i'm ali velshi, thank you for joining us. revenge in iraq - shia militia accused of attacking sunnis in territory take back by islamic state fighters. hello, i'm darren jordan with the world news in al jazeera. russia threatens to retaliate as the u.s. follows the european union with more sanctions over ukraine. >> pakistan's military rescues hundreds, thousands are trapped and in danger. >> children in columbia lose their playground as prisoners are chained to swings because detention centers are full.

welcome to the programme. the u.s. secretary of state is on his way to egypt to shore up international support in a fight against the islamic state group. 10 arab countries agreed to help. john kerry ruled out iran helping. >> no one called and asked with respect to the presence of iran. but i think under the circumstances, at this moment in time, it would not be right for any number of reasons, it would not be appropriate given the many other issues that are on the table with respect to their engagement in syria and elsewhere. >> but shia militia said aligned with iran have been fighting in northern iraq. now al jazeera heard accusations that some of those militia have been carrying out revenge attacks.

sunni vimagers have been blamed for harbouring fighters. sue turton reports. >> reporter: a shia militia checkpoint in an arab sunni area. we have been told men from this group are looting and torching villagers here allowed the islamic state fighters to hide out. nine days earlier the same militia welcomed us into the town, fighting along the peshmerga army to break the siege. the atmosphere is different today. we are told to pull over. a pick up truck blocked our exit. ak-47s are aimed at us. we have been trying to negotiate through this shia militia checkpoint for half an hour. there are peshmerga fighters, it's clear that the shia make the decisions and they are reluctant to let us go through.

we are trying to get to film a village that is flattened and torched. a village that used to have sunni arabs in it. >> they let us through. the peshmerga mosque was shelled by the militia. we arrive in the village. it's deserted. houses have been torched. one is still smouldering. the peshmerga has a position close by, but they are pulling out, leaving the militia in control. the commander says his men respect the arab sunni house they set up camp in. ti.d we are giving us lives to protect ... >> we are giving our lives to protect all people's property. >> reporter: the peshmerga have gone house to house disnantling improvized explosives. this had wires buried under the

road. this was under a toilet seat. >> they were taken to a nearby town where shi'a fighters beheaded a sunni residence. >> when we witnessed it, it made us angry, we can't accept it. we told them if it happened again, we'll fight you. we ordered them to stop. >> the shia militia don't take orders from them. a peshmerga commander filmed this man on the day amerli fell. and is giving orders in farsi. the commanders witnessed fighters alongside the iraqi shia. >> as president obama announced an expansion of sticks, he risked the militia taking control of more and more sunni arab territories. it will do nothing to win the hearts and minds of the sunni arab community in this fractureded battle ground. >> helped joins us live from erbil in northern iraq. what do we know about the claims

shia militias taking revenge on sunnis for harbouring islamic state fighters? >> well, as you heard in sue's story, what we know is there are repeated reports of incidents like this, after which sunni - a largely sunni arab town is taken by shia militia or army forces that are shia, and there are concerns, reports of reprisals. it's a running theme, highlighting the problem you have in a country that is so divided along sectarian lines and with a fighting force and battles in sunni arab towns. there's a lot of hostility and hard feelings. this is the situation that we have reported time and time again here. that is one of the reasons it's so important in the formation of this new government in iraq for

there to be more inclusion. many argue in the military so that comments like this don't happen. it's one of the reasons there's a new policy by which they have national guard troops police their own areas. in some areas it would be sunni arab military troops there, policing that area. >> and we know that kurdish peshmerga fighters have some successes on the ground, but what about the fight to retake mosul. what was happening there? >> that is likely to be a big fight coming up. i was at the front lines talking to the commander, and he said it's a matter of time before they push forward. they have taken the mountain, giving them an overlook into the valley towards mosul. you stopped up and see the outskirts of mosul. they say they need a few things

