. >> pakistan army sets up against the taliban as anger over school killings grows. hello, you're watching al jazeera live from london. also coming up in the next 30 minutes. kurdish fighters in northern iraq claim fresh gains in the mountains of sinjar mountains. and liberians vote for a new president. the government said safeguards are in place to stop the spread

of ebola. >> hello there, thank you for joining us. the pakistani government has stepped up its military campaign against the taliban. al jazeera understands that the suspected mastermind of does ease school attack may have been killed in an airstrike. he is one of 21 suspected taliban fighters killed in the area. he claimed responsibility for the attack, which left more than 130 children led. we have reports from peshawar on the strong reaction provoked by tuesday's killings. >> the show of sympathy with the children killed in peshawar. the militar school is covered with prayers, words of support and messages. a steady scream of visitors house of indians for the sixth

day of the attack that killed 148 people, most of them school boys. some of the parents come with their surviving children to pick up their school bags. others come to have a look at the place that is now the source of their most worst memories. >> the whole nation is crying. the military is the only hope to rid this country of this menace. >> anger at the taliban and hope that the military will act. despite the fact that over 50,000 people have been killed in this country during the last ten years, in this fight against pakistani-taliban, public loyalties have always been divided between the two sides. however, after the attack on school children in peshawar, there seems to be growing support for the army and the government. peshawar is one of pakistan's poorest cities.

many people here used to condone the taliban in hope of change. but that is changing. it's extreme brutality, killing young boys. they were like flowers. islam teaches us to love the young ones. i think the government has made the right decision to crush all those who destroy this country by bombing and killing. >> for on those who survived the attack there is only one course of action to take now. >> the army was my dream. to avenge so many of my ends. >> because of people of what happened the military undoubtedly enjoys more support here. but there are other pakistanis who still doubt the efficacy of more violence in solving the country's problems. al jazeera. peshawar. >> had a mid rashid is a prominent writer and analyst in

pakistan. he said there is wide spread fear of how the armed group will respond to the military campaign. >> what people are expecting now is retaliation against the taliban. as a consequence of that the whole country has gone into i don't care down. all the schools and universities have been shut down prematurely, well, before the winter holidays were due. there are troops guarding major locations such as colleges, railway stations, airports have been--the security has doubled. i think there is no doubt that there will be more attacks by the taliban and they will choose--they will go against the soft targets like the school, i'm sure, and they have already threatened that they will possibly kidnap children of military and state security officers, or just kidnap children in general. [music]

>> the islamic state of iraq and levant has killed dozens of its own fighters in syria and iraq. that's according to activists. most of the victims were to be said foreign fighters who were attempting to leave isil and return home. isil has been losing ground against iraqi and peshmerga forces. let's take a closer look at their gains. isil is still in control of 70% of anbar province. most of ramadi city is held by iraqi forces backed by tribal gunmen. iraqi and kurdish forces are also making gains around sinjar mountains. they've managed to open a second corridor there. tikrit is still under isil while the city of tirkuk is held by the peshmerga fighters.

>> the time to secure the campaigns and success they've made. the latest victory is the retaking of a town at the foot of the sinjar mountains. it's where at least 1,000 families from the yazidi community are taking refuge. they have been under siege for more than two months. the retaking of the town by the kurdish fighters means they can now return to their homes. but isil fighters dispute the peshmerga claim. they insist that they're still in sinjar. kurdish forces also claim nearly 700 square kilometers as isil-held territory along the route to sinjar mountains. >> to move all the way to sinjar, to liberate and to

rescue those yazidi people who are trapped on mount sinjar. >> kurdish forces say they've gained nearly 700 square kilometers of what was isil-held territory along the route to mount sinjar. this offer as way for stranded families to leave, but they have to navigate through landmines planted by isil fighters. this is a village about 50 kilometers from sinjar. burned out houses and bullet-riddled walls are everywhere. evidence of fierce fighting that took place peer. but they say that there is a limit to what they can achieve on their own. >> we do not want peshmerga to be the only ones going in to the areas to have some political ramifications. liberation require participation of our forces, especially the

