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Obama: 'We Are Not at War with Islam'; Kurdish Forces Battling Latest ISIS Surge; Will U.S. Help Syrian Rebels with Airstrikes?; Ukrainian Troops Pull Out of Key City

Aired February 19, 2015 - 07:00   ET

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


(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Al Qaeda and ISIL and groups like it are desperate for legitimacy. They try to portray themselves as religious leaders, holy warriors in defense of Islam. We must never accept the premise that they put forward because it is a lie. Nor should we grant these terrorists the religious legitimacy that they seek. They are not religious leaders. They're terrorists.

(APPLAUSE)

And we are not at war with Islam. We are at war with people who have perverted Islam.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The president also called on communities themselves to take responsibility. And said that Muslim leaders need to do more to counter this ideology.

The online aspect has also figured heavily into this summit, the president saying we need to amplify somehow the voices of peace and tolerance. And also that the international community needs to give people an alternative. In these vulnerable communities. Offering them more opportunities. He said that, you know, maybe one of the antidotes in the long-term is making sure that young people in some of these places simply know that they have a future -- Brianna.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Michelle Kosinski for us at the White House, thank you.

Kurdish forces battling a new round of attacks by ISIS. Do the Peshmerga fighters have what it takes to slow the terrorists? Or will ISIS march through Iraq and Syria and rage on to Libya? Let's get right now to CNN senior international correspondent, Ben Wedeman.

Ben, tell us how things look from your vantage point.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brianna, we're on a river here. This bridge behind me was blown by ISIS last summer, and some of the Kurdish fighters who are here now were telling me that within an hour, during a battle, they were able to rig explosives and blow it up. And it gives you an idea of the kind of skill, professionalism they have that is putting some of the people like the Kurds who are fighting them, to the test.

Just down the river from here, 20, just over 24 hours ago, Kurdish forces were able to repulse an ISIS assault, but only with the help of coalition aircraft.

Now we understand there's been another series of coalition airstrikes in that area where the battle took place. Between seven and eight ISIS fighters were killed. But it's the coalition aircraft that really make the difference.

And when you speak to Kurdish fighters, they will tell you they are missing some of the basics of modern warfare. They don't have night vision. They don't have a lot of armored vehicles. They have equipment, some of it dating back to the Second World War. And they say to really push ISIS back, to regain territory, to stop the momentum, they need modern equipment that they just don't have at the moment -- Chris.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Ben, thank you very much. Stay safe. We'll check back with you later.

Let's get some more now on the fight against ISIS and the challenges plaguing Iraq from Lukman Faily. He is Iraq's ambassador to the United States.

Ambassador, thank you for joining us this morning.

LUKMAN FAILY, IRAQI AMBASSADOR TO U.S.: Thank you for having me.

CUOMO: So you say that you believe that this year your forces will be able to recapture territory now being held by ISIS? From where does the confidence come?

FAILY: From the experience dealing with ISIS, dealing with terrorism. Over the last decade. From the determination of the people, from the new political leadership in Iraq and certainly from the international support.

CUOMO: All right. So let's look at each of those components that you put into what you see as confidence. The reports from the ground are not promising. It seems that ISIS is expanding and it seems that the Iraqi army, while doing better, is still falling short in direct conflict. Do you not see the situation the same way?

FAILY: No, we see that the trend is in support of our attack and in taking initiative in areas. Certainly, there are hit-and-run incidents taking place. Certainly, we need support in -- across all the fronts. They are not just one there of fighting. It's a multi- layered; it's a complicated theater. A number of forces that we need to get better coordination. The allied are involved more and more. We need more of that. We talk about -- your report talked about air control. That's a vital. That's a game-changer. We never had it. Now we have it, we need more of that. CUOMO: Is it true that you also need more of unity among your people,

and that may be one of the ingredients into a lack of resolve among the fighting force?

FAILY: There are political issues in Iraq. It's a new democracies, away from dictatorship. The communities now are empowered, and therefore, we need to work better on the politics side. But I don't think that's the issue any longer.