to pursue the fight. they are ready to do it. they need an order to go ahead, and more weapons, they are unhappy with the equipment they have, and cooperation, american air strikes, cooperations from other countries. something they need is a political approach in which they would not be some, you know, foreign fighting force essentially, a largely peshmerga fighting force. they want there to be a mixed response, and a diplomatic peace so that they can win the hearts and mines of that population without coming in with a hostile sectarian approach. >> john hendren there in erbil. thank you. now, russian president vladimir putin is threatening to retaliate against u.s. and european union sanctions for its role in the conflict against eastern ukraine. the latest measures targetting

the banks and energy sectors. patty culhane reports. >> u.s. and european officials say russia is not living up to the ceasefire deal in ukraine. now they are warning, until forces and heavy weapons are back across the border, the west will go after the economy with new sanctions. >> we are confident that the new round of sanctions will have economic costs for russia. >> unlike previous sanctions, this time outside experts agree. >> i don't think there's any doubt that the russian economy this year is, in my opinion, going to be in a mild recession, related to the effect of these sanctions. >> more importantly. given that russia, you know, for a number of years. have been overwhelmingly relying on its natural resources, exports to generate growth in the russian economy, this is a serious issue. >> that is an issue because in

14 days u.s. companies have to stop working with or selling equipment to russia if it involves extracting oil. russia's largest bank has been added to a sanctions list, and six banks will no longer have access to u.s. or european money. some russian defense companies will face restrictions, russian officials threat their own sanctions. the move was called strange. >> translation: i don't understand what the new sanctions are related to. perhaps someone doesn't like it that the process is starting to follow a peaceful scenario. >> this is the west's attempt to force russia to live up to a ceasefire agreement. if it doesn't, the u.s. is threatening to increase the cost on the russian economy, hoping it will be too high a price for vladimir putin to pay. pakistan's army breached a

dyke to divert water threatening to overrun a punjabi city. helicopter crews dropped supplies for more than a million people that have been displaced. 264 people have died. the prime minister said the government would spend billions to rehabilitate the region. let's go live to kamal hyder, joining us from multan. the authorities warned that mule fan is under threat from the rising waters, what is done to protect the city? >> well, as you mentioned, the authorities have been blowing up tern ticks to reduce the pressure of the flow towards mul tan. we were able to see thousands of people on the move, moving out of those villages. as you see behind me, what looks like a river was dry land with several hundred villages along the area, and those veil ikes are under severe threat because

the waters are rising dangerously, and rescue efforts are under way, in full swing. tas a major disaster, and the authorities don't have the resources to help tens of thousands of people stubbling in the villages, in the punjab region, all the way from mul tan. we saw thousands of people on the road. some came to see the water rising. since 1992, people have not seen anything like this. we are able to see that people are using railway tracks to get to the villages. i'm standing on the link road to the highway that is cut off, and linked between the highway is cut off pt the rail links are cut off. within the next few hours the railway line will come under water. >> there are warnings about the

situation in the south. what is happening there? >> well, what is happening is the effect of the flood which wreaked havoc up north is moving slowly. there's a confluence of two rivers. the water is moving towards the area. and, of course, these are agricultural bases. they dlaten cities. we were able to see the -- threaten cities, we were able to see the water get in. there's predictive bar yours. everyone is watching. if the water levels rise, despite the fact that breaches are done, the water level is not going down. there's a threat it may be submerged. >> kamal hyder in maltan.

thank you. >> people, across the border in indian administered kashmir, the army deployed 30,000 troops after flooding there. india's government is criticized for not doing enough to help hundreds of thousands that are stranded. 130,000 have been rescued, 200 have died. >> three people are dead in a car bomb attack on a market in sworn pakistan. it appeared to target security forces operating in qatar. a soldier and two civilians died. the region experienced years of violence, reportedly from oil and gas resources there. >> still ahead - caught in the crossfire. civilians suffer as yemen launches a fight against houthi rebels. stay with us.

