♪ welcome to al jazeera america. i'm john henry smith. here are the stories we're following for you at this hour. evaluating threat from the grails group. the pentagon says all options are on the table. and another night of calm in ferguson, as the community prepares for the burial of michael brown. ♪

as the u.s. hits iraq with more air strikes trying to stop the march of the islamic state group, the pentagon says further action is being assessed. the fighters who have seized control of portions of syria and iraq, have been condemned by western leaders, and even condemned by other extremist groups like al-qaeda. the u.s. says they are beyond anything they have seen before. libby is in washington. libby do we have any better sense whether the u.s. may expand its operations against the islamic state? >> yesterday we heard a strong and dire warning fromming pentagon officials about the dangers the islamic state group poses in the middle east and abroad. but today we heard a little more context. and we heard from rear admiral

john kerby saying this isn't a u.s. problem alone. any effort will continue to have to be multinational. it will take more than just the americans. here is what he had to say. >> this group didn't grow up overnight. they didn't get the capabilities that they got overnight. we're not going to see the answer to all isil problems through a military lens. we're a component. we're a tool. we are conducting operations inside iraq against this group in support of iraqis and kurdish forces, but we're not going to be the only tool in the toolbox that can or should be used. >> significance of that, john henry is not the only tool in the toolbox, this is a pentagon spokesmen talking about the u.s. military, and he is saying it is going to take more. more intelligence, more

finances, more arms funneled into iraq to help the iraqi fighters and the kurdish fighters, and they will be looking to other countries to aid this. so we hear a bit of a down playing of what the u.s. is prepared to do at this point. and the other question was about air strikes in syria. one of the reporters pointed out that yesterday the defense secretary did not take that off of the table. once again the admiral said it's still something that is an option, we're not counting anything out at this point, but we're not telling you what we're going to do yet. but it's really a conone drum for what the u.s. is going to do at this point, because as he said the islamic state has been able to grow and flourish over the last month. >> the u.s. has said one of its primary missions in iraq is protecting u.s. personnel and facilities. did the pentagon give any answers on how they intend to do that? >> yes, the main objectives in

iraq have been to protect u.s. personnel and locations and then to engage in that humanitarian area to help people being persecuted by the islamic state. the state department has requested 300 more americans to go in, special forces to help out. the admiral said we are evaluating that request, looking it over, no decision has yet been made. what those forces would do is help protect the u.s. embassy in bagdad, but they obviously could also play a larger role in terms of helping the iraqis strategize in helping keep the islamic state fighters out of key places like bagdad. >> libby casey live in washington. thanks for the time. the fight against the islamic state continues against northern iraq. there has been a deadly attack on a mosque. shiite fighters opened fire on worshippers killing 73. witnesses said the fighters

drove up in black suvs and trucks and then entered the mosque. kurdish forces are fighting alongside the iraqi military trying to regain lost territory in the north driving the rebel fighters south. earlier we spoke to james jeffery and asked him how the murder of james foley by islamic state has changed u.s. strategy? >> i don't think in and of it's a it has, but it has given him more domestic support if he decides to up the antiand person the pressure on against isis. we're not sure whether he went into iraq to contain isis. he has done the right things, but hasn't been clear what his objections are. is it containment? is it to destroy isis? that's what i would urge, but we're not sure what the president wants to do.

>> you just said you believe containment is defeat. does the u.s. need to target the i.s. in syria to contain it? because by one estimate there are 50,000 i.s. fighters in syria. >> i don't think the numbers are that high. the latest figures i saw are between 10 and 20,000, but that's over a very large area stretching from aleppo, to mosul. and the first priority needs to be to defeat them in iraq. that's where the strategic terrain is. that's where the oil fields are located, and we have partners. certainly the kurds in the north and it looks like a better government in bagdad. >> and that 50,000 number comes from the syrian observatory of human rights. but do you think the only way to stop i.s. right now is a military one by killing its members? is there a diplomatic solution

that should also be a solution here? >> again, president obama laid this all out on june 19th. it's diplomatic with the region, it's political, working with the iraqi government, with the shoeny arab tribes, working with the kurds to ensure a unified inclusives group, and american air strikes and intelligence. the human cost in the middle east continues to grow. the death toll in syrian has now reached over 191,000.

