only on al jazeera america more soldiers targeted in southern yemen as southern courses continue their fight against al-qaeda-linked fighters. you are watching al jazeera america live from doha. also, ahead, defying kyiv, parts of eastern ukraine vote in a referendum on self-rule. >> praying for their safety return, nigerians turn to religion to help find hundreds of missing school girls. using an unmanned aircraft to check another. droeningz are used for airline maintenance and inspections.

fighting between yemeni government forces and al-qaeda-linked fighters is intensifying. at least 11 soldiers have been killed in a suicide car bomb attack in the city of mukalla in the south. yemen's military has launched the largest offensive in years against al-qaeda capturing azon earlier this week. it was considered to be a major stronghold not group. this has led to increased tension notice capitol sanaa out of concerns for reprisal attacks. three gunmen were killed on sunday after they tried to attack a security checkpoint near the presidential palace >> reporter: what we know so far is that suicide bomber drive a car packed with explosives into the building of the military police killing .11 soldiers and injuring 18 people. part of that building was

destroyed and search is underway for people buried under the rebel. there has been no claim of responsibility so far. but many people think that the only group with the capabilities to launch such attack is al-qaeda in the arabian peninsula or aquap listed by the u.s. as the most active of al-qaeda franchises outside of afghanistan and pakistan. it launched many attacks in that same area in the past, 2002, it launched a spectacular attack against french oil tanker in 2009. it killed western tourists in the area and over the last few months, it launched many, many attacks against security forces in that same area. >> attack came hours after an attack here in the capitol, sanaa on a military checkpoint near the presidential pal answer. we are talking basically about an area that is supposed to be secure because not far from there, there is also the headquarters of the intelligence and people here are pretty much

concerned about al-qaeda taking the fight from shabwa to the heart of the capitol. >> voters in parts of eastern ukraine are casting ballots in a refer endum on self-rule. it's been widely condemned by the international community and described as a disaster by the kyiv government. jonah hull reports from donetsk. >> hastily arranged, low budget, the referendum drew large numbers of voters to a fairly small number of polling stations in eastern ukraine. at issue, the question of whether the region should split from the rest of ukraine. the government in kyiv has denounced the vote. >> translator: i would like to underline one more time it's not a refer endsum. it's a attempt by paterrorist, bandits to cover their activities. >> kyiv's word doesn't carry much weight among those keen to endorse the so-called people's republic of donetsk.

just how much audit on me they should have is vague. >> well, big crowds have turned out to vote. just one question on the ballot paper, a simple yes or no. the problem is there are multiple different interpretations of what exactly it means. >> we want to live with russia in friendship says this man. . >> this woman isn't entirely sure what she has voted for >> translator: i voted for our national republic. i want peace in this country. i don't want this horrible mess from kyiv that they created in the maidan, a war, the killing of people, and it continues here >> reporter: it isn't easy to find a voice in opposition to all of this. to do so, we traveled to the town of horlifka, in anti- government hands where one man was prepared to talk to us. he didn't want to be identified.

>> a lot of people who are against it and more people who are for it, general, they have not understood what kind of a threat it poses and what can happen as a result. it appears russia doesn't want us and we are parting from ukraine. >> the refer endsum has gone ahead despite calls by russia's president putin for a delay. even in parts of the east racked by deadly violence in receipt days like here in the port city of mariolo. some feel it will has already in the abyss. donetsk. >> kin vinnell has more on the reaction from the capitol, kyiv. >> the acting head of the presidential administration and ukraine's justice minister came out today saying that this is not a referendum. they say it's illegal. they say it's nothing more than the actions of what they call terroris terrorists. in doing so, they are using the people of donetsk and luhansk.

