>> al jazeera's investigative unit has tonight's exclusive report. >> stories that have impact... that make a difference... that open your world... >> this is what we do... >> america tonight only on al jazeera america iraqi forces say they have taken a besieged iraqi sound from the islamic state group -- town from the islamic state group. coming up, a syrian rebel group said it took 45 peacekeepers because the u.n. has been supporting the government. mass protests in pakistan calling for the resignation of the prime minister. and hong kong's political future. china says it has the right to choose candidates for the territories next leader.

kurdish peshmergan militias are claiming to have retain the northern iraqi town after fighting with the islamic state group. the town has been under siege from the fighters for around two months. with more, sue turton joins me live 20km north of the town of amerrily. i believe you have been close to some of the fighting. what is happening there, sue? >> we are horing from one of the pesh fighters -- peshmerga fighters, they say they have take back amorally town. the fighters have been besieging the town. there had to be air drops of food and water. fear among the turkmen.

fighters coop have been - could have been a massacre. we understand that they have driven back the fighters to the south. i understand there's a battle on one of the villages between amerli and tikrit. we under from the fighters, there's small ammunition and weapons. they are hoping it may push the fighters out of there. they are also pushing the fighters north. have been hearing artillery shells, small arms constantly, and we are estimating the battle is about a kilometre from us here. and we are hearing a lot of movement in the air. it's been significant. since noon on saturday, yesterday, there has been repeated strikes on the is positions here. there's rumour that the fighters

jets have been pummelling the lines. they have been softening up around amerli... (technical difficulties) apologies, we have lost sue turton, but we debt a sense of what has been happening in the league. an area where they have pushed back. australia is the latest nation to draw a growing international coalition against is fighters. the nation will provide guns and ammunition to support kurdish forces. they launch air strikes overnight. hoda abdel-hamid reports. american officials say they have never dealt with a fighting force from the yate. >> the scars of battle. the islamic state group used houses as defense lines before it was forced to retreat.

this man came home to find this. the group's fighters moved into the village in august. they did not use the house as a because. they ate whatever food they found, and used their clothes and didn't give up without a fight. this is an organisation that u.s. officials say is beyond anything they have seen. even those in conflict face well of trained fighters. they faced snipers in different houses. and they did - all the way, the roads - could the tnt. >> it could be pushed back from the demand. it is far from defeated. kurdish forces did not win the battle. dozens of u.s. air strikes appointed the offensive.

undoubtedly air power has damaged. it may be an option. it's not the case. the islamic state group targets cities. the kurds have been battling is. but not in the strong holds with the sunni arabs live. iraqis and the members of the army were fighting among the group. unfortunately most of the relatives here, they are sunni, and they - they support the people here, where they are disappointed. the revenge action. i think they supported these people. >> the air campaign slowed the progress in the corner of iraq. is, armed with u.s. equipment stolen from the army controls territory in syria, where the obama lacks local allies.

the war needs to be fought on the ground on both sides of the border. it is a challenge, since the government in iraq and syria are not seek as legitimate. they are north of mosul. the united nations negotiated with web else for the release of 45 u.n. peacekeepers. the troops are among hundreds. between the israeli occupied golan heights. mike hanna has more. >> u.s. peacekeepers are caught up in a conflict of which they should have no part. the al nusra front confirmed that it is holding 45 fijian peacekeepers. the identity cards have been released along with a statement in which al nusra accuses the united nations of talking what it calls the syrian regime. other groups of pass keepers

have been safely removed from the zone of disengagement in the golan heights. one group was e vackted by the reaction force. another group marched out of the base centring a ceasefire, lipinging up with the units, and returning safely to the major u.n. base,ry is in the israeli occupied part of the golan heights. the zone has opinion in place for 40 years. the first time the forces came under threats. the consequence of pill over of the war within syria. the mission, in the golan heights, whether it will maintain the monitoring of the zone, remembering, too, that technically israel and syria is at war.

the al nusra released for lebanese soldiers. the pictures show a moment the men were eunited with their tap lis, taken in a cross border raid. still holding 29 other soldiers and police. the fighting caused 3 million to leave their homes and seek refuge. turkey hosting a third. but there are many more who are unregistered. bernard smith visited a camp next to the syrian border. >> reporter: amakeshift classroom in an istanbul sports center. for these syrian children, it's the only education they have had. every week at least 25 children are turned away, according to the teachers.

there's no room. >> we have seen children who have seen their fathers shot. children who have witnessed massacres. kids who were there during the chemical attacks. we noticed psych logical problems. they have started treating. there are 67,000 registered refugees, and the children can go to government schools, but the language barrier puts them off. aid groups estimate there's another 140,000 refugees, fleeing from war, with no documents to prove who they are. one of the biggest challenges is discipline, these children have never been in an environment where they have to do what they are told. without the schooling the kids are on the streets and that is a breeding ground for another generation of fighters.