iraqi government and military. >> forces here in erbil say that more than 8,000 peshmerga fighters were involved in the operation to break the siege of the sinjar mountains. but knowing how fast isil could change its tactics in the battlefield, the commanders say that the fight for sinjar could be far from over. on the front line the battle for the strategic city is becoming more intense. parts of the city lie in ruins. the result of frequent shelling for most of the last year. airstrikes by coalition forces have also caused damage here. like the rest of anbar province there are regular battles on deserted streets between milit militias loyal to isil and the iraqi government forces. troops from the golden battalion are leading the onslaught from the government side. many people displaced by the fighting accuse the battalion of

using excessive force and destroying their homes. the forces argue that most houses have either been used by isil or are laden with explosives. those who left their houses know it will take a long time for the fighting to stop, and even longer before they return to their homes. al jazeera, irbell. >> we have more now from baghdad on the fighting in iraq's biggest province anbar. >> iraqi officials say that the iraqi military has beaten back in a sense of isil on one of the biggest air bases in iraq. it's in western anbar that isil fighters have tried to breach the defenses around the base. the american middle advisers are based there as well as other members of the coalition assembled by the u.s. military. but they're advising iraqi force who is are on the ground led by iraqi special forces. they say that they fended off an

assault as eyeing got closer to that base an indication of how intense the fighting is across the entire province. in ramadi the provincial capitol more clashes not far from the government headquarters which has been a major focus of fighting. across the province the western province which is iraq's biggest governor, u.s. and iraqi officials are trying to persuade sunni tribes to come on board. that's a work in progress. a lot of the tribes are suspicious of the iraqi government, reluctant to fight with the americans and not entirely sure where it leaves them given that isil has amassed hundreds of tribal members. it's undisputable that the sunni tribes are essential to this fight in anbar and other places in parts of the north where the peshmerga kurdish fighters have made gains, and areas south of the baghdad where shia militias

have been holding off isil with the iraqi military. anbar itself as in the past ten years remains a special case. >> and at least 12 people have been killed in bomb attacks in iraq. five have died and 15 others wounded in two separate explosions targeting shops in baghdad. a roadside bomb in the capitol killed three soldiers and four people were killed in an explosion south of baghdad. cuba's president said that his country faces a long and difficult struggle before the u.s. lifts it's economic embargo. that's despite the agreement this week to restore diplomatic ties between the two countries. speaking to address the parliament, castro said that he will attend the americas forum in panama in april.

>> improved relations with the united states to make cuba renounce ideals that it has spent a century fighting for, that it's people have spilt so much blood for. >> correspondent is in cuban capitol. >> this is only the second time that we've heard from the cuban leader raul castro after the big announcement on wednesday. this is very much an anticipated speech that he gave in front of the national assembly here in the capitol of havana. his key mention was this: while there is going to be a relationship between equals between the cubans and the americans as they push for better diplomatic and economic ties, castro said that any change here on the island and how fast that change might be implemented here will be done and dictated by the cuban people themselves. and castro also indicated that there would be no change in the socialist revolution here in

cuba. he said that only half jokingly happens socialist revolution can go on for another 200 years in his words. so this was very much a speech in some ways to douse a little bit of cold water on some kind of wild expectations that there was going to be radical change here in cuba tomorrow essentially what he was saying was that it will be very pragmatic. he was speaking to an international audience especially american business interests who might have expectations of coming in to cuba very fast and sort of overrunning the nation with their business. he's essentially also put the breaks on that as well and said that pretty much that cuba will decide who comes in when and how they operate in this country. so this was a very forceful speech, a very direct speech. he might have been speaking to the cuban people as well. without a doubt there is a lot of excitement here on the streets of cuba. there is a mood of anticipation, but the cuban people also know

that change comes very slowly here in this country, and raul castro, what he was essentially doing was reminding people here that it's going to take time. things will be very pragmatic, but it will be done on the terms of the cuban people. >> well, more to come here on al jazeera, including in the line of fire. as foreign troops prepare to leave afghanistan civilian casualties are up by nearly 20%. and while romania's property boom in bucharest have left many roma out in the cold.

>> today on "the stream". >> nine million americans are taking prescription drugs that may have very dangerous interactions. are you one of them? find out on "the stream". >> "the stream". today at 5:30 eastern. on al jazeera america.