welcome back. the top stories on al jazeera - the u.s. secretary of state is on his way to egypt to the gather international support in the fight against the islamic state group. 10 arab countries joined the coalition. vladimir putin is weighing the response to european and u.s. sanctions. the latest targets target the banks. pakistan's army breached a dyke to divert water threatening to overrun the punjabi city of

mule tan. many have been killed and affected by the flooding last week. fighting intensified in yemen, where the government is constructing air strikes. a scr commander was killed. we have a report from sanaa. it's hurting civilians. >> fighters prepare to shell areas in this province. in this vast desert, the army has a minor presencens, relying on these battle hardened militias. >> translation: the houthis are criminals, invading our land, killing our people and destroying our homes. the houthis and al qaeda are the same. tribes are trying to mediate

a political deal. there are obstacles both are unable to overcome. >> the intense fighting undermined chances to secure a ceasefire. i'm working on the deal. civilians were caught up in the fighting. houses were destroyed. hundreds had to flee. this man's son was killed, her house was destroyed. >> translation: my son was innocent. he was looking after his family and had no political affiliation. the houthis arrested, tortured him in killed him. >> reporter: this is one of the poorest region of yemen. men forced out whether have to wait for time, and fighting may come to an end before they come back. >> hash am joins us from the yemeni suburb. we understand the government and

houthi rebels are joining the government. >> they are planning to come up with an agreement over the ongoing political crisis in the capital. they were hoping to come up with a deal, but they failed because the president said that he is ready to offer a deal. he doesn't want to see healthy fighters hit the government. this is something that undermines the authority showing the world that i'm going to surrender to you. breaking up the protest and fighters - then i'll offer a deal. the deal is the president appoints a prime minister, cutting pritss by 30 per cent and offer the houthis political representation in the government, it's a deal to be brokered by the united nations.

the houthis insist our fighters and protesters will stay until full implementation of the deal. we expect a round of talks, amid hopes that a deal may be clemped tonight. otherwise it may lead to further escalation in the capital. now, some israeli army reservists refuse to operate in occupied palestinian territories. 43 soldiers from an elite intelligence branch say they will not take part in activity against palestinians, saying some of their work prevent palestinians leading normal lives. al jazeera continues to demand the release of three journalists. egypt detained peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed for 259 days. they are accused of aiding the muslim brotherhood, charges seen as politically motivated. they are appealing their conviction. >> hospital workers treating

ebola patients in sierra leone have gone on strike. the hospital is treating 80 patients, many wards abandoned by staff after colleagues were infected. 38 nurses and doctors died from ebola since the start of the outbreak. the latest opinion polls show supporters keeping scotland in the u.k. are gaining slightly. the referendum on independence is too close to call. they hit back on leaders who said they'd move their headquarters if scotland votes to leave the union. >> the people of scotland will not be bullied by big oil, supermarkets and government. they'll not be bullied out of a once in a lift opportunity to build a prosperous country and a fairer society. >> this week the referendum campaign is focussing on the financial impact of breaking

away from the u.k. we spoke to some scots that want to stay in the union. >> the village of cram onward looks pretty as a postcard. people have done well, easy to conclude the union with england is a success. in the boat club and cafe people are nervous about a future for scotland sailing away from the u.k. so worried, in fact, that they might abandon ship well. cr cram. >> james joked that he'd move. >> reporter: is it a joke or serious? >> it's serious. i have family with houses south of the border. it may be a safe move to go br there's a fall out, if the current is going to change. i would rather be sun. >> we may move, we may not. we'd have to see what the outcome is. >> reporter: you can do without having to make the decision.

