Return to Transcripts main page
Hala Gorani Tonight
Iraqi Forces Claim Victory in Ramadi; Dallas Hit by Tornado; Family of Dead Syrian Boy Arrives in Canada; New Star Wars a Huge Hit. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired December 28, 2015 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:00]
(MUISC PLAYING)
HALA GORANI, HOST: Tonight, Iraq's military is claiming victory in Ramadi, soldiers are celebrating on some streets and fighting on others but can
they take the fight to other areas they've lost to the terrorist group?
Also this hour dozens are dead; countless more are homeless from some epic tornadoes and flooding in parts of the United States. Plus an historic
agreement that could end a controversy brewing since the Second World War, but can it heal the wounds of the few surviving comfort women?
And later, it happened at nearly the speed of light; Star Wars has $1 billion in ticket sales. Hello everyone, I'm Hala Gorani, we're live from
CNN, London this Monday. Thanks for being with us this hour. This is "The World Right Now."
(MUSIC PLAYING)
GORANI: Well, for months it has been both a strategic and very much a symbolic struggle in the battle against ISIS. But now Iraqi forces are
saying they have won back Ramadi in the Sunni heartland of Iraq.
Troops raised the Iraqi flag over the government building there. In Baghdad with the latest, here's Nima Elbagir.
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Declaring victory in Ramadi. Video broadcast by Iraqi state T.V. shows soldiers raising their
national flag over the city's government compound celebrating the Iraqi's military's first major victory over the so called Islamic State.
[UNIDENTIFIED MALE]: Ramadi has been freed and the armed forces and the anti-terrorist group and also we've raised our flag on all the governments'
building in (inaudible).
ELBAGIR: In May, ISIS fighters ceased Ramadi, capital of the mainly Sunni Anbar Province west of Baghdad after government troops fled in defeat.
But U.S. trained Iraqi forces returned launching an assault on the city last week and making their final push to cease the century located
government complex on Sunday. Footage showed Iraqi troops advancing through Ramadi street by street amid piles of rubble and collapsed houses.
Even amid the celebrations Iraqi officials say government troops still need to clear some remaining pockets of insurgence in the city.
Once secured Ramadi will be handed over to local police and a Sunni tribal force, a measure aimed at winning support from a local community.
After that Iraq's government has said their next target will be the northern city of Mosul. With an estimated pre-war population of 2 million,
Mosul is by far the largest population center controlled by ISIS in either Iraq or Syria, and a crucial source of tax revenue. If it's re-taken it
will take down much of the infrastructure underpinning ISIS' claim to state head.
GORANI: Well Nima Elbagir is live in Baghdad with more. So let's talk a little bit about the situation now, what we know of Ramadi. Is it fully
under government control?
ELBAGIR: Well it is liberated is the terminology they're using so the central government centers, the administrative center, that is under their
control. As far as the Iraqi government is concerned, the Interior Ministry spokesman tells us the military operation is over. Now it is about
securing the city. This becomes a security operation and that is about clearing out the pockets of ongoing fighting. It's about cleaning up those
IEDs.
The timeline we were given was something along the lines of two to three weeks, so very similar to what we saw in Tikrit. First they took the
center, then they start going after these isolated pockets, these dead- enders as they're often referred to, people who are there to fight till the last. Then we look at they say, then they say they look at of course
bringing in services hopefully then we're something like a month or so before civilians can finally return to this city.
GORANI: All right, but what do the civilians have to return to? What's the condition of the buildings? I mean is it habitable at all at this point?
ELBAGIR: The pictures we've seen just show utter desolation. What they didn't booby-trap, what they didn't rig they destroyed, and what wasn't
destroyed by ISIS was destroyed by those incredibly intense coalition air strikes. Some 600 strikes rained down on that city, it's absolutely
devastated. And the psychological trauma, the Iraqi Ministry of Defense has been speaking out the - well why this operation in some places was so
slow because they say they had very credible information that civilians were being used as human shields, that they were being moved into certain
houses, that they were being locked and banned from fleeing the city.