we are told the prosecutor general has warned people across the east they will be criminally responsible for their actions around this refer endsum. mean kwhooil we are told the anti-terrorism operation in the east is in its final stages. at the same time, though, talks to try to stabilize the country are ongoing. eu council president is in town tomorrow in kiev. he will be speaking to both interim president alexander turchynof and yatsenyuk. they are to be held between all political sides, to be held later this week. this is all happening as authorities prepare for the presidential elections which are two weeks today. >> there are fears a fragile he's fire could be on the verge of collapse. the south sudan easy army is accusing rebels of breaking the dealsese army is accusing rebels of breaking the

dea deals. they say they have come from attack. they were struck on friday between the president and former vice president. they have called on the warring parties to lay down their weapons. al jazeera mohammed abdul sent us this update in the from the kenyan capitol in nairobi. >> it's difficult to verify who actually broke the cease fire but the two sides in the south sudan conflict continue to trade accusations. a government and his spokesmen said it's actually the rebels who attacked their positions in the unity and upper nile states, a claim denied by the rebels. a spokesman for the rebels has said that it's actually the government fors who attacked not only their positions in the unity and upper nile states but also in a third region. now, this renewed violence comes as a setback to efforts by the humanitarian community to bring back 1.5 million people who are spread across the country.

people were displaced by the violence. they have only up to the end of this month to grow their own crops or the humanitarian community says there will be a cat stro catastrophfee in south sudan. it will affect almost half of the country's population. now, with the renewed violence in south sudan, it would be interesting to see what those countries who are called the granters of this peace agreement are going to do. these countries include the united states, the united kingdom, norway and members of the african union. at least 20 bodies have been recovered off of the coast of libya's capitol tripoli two days after a boat carrying the migrants sank. let's go to tripoli. what are you hearing off of this new tragedy off of the coast of libya? >> reporter: well getting two versions of this incident. now, as you mentioned, according to a spokesperson for the libyan

navy, more than 20 bodies were recovered in an area called albaguldi east of tripoli. they belong to different african countries. now, another spokesperson for the ministry of interior says the number of recovered bodies reached up to 40. so, now, we clearly are getting two conflicting reports with regards to the death toll. now, the whole incident started on friday when a boat carrying around 130 immigrants, illegal immigrants, their boat capsized and then the navy rescued about 52 people and about 74 people remain missing. so this probably explains why on sunday we are seeing the bodies being watched toward the tripoli coast. >> the libyan government has been asking for help from the eu

to deal with the issue of illegal migrants >> reporter: yes. it has, and it's been doing so for the last three years even after the very fall of colonel gadaffi and his regime. libya has a big problem. the consecutive government after the fall of the former r regime remain weak. nobody has the time or the abilities -- or the ability to protect libya's borders. libya shares borders with six countries. it has a coastline of more than 1,700 kilometers. what's interesting is that for the last three days, we are hearing of incidents of illegal immigrants. two days ago, there were about 140 syrian i am grant trying to cross to lampadusa. two days before then, there were more than 260 immigrants. the libbians are clearly

demanding help and they need equipment. >> omar saleh thank you for that. the trial of the son of the late libyan leader gadaffi, being held by a militia in the city of zintan and being tried by video link. he and dozens of former officials are facing charges ranging from corruption to war crimes resulting from their alleged role in suppressing the 2011 uprising. makeshift bombs have been used by the syrian government in recent movnths with devastating effect. iraq's army is reportedly using them in a campaign to push anti-government fighters from the city of fallujah. imran khan reports. >> reporter: these pictures would well be the first time we have seen the use of barrel bombs in iraq. they are, in effect, homemade heavy explosives. the name's accurate. the bombs aren't. military expense suggest the government was improvising

explosives due to a shortage of conventional weapons. one man in fall uja said he spoke to a man who saw barely bombs being dropped by army helicopters. >> translator: the barrels have been dropped, targeting civilian areas in the north of the city. a ministry of defense spokesman told al jazeera we are fighting terrorism were our military machine and doing it in a humane way. don't building fooled by the propaganda of the other side. we are conducting operations to sweep away terrorism and we did not use barely bombs in fallujah. at army has fired barely bombs on residential neighborhoods in fallujah >> reporter: iraqi's army say this operation in fallujah is the final and decisivive attack.

they have been fighting sincejack january and both sides have experienced heavy losses. now, if the use of barely bombs is confirmed in civilian areas that constitutes a war crime and a new and troubling tactic by the iraqi army. 36 stud tents sentenced for taking part in a protest, arrested in december following anticoup demonstrations at the university in the egyptian capitol. students who supported ousted president mohamed morsi were accused of blocking roads and stacking security. they are fined over $4,000 each. >> and three al jazeera english journalits have been held in an e job description prison for 134 days they are are falsely accused of conspiring with the outlawed muslim brotherhood, declared a terrorist organization.