the un says 85% of those killed were males, and nearly 9,000 killed were children. the u.n.'s high commissioner for human rights represented the u.n. security council for itself fail kwlur to do more to end human suffering in syria. >> short-term geopolitical considerations and national interests narrowly defined have repeatedly taken precedence over intolerable human suffering. i firmly believe that greater responsiveness by this council would have saved hundreds of thousands of lives. them we bought that brought sergeant bo bergdahl home from

bagdad is being called illegal. they say it violated two laws signed by president obama. the laws require the administration to notify congress 30 days before any prisoner is released from guantanamo bay. hamas says it has executed 17 people it accuses of collaborating of israel. they ordered the executions according to security officials here. these deaths follow the killing of three senior hamas commanders by israel yesterday. jane ferguson has the latest, and a warning the images in this story are graphic. >> reporter: eleven took place in the early hours, seven more have taken place. you can still see the remanents of what has been left behind. these are hoods that were put over the heads of people before they were shot here on the street. it's an extremely grim scene and

further down the street more examples of blood. some plastic gloves that may have been discarded by the executioners here is. there are four hoods that have been left behind in the street here. and some of the sandals potentially of those executed. but it's an extremely grim scene here. the factions came together and formed a revolutionary court as they called it, hamas, the islamic jihad and other factions, and they said they found these people guilty of collaborating with the israelis. what they mean by that is giving the israelis information that the factions say caused palestinian deaths. normally anybody accused of collaborating in gaza would go to a regular court, but they say that now during wartime those courts are not convening so they have set up this revolutionary court. air strikes do continue across the gaza strip, and rocket fire

is still being fired out of gaza. we know that at least five people were killed overnight and so far today on friday in those air strikes. five houses at least have been hit and lots of agricultural land around the edges of the gaza strip has been hit. it would appear the israelis are really looking for anything left of the network of tunnels to try to direct their air strikes towards those. a four year old boy has died in an area of israel following a mortar attack from gaza. israel says hamas will pay a heavy price. a senior hamas official claims a brigade was behind the kidnapping of three teenagers earlier this summer. the statement was made to a group of international scholars in turkey, where the man is

exiled. more protests in the streets of yemen. tens of thousands of people flooded the street calling for the government to resign today and for fuel prices to be cut. russian convoys have crossed the border into ukraine, a move that kiev initia initiainitials -- officials are calling an invasion. earlier today, 34 russian trucks crossed a separatists border check point according to kiev officials. they say 90 others are on their way. ukraine claims not all of the trucks were properly inspected. the government is assuming the convoys are carrying military supplies for rebel fighters. russia says it's humanitarian aid. >> reporter: there have been some real concerns from the ukrainian side that these trucks may well be used to help separatists fighters in the city of luhansk, and some of those

trucks may make it down to the city of donetsk another pocket of separatists resistance that the ukrainian army together with volunteer ball tanyons are closing in on. we gather that the ukrainians have said this is an illegal crossing of the border by the trucks. some comes from the russian side that they are being escorted by separatists fighters. the big question is how is the ukrainian army going to respond? why did the border guards allow these trucks to cross over. what are the red cross going to do now that they have said they will not take part in escorting these vehicles to their intended destinations. it sounds like a very tense journey for these trucks where their final point of arrival should be. coming up in ferguson, missouri, looking to the future, and learning from the past. >> and court proceedings begin in texas for governor rick perry. ♪

>> i'm ali velshi, the news has become this thing where you talk to experts about people, and al jazeera has really tried to talk to people, about their stories. we are not meant to be your first choice for entertainment. we are ment to be your first

choice for the news. texas governor rick perry is in new hampshire preparing for a possible presidential campaign. perry was indicted by a grand jury last week for allegedly abusing his veto power. he does not have to be present for today's arraignment hearing. he has pleaded nothing. and says the charges against him are politically motivated. the national guard is starting to withdraw from ferguson, missouri. police say they made seven overnight arrests for failure to disperse and other minor charges. the protests began august 9th when a white police officer shot an unarm teenager. natasha ghoneim is live with

more on the situation. >> reporter: hi, john henry. there has been talk in recent days, three in a row, that have been relatively calm about what it is taking to keep the calm? police think for sure their move in recent days to work more closely with protesters has been very effective. about 1 -- 100 people protested thursday evening. it was the third night of relative calm in ferguson, as tensions seemed to be easing. the captain showed off gifts for children. >> when we can see a table with a coloring book, a box of crayons, and a sock puppet, instead of weapons and molotov cocktails, this is what defines

a community. this is truly the community of ferguson. >> reporter: the national guard is pulling out today. the governor sent them in monday after violent confrontations erupted into chaos. it started almost two weeks ago when 18-year-old michael brown an unarmed african american was shot by police officer darren wilson, who is white. >> we will continue to operate under a state of emergency. we have a number of actions that are going to happen that could respark. these are challenging times, and i will work to continue as long as necessary. >> reporter: the heightened racial tension forced eric holder to visit ferguson this week. >> i have seen a lot in my time as attorney general, but few things have affected me as greatly as my visit to ferguson. >> reporter: some questions

remain about whether the investigation will be fair. >> how dare you tell me i can't go up there -- >> reporter: protesters are calling for the removal of the st. louis prosecutor. they have launched a petition drive to take him off of the case. ferguson's youngest residents have been impacted by this turmoil. the start of their school year has been delayed more than a week, so volunteers together here at the library they started a makeshift school this week. we spoke to one mom who says her son is anxious to get back to school, and she says she and her husband has been using this week's unrest, as a real world history and social studies lesson. >> regardless of what is going on right now, you still have to teach your children. >> reporter: this school has been dubbed the school of peace