>> in this cramped apartment. there's no money for bus fairs to get the children to school. 10 people crammed into two rooms. they have been here for 18 months. the air is foul. this man can't find work. the strain of trying to provide for his family is difficult to bear. the children don't know any other life. >> we haven't been able to go home for two years, we don't know who is dead or alive. it's been two years since i last saw my sister in aleppo. >> local aid groups estimate 40% of the syrians live in similar circumstances. since 2011 turkey opened the border to displace syrians, no one, including the government thought they'd be here this long. the u.n. screrm says he's raised the issue of the three

detained al jazeera journalists with the egyptian president. bangui moon emphasised the importance of freedom of speech and ensuring the safety of journalists. peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed spent 246 days in an shap egyptian prison accused of helping the muslim brotherhood. peter greste and mohamed fadel fahmy received 7 years, badr received app extra fully because he had a spent bullet in his possession. fighting in pakistan. violence left three dead, and 300 injured much thousands are calling for the pakistani prime minister to step down. kamal hyder reports from islamabad. >> reporter: in islamabad the protesters stand their ground. they have staged a sit-in for

two weeks, but say they will not go until the prime minister nawaz sharif resigns. >> translation: we will not return until we achieve our objective. the government has no ethical justification for what it has done. it doesn't have a legal justification for its existence. >> the demonstrators allege by anti-government, who says he's seeking just for followers. an olympics leader imran khan, accusing the government of corruption and elect toral fraud. >> i will lead the way. i will march ahead of everyone else. i will stop my people from becoming unruly. but i also ask the pakistani police and army to remain peaceful. >> translation: with allah's help move towards your final destination, remain peaceful,

peaceful. please maintain my credibility. there should be no violence, destruction or violence. god willing you'll win the war and peaceful means. >> that message was disregarded society night. protesters broke through police lines, tearing down the outer walls of parliament. police fired tear gas and rubber bullets, and the army was called in to protect state buildings. the military has taken over in times of civil unrest, but this time there appears to be little appetite for a coup. >> the pakistani military established ever that they are in any comparative position to run. when they do that, they failed. and left pakistan in a more problematic situation. >> it's down to people power, this is the first government to have taken over from an elected parliament. whether that democratic transfer

can remain peaceful for not will be critical to pakistan's future. >> let's talk to kamal hyder in islamabad. how important do you think the next 24 hours are? >> extremely important because the scuffles have continued despite the fact that the government probably thought they'd be able to bring the situation under control in a matter of hours, and despite the fact that thousands of police men are called, 40,000 are on the way. they have not been able to stablilize the situation. we have reports that military top brass will be meeting on monday, and, of course, that certain decisions may be taken. however, it is too early to predict what is likely to unfold within the next 24-48 hours. there's an anticipation that

perhaps there'll be more protests in other cities, what happens is the security challenge that the government will be facing will determine how everything unfolds as far as the political crisis is concerned. >> thank you for that. >> still to come, reports lesotho's deputy prime minister has taken control, and what attempted to be a military coup plus. >> i'll be out at sea. i'll be reporting on the conflicts as people tried to escape the fighting there.

hello again, the top stories on al jazeera - kurdish peshmerga and shia militias claim to have retain the northern iraqi town of amerli after fighting with the islamic state. the town has been under siege from isometric fighters for around two months now. the syria rebel group al nusra front said it's holding 45 u.n. peacekeepers monitoring the area between the israeli goalan heights and the syrian held area. the u.n. is negotiating their release. thousands of protesters in islamabad are standing their ground, calling for the prime minister to resign. violence that left three dead and 3 uns injured continued into sunday. china's leaders insisted they had the right to choose

candidates. decisions were made by a standing committeement the former british colony wants free elections and is threatening to protest. pro-democracy activists promise civil disobedience if they don't get an agreement. tell us about the standing committee, they have been holding a press commence, what else do they have to say? adrian brown. >> china has effectively said hong kong can have an election to choose the next chief executive in 2017 but we will decide who the two or three candidates will be. they'll have to be nominated, screen the by a committee. this is democracy, but with the chinese characteristics. china has been sending out

another miss him. beijing runs hong kong. no one else. this was approved by the national people's congress, china's rubber-stamp parliament. they have been meeting to a background of angry calls, for the former british economy to be allowed to choose. one person, one vote. the question is what will happen. various groups vowed to stage a sit-in in the district. involving 10,000 people. china warned people not to do that. i spoke to an advisor. saying hong kong has to remember, there's a p l.a. garrison. if things were to get out of control. if they were to get out of control, china would not

hesitate to use the soldiers to restore order. it's an unlikely scenario, the fact he was compelled to say that is a reminder of how attitudes are hardening in beijing as well. >> thank you. the deputy prime minister has taken control following an attempted military coup. the prime minister is in south africa. south african president jacob zuma called a regional security meeting to resolve the crisis. tania page has been covering the story for us. >> reporter: calm on the streets of lesotho, cracks in its democracy. the army may have withdrawn to its barracks, but the prime minister is in south africa, where he accuses the military of attempting to assess power. people are afraid this is not over. now the deputy prime minister has taken charge. this man told al jazeera, he's

