportedly killing hundreds in their path in just a matter of days.

Joining me now, Fareed Zakaria, who's the host, of course, of "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS." We have been calling this a civil war, but, you know, it's not just Iraq. It's Syria, too, involved.

And I don't know if it's right, after I read your piece today, which I think was fascinating, I'm not sure if it's right to even call it a civil war. You said it is a what?

FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN HOST, "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS": It is a -- it's really a Sunni revolt, that is, if you look from Libya through Pakistan, what you see is the old order was the structure of dictatorships.

All of these dictatorships, most of them, have been unsettled or overturned by these radical Sunni movements that are jumping in to fill the void, and what we have got to ask ourselves, how much can we do in the midst of this huge sectarian warfare where these Sunni groups are trying to assert power and take over, in some cases, towns, in some cases, cities, in some cases, whole countries, and do we want to be in every case battling them?

So the crucial question in Iraq is, do we want to be the prime minister of Iraq Nouri al-Maliki's air force? Because that guy is a nasty, sectarian thug who has systematically excluded the Sunnis, caused, really, this insurgency.

He's being helped by Iran. Do we want to be the air force to Iran's Revolutionary Guard?

LEMON : And you said that this has a lot do with Iran. It also, you said, has a lot to do with during the start of the war, right, how the government of Iraq was picked, by President Bush, correct?

ZAKARIA: So what happens now is we go into Iraq. We go in with a light force. Remember, Rumsfeld wanted to do it that way. So we needed allies fast, and we decided we were going to pick an ally, and our allies became the Shia who were in the majority in Iraq.

The problem is, they're in a minority in the Middle East, and so what that did was it attracted all of these Sunni groups from all over the Middle East, funded by the Saudis, sometimes by Turks, by all kinds of other characters, because they're about 85 percent Sunnis in the Middle East and only 15 percent Shia.

And so they all came in all determined to undermine this new Iraqi government.

LEMON: Because the Sunnis were in power, right?

ZAKARIA: The Sunnis were in power, yeah.

LEMON: So they felt alienated after the start of the war and President Bush decides that he wants someone who is a Shia to lead, a Shia government to lead.

ZAKARIA: The key, I think, is we have to understand we go in and think we're going to do good. We picked a side, and what's happened is the consequences of picking a side in a very complicated three-cornered struggle is that there's been the blowback.

LEMON: Right. So it's not as simple as should we put boots on the ground? Should we do air strikes?

It's way more complicated than that, because even if we do all of those things it hasn't solved the problem about who is going to run the country and if Sunni and Shia are involved together in the running of that country, correct?

ZAKARIA: Which is why President Obama is saying, this is my moment of leverage with the government of Iraq. What I'm saying to you guys, you get your act together, you create an inclusive government, then we'll support you, because I don't want to be the air force to one side of this society.

LEMON: The chances of that? ZAKARIA: Well, you know, if things get really bleak, that's what

happen in '06, '07. This is essentially the same thing that Petraeus told Maliki, same guy. He said --

LEMON: But Petraeus did it, right?

ZAKARIA: Petraeus was able to do it because he was on the ground and he had cash and he had troops, of course.

But a lot of what Petraeus did was he bribed the Sunni tribes and said, you come on board with us.

So we're out of that business right now.

LEMON: Yeah.

ZAKARIA: But Maliki could do that. The prime minister of Iraq could do that.

LEMON: The reason we're out of that business right now is because you said Nouri al-Maliki is doing business, doing Iran's business, right? Because Iran propped him up for years, and Iran does not want any U.S. troops on the ground, that's why we're out of that business.

ZAKARIA: Right. My sense is that Maliki never wanted American troops there. He refused to provide the protections that every other country provides to American troops.

President Obama said in his statement today, we offered assistance months ago, and the Iraqis resisted. They've only now come around because they're in crisis.

So I think Maliki has always wanted to keep his distance from America, build his relations with Iran.

Look, he was in exile for 24 years. Most of that time he spent in Iran. His party was funded by Iran for 24 years. Are we so surprised that Iran has influence over him?

LEMON: He feels that he owes Iran.

It's fascinating. I think everyone should read this, and you said after all of this that's happening now, you said the question has to surface, who lost Iraq? And Fareed Zakaria goes through this, and this is from the "Washington Post" that you wrote this for.

Fascinating, Fareed. I'll be watching you on Sunday. Thank you very much, Fareed Zakaria, the host of course of "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS" right here on CNN. It airs at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday morning. Make sure you tune in.

Up next, we're just getting in some news about the speed at which these militants are overtaking cities in Iraq. Find out whether this is catching the president and his administration by surprise.