>> now a reminder of the top stories on al jazeera. the pakistani government has stepped up its military campaign against the taliban. al jazeera understands that the suspected mastermind of the peshawar school attack could be one of those skilled in airstrikes. iraqi and kurdish peshmerga forces are making progress against the islamic state in iraq and the levant. they advantaged to open a second corridor at sinjar mountain. and cuba's president raul castro said that his toronto faces a long and difficult struggle before the u.s. lifts the economic embargo. that's despite the agreement this week to restory diplomatic ties between the two countries. four afghan prisoners from guantanamo are now back in afghanistan after being released by the united states. the foremen have been on the release list for some time and

will not be sent to prison but instead be reunited with their families. they say it's a sign of new confidence in their new president ashraf gandy. >> the worst attack in two months in afghanistan. children were killed when a suicide-bomber detonated himself in a val match. the united states said civilians are increasingly in the line of fire.

this is one of the latest victims. he's fighting for his life after the detonation in a school auditorium. killing one. it was a bad month in the capitol. >> we've never seen so much explosions and attacks in the city. there is not one single day where we're not waking up, coming to work with explosions and gunfight. >> all of the injuries are a result of shrapnel. this seven-year-old was injured. eight-year-old in the bed next to him in gozni. nery lay 10,000 civilians have been killed or wounded in afghanistan. casualties are up 33%. the numbers are so high because of the increased afghan government forces. car bombs and explosives are another reason for the increase. the united nations has appealed to the taliban but the attacks

continue. >> they've improved their so-called code of conduct. there have been a number of steps taken. the reality however is that on the ground the situation has not measurebly improved because they still cause the majority of civilian casualties. >> the taliban dispute the u.n. findings. >> we reject this report and repeatedly say it is far from reality that 75% of the casualties is attributed to us. most of these people were killed or wounded by american bombing or afghan soldiers or police. >> civilian casualties have never been higher. this time of year the fighting usually slows down but there has been no sign of that, and the number of dead and wounded continue to rise. jennifer glasse al jazeera kabul. >> the french police have shot dead a man with a knife who attacked them in a police

station. the incident happened in central france. witnesses say the man was shouting, god is great in arabic. french anti-terrorist investigators are reportedly examining the incident. turkey's president has defended the legal process he has used against his opponents after being criticized by the european union. he was speaking at a meeting at the foreign economic relations board in istanbul. on friday an arrest warrant was issued for an u.s.-based muslim cleric, who is a critic of the president. erdogan said that it's system was clean and lawful, unlike some others. >> israel slaughtered 16 journalists only this year. why do you not say anything? why do you not back journalists who did not write in favor of israel? in egypt dozens of journals including turkish citizens were

detained, oppressed, subject to violence. why did you not speak out? >> israeli planes have struck targets in the gaza strip. the attack came hours after a rocket launched from gaza hit an open field in israel. there were no casualties on either side. it was the first israeli airstrikes in gaza since a truss that ended a 51-day war. egyptian president al sisi has held talks with qatar's deputy foreign minister. it's the first such meeting since al sisi took office last year and the first since the dispute was resolved between qatar and other gulf countries over doha's support for the muslim brotherhood. the talks have been described as an attempt to start a new page between egypt and qatar. well, meanwhile al jazeera continues to demand the release of its three journalists who have now been detained in egypt for 357 days.

mohamed fahmy, bader mohammed, and peter greste were jailed over false allegations that they helped the outlawed muslim brotherhood. they are appealing against their convictions and sentences. they were sentenced to seven years. badaer received an extra three years because he had a spent bullet in his possession, which he had picked up at a protest. liberians are voting to elect members of the upper house of parliament. the ebola virus has killed more than 3,000 liberians a and the election has been seen as a test for the country's ability to rebuild. >> making their way to polling stations in the liberian capit capitol, these scenes would have been unthinkable just a few months ago. even though some are trying to make light of the crisis, ebola

remains a very real threat. in conducting elections with 1.9 registered voters is risky. >> political rallies in the capitol were banned earlier this month, and the vote to fill the seats being contested which makeup half the senate was postponed twice. with the members terms set to expire the election could not be put off any longer. many people have been killed by ebola, however, officials do not

want voters to give ebola a thought. >> as they enter the voting center they will be required to stand three feet across from each voter. >> the most hotly contested se seat, supporters of the two have fought each other in recent weeks. supreme court--security forces have been put on alert. al jazeera. >> north korea says it will take part in a joint inquiry with the u.s. into a cyberattack against sony pictures. the fbi said pyongyang was behind