[15:05:15]
ELBAGIR: This is a city that is traumatized on every single level. But on the other hand just getting here to Baghdad, and you spent time here Hala,
the sense of euphoria, of excitement, not just from the government officials we've been speaking to, but just from normal people who have been
living under the shadow of ISIS' successes for 18 months now. This, when it finally is cleared will be a pro-forma for hopefully people here are
starting to believe moving ISIS out of so much more of the territory they hold here in Iraq.
GORANI: All right, Nima Elbagir in Baghdad, thanks very much. Very much a symbolic victory there as well. Will it serve as a template for other
cities? Namely of course the biggest city under ISIS control and that is Mosul.
The Prime Minister of Iraq is vowing to defeat ISIS in 2016. Is it realistic in this timeframe? Samir Sumaidaie is the former Iraqi
Ambassador to the United States, and he joins me now from Washington.
Earlier this year ambassador you wrote ultimately this war against ISIS will fail unless certain conditions are met, certain changes, political
changes are made. Do you still believe this when you see what's happened in Ramadi, the city being cleared apparently of ISIS?
SAMIR SUMAIDAIE, FORMER IRAQI AMBASSADOR TO UNITED STATES: Yes, Hala, first of all let me congratulate the Iraqi army on its victory and let me say
that DAESH, the Islamic state, is really the enemy of all Iraqis and it's the enemy of humanity. And it must be defeated. I am confident that it
will be defeated.
But ISIS is a pathological manifestation of a traumatized society and unless we deal with the roots and the reasons for the trauma, we are going
to see ISIS morph into something else, equally dangerous, and equally destructive. So that is really what I meant.
This is an important milestone, we got Ramadi back, hopefully the inhabitants of Ramadi will go back and rebuild their lives and rebuild
their homes, but we have a long way to go. The Iraqi government has now a huge task ahead of it. I have no doubt ultimately Mosul will be liberated,
the rest of Anbar will be liberated. But when, what will happen after? This cannot be -
GORANI: -- exactly, and when you talk about trauma Ambassador, I just want to - sorry to jump in. When you talk about trauma you're talking about
sectarianism, you're talking about corrupt government, you're talking about non-inclusive leadership. Iraq has to come face to face with this and
solve it once and for all or else, that's what you're saying?
SUMAIDAIE: Absolutely, all of the above. And what we say here is that you know military means they are important, they are necessary but they are not
sufficient. We have got to have the politics to be worked out, we've got to have goodwill. One good sign we saw in Ramadi today was the Iraqi flag
being flown as the symbol of unity of the country. ISIS cannot be defeated by a sectarian enemy, it's got to be defeated by the whole people.
And if this spirit prevails we are on the way of building the country together. You know you've heard recently so many voices saying Iraq - this
is the end of Iraq, Iraq cannot be put together again. Well recently there was a poll taken by (inaudible) and his polling service which surprisingly
to some showed that all Iraqis, including Kurds feel that the future of Iraq will be better in unity.
This is what I advocate and what I believe is possible if the Iraqi government -
GORANI: -- but do you think? Ambassador with all your - I'm sorry again to jump in - with your political experience and you've seen you were in exile
during the Saddam years, you went back to Iraqi, were interior minister, then Ambassador to the United States, to the U.N. also I believe. You look
at Haider al-Abadi, the Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki before him, very much criticized and many would say rightly so for being sectarian, for
building up the Army as a sectarian fighting force. Do you think the current Prime Minister is doing the job that Iraq needs done? And that is
to make all Iraqis feel part of an all-inclusive country?
[15:09:52]
SUMAIDAIE: Well, when Abadi came to power and Maliki was removed we all breathed the sigh of relief because really Maliki is responsible for a lot
of the problems we have now. And we all wanted, and wished and prayed that Abadi will move forward.
