For one father, the battle to destroy Islamic State could end up killing his own children

IRBIL, Iraq - Bashirul Shikder paced in his cream-colored hotel room here, his face tightening to hold back tears.

He had traveled thousands of miles from his home near Miami and spent a frustrating week in Irbil trying to score meetings with diplomats, military commanders, militiamen, activists, aid workers, journalists or anyone else who might be able to help him.

Room 202 of the Classy Hotel was the closest Shikder, 38, had gotten to his two children since March 2015, when his wife took them, left Florida and traveled to Syria to join Islamic State.

At the time, the extremist group controlled a sprawling territory