CNN reported: “Iraqi Kurdish President Massud Barzani calls on Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to step down. Barzani says has in his words become hysterical after the prime minister accused the Kurds of harboring militants.
The battle against ISIS militants has taken a heavy toll on government security forces.”
CNN reporter from Baghdad: “It was a very rare visit and a rare look getting in to see soldiers who have wounded in combat. What we saw was room after room after room of wounded soldiers and border guards. Broken legs, gunshot wounds, shattered knees…
“I spoke to one man, Ali Ahmed, who has been up to Tikrit. This has been a very big battle recently. They are really fighting to take back. The picture he painted was pretty stark. It was a situation of he and his unit running out of water, running out of food. One the things he said that surprised me the most was how well coordinated the fighters were…
“Clearly the troops in the north collapsed. That’s known. These are men coming from the front lines.”