CNN news 2014-10-21 加文本

cnn news 2014-10-21

CARL AZUZ, cnn ANCHOR: Fridays are all inspiring. Not quite. Fridays are all warming. No. Fridays are awesome! Welcome to Friday, October 17.

I`m Carl Azuz with your commercial free newscast from cnn.

Hurricane Gonzalo is churning in the North Atlantic Ocean. Yesterday, it grew to category four strength on the Saffir-Simpson scale, which measures

a hurricane`s sustained wind speed. Category four brings winds of 130 to 156 miles per hour. It can cause catastrophic damage.

Last night forecasters predicted Gonzalo would brush by the island of Bermuda. But they weren`t sure of its path, so a direct hit is possible.

Bermuda is under a hurricane warning, damaging winds, heavy rains and flooding are expected. Gonzalo already hit the Virgin Islands Monday, but

it was weaker then and caused mostly outages and property damage.

GEN. MARTIN DEMPSEY: but I can`t foresee your case where we should re- introduce large ground combat forces into Iraq. But again, war is discovery, ISIL is a national security threat. If we get to that point,

I`ll make the recommendation.

AZUZ: General Martin Dempsey is the chairman of the joint chiefs of stuff. He`s the top U.S. military advisor to the president.

And he`s talking about a controversial point in the U.S.-led war against ISIL or ISIS. The Islamic State terrorist group. President Obama has

repeatedly said, no U.S. boots on the ground, meaning he won`t send U.S. troops in the direct contact with ISIS, though hundreds are in Iraq now

advising and helping others fight ISIS.

But several experts are saying, U.S. troops may be what`s needed to ultimately defeat the terrorists.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Massive explosions in northwestern Syria. Activists say, these are tunnels full of explosives being detonated by militants.

As clashes broke out between the regime and opposition forces. Just the latest in escalating violence across Syria and Iraq.

Around the besieged city of Kobani on the Syria-Turkey border, 21 coalition airstrikes, the largest number of strikes since operation began. Finally,

stepping up attacks against ISIS positioned to protect the town. But the White House still cautioning airstrikes can only have so much impact in

Kobani.

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: That impact is constrained by the fact that there are forces on the ground that can follow up on these

airstrikes to end that siege.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pentagon officials say don`t expect the change in strategy. They long warned U.S. air power could only do so much.

CHUCK HAGEL, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I also want to emphasize that no one is under any allusions - under any allusions that airstrikes alone will

destroy ISIL.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Iraq`s Anbar province, the Western approach to Baghdad, may be running out of time. ISIS has surrounded and is preparing

to attack al-Assad airbase, one if Iraq`s largest, according to security sources.

If they succeed, ISIS will have a new cache of weapons.

It comes as General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs holds the largest meeting of the coalition today. 22 nations sending their military

chiefs to Washington to review the war against ISIS.

The U.S. has used Apache helicopters and AC-130 gunships at lower altitude to virtually strive (ph) ISIS forces. But ISIS continues to regroup and

train for battle, raising the question once again, is there a solution?