But Abadi has been talking the talk, he has not been walking the walk. We need concrete actions. We need a government that's resolute in dealing
with the challenges. Now Abadi is hemmed in by forces - by the forces of corruption, by the forces of the people who benefited from the situation as
it is. And also his power is diminished by the reduction in oil prices so revenue of the government is limited. The demands on rebuilding are high,
the demands of the war are high. His revenue is diminished. So he is not in a very powerful state. But the political will has to be there.
With the right political will he'll find that the people will rally around him, but without it, we are going to go back to square one.
GORANI: Let's hope that's not the case. We will be watching it closely. Thank you so much for your analysis and for speaking to us today.
Ambassador Samir Sumaidaie, from Washington, thanks very much for your time, we appreciate it.
SUMAIDAIE: Thank you.
GORANI: Now, we'll get back to Iraq a little bit later with more analysis on the strategic military situation there, but now we want to bring you
some wild weather. Powerful tornados, flash floods, dangerous blizzard conditions, all part of a massive storm system in America and it has been
deadly. Dozens have been killed across the United States.
Take a look at some of this video. Texas is one of the hardest hit areas. Rare December twisters tore through the Dallas suburbs and the threat of
severe weather is not yet over. Residents are now bracing for near freezing temperatures and snow. Other states are under blizzard warnings,
including parts of Oklahoma, Texas and New York.
All right, let's get the very latest now from Sonia Moghe, she's in Garland, Texas, where 8 people were killed when a tornado ripped through
that area on Saturday night.
Sonia, we're seeing what's behind you I mean it looks absolutely devastated. Tell us what happened.
SONIA MOGHE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this was one of the hardest hit areas in north Texas, 8 people were killed here after an EF4
tornado, that's the second strongest type of tornado hit here on Saturday, the day after Christmas.
Now today has been the first day that some of these people, some 600 people whose homes were destroyed or damaged could come and see their homes for
the first time. The temperatures here unbearably low for people who are in this area.
Heartbreaking scenes in Garland Texas, this after a terrifying and deadly tornado roared through over the weekend killing several people who were
unable to reach safety in time. It was part of a massive weather system that killed dozens across Texas and parts of the Mid-West, and some
residents are now being forced to clear up damage in freshly fallen snow.
This was the scene Monday morning outside of Forth Worth, Texas. Meanwhile harrowing stories are starting to emerge from people being forced to flee
for safety as tornados ripped homes to shreds.
[UNIDENTIFIED MALE]: It was pretty traumatic, we just came out to assess our own damages and he's over there yelling for help.
MOGHE: (Debra Lee King's) neighbor begged her to take his two day old child to the hospital. She did while her husband (Glen) helped to try to get the
man's wife out of what was left of their home.
[UNIDENTIFIED MALE]: But she was pinned in there between a wall and a door.
MOGHE: She survived, but her baby did not. Her tornado destroyed an elementary school in Red Oak while just a few blocks away, (Willer Jordan)
and his family cowered inside a closet.
(WILLER JORDAN): That sound, I just can't get that sound out of my head, to hear some wood, buildings cracking, I mean ripping stuff up, and all we
could do was run to the closet and pray, you know.
MOGHE: In some parts of Texas and other parts of America, flooding remains a serious concern especially as so many Americans continue to travel by car
on roads during this holiday season, Hala.
GORANI: All right, Sonia Moghe, thanks very much. She's in Garland, Texas, we'll keep our eye also on the weather situation there because there's been
a lot going on right here in England as well and other parts of the world with some very damaging and destructive weather patterns.
Still to come on this show; Japan sits down with South Korea hoping that a new agreement will help heal a gaping wound that dates all the way back to
World War II. We'll be right back.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
[15:15:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Welcome back, in just a few minutes we're expecting the family of Aylan Kurdi, you'll remember that young Syrian boy whose body washed up on
a Turkish beach in September and whose death raised awareness of the true scope and tragedy of the refugee crisis. Well we are expecting some of his
family members to arrive in Vancouver today.
They - we understand the plane has touched down, these are other passengers from that flight making their way out, they've gone through immigration,
this is Vancouver International airport in Canada.