Plus, chickenpox, scabies, those are being reported as undocumented children flock across the border. It's a fast moving crisis. We're going to take you live to where they're coming from, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Well, as violent militants march toward Baghdad, what happens in the next few days in Iraq? Even hours could be absolutely critical. So what will happen? And how did this go so bad to fast?

CNN's Kyra Phillips is here. Kyra, I remember we were working together at the time, and you spent -- you did tours of duty, reporting in Iraq and reporting duty, and what are your sources telling you today about what's going on? How did this happen so quickly?

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Don, you'll remember I spent four tours in Iraq and at some of the most crucial times when the U.S. forces were training Iraqi security forces.

And I remember sitting down with these guys in all different levels and all different parts of Iraq -- I believe we have video here -- and they told me if U.S. troops left that country, they would be in trouble. They felt they weren't ready. They felt they could not defend their people or their country.

They were telling me this in 2008, and they had a long way to go before they were going to be ready.

So of course I reached out to one of my sources last night, Don, definitely at one of the highest levels of this crisis right now. Even this source told me they were so taken back at how quickly this offensive happened.

Here's what he told me when I said, how did this offensive become so dire so quickly? He said, quote, "We've been watching the intelligence continually and the fractures in Iraq that have grown as a result of the underlying political environment and lack of inclusive governance

"If anything was surprising, it's only the speed at which the situation continued to deteriorate the past few days and the apparent ease at which the Iraqi security forces abandoned their units and positions."

I did ask him about. U.S. troops. You know, as Americans, especially families of our troops there, extremely concerned, oh, my god, could my daughter, my son be going back in country to fight in this war.

He said, Absolutely not direct combat forces. A range of options are being considered and I'm being told air strikes, a very strong consideration here.

I did ask him also -- you know, Don, Senator McCain has said, bring back General Petraeus. This is the general that had success while in country there, and you know I spent a lot of time with him as well and saw how he directly worked with these troops.

And I saw how certain areas did become safer, and I was able to talk to so many people on the ground and not have to have the huge entourage like I had in prior deployments to Iraq. And he said please allow me not to comment on Senator McCain's statements. I thought that was very interesting.

LEMON: Yeah. I don't know if you saw the segment before, Fareed Zakaria echoing what you were hearing from your sources and talking about General David Petraeus, at least added some safety and some stability, or much safety and stability, to Iraq, but now that's all faded away.

Kyra Phillips, appreciate your reporting. Thank you very much. Getting more information, we'll get you back on, Kyra Phillips, reporting from Atlanta today.

And in just a few minutes, we're going to hear about Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl's first day back in the U.S. after nearly five years in Taliban captivity. And Bergdahl is being treated at San Antonio Military Medical Center.

He will undergo the final phase of what the military calls post- captivity reintegration, Bergdahl's team planning to hold a news conference at the top of the hour in just about 15 minutes, and of course, our Jake tapper will be covering that. He's our chief Washington correspondent and the host of "THE LEAD."

So, Jake, how long can Bergdahl's team keep his shielded, you think, from the harsh backlash, from all the press and prisoner swap and all of that? How long can they keep him from that?

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: I think as long as possible. By all accounts, Bergdahl is still in a fragile state. He has not yet even met with his parents.

I'm not sure if he has even spoken with them yet, so the idea of all of this backlash and all the controversy that he has generated I think would be probably fairly damaging to him based on what we've heard about his condition, Don.

LEMON: You know, we may not hear from Bergdahl himself for quite some time now, but there's some clues about the last days before capture. They're emerging from conversations with soldiers who served with Bergdahl.

TAPPER: That's right. I spoke with one a few days ago who told me that before he left, the night before he left, he was sitting around the truck where he and three other soldiers were stationed, and they were having what they thought was a funny and odd conversation, but in retrospect, they came to see under different light, where Bergdahl was talking about walking to India or to Pakistan over the mountain, becoming some sort of -- joining a gang, becoming a hit man, working his way up to the Russian mob.

Now I don't think anybody thinks he was actually serious, but they do think, well, why would he be saying that and then he disappeared. Also, some of the questions he asked along that night were, what would happen if your M-9, your Beretta, disappeared. Would you get in trouble? And the soldier said, yes, I would. So in retrospect, he came to think, well, maybe he was thinking about stealing my gun but didn't do it ultimately because he didn't want to get me in trouble, this odd concern that he had, especially in light of what a lot of his fellow troops now think was desertion, Don.

So it's all very strange.

LEMON: Yeah, it is all very strange, very complicated, very layered.

So, Jake, we'll see you at the top of the hour. "THE LEAD" starts in just a few minutes here, and Jake will be covering that and as well as that news conference that will be happening on Bowe Bergdahl.