not trying to destabilize the country. it's not a coup. let us get that straight. it's not a coup. i'll not be a deputy prime minister. the prime minister will not be a prime minister. if there is a coup that has taken place in lesotho. >> this is the first police station the military raided. one police officer was killed here, three injured and so is one soldier. it was seizing weapons, it believed were supplied to supporters of the leading politicians, ahead of a protest march, demanding the reopening of parliament. the prime minister says that dialogue, not violence, should be used to solve disputes. >> if anyone does not obey government. i will call up on the military to put down their arms. and sit down. and then follow the right procedures. the devote, the army that we

spent time training, putting together and so on. >> the 2-year-old coalition government, the first collapsed in jooup, and parliament suspended. the small land-locked kingdom was surrounded by south africa. people are familiar with financial hardship and coups. the prime minister has the full backing of south africa, the regional body sa da c and the african union, but not the military support. without that his problems are far from over. >> security forces in somalia are saying they killed four fighters following an attack on national intelligence facilities. the attack began with a suicide car bomb. gun battles followed. two security officials have been wounded. russia and ukraine carried out a swap of captured soldiers. russia returned 53 soldiers

across into the territory, that's according to russian newsagencies. ukraine handed over 10 russian paratroopers it captured and presented as evidence of a russian invasion. paul brennan has more. >> the release of the soldiers is a positive sign. the 10 soldiers were the russians who the evidence was placed were on ukranian soil. the paratroopers paraded in kiev, showing what they say was a russian invasion. what we have had is them sent back to russia and ukrainian soldiers, paraded on to russian soil. the signs are positive. in the town which has been encircled by separatist fighters for several days, ukranian soldiers are trapped. we are told 14 made is out in the last 12 hours. the rest are effectively

prisoners of the separatist fighters there. we heard on friday - sorry, on saturday, that there had been effectively a humanitarian corridor created, but the soldiers became caught in a crossfire. it's not particularly gratifying. it is an indication of how chaotic the situation is on the grounds in eastern ukraine. >> india and japan's prime minister visited the kyoto temple ahead of a summit to discuss security ties. the indian prime minister narendra modi is seeking investment to bolster the economy and create jobs for one million entering its workforce every month. protesters in japan are angry about the perhaps to bring the nuclear plants online. since the fukushima disaster, safety concerns outweigh the

need for the sites they say. israel prime minister's will run for another term, binyamin netanyahu making an announcement on saturday. there has been speculation about his political future. >> protests in venezuela over a food hoarding and smuggling. the measure requiring grocery shoppers to be fingerprinted to limit food purchases. many marked against what president nicolas maduro called a liberating tools. strict controls reduced the supply of staple fuels. >> rescuers are trying to free workers trapped in a goldmine near bonanza. 20 minors were arrested. after crews dug an opening. the mine collapsed on thursday. >> thousands are fleeing the fighting by taking dangerous boat rides to other countries.

more than 150 people have been rescued. >> in an empty warehouse in the town, these young men were waiting to be registered. some are from eritrea, they can claim asylum. many of them were working in crimea, a suburb of tripoli. when the fighting surrounded them. the first rocket landed. it didn't hit anyone. the second came, and 20 were killed. when the third landed we scattered. we decided to leave. >> reporter: tunis yap coast guard rescued their dingy after two days at sea. >> this is tunisia's maritime border with libya. migrants and asylum seekers can't cross by land. tunisia and egypt can't let them in because of security and

economic concerns. they are forced to make the dangerous journey across the waters. it's the only way out. >> reporter: there are reports fighters are preparing to battle of border region. the fear is the conflict could spill over, sending migrants out to see. >> we are prepared to secure the maritime borders against dajers. we'll confront lawlessness on the seas. >> it led to this. >> the red crescent found at least 300 bodies off the coast of tripoli since yule. this is why so men brown. the more a fisherman shows me a ripped dingy. smugglers are using substandard and overcrowded boatsment on this occasion it was pulled to

tunisian shores, saving the lives of many on board. the message is intervene as quickly as possible, and stop the human smugglers being sent into the sea. >> the migrants are worried about their friends. some are imprisoned. some in hiding. the mediterranean sea is a barrier to a better life. >> there has been a new eruption much iceland's bardabunga volcano. it was calm and lasted for a few hours. authorities issued a code red warning to aviation in the area. heavy rain caused flash flooding in the u.s. state of louisiana, residents are dealing with waterlogged homes after a

storm pushed through the region on saturday. up to 6 inches of rain fell in some areas. there may be no respite. another storm is respected. remember, you can keep up to date with the weather developments and other news by logging on to the website. an mamerican offensive much more aid to aid in iraq against the islamic state group. reverse course in the ukraine or face sanctions. i'm in new york, a city where affordable housing is hard to come by. a plan to fix the problem is leading to a new form of