The uncle of Aylan Kurdi, the aunt as well, and five kids of that couple are going to be arriving in Canada. And (Teema) Kurdi, you'll remember the
sister of the father of Aylan, the aunt of Aylan, the three year old will be welcoming them there in Canada. You're seeing people holding, there to
the left of your screen, a stuffed animal. Others, not in shot, holding balloons and flowers, expecting that family to arrive any minute.
Now, Paula Newton, is in Canada, and she joins me now. Paula, the father of Aylan Kurdi is not in this group travelling to Canada, do we know why?
PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He's decided, I mean Canada has offered that he could also come, as a matter of family reunification,
although Teema tells me he's decided look, he just doesn't want to come right now, he's not ruling it out altogether but he's still dealing
obviously with a lot of sorrow. It's just been a few months, and he's trying to put his time to good use in terms of doing advocacy and do what
he can do to help other refugee families.
Obviously bittersweet moments here, Hala. And as you know all too well, this was a very large family that has been absolutely torn apart by what's
gone on in Syria, they've all ended up in very desperate places. Whether it was Turkey, or back to Damascus, or now in Canada, or Germany, and
they're just trying to come to grips really with the tragedy that happened in September.
GORANI: Yes, I remember speaking to (Teema) Kurdi as she was visiting Europe with an organization that was sponsoring her visit there in
Brussels, a few months ago. And she told me that she felt guilty even that she gave the money to her brother in Turkey to make the crossing. That she
was feeling guilty. You spoke to her as well, what are her thoughts on this day?
[15:20:11]
NEWTON: Well her thoughts are obviously bittersweet. I mean but you have to - looking at these pictures as we are, this is something that (Teema)
says she never thought would have been possible in September, and now here she is at least welcoming some of her family.
You know she said something very interesting though; Hala, she doesn't want people to forget that picture. She is saying that look, it does have a
purpose and it does have a meaning, and as much pain as it gives my family, she hopes that it helps people, not just about helping refugees and keeping
in mind what they're going through but to keep the focus on getting a peace plan together for Syria.
Now we've had some things change in the last couple of weeks there, as you know as well, Hala, the U.N. finally Russia -
GORANI: -- Paula, we think this is the family by the way - just one moment. We believe this is them.
So obviously we're seeing the back of (Teema) Kurdi there, she ran toward those glass doors as they opened when she saw through the glass and
recognized her family. There I see (Teema), this is the aunt of Aylan Kurdi, that little boy whose death just really touched the hearts of so
many around the world in September.
There you have it. What's next for the family now Paula?
NEWTON: Oh, you know Hala, as you see (Teema) hugging her nephew, you know what's next is she wants these kids in school. And most of all that nephew
that she just hugged, (Teema) told me that look, this kid's been working, he's not been able to go to school, he's had to work in order to make money
for the family, and that's what's next for them. Its school, they're immediately being made permanent residents in Canada. She hopes, her
brother is trained as a barber, she you know works at a salon, she wants to open a family salon.
She knows it's going to be tough, right now, space, money, everything is quite tight. But they know that they can make it and they want to make it
because they know that in terms to be able to really do justice to the memory of Aylan, his brother, and his mother, they want to make sure that
they have this fresh start in Canada. All the while remembering what they really want is that peace deal in Syria.
GORANI: Right, absolutely. Aylan, the three year old really brought home the tragedy of the refugee crisis but his brother also died, and his
mother, and so many other children are dying almost every day trying to make that crossing.
Paula Newton, in Canada, thanks very much. We're going to leave you with these live pictures from Vancouver airport. The family of little Aylan
Kurdi making their way to Canada, they are now permanent residents of Canada. (Teema) Kurdi, the aunt of Aylan welcoming them to her home in
Vancouver, we'll be right back with a lot more.
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
[15:26:03]
GORANI: And that's a look at the markets. Star Wars is stealing the spotlight in what's been a strong year for the film industry.
Disney's new entry in the sci-fi saga has passed the billion dollar mark in revenues faster than any movie ever in this timeframe. Boosted by record
Christmas day sales. It travelled at light speed to become one of the biggest U.S. films of all time, just 12 days after its global release.
