>>> WELCOME BACK. YOU ARE WATCHING INDIVIDUAL
MEDLEY CHICAGO AND RUHLE. >> ONE DAY AFTER STOOD IN MOSUL
AND ANNOUNCED VICTORY OVER ISIS FIGHTERS ARE HOLED UP IN
NEIGHBORHOODS. THE MILITARY HAS CIRCLED THOSE
HOT SPOTS AND THE END IS NEAR FOR ISIS.
LET'S BRING IN RETIRED FOUR-STAR GENERAL AND NATO COMMANDER
WESLEY CLARK NOW A SENIOR FELLOW AT UCLA.
GENERAL, GOOD TO SEE YOU. >> THANK YOU.
>> I'M ALWAYS WORRIED WHEN ANYBODY DECLARES VICTORY,
LIBERTY, SUCCESS, OR MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.
>> WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN? >> WE KNOW THERE'S ISIS, THEY
HAVE DONE TERRIBLE THING WELDED PEOPLE IN HOMES WITH THE IRON
GATES.
WE KNOW THEY ARE TRYING TO RESCUE PEOPLE.
BATTLES STILL RAGING. WHAT'S YOUR THOUGHT ON THIS?
>> MY STATEMENT IT WAS PRIMARILY FOR DOMESTIC NEWS COVERAGE IN
IRAQ, IT IS A BIG TRIUMPH FOR IRAQI GOVERNMENT TO BE ABLE TO
HOLD CONSISTENCY, A PURPOSE. IT'S BEEN A MONTH, NINE MONTHS,
TEN MONTHS EFFORT DOING AFTER MOSUL HERE FOLLOWING SIX MONTHS
OF PREPARATION. SO THEY WANT TO TAKE DOMESTIC
RED FOR THIS. OF COURSE, WE KNOW WHAT HAPPENED
WITH ISIS. BASICALLY THEY GOT THEIR KEY
LEADERS OUT OF MOSUL A LONG TIME AGO.
THEY DISTRIBUTED ISIS CELLS ELSEWHERE ACROSS NORTH AFRICA.
LIBYA ALIVE WITH BOCA HARAM IN NIGERIA.
RELATIONSHIPS WITH AL SHABAAB, SO FORTH, WORKING IN YEMEN.
THEY ARE MANY DIFFERENT PLACES. ALSO FORCING THE END OF THE
CALIPHATE HEADQUARTERS IN RAQQA. SO THEY ARE DOING TO A DIFFERENT
MODEL OF OPERATION. IT'S A GOOD THING WE HAVE MOSUL
ALMOST CLEANED UP BUT THERE ARE TREMENDOUS ISSUES.
RECONSTRUCTION, THE ROLE OF THE MILITIAS, SECTARIAN STRIVE THAT
IS FOLLOWING THIS. WHAT'S THE FUTURE ROLE OF THE
UNITED STATES AND IRAN WHO HAVE SORT OF WORKED ON THE SAME SIDE
IN THIS. SO BIG ISSUES TO BE RESOLVED IN
MOSUL AND WE KNOW IT'S NOT THE END OF ISIS.
>> IF IT'S NOT THE END OF ISIS, WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR MOSUL AND
IRAQ? WE KNOW THEY HAVE AN UNSAFE
GOVERNMENT. EVEN IF ISIS FIRES ARE OUT,
COULD MOSUL BE A VACUUM FOR THE NEXT TERROR GROUP?
>> RIGHT. THEY HAVE GOT TO HAVE THE
LOYALTY OF TRIBES AND THE INTERNAL SECURITY TO WORK
AGAINST TERRORISTS. THAT'S A VERY, VERY TOUGH
PROPOSITION IN ANY SOCIETY BECAUSE IT ONLY TAKES A VERY FEW
PEOPLE OPERATING IN SECRET CELLS TO INFLICT A LOT OF DAMAGE.
SO THIS IS A VERY HIGH BAR THAT THE IRAQUIS HAVE TO REACH.
DON'T FORGET IN THE MEANTIME YOU'VE STILL GOT THE KURDS
OPERATING IN SYRIA, THE KURDS, GROUPS OF KURDS PUSHING FOR
INDEPENDENCE. CONCERNED ABOUT INDEPENDENCE.
THIS IS ONE STEP OF A 1,000 STEP JOURNEY TO TRY TO RESTORE
STABILITY IN A REGION. >> GENERAL, YOU BROUGHT UP
SYRIA. LET'S GO THERE FOR A SECOND.
AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF A-FLY ZONE. I'M JUST PUTTING ON THE SCREEN
SO THEY UNDER THE REGION THAT IS CEASE-FIRE.