>> sure. >> reporter: no to independents means sclned outside the u.k. will -- scotland outside of u.k. will have to perform a balancing act. so many seem to have kept their thought to themselves. the know campaign shows uncertainty. in other ways they are at a disadvantage. after all, in messaging terms, no, we can't is never going to sound as exciting as yes, we can. >> nor is it likely to help the yes campaign when the leadership makes comparisons between the scottish nationalists and sydneya. >> i don't want -- north korea. >> i don't want people to feel they have to leave. it's my country. people feel strongly. this is not one country against

another. >> so even in wealthy crammrond, the yes campaign has a resonance. >> it's about having independence, making our own decisions and choices. it's clear that putting fear into the mind of scots to stop them voting yes has not worked. the no vote is full of foreboding at prospects at the end of the union. now, on sunday, sweden chooses its next government with immigration proving to be a big talking point of the campaign. there's 1.5 billion foreign born people out of a population of 9.7 million. sweden will take in 80,000 asylum seekers. arrivals are from arab countries, the biggest flux since the war. >> in stockholm, political

parties flirt with undecided voters. here they are part of the antidiscrimination party. they want a 90% cut to innovation and are gaining traction. >> we are not racist people, and should not be. there's a limit to how much immigration the society can handle, concerning jobs, welfare and all these things. i think that sweden reached the limit. >> sweden is the country with the highest per capita immigration in the world per years. but where economic hard times led some to look for easy targets. sweden got 5% of the vote during the last election in 2010. they think, and polls may be right, that they'll double that this time. that will give them 40 seats in the parliament, making them the third largest party. they claim that will give them the balance of power in negotiations over forming a future coalition government.

>> just yards away the minister for integration says he will have nothing to do with them. >> we want to humanitarian superpower. we have been in the past and are proud of it. i would like to look my kids in the eyes and say we didn't send people back to the killing in iraq and syria. >> in this town, half of the residents are immigrants and their children. many from iraq and syria. many are unemployed, still don't speak swedish and feel isolated. for some, the chance to talk about immigration is a welcome change. >> it's time we speak about it. if you see problems, it doesn't mean that the problems are the people coming here. maybe there are problems with the system, how we intae grate the -- integrate the people. i think we can make a lot of changes that would - be much better.

the main stream economics - something has changed. he has spawned a new debate. not many want to shut the door on those with genuine need, but the days may be numbered. >> a controversial mayor won't be running for election. rob ford returned, now he need medical treatment for a tumor, his brother will take his place. overcrowding in columbia caused dozens to be held in a playground. 40 have been handcuffed to equipment to the disapproval of the locals. dozens of prisoners have been spending weeks in this

playground in a makeshift gaol. suspect range from petty theft. authorities don't have any other place to put them in. >> translation: they arrested me and brought me here months ago. this is not acceptable. they should have a place to keep us, a toilet. thank god my family helped me with a tent. family members visit me on a daily basis. some play with the kids. >> i come with juices, drinks and electric raisers, so my nephew can shave. there are no bathrooms beside a bucket near a tree, or local restaurants paid to use facilities. many say the park is better than the yale. >> we are better off here, it's crowded inside. there are more dangerous people. at least our loved ones can visit us. >> this is the local detention

facility where the suspects will be held. it will accommodate up to 40 people. there are over 70, some sleeping on the floor, almost on top of each other. police say they have no option, but keep everybody else outside. >> for the people in the neighbourhood, the situation is inhumane. >> this is shameful. we have people here occupying the space. the smell is horrible, there's no hygiene. yesterday some smoked weed in front of the police. it only happens ear. >> columbia has been dealing with prison overcrowd of course, but never before did it reach a critical point. >> since the start of the year, we have reached a high level of overcrowding, with over 40,000 people, 60% over the limit. >> the prosecutors office promises it will resolve the

issue in the coming month. in the meantime the kids will condition to share their park with prisoners. a quick reminder, keep up to date with the news on the website. there it is. the address aljazeera.com. that's aljazeera.com. . >> after more than 300 years inial u.k., some scots want a divorce from england and wales, they want to return to what they were for centuries, a separate country, culture and economy. the vote is two weeks away and it's the "inside story".