Joining me from New York for more on how the force has awakened this box office, is (Eric Davis), he's the managing editor for film review site,
Fandango.com.
(Eric), thanks for being with us. First of all you hit the billion dollar mark in 12 days - 11/12 days, that's a record. Did that surprise you?
ERIC DAVIS, MANAGING EDITOR FANDANGO.COM: No, it didn't surprise me. This is a film that was breaking all kinds of records when it came out. It's
been breaking records every single day since its release. I believe in the states, 37 box office records it has broken so far. And for comparison
sake, James Cameron's Avatar which is the current highest grossing movie of all time has 9 box office records, to Star Wars' 37.
So yes, 12 days is a new record. Jurassic World did it in 13 days to reach a billion dollars at the Worldwide Box Office. But keep in mind, Jurassic
World opened in China. Star Wars hasn't opened in China yet. And so everyone's sort of eyes are now on China, it just premiered in China, it
opens there January 9th. And so is this going to be a massive hit in China?
The movie Star Wars, isn't as big in China, they aren't as familiar with Star Wars as they are around the world but we could see the numbers in
China help now push it towards that big number the all-time highest grossing movie ever.
GORANI: So when you see Avatar - you talked about Avatar hitting the billion dollar mark, you talked about others, this is the quickest billion
dollar achievement for a film. But how is this changing how Hollywood is thinking about money making ventures?
It's usually the big sci-fi thrillers now, it seems like those are the big hits now.
(DAVIS): Yes, franchises basically. You know franchise dependent Hollywood has become in recent years. And if you look at 2015 alone we had a bunch
of movies hit a billion dollars, not just Star Wards, the Force Awakens, but Jurassic World, Avengers Age of Ultron, Furious Seven, Minions. And so
what this is telling us is that audiences want franchises because they keep going to them in record numbers.
And so I think what we're going to see is we're going to see a lot more of them. Disney is going to put out a Star Wars movie every year for the
foreseeable future. As long as we keep going, Fandango, we just launched a poll for the most anticipated movies that are coming out, Star Wars the
next one is already kind of reaching the top list.
So you know a lot of people want to see more Star Wars, they're making more Star Wars, and more franchises.
QUEST: All right, (Eric Davis), thanks very much. The Managing Editor for Fandango.com, thanks for joining us to talk Star Wars.
(DAVIS): Thank you.
QUEST: A lot more ahead on "The World Right Now." We're going to franchise this show one day, hopefully.
Iraq's Prime Minister vows to defeat ISIS next year but will the reported liberation of Ramadi be enough? We'll speak to a former lieutenant General
who served in Iraq next.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
[15:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Welcome back, a look at our top stories this hour. Iraq's Prime Minister has congratulated the country's troops for their reported
liberation of Ramadi. Soldiers raised the Iraqi flag over the government building in the center of the city symbolically. It follows almost a weak
of heavy clashes between the government troops and ISIS. ISIS captured Ramadi back in May, you'll remember.
A spokesperson for the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior, tells CNN it will take two to three weeks to cleanse Ramadi of the remaining pockets of
fighters as well as some booby-traps and that kind of thing there.
A massive storm system has claimed 24 lives across the United States but the severe weather is not over yet. Parts of Texas that were ravaged by
tornadoes are now after all that bracing for near freezing temperatures and snow. Other states are under blizzard warnings or face potential flash
floods.
Japan and South Korea have reached a deal over the issue of comfort women with Japan pledging more than $8 million to a fund to help those used as
sex slaves by the Japanese military during World War II, and there are survivors with some very painful memories.
Alexandra Field has our report.
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: After 12 recent rounds of negotiations and decades of tension between Japan and South Korea, a deal
is finally reached to resolve the conflict over comfort women. Many of them Korean women who were forced to serve as sex slaves in Japanese
military brothels in the years leading up to and during World War II.
If the Japanese government carries out its end of the deal by putting up around $8 million for a foundation to support the surviving women, South
Korea, will consider the matter irreversibly resolved.
(UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE): In order to restore dignity and regain the impaired reputation that the comfort women as well as heal their wounded hearts
through the agreement, I think it is most important that the Japanese government swiftly and faithfully carry out the measures under the deal.
[15:35:02]
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): I think we did our duty for the current generation by reaching this final and irreversible resolution before the end of the 70th
year since the war.
FIELD: The announcement of the deal comes with a message that Japan's Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, again expresses his most sincere apologies and
remorse to all the women who suffered. It also has the government taking responsibility for the military's use of comfort women.
But (inaudible) representing survivors says the apology is too vague and it fails to make explicitly clear the Japanese government's role in
perpetuating the crimes against women.
(Kim Bajung) is one of those women forced to leave her Korean village at the age of 14. She says she was used for 5 years as a sex slave.
(KIM BAJUNG): (translated) I can't put into words the scars it left with me. It still keeps me awake at night. It went on for such a long time, by
the time the sun went down, I couldn't use my lower body at all. In my old age, I couldn't have a single person who can call me mother, I could never
have a child.
FIELD: (Kim) is one of 46 living survivors. There are estimates that some 200,000 women were used by the Japanese military as comfort women.
In Seoul, Alexandra Field, CNN.
GORANI: Let's return now to our top story the reported liberation of Ramadi. It could be just one of several setbacks for ISIS.
The group is struggling to keep open supply lines to the city of Mosul in Northern Iraq, you see it there on the map, after Peshmerga fighters
captured a key route to that city.
Meantime the U.S. backed Syrian Democratic forces are inching closer to Raqqa, the capital of ISIS' so called caliphate. And by that I mean the
Syrian military.
You saw CNN military analyst and retired lieutenant general, Mark Hertling, in one of our reports earlier today. Well he's with us live now, let's
speak to him.
OK, Lieutenant General, is this a strategic or symbolic victory; Ramadi taken back by Iraqi forces?
LIEUTENANT GENERAL, MARK HERTLING: It's a great question Hala, and it is a tactical victory. It's part of the campaign plan to rid Iraq from all of
ISIS. And I think that it is a big first step in showing the capabilities of the Iraqi security forces as they've been reborn under Prime Minister
Al-Abadi.
It's very important to note that they suffered significantly in terms of both leadership, corruption and a lack of support by the central government
over the last several years, so this is a good indicator that things are turning around.
GORANI: All right, but it did take a lot of help from coalition air - with coalition air strike 600 I understand. So this type of assistance,
military assistance is still what's needed in order - and weeks and weeks of very hard work, and then a few more as well to clear the remaining
pockets of fighters from Ramadi.
This is just for Ramadi, and there's still a lot of work to be done. So I mean this is the beginning of -- could this be considered a template for
future operations?
HERTLING: No I think every single operation that goes forward in this very - what will be a very long campaign will be somewhat different in each
respect. The fight for Baji, the fight for Tikrit are different than the fight was for Ramadi. The fight to support an operation into Mosul which
is hopefully the next step is going to be very different than what happened in Ramadi. And it's primarily because in each area of Iraq you have
different mixes of sex between Shia, Sunni, and Kurd Kaldians, you have different tribal influences that are there, and you have different
political factors in each one of the separate areas.
So whereas Ramadi was again a tactical victory, it was a good first step for the central government supporting the military but there's many, many
more steps to go and all of them are going to be difficult.
As we've said from the very beginning Hala, this is going to be a generational campaign, a very long campaign.
GORANI: Now I was speaking with the U.S. - the former Iraqi Ambassador to the U.S. Samir Sumaidaie. One of the things he told me is ultimately this
will fail. Yes you can you know sort of make, register a victory against ISIS in Ramadi, but until you have a truly inclusive political landscape in
Iraq, and that means including the Sunnis, the Shia led government, including the Sunnis, then eventually ISIS will morph itself into something
else. Are the conditions there this time do you think?