THE WHITE HOUSE IS COMPLAINING MEDIA IS NOT GIVING THIS
COVERAGE. I DON'T KNOW, MY ROUGH GUESS
IT'S 5%, 4% OF SYRIA, AN AREA NOT PARTICULARLY PRONE TO FIRE.
>> A CEASE-FIRE AGREED ON BY UNITED STATES AND RUSSIA,
TAKEAWAY FROM THE MEETING. >> NOT THE PARTY'S PRESIDENT.
WHAT IS YOUR VIEW ON THIS CEASE-FIRE.
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, I WOULD WELCOMWELCOME ANY CEASE-FIRE TH
ANY STRATEGIC SIGNIFICANCE. IT'S NOT CLEAR IT DOES.
IF THE UNITED STATES AND JORDAN ARE ABLE TO USE THIS CEASE-FIRE
FOR HUMANITARIAN PURPOSES AND GROUPS IN THE REGION THAT
PROTECT THE SECURITY OF JORDAN, THAT'S A GOOD THING.
MY GUESS IS, IT WAS A COVER -- SORT OF AN INSIGNIFICANT EVENT
TOSSED OUT BY PUTIN TO GIVE PRESIDENT TRUMP SOMETHING TO
TAKE AWAY FROM THE SUMMIT BUT IT ALSO PROVIDES RELIEF FOR THE
ASSAD REGIME. MY CONCERN WILL BE THAT THE
ASSAD REGIME, OF COURSE, HAS A STRATEGIC PURPOSE.
THEY WANT CONTROL OF ALL OF SYRIA.
SO THEY ARE COMING BACK AFTER THIS REGION AT SOME POINT NO
MATTER WHAT BECAUSE IT'S NOT UNDER CONTROL OF THE ASSAD
REGIME. SO I'M SURE JIM MATTIS AND OUR
COMMANDERS IN THE REGION UNDERSTAND THIS.
THE QUESTION IS DOES THE WHITE HOUSE UNDERSTAND IT AND WHAT
WILL BE OUR RESPONSE TO THIS. RUSSIA HAS HAD -- THEY DON'T
HAVE OUR INTEREST AT HEART, NOT EVEN IN SYRIA.
THEY WANT ASSAD TO STAY. THEY WANT A LONG-TERM
RELATIONSHIP WITH IRAN, AND THEY WANT TO BE ABLE TO KEEP THEIR
PRESENCE IN SYRIA. WHAT WE WANT IS STABILITY IN THE
REGION, DEWEAPONIZATION AND A MOVE TO DEMOCRACY.
WE'RE OPPOSED TO RUSSIAN INTEREST AND DIRECTIVES.
THEY KNOW IT, DO WE? >> THE TAKEAWAY VLADIMIR PUTIN
WANTED PRESIDENT TRUMP IF HE THU HIM A BONE TO SAY HE HAS A WIN
AND AT THE SAME TIME HAD RELIEF FOR ASSAD, THAT CERTAINLY SOUNDS
LIKE A WIN FOR PUTIN. >> IT'S THE WAY IT LOOKS TO ME,
BECAUSE THIS IS NOT SO FAR FROM THE AREA.
WE'VE GOT LOTS OF U.S. FIREPOWER AND PROTECTION FOR JORDAN.
WE'RE COVERING THAT BORDER WITH JORDAN TO PROTECT OUR ALLY.
SO REALLY THEY ARE NOT DOING THERE ANYWAY RIGHT NOW.
>> THAT'S RIGHT. THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.
>> THEY WILL. THEY WILL.
THIS IS PART OF THE LARGER PLAN. THIS IS A PLAN TO SORT OF
DESENSITIZE THE UNITED STATES TO WHAT RUSSIA I IS REALLY DOING.
I MEAN, THE PUBLIC, THE AMERICAN PUBLIC.
>> GENERAL, GOOD TO TALK TO YOU. YOU KNOW A LOT ABOUT THESE
THINGS. GENERAL WESLEY CLARK WAS A
FORMER NATO COMMANDER. THAT BRINGS UP THE POINT THE
LARGEST REFUGEE CAMP FOR SYRIAN REFUGEES IS THAT ONE, THE
ZAATARI CAMP ON THE JORDAN BORDER WITH SYRIA.
A LOT OF OTHER REASONS FOR THIS. WE'VE BEEN COVERING THIS
ACTUALLY SINCE IT HAPPENED AT THE MEETING AND PUTTING THAT MAP
UP ON TV SINCE FRIDAY TO SHOW PEOPLE THAT'S A TEENY, WEENIE