our from al jazeera arrest abbic has been on hunger strike for 111 days. blood tests show his health is deteriorating. al jazeera rejects all of the charges and is demanding the immediate release of its staff. >> still ahead on the program, the frontrunner in afghanistan's presidential elections receives a welcome boost to his campaign. >> these protestors have decided

that today they will be arrested >> these people have chased a president from power, they've torn down a state... >> what's clear is that people don't just need protection, they need assistance.

welcome back. a reminder of our top stories, a suicide car bomber killed at least 11 yemeni officers.

it appears to be a revenge attack by al-qaeda over the many army offensives in the south. a self declared leader says separatist are set for voting in a referrer endum and in neighboring luhansk. it has been rejected as illegal by the international community. 20 bodies have been covered off of the coast of libya. the navy says dozens are still missing. nigerians are attending religious services across the country to pray for the safe return of nearly 300 missing school girls. there is growing anger over the government's handling of the rescue operation. more from abuja. >> reporter: almost a month after the abductor, nigerians are praying for safe release. >> the catholic church called on its congregations to hold special prayers. many responded to the call as

at the holy rosary church in abuja. >> it is really important to come pray for the girls because affection ploring all options in terms of the government and trying to make claims to rescue the girls, the nigerian catholic church urged all to pray instead of trading blame and accusations. at this mosque in central abuj a they say worshippers have been praying for the girls. the govern of the predominant state called for three days of fasting. >> this has brought a sense of unity, solidarity, togetherness regardless of people's faith, people's, you know, tribe and people's geographic location. it's our concern, you know, all of us. >> many nigerians have welcomed the arrival of technical and law enl forcement and from the

united states and britain. they say they need to keep the pressure going. they want to ensure the government does not relent until the search and rescue efforts finally, yield results. al jazeera, abuj a. the frontrunner of afghanistan's presidential raise received a welcome boost. abdullah abdullah has received the support of razul. he has the un official backing of hamid karzi. more from kabul >> reporter: former r i have a ls now on the same side in abdullah abdullah's bid for the presidency. it was sealed with a prayer after razul announced he was endorsing abdullah. he said he made the decision for the sake of national unity. remember supporting him not out

of personal interest but because he shares the hopes i have for afghanistan. the former foreign minister could gain from his endorsement analysts say it has secured him a place. >> we asked the man widely expected to be the next president if he will offer razul a role in his government. >> absolutely. of course, the future government, we will form it with our team, with different teams, now one part of one team. now it's not his team/my team. that is over now. now, from this point onward, we are one team. it's not just razul who benefits from the union. out going president hamid karzai could, too. he is constitutionally bard and stayed publically neutral in the election but diplomats in kabul

said he had received discrete backing from the president in the early stages of the campaign, which means karzi is all but assured an insider in the future government razul said his support for abdullah and now support from the north could be between the current frontrunner and the former world bank economist. >> a sure thing is rare. frankly anything can happen before the final results are in. razul's support for abdullah is about as close as one can get. imtiaz tyab, al jazeera. >> seven policemen have been killed by a land mine in india. it exploded as they searched for maoist fighters. after the blast, there was an exchange of fire between police and the rebels. two other mremz were injured and were taken to hospital.

guatemalaans have remembered those massacred during the civil war. last year, the president was found guilty of genocide for his role. his conviction was later overturned much to the dismay of the victims' relatives. from from guatemala city. >> marking a ruling for music. hundreds commemorate the conviction of the general, the former dictator sentenced to 80 years in prison for crimes against humanity and genocide. but the festivities are better sweet. >> just 10 days after the historic verdict guatemala's top contract overturned it sending the trial back to a previous phase. since then, a series of leal actions have many here worried. >> in february, attorney general, one of the architects was told to step down seven months before she thought her term was set to end.

