ISIS Shows Weapons Apparently Dropped by U.S.; American Released by North Korea; Interview with Marie Harf; ISIS Shows Weapons Apparently Dropped by U.S.; New U.S. Ebola Travel Restrictions
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Happening now, in the hands of ISIS -- the terror group shows off deadly weapons it says were was air dropped by the United States in Kobani. Will those weapons now be used against the people they were meant to help? American free -- he was held in North Korea for five months after leaving a bible in his hotel room. So what's behind his sudden release and what about the fate of two other Americans who are still being held in North Korea? And missing student mystery -- we have new details of what investigators are looking for as they test remains found in the Hannah Graham search. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in</s>THE SITUATION ROOM. ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.</s>BLITZER: We're following several fast-moving stories this hour. New ISIS video shows the terror group has apparently seized one of those pallets of U.S. weapons and supplies air dropped by the United States into a besieged Syrian town. A U.S. government jet, meanwhile, lands in North Korea's capital, picks up an American who was suddenly released after months of detention. New Ebola travel restrictions go into effect in a move to limit the spread of the deadly disease in this country. And we have new details on how Virginia investigators are testing remains found in the search for Hannah Graham. Our correspondents, our analysts, our newsmakers, they're all standing by. Let's begin with ISIS and our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr. She has the very latest -- Barbara.</s>BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the Pentagon insists if ISIS got its hands on one of those pallets of U.S. gear, that it's militarily insignificant. But it may be the only insignificant thing about the group.</s>STARR (voice-over): ISIS claims this video shows weapons and supplies they captured from a U.S. air drop around Kobani. So far, the U.S. can't confirm the ISIS claim. But the Pentagon says the 27 bundles of weapons it did air drop to the Kurds, combined with punishing coalition airstrikes against ISIS, have had an effect.</s>REAR ADMIRAL JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: We do assess that Kurdish forces in the cities are in control of the majority of the city. I would hesitate to put a number figure on that. But we do believe that they are in possession of the majority of it.</s>STARR: But U.S. officials say ISIS is far from down and out. In Baghdad, the latest in a growing number of deadly car bombs, leaving widespread wreckage in a Shia neighborhood, every reason to believe ISIS or its sympathizers are responsible. Newly appointed Iraqi government officials trying to show unity, even working with Iran. But so far, it's not enough to stop the ISIS onslaught.</s>KIRBY: It's a mixed picture of competence and capability throughout the Iraqi Army and sometimes even within units.</s>STARR: Iraqi forces slowly are trying to push ISIS back. Troops are on the move north from Baghdad to Baiji, in oil-rich Northern Iraq. U.S. airstrikes against ISIS around Baiji have already begun.</s>GEN. LLOYD AUSTIN, COMMANDER, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: You saw Iraqi Security Forces elements attack north from the Baghdad area up to Baiji. And that assault is -- or attack is ongoing as we speak.</s>STARR: ISIS appears to be focusing in several key areas -- the oil- rich north, including Baiji, and Mosul, Anbar Province west of Baghdad, and Mount Sinjar in Northwestern Iraq, renewing attacks there after the U.S. struck back this summer when tens of thousands of Yazidis were threatened with genocide.</s>STARR: So where do we stand? Look, there is some progress on the ground backed up by U.S. and coalition airstrikes. But the fact that ISIS can still launch attacks day after day across hundreds of miles of territory shows, many officials will tell you, they still maintain the ability for their leaders to communicate and issue orders to their troops -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: All right, Barbara, they. Let's get some more on Kobani and what's going on right now and that ISIS video, which seems to show at least some of the airdropped U.S. weapons fell into the hands of the ISIS terrorists. Our senior international correspondent, Ivan Watson, is joining us now. He's right near the Turkey-Syrian border, very close to Kobani himself. What are you hearing over there -- Ivan? What are you seeing?</s>IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we saw this video come out over social media. And it's clearly what appears to be an ISIS militant next to some kind of parachuted bundle. And then the militant starts to open up crates and reveals boxes full of hand grenades and mortar rounds. So it seems at least one parachute of air drops drifted away and wasn't, as the Pentagon reported, necessarily destroyed and did get into the hands of the very people that the U.S. military is trying to kill. Now that said, it's important to stress that much of that aid did get to the people who need it most, to the defenders of that besieged city. And we got exclusive video coming from inside Kobani of a doctor showing us the precious life-saving medicine and antiseptics and anesthetics and bandages that he got as a result of those air drops, things that he desperately needed. And he thanked the people, the U.S., for delivering the much needed assistance. This is a doctor we've talked to for weeks, who's been treating wounded civilians and wounded fighters who have been hit by the ISIS offensive around that city -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Here's what I don't understand, Ivan. The U.S. is using these air drops, flying planes from relatively far distances, drop these cargos, shipments supposedly for the friendly forces, from the U.S. perspective, in Kobani. But what, where you are in Turkey, that's maybe a mile or two away from there. And the Turkish government, a NATO ally, is not allowing any convoy to go in instead of using air drops. They could easily have a convoy go in protected and get the job done. What are the Turks saying?