HERTLING: Well there are indicators of that. I mean I think you are seeing today in Ramadi in Anbar province which is an almost exclusive Sunni
province, the Iraqi government tried to do it one way previously with primarily Shia militias. There are certainly probably some Shia influence
in Anbar province today but it's not significant.
[15:40:00]
HERTLING: As you see people dancing around on the street, these are local tribesmen, these are recruits to the Iraqi security forces to try and make
this a nationalistic force. And truthfully Hala, when I was there, and this was five years ago in 2008, more than that now, in 2008, we were
seeing indicators that the Iraqi security forces was becoming a nationalistic force. But only when the leadership shifted back to a
sectarian influenced regime did you see the destruction and the lack of support for the security forces.
If you - if we see as this goes forward, if you see a more pluralistic approach to all the security forces, and again I say Shia, Sunni, Kurds,
and all of the different provinces being supported by the central government you may see success. But that's what I think a lot of us Iraq
watchers are looking for.
GORANI: All right, Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, let's hope that happens for the sake of these Iraqis who have suffered so much over the
last several years, Ramadi now it appears in the hands of government forces. Thanks very much.
HERTLING: Thank you, Hala.
GORANI: Now speaking of ISIS, some people are suspecting that that terrorist group has managed to achieve a reach into Turkey.
A Syrian activist and documentary film maker was gunned down in broad daylight. Naji al-Jarf, was killed in Gaziantep. That is a Turkish city
50km or so from the Syrian border. This was the message posted by the group "Raqqa is being slaughtered silently."
Jarf's killers have not been identified but activists believe ISIS is responsible. One of al-Jarf's colleagues told CNN he had received death
threats after making a documentary on ISIS. He was a father of two, he had a plan to move to France the following day we understand. So a very tragic
there end to the life of this 38 year old man and potentially as some suspect ISIS responsible for the murder of Naji al-Jarf.
This is "The World Right Now." Coming up next. Another police shooting in Chicago has the mayor asking for new police training and the people are
asking for a new mayor. We go to Chicago live after this.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
[15:45:19]
GORANI: Just a couple of hours ago Ohio State prosecutor said there will be no indictment issue for two police officers involved in one of the many
recent controversial police shootings in the United States.
The victim was a 12 year old boy, named Tamir Rice. You might remember in late November of last year he had been playing at a local park in Cleveland
when a witness saw his pellet gun and called 911, the emergency number.
The witness pointed out during the call that the gun was "probably fake" but then tragedy. This video shows an officer in training shooting the
boy, the 12 year old, within seconds of arriving on the scene. Only afterwards did they realize the gun wasn't real and the Ohio Grand Jury
decided that their response was "reasonable."
This is angering a lot of people. Some people are saying that there should be demonstrations already to protest this decision.
Now the same theme but a different as two more police shootings of African Americans in Chicago have put the city on edge again. Two people were
killed, one 19 year old Quintonio Legrier, he was shot and killed as officers answered a domestic disturbance call, he's there on the right.
They say he was wielding a bat, but the lady on the left was also killed, a 55 year old, her name Betty Jones, they're saying that was an accident.
And people are angry once again.
Let's get more on this story and get the view from Chicago, Roza Flores who has been following events as they unfold joins me now with more.
So police are saying essentially the 55 year old, Betty Jones, that was an accident. But the 19 year old, they are defending that shooting in
particular Roza?
ROZA FLORES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well here's what we know from police. They say that all of this started as a domestic disturbance
very early on Saturday morning. And police arrived on scene and they say that they were confronted by a "combative person." And so now we know from
police that they say that this 19 year old had a bat and charged at police officers with that bat and so officers returned - or I should say fired
their weapon and thus killing the 19 year old and the 55 year old who was simply his neighbor.
And so her family also saying that all she did was open her door, and now we know from the coroner's report that she was shot in the chest, and we
should add that the police officer involved is on administrative duty. And the mayor has asked both the police department and the agency that
investigates all officer involved shootings to evaluation training to try to make sure that this doesn't happen again, Hala.
GORANI: But people who are angry about this and cases similar to this one where maybe you have a suspect with a knife walking away shot several
times, or somebody without a weapon at all shot as well are saying police time and time again overreact in these situations and are trigger happy.
But it doesn't appear as though there's a lot of accountability in these cases in terms of police officers actually being indicted or actually being
held accountable. This is what those who criticize police officers for using deadly force too often are saying, right? I mean could this - at
some point one of these cases tip the balance and change things?
FLORES: Well, what we're seeing right now in Chicago is the first police officer in an officer involved shooting being prosecuted. Now that's Jason
van Dyke and you probably remember the video of Laquan McDonald and the shooting video of Laquan McDonald. Jason van Dyke is being arraigned
tomorrow. But here this, according to some of the law professors here in Chicago, this officer is the first officer to be prosecuted since 1968.
And so there's a lot of people here in Chicago analyzing what's going on whenever a police officer pulls the trigger. So aside from the statistics
here, people in Chicago have names to go - to demonstrate with and to protest for. Rekia Boyd, Ronald Johnson, Laquan McDonald, Cedric Chapman,
you can go on, and on, and on, and so it really is bringing a lot of emotion not only here in Chicago but around the country. Every single time
that an individual is shot and killed by police we not only see protests in that particular community but in other big cities around the country in
support of that particular incident, Hala.
GORANI: All right, Roza Flores is live in Chicago, thanks very much, we'll be right back.
[15:50:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
GORANI: Well, we told you about extreme weather in the United States, it is wreaking havoc in some parts of the world outside the U.S. this holiday
season.
British troops are actually helping to evacuate hundreds of people from flooded areas in northern England. Cumbria and nearby counties are among
the hardest hit. ITN's Damon Green has our report.
DAMON GREEN, ITN CORRESPONDENT: The river may be subsiding but many parts of the city of York are still flooded, the extent of the water visible from
the air. And today the engineers struggling to repair the city's failed flood defenses had to call on the RAF to deliver the cables, the
generators, and the motors to get the pumps working once more.
The river waters behind me are several meters above where they'd normally be and the pumping station is completely surrounded by the waters of the
River Foss and the River Ooze. It's only accessible by air and the only way to bring in the heavy equipment that's needed is with a Chinook
helicopter.
It's not just the environment agency relying on the armed forces to bail them out, 500 soldiers are now deployed in the north of England. Today,
David Cameron visited them at their work in York preparing sandbags. He also visited some of the flooded streets of the city but not everyone was
pleased to see him.
(WOMAN SHOUTING)
GREEN: He's had to defend his government's spending on flood defenses and deny growing accusations that when there's money to be spent it's the north
that loses out.
DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Here in Yorkshire for instance, we've spent a hundred million pounds on flood defenses since I became Prime
Minister. We're planning to spend another 280 million so almost three times as much. But you know that's of no comfort obviously to the people
who've been flooded here in York.
[15:55:01]
GREEN: Hundreds of families have had to leave their homes over the last two days, it's still not certain when they'll be able to return and with more
heavy rain forecast for Wednesday, no-one wants to say that the risk of more flooding is past. For those whose property has been damaged by the
rising water, little consolation that river levels have finally started to fall.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): I think they're frustrated because they don't know any real information why it had to happen. As you can see it affected all the
houses of the road and you know we were coping OK, it wasn't - the river wasn't really flooded but when they lifted the flood barrier everything
came in.
GREEN: The people of York continue to endure the cold, the wet, the indignity of these floods, but those who care about the city say things
must change.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): The city of York is a wonderful great city, and what we are seeing is a testing of our will. And I want to say having lived in
Yorkshire for 10 years, they're resilient people but we shouldn't take them for granted. Work hard that you make sure this doesn't happen again.
GREEN: Everyone wants to believe that this will never happen again, but that is a promise that nobody is prepared to make.
Damon Green, ITV News, in York.
GORANI: Well, this has been "The World Right Now," thanks for watching, I'm Hala Gorani. Stay with CNN, Quest Means Business is next.
END