Border security handles a stream of illegal immigrants crossing the border every single year, but what happens when that stream comes a flood?

Nearly 50,000 children have come across the border alone since January. U.S. officials say they are overwhelmed and say there's no end in sight.

Make sure you stick with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The fighters are as fearsome and as ruthless as their radical group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. ISIS, for short, has become so notorious that it's been disavowed by al Qaeda.

We warn you that some of the images you're about to see are quite graphic. CNN's Ben Wedeman first took us inside ISIS and its barbaric tactics in Syria back in February.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The voice off camera asks, "How old are you?"

"I was born in 1980."

"Are you married?"

"Yes," he responds, "I have two children."

"Do you want to see them again?"

"God knows I do. I have nothing to hide."

A man who calls himself Bassem (ph) and a doctor pauses, collecting his thoughts.

"So talk, answer quickly. Are you cooking up lies?" shouts the other.

This video is one of eight interrogations obtained by CNN from Syrian opposition activists. The interrogators speak with distinct Iraqi accents and ask questions about goings-on in the town of Al-Bab northeast of Aleppo

From the questions, it is clear the interrogators are not with the regime of President Bashar al Assad but rather with ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq in Syria. It's not clear what happened to these men. But another chilling video we will show you later may be a clue.

Early last year ISIS emerged as a major power in opposition controlled areas of northern Syria.

Since then, the ultra extremist group has exposed strict extremist law, held public floggings and executions. and most recently has battled other execution groups in fighting that has left well over 2,000 dead.

Even al Qaeda's leader has demanded ISIS leave Syria.

Missing in the interrogation is any mention whatsoever of the Assad regime. The only concern is the challenge posed by other opposition factions and the local populace to ISIS.

"Who is erasing the slogans and symbols of ISIS on the walls," demands the interrogator?

"I swear, I don't know, as God is my witness," responds this man, who identifies himself as Hammed (ph).

Another interrogation: "What were they saying about the Islamic State", he's asked. "Say the truth, save yourself."

"I will speak the truth even if I lose my head," responds this man who says he is called Mustafa. All of these clips were found in the residence of this man known by his nom de guerre Abu Ahmed el-Iraqi or "The Iraqi."

Activists describe him as an ISIS emir, a commander and an intelligence officer. They found the abandoned video in January after he fled fighting between ISIS and other factions.

Some of the clips and still shots show a young woman in the company of Abu Ahmed trying her hand at shooting an AK-47 assault rifle.

"Steady," he tells her, "Steady".

ISIS is imposing the strictest possible dress code on women in the areas it controls. Given that her face is uncovered, clearly this was for Abu Ahmed and this unidentified woman, a private moment.

So what happened to the interrogated man? It is not clear from the videos. But one of the last recordings documents in detail ruthless ISIS style justice, execution by flashlight.

"Ready?" asks the voice off camera

Fourteen men, some apparently quite young are shot , one after the other. The scenes are too graphic for us to show. Some fall into the mass grave already dug. The new boss in this part of Syria, not unlike the old boss.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Gaziantep, Turkey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Welcome back.

A lot of people told Nicole Lewis her life was over after she got pregnant at the age of 18. She proved them wrong, though, and it makes her a CNN Hero.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was 17 when I was pregnant with my daughter and 19 with my son.

Are you ready to get up? Ready to go to school?

With being labeled a teen mom, there are certain stigmas, that you're lazy, you're going to end up living on welfare and working the system.

Everybody has their own opinion on what's going to be the most beneficial for you. Often it can feel like a downgrade from what you want to do.

NICOLE LEWIS, CNN HERO: When a young person discovers a pregnancy, people stop talking to them about college.

We saw that we could be that voice saying, yes, you can go to college. This doesn't have to be the end of your life.

I knew from my own experience that college had transformed my life as a teen mom, so I wanted that same success for other young parents.

We're going to get the other room set up for the kids.

It becomes imperative for parenting students to have their band of cheerleaders behind them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I ended up getting my GPA up to 3.8, which I didn't even believe that one.

LEWIS: We offer training on various topics.

We're going to talk about balancing school and balancing your role as a parent.

The most important part of our program is the intense, one-on-one mentoring from a caring individual from the community.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I won the College of Science Dean's Award.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I knew you could do it. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Generation Hope has really helped me believe in

myself. They prepare us to have the skills for the future, and we can pass those skills on to our kids.

LEWIS: I'm motivated by the potential that's out there that's untapped. I want to be able to help each and every one of them achieve their own success.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Very nice.

Happy Friday, I'm Don Lemon.

Time now for "THE LEAD" and Jake Tapper.