and the hope john henry is to k wally keep it going during other school breaks. >> natasha ghoneim live from ferguson, missouri. thank you so much. tensions in ferguson are now shining a spotlight on the entire st. louis area. as robert ray shows us segregation continues to cast a shadow on one of missouri's biggest cities. >> reporter: it's america's monument to western expansion. yet in st. louis life in still bound to a history of racism. >> this is st. louis. they used to sell slaves here. and i don't think that mentality has ever left. >> reporter: at a&b car wash and repair, murals pay homage to shrine civil rights leaders. inside a racial profile survival kit from the aclu is tacked to

the wall. >> i had one incident where i was going to the gas station up here to get a pack of cigarettes. an officer stopped me right here -- >> reporter: just for walking down the street? >> just for walking down the stle street, yes. >> reporter: how does that make you feel? bad and sad in a way. >> poverty is only one aspect of it. the other aspect is a lack of investment in your urban core. >> reporter: carol heads the center on urban research at washington university. and in neighborhoods like these where low-income residents are more likely to be black, the contrasts grows as the tax base crumbles. the result, schools and other programs that move people forward suffer. >> so america is a land of opportunity for those who have the preparation to take advantage of those

opportunities. however, the disinvestment for the young and the poor has not been. that's where the promise has not fulfilled its reality. >> across the united states there are many cities that have segregated neighborhoods and divided areas. but in here st. louis if you drive down the boulevard and get south and talk to the people here they call it the delmar divide because whites are on that side, and blacks on the other side. the economic disparity is right out in the open. >> the disconnect is social, political, and economic. and the geographical divide where you have persons of color largely living in one segment of the city and the county, and whites and persons with means living in another portion of the city and county, only exacerbates that. >> reporter: some natives acknowledge, segregation exists here, intentional or not. >> just going into north city, if you are white, most people

think i just can't go there, whether it's racism or just a community that -- you just don't interact with as much, you know? which is sad. i think there is some underlying racism. >> reporter: a divide that some compare to native americans being put on reservations. >> if you break it down in that way, you get a better understand of how you are being herded, manipulated, and what is being thrown into your community, and why you have this type of thing. >> reporter: rufus bought a house in this blighted neighborhood for just $4,000, believing one investment at a time can make a difference, a difference, he hopes, can be ignited by the racial flash point in ferguson. before ferguson, missouri this summer there was statton island, niew york. eric garner died on july 17th

when police tried to detain him with a choke hold. organizers expecting thousands to take part in the weekend march including family members of michael brown's from missouri. in iceland people are keeping close watch on a volcano. because if it erupts it could have a huge impact on much more than the north atlantic island.

welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm john henry smith. here are today's headlines at this hour. in iraq shiite mill tanths attacked worshippers at a mosque, killing more than 70 people. penth gone officials are calling any islamic state group the biggest security threat to the us. in gaza, at least 17 people have been executed after being convicted of collaborating with

israel. a court in gaza made up of hamas and the islamic jihad group handed down the sentences. and in israel a 4-year-old boy died from injuries following a mortar higher inned from gaza. the missouri additional guard is pulling out of ferguson after a second night of relative calm. the protesters began when in august 9th when an unarmed teenager was shot dead by a police officer. michael brown will be buried monday. fears of a volcanic rep shun today has put iceland on an aviation alert. kim vinnell has the story. >> reporter: the earth is rumbling. this volcano is covered in ice, but scientists say less than 10

kilometers from the surface magma is turning. they don't know when or where magma could surface, but with almost a thousand small earthquakes happening here every day something is eminent. we're on the eastern edge of the glacier, and the volcano is under this expanse of ice, and that is what creates the real risk for iceland. if magma comes to the surface through thick ice huge amounts of melt water will float downstream, and it could melt enough to cause serious damage. that's why authorities have evacuated hikers north of the zone. >> the magnitude will depend on the magnitude of the eruption. but the most likely is we'll get

10 to 20 times normal flow of this river. >> reporter: but it's the possibility of ash that is worrying europe. in 2010 huge plumes were sent across the continent. although scientists say any air from this volcano would be unlikely to travel as far. >> nobody is kind of in panic. nobody is panicking. i mean it's exciting. >> they are on facebook and waiting for something to happen. >> reporter: but where they are at the mercy of nature they are prepared for yet another reminder. and two belgian race car drivers are lucky to be alive today. they survived this crash down a hill covered in grapevines. they were resting their car. they will race in the world

rally championship in germany. they were not hurt. thank you so much for watching al jazeera america. i'm john henry smith. "techknow" is next. for updates throughout the day head to aljazeera.com. ♪ caltech this is "techknow", a show about innovations that saves lives. we explore hardware and humanity in a unique way. this is a show about scientists by scientists. let's check out the team of so-called nerves. lindsay moran, an analyst - new technology can make guns safer. does it work. we put it to the "techknow" test.