she was passed up for reelection despite being the second most qualified candidate. in april, the guatemalan bar associate tried to suspend the judge who presided over the trial. massacre survivors said it's clear what's going on. they have been em poured dow what they want to do if guatemala. we survivors will keep working for peace. >> national and international groups met on friday to discuss the trial. many analysts said recent developments show the fragility of guatemala post conflict justice system. >> over the past year, it has been a backlash military and conservative politicians have come together in an effort to

block this trial and future trials. >> zanrios says the trial has been polit sized and foreigners deserve much of the blame. >> we guatemalaans need to governor ourselves. we have to apply our own laws and define how to apply justice. neither the united states, spain, holland, switzerland nor the european union can tell us how to do things. >> with the genocide trial set to restart in early 2015, guatemala will likely return to the international spotlight. but that's still seven months off and bringing the country's most infamous dictator back to court may prove an ileusive goal. david mercer, al jazeera, guatemala city. calling for the release of more than 200 demonstrators in a camp raid on thursday, more than people have died in months of

protes protests. it's been nearly 70 years since the end of world war ii and yet the u.s. still holds a massive collection of nazi art. 500 pieces are currently being sold at an army base in virginia and are deemed too dangerous to return to germany. explaining why... >> reporter: these are the sort of paintings you would expect an u.s. army to have in its vast art collection, artwork often documenting the experience intrad but a few feet away, it transforms. >> one of the main issues with this particular piece is that you look at the skull and crossbones and you look at that individual's collar badge. >> signifies the ss. it's a very direct message glorifying the ss. >> this piece is one of 456 german works held at a u.s. army base just outside of washington, d.c. under the terms of the potsdam agreement much

germany de-nazification following the war. >> if they contain swatsikas or dynamiced nazi leaders. >> the argument is this work has lost its artistic privileges because of subject matter and message. curetan contrasts art commissioned by the nazis. >> that is not what you are seeing in the painting of the gis on below the of the american b-17 coming in. engines on fire. it's firing flares. they indicate that there is wounded on board. >> the u.s. authorities, the championing of artistic freedom was the propaganda message, not the specific work. a strategy that continued into the cold war. >> for the allies, i think it was important to show t the holocaust memorial museum

has authorized it in the permanent collection. the museum's curator says such work retains some value. >> it's important for these objects to be preserved and available for displays in the proper circumstances. you have to look at the consequences that caused the deaths of 55 million people. when you look at this art work, you have to examine what role does it play? >> nevertheless german authorities and the u.s. don't seem too concerned about getting any of it back. when contacted about the collection, the german embassy in washington declined to comment. the official consensus appears to be that this cache of hist ocal artifacts should remain locked up in a virginia warehouse. al jazeera, virginia. >> the remains of thousands of unidentified victims of 9-11 have been returned to ground zero in new york. they haved covered by the u.s. flag and taken to the

repository. they will be kept underneath the marble while experts try to match tissue fragments to the victims. airlines are required to conduct inspections of passenger jets. these can take hours and sometimes cause delays. a british base campaign is looking at whether the latest drone technology can change that. any suspicious marks are referred to them to check. the technique is being tested as an alternative for man annual inspections. >> occasionally we get damage from phenomenon such as lightning strikes. they take many, many hours to cover an aircraft of this size and we believe the drone and the drone technology can speed that up dramatically. there are plans to make them computer controlled. this will make the inspections

more methodical and easy to record for future reference. >> sectors have a need to do inspections. quite valuable, aircrafts or bridges or chimneys. i think the possibility for an exploitation for drones for that path is a big opportunity. >> there is also a growing interest in technology like these virty'all reality glasses, that allow engineers perhaps in another location to see and possibly diagnose problems from a distance in realtime. >> these things can get up close and personal with the aircraft on the ground. they can get to those nooks and careens, the bits and pieces of an airframe that perhaps visual inspection might miss. so, for that radio reason, i am all positive that this is a really good thing. the drones could be part of the official inspection of aircraft as early as next year.

if they are, they need to insure the new tech nooemnique has confidence of passengers t al jazeera more about the news, analysis and features on our website, aljazeera.com. americans every day. wait until you see renovators who are responding and what they are doing to reverse the trend. and could one of the largest consumers of oil in the world have the answer to reducing our carbon footprint? we talk to creative champions of climate change right now. ♪