</s>WATSON: It's kind of incredible when you see the close proximity there. This besieged city and the Kurds, their backs are right up against the Turkish border fence, right next to Turkish troops. So it would be much easier to just hand this kind of stuff right over the fence. Instead, the U.S. is having to parachute this in with planes. Turkey is a NATO ally, but Turkey clearly disagrees with the US. It considers those Kurdish militants battling ISIS to be part of a terrorist organization. And thus, Turkey says no, we don't want to give guns to those Kurdish fighters. But there's a contradiction here, Wolf, because hours after the U.S. announced its air drops, Turkey made another bombshell announcement. It announced that it would allow Iraqi Kurdish fighters from Northern Iraq to cross through Turkey to reinforce those same Kurdish militants that it calls terrorists. So Turkey is sending some very mixed and confusing signals about just what it wants to do in Kobani -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Ivan, thanks very much. We're going to have more on this story coming up. But there's other news we're following, including a huge surprise today. A move by North Korea, an American held there for five months all of a sudden has been freed and then whisked away from the communist capital of Pyongyang in a U.S. government jet. There you see that U.S. Air Force jet on the ground in Pyongyang. You see the American flag right there on that plane. Let's get details from our global affairs correspondent, Elise Labott -- Elise, you broke this story for our viewers earlier today. What are you learning?</s>ELISE LABOTT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, as you know, Jeffrey Fowle was released after being arrested in May after leaving a bible in his hotel. And, obviously, North Korea takes any religious incidents very seriously. He basically -- the North Koreans kind of let the U.S. know on very short notice, come and get him. And a U.S. plane was sent to North Korea in a very specific time frame, very carefully orchestrated by the -- by the North Korean government. And now, Jeffrey Fowle is on his way home to his wife and his three young children. Last month, he spoke to CNN's Will Ripley in an exclusive interview. He sounded really contrite about the charges that he faced, admitted his guilt. And he also said that he apologized to the government and asked for forgiveness. Take a listen to him speaking to Will Ripley just last month.</s>JEFFREY WOLFE: My family is the biggest thing on my mind right now. I've got the wife and three grade school kids that depend on me for support and my mother-in-law is staying with us, too. So there are six of us in our household. And when I'm gone, my wife is trying to operate the household by herself. And it's a chore to do with two people, let alone one. But I need to let people know that I'm getting desperate. I'm getting desperate for help. This is -- I understand that there are three Americans in detention now here in the DPRK.</s>LABOTT: And, Wolf, the White House obviously welcoming the news, but focused now on those other two Americans, Kenneth Bay, who was sentenced last year to 15 years for basically proselytizing, 15 years in a hard labor camp. And Matthew Todd Miller, if you remember, that's the gentleman that in July, crossed the North Korean customs, ripped up his tourist visa and said he was seeking asylum. He was charged with hostile acts. So now the U.S. is really focused on trying to get both of those Americans back home -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Elise, thanks very much. Elise Labott with that report. Let's get some more now. Joining us from the State Department, the deputy spokeswoman, Marie Harf. Marie, thanks very much for joining us. I want to show, once again, our viewers, this is the United States government aircraft, a plane on the tarmac in Pyongyang, there, invited by the North Korean government to pick up Jeffrey Fowle. Tell us what happened. How did this go down?</s>MARIE HARF, STATE DEPARTMENT DEPUTY SPOKESWOMAN: Well, Wolf, we are very glad that Jeffrey Fowle will be reunited with his family in Ohio very soon. The -- we have been working actively to get him returned home, as we do for the other two Americans. We had a time window where the DPRK asked for us to facilitate his travel home. The Department of Defense provided that airplane. He left Pyongyang. They stopped in Guam. And now he's on his way back to the United States.</s>BLITZER: Were these negotiations directly through the -- directly, U.S.-North Korean officials talking, or through the interest section, Sweden, I believe, represents the United States in Pyongyang?</s>HARF: Well, Sweden does represent us as our protecting power there. They provide consular assistance to our our Americans. But we're not going to get into the details of how these activities -- how we work with the North Koreans or others that are trying to get these people back home with their families. There are two Americans still there. We want to preserve our space to be able to bring them home, as well.</s>BLITZER: What did North Korea get in exchange for the release of this American?</s>HARF: Again, Wolf, I'm not going to get into any details about what may have happened here. What we've been very focused on is doing everything in our power, often, we can't talk about that publicly, again, because we want to be able to continue to work for the release of the other Americans. But we do everything we can to get them home. We are happy that Mr. Fowle is coming home.</s>BLITZER: Because it's interesting that they agreed to do this without a high level U.S. emissary going over there, whether a Jimmy Carter or a Bill Clinton or a Bill Richardson or somebody else. Normally, if they have some high profile Americans they're holding, they're willing to release that American, but they want -- they want some respect by sending a high level person over there. This time they didn't ask for that, right?</s>HARF: Well, you know, every case is different. You remember Meryl Newman, an American who returned home from the DPRK just a few months ago. I don't want to speculate on how they make decisions in Pyongyang or how they decide when to release these Americans. But what we are focused on is doing everything in our power, again, not always being able to talk about it publicly, to reunite these Americans with their families. What we're focused on now is the two who are still there.</s>BLITZER: And very quickly, is it the U.S. assessment that Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, is still in power?</s>HARF: Our assessment on that hasn't changed. We have nothing to indicate otherwise. I know senior officials have talked about this before. Obviously, it's a very opaque society and we pay very close attention to it. But, again, our assessment of that has not changed.</s>BLITZER: But you welcome the move by the North Korean government to release this American, right?</s>HARF: We do. We absolutely welcome the move. It's a good day for the Fowle family. But what we're focused on now is the other two Americans.</s>BLITZER: All right. I want you to stand by, Marie. We have a lot more to talk about, including the latest moves in Iraq and Syria, the war against ISIS. Marie Harf is standing by. We'll take a quick break. Much more right after this.