With a new government, a unified government, a coalition type of a government, that's not the issue. The issue now we have is better coordination between the various fightings, the Peshmerga, the allied, the Iraqi forces, the people's mobilization forces, the volunteers and everybody else. We need to -- better coordination.

CUOMO: Well, but you know that within your own society, you have an ethnic minority that does not feel they've been properly integrated, and that's why the Sunnis have been, if anything, leaving to fight with the enemy, instead of joining the cause at the right rates. Don't you think that's something you have to address?

FAILY: No, the issues we have are multi-layered, as we said. the politics is somewhat complicated, unfortunately.

However, the government has the determination. The full number of the government, which has 31 percent Arab Sunnis as part of the cabinet, have already made that determination. It's not the issue of not having the right partners. We do have the right partners. It's just that ISIS is a foreign entity. It's an invasion, sophisticated organization, as your report highlighted. We need to be better equipped, better able. And I'm sure that the politics is on the right side. We need the allies and others to provide us with that game- changer.

CUOMO: Right. ISIS, as we all know, is not a true sovereign. It is wholly dependent on its ability to recruit and radicalize. Listen to something that President Obama said yesterday that goes to the heart of what the problem is coming from. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: We have to address the grievances that terrorists exploit. When millions of people, especially youth, are impoverished and have no hope for the future; when corruption inflicts daily humiliations on people; when there are no outlets by which people can express their concerns, resentments fester. The risks of instability and extremism grow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: Now, when you hear those words of the president, do you agree that that is a fair description of what is happening within your own society?

FAILY: It's a spot-on description of the regional phenomenon. Iraq has democracy. We also add other components, which the president didn't talk about, which is that we're moving away from dictatorship. The region itself is not known, well known for democracy. There are certainly demographic changes and others, not just in Iraq. It's across. But Iraq has an another -- an additional component, which is the forefront, the fault line in relation to all the factors which the president talked about.

CUOMO: Now, the United States has been making suggestions that it wants to arm the Kurds directly, that they're taking on the fight very aggressively. They need the help. You heard it from our reporter, as well. There's been push-back from the government saying, "No, have the weapons come through Baghdad. We'll distribute them to the Kurds." But that obviously plays on another problem in your society. That the Kurds don't trust that, necessarily. Should the U.S. be able to arm them directly?

FAILY: No, it's not the issue of trust, as I said...

CUOMO: It is for the Kurds.

FAILY: ... government. Let me give you just simple numbers. The president is a Kurd. The majority of senior ministries related to finance and others are Kurds. The chief of the army is a Kurd. It's not that. It's not the issue of the composition of that. It's to do more with keeping sure that the unity of the country, the perception and the fact of the unity of the country is intact. It's not -- there has not been any political agenda against the Peshmerga or our Peshmerga fighters.

CUOMO: Then why not allow them to be armed directly, if there's no issue?

FAILY: It's not that. Surely, you would want the central government to have control and have some issues of transparency and others, so that the unity of the government is controlled. The army, as I said...

CUOMO: What does that mean, the unity of the government. It seems like if your need is those fighters, then arm them directly. That's clear.

FAILY: I would say the unity of the government. I said the unity of -- ISIS provided a threat to the -- existential threat to the unity of the state. It challenged the state. Surely, as any respectable and accountable state, they need to reflect responsibilities and make sure that all components of that society work together.

It has -- the Kurds get their weapons within 24 hours standing in Baghdad, just being inspected, and then goes down. They are our fighters. The Peshmerga are our fighters. The other -- other components of Iraq are our fighters. We have a unity against the fight against ISIS. It's not...

CUOMO: Well, that's -- that's good to hear, though, Mr. Ambassador, because you know that that is a concern that is consistently raised.

Let me ask you one other quick question before I let you go, and thank you again for being with us on NEW DAY.

FAILY: My pleasure.

CUOMO: When you think about ISIS and what you are fighting in your enemy, would you say that you are fighting against an Islamic enemy?

FAILY: ISIS is neither Islamic nor is it a state. It's a tumor; it's a cancerous tumor. It certainly has damaged more, the Sunni doctrine when it claims it's Sunni, or the Islamic doctrine when it claims it's Islamic. It's neither of them, and we don't see it that way.

CUOMO: So you do not see these as Muslim people that you're fighting?

FAILY: No. It's not just I, all the Iraqis, all those who are against it, all the community, international community. It's not -- it's the issue of Islamic, I think, is not the core issue here. The issue is their practices, their doctrine, their not allowing the composition of Iraq with all its all diversity and rich heritage to remain.

What they did in Afghanistan more than a decade ago, are doing -- they are doing it daily in Iraq. We should not allow that. That's the key issue here.

CUOMO: All right. Mr. Ambassador, thank you very much for clarifying the situation from there. We look forward to checking in with you again.

FAILY: Thank you.

CUOMO: John.

BERMAN: Thanks, Chris.

There are at least two fronts now in the battle against ISIS. There's Iraq, which Chris was talking about, and there's also the battle in Syria. And word this morning the United States might soon expand its military support for Syrian rebels.

Let's bring in Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr with the details of this -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.

The so-called moderate Syrian rebels, the long-awaited training program for them is now expected to start in Jordan next month. We now know that the Pentagon plans to equip them with trucks, light weapons, radios, GPS communications gear, all of it. The goal is to get them trained up and ready to fight ISIS back inside Syria.

But a couple of key developments have now emerged. There is also consideration to having them assist -- very key word -- in calling in U.S. airstrikes on the ground. The idea -- it's been done before. The Peshmerga helped call in U.S. airstrikes, you'll recall against Kobani in Syria several weeks ago. It worked, because the Peshmerga were very trusted, vetted fighters. The risk here is that many people worry the Syrian rebels may not have

the skills, may have other agendas, and having them call in U.S. airstrikes inside Syria could be a risky proposition. At the same time, the U.S. involvement also deepening, because now, once these people are on the ground, the U.S. has to support them. One of the things on the table, the possibility of U.S. air support over Syria for those rebels on the ground -- Brianna.

KEILAR: All right. Barbara at the Pentagon, thank you so much.

The Justice Department could take action against Ferguson, Missouri, police for perceived racial discrimination. Officials tell CNN that the DOJ will file suit if Ferguson police don't agree to review and change some practices, following a civil rights investigation on the heels of the Michael Brown shootings. The results of the investigation should be revealed in the coming weeks.

CUOMO: All right. Meet the new boss, same as the acting boss. The White House says interim Secret Service director Joseph Clancy will lose the "interim" part and get the job permanently. To finish the allusion to The Who song, he hopes to "not get fooled again." He took over in October following a series of embarrassing lapses and security breaches. You're looking at one there. Remember this man who made it all the way into the White House? By tapping Clancy, the president ignored an independent panel's conclusion that the job should go to an outsider.

BERMAN: Brian Williams getting some support from his daughter, actress Allison Williams. She spoke out for the first time since her father's scandal that earned him a six-month suspension from NBC. Allison Williams says it has been really hard on the family. She says her father is an honest, truthful man who can be trusted, she says, adding as any good daughter has done, she has tested him on that.

You know it's interesting and why it's important to hear from Allison Williams. Brian Williams can't talk. As part of his six-month suspension with NBC, he is not allowed to comment to the media about all the allegations and findings against him over the last several weeks. So you know, hearing from his daughter is interesting.

CUOMO: Fair to ask a daughter?

KEILAR: I think so.

BERMAN: I think you can't have her on without asking -- addressing it right now, given everything that's been out there.

CUOMO: The substance of it or just how is the family doing?

BERMAN: How is the family doing? You know, what does she have to say? I don't think anything more than that.

KEILAR: I think she wants to answer, too. So I definitely think, aside from being fair to answer, I think she wants to stick up for her dad. CUOMO: It will be interesting to see what time does for or to Brian

Williams in terms of how people see what happened, and where there's any forgiveness or what the right fix has to be.

KEILAR: Yes.

CUOMO: We'll see, right?

Time to go. All right. What's next for eastern Ukraine after troops pulled out of a strategic town, stormed by pro-Russian rebels? So much for the ceasefire. Now other NATO states could be at risk from Russia, as well. We will show you why.

KEILAR: And does the president of the United States love America? Well, not according to former New York mayor, Rudy Giuliani. What did he say? John King will explain coming up on "Inside Politics."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany have agreed to make another push to get all sides to abide by the ceasefire reached last week that really never got underway.

Now Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko calling for peace-keepers to step in after intense fighting with pro-Russian rebels forced Ukrainian troops to withdraw from a key city.

Joining me now is Admiral James Stavridis, a former NATO supreme allied commander, who led allied forces during the 2011 mission in Libya.

Admiral, thanks so much for being with us. And let's talk a little bit about what we're seeing here. Ukrainian forces who were really forced to withdraw from the strategic city of Debaltseve after there was this intense fighting with Russian-backed rebels. How important is this?

ADMIRAL JAMES STAVRIDIS, FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER: I think it is a critical turning point in the sense that it shows us that Ukraine, if unaided, with any kind of military assistance, really can't stand up to these Russian-backed insurgents. Ninety percent of those troops have come out of the strategic town, Brianna.

But the ability of the Ukrainian military to reset and reengage is very low. That's why you're seeing President Poroshenko call for U.N. peace-keepers, which is very unlikely.

KEILAR: OK. So that's very unlikely. What would it take, then, for Vladimir Putin to observe the ceasefire? Is there really anything that Ukraine or allies can do?

STAVRIDIS: I'd put at the top of the listings, Brianna, continuing the sanctions. They're having real effect on the economy, particularly in the fall of the ruble, coupled with the collapse in the oil prices. This is putting real pressure in a financial sense on Russia. Secondly, continuing the international aspect of sanctioning this

through United Nations through dialogue that is directed against the Russians.

Third, reinforce NATO allies who are on the front line: the Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland. Rotational forces going in there.

And fourth and, I would say, most importantly, and I referred to it earlier, provide military assistance to the Ukrainian military. That's not boots on the ground. But it is systems that can take on these advanced Russian weapons.

KEILAR: You mentioned the Baltic states just a moment ago. We heard from the foreign minister of Britain, who is talking about this pressure on the Baltics. And he says that NATO really needs to prepare for Russia to be looking beyond the Crimea, beyond Ukraine. You mentioned Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia. How real is a Russian threat to those nations?

STAVRIDIS: Unfortunately, I think it is quite real, because each of those states has a significant Russian-speaking population. So Brianna, you'll recall that was the pretext under which Russia invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea, was to protect the Russian-speaking minority.

This is particularly true in Estonia. I was in Estonia last summer, spoke with the president. There is real concern there. And I believe that the British foreign minister is exactly right. NATO needs to reassure.

NATO has created a new so-called spearhead force, which is 5,000 troops immediately deployable to respond to something like this. But we need more rotational forces into the Baltics and into Poland to reassure our allies in eastern Europe.

KEILAR: I want to talk a little bit now, Admiral, about ISIS and about Libya. ISIS now beginning to get a toehold in Libya. This is very alarming.

In 2011 a NATO operation, something that you heralded as a model for intervention, and many others did, as well. I think the hope was that it would create space for there to be -- perhaps be a movement towards democracy with the ouster of Moammar Gadhafi.

But do you have any doubts now at this point that that was the right strategy, or that perhaps it wasn't followed up with the political cohesion that was needed?

STAVRIDIS: Brianna, I think you've got it right. We're in a period of real turbulence in Libya, with an on-the-ground, ongoing civil conflict between an internationally recognized government centered in Tobruk (ph) and an Islamist force centered in Tripoli. And, as you correctly state, dropped in the middle of this mix is a dose of Islamic State. Bad combination and clearly a period of great turbulence. However, over the long throw, I would bet on the emergence of a

relatively stable government and a good situation in Libya. Why? Because they have enormous oil, particularly on a per capita basis. They have an enviable geographic position, actually close to Europe. Long sea coast. They have an educated population.

This is a very dark period for Libya. But I would argue that over the long throw, having gotten rid of a brutal dictator like Moammar Gadhafi, they will come out ahead in the end.

KEILAR: All right. And real quick question before I let you go, you have ISIS, now, Admiral ratcheting up threats against Italy. We have a full screen, it's rather long. I'm not going to read the whole thing. But basically, it says, "We will conquer your Rome, break your crosses and enslave your women" and goes on. Could ISIS realistically invade or have any sort of effect beyond maybe some lone-actor- inspired violence in Italy?

STAVRIDIS: I think it's worth remembering that it's only 100 miles or so between Libya and the southern islands of Italy. Think the distance between the United States and parts of Cuba. It's an easy crossable body of water. Not going to be an invasion.

But the idea of cells, terrorist cells being nestled into migrants, illegal migrants moving across or even simply hiring boats and coming across in small numbers, I think, unfortunately, is a real possibility. The Italians certainly think so. They're preparing for it. We ought to be assisting them.

KEILAR: Yes. And they are very much neighbors. You can see on that map.

All right. Admiral Stavridis, thanks so much. Really appreciate you being with us.

STAVRIDIS: Thanks.

CUOMO: All right, Brianna. Some potentially powerful political news coming your way. The Clinton Foundation accepts money from overseas, including some from questionable sources. Could that be a sore point as Hillary is on the verge of a White House run? The information and the implications from John King on "Inside Politics."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Important development in the war: Kurdish forces fighting off another round of attacks by ISIS. The terrorists have been increasingly targeting Kurdish-controlled areas, trying to get a foothold in Iraq. Now an Iraqi official confirms to CNN ISIS burned up to 40 people alive, including police force members. It happened 10 miles from an air base where hundreds of U.S. troops are stationed.

BERMAN: Rear Admiral John Kirby is resigning as press secretary for the Defense Department. Kirby was the first uniformed service member to serve as the Defense Department's chief spokesperson. Reports say the change is being made, because the new defense secretary, Ash Carter, wants a civilian in the post.

You know, we should say that Admiral Kirby was always very willing to take our questions, and we appreciate the work that he has done.

CUOMO: Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Well said.

KEILAR: There are allegations of racism within the Bridgeport, Connecticut, police after an anonymous threatening letter with the words "white power" makes its way through the department. A detective says that it was typed on department letterhead. Officers say this is the third threatening letter in the last year, but it's the first one that identifies an officer by name.

BERMAN: And this "Wheel of Fortune" contestant, very good, so good that probably could have won the CNN quiz show. A 17-letter puzzle, no problem for this guy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAT SAJAK, HOST, "WHEEL OF FORTUNE": Rufus, we start with you, a letter, please.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: T.

SAJAK: One "T."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Championship match.

SAJAK: Yes, that's right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: No way. No way! No way. Well, that guy like had a Jake Tapper...

KEILAR: He gets a clue, right?

BERMAN: ... life line on that.

CUOMO: That's a quality shirt. Tapper probably has one just like it.

BERMAN: Yes.

CUOMO: And I'll tell you, it does smack of the quiz show in that a very auspicious end to that one, as well. A lot of allegations about the CNN quiz show, I don't get into them on...

KEILAR: I don't know. Maybe that guy was just really good.

BERMAN: No. It can't be that.

KEILAR: No, that can't be it.

CUOMO: It's impossible. "T" and 17 letters, and you come up with "championship match"?

BERMAN: Like the quiz show.

CUOMO: Not impressed, can't wait to see you on the next edition of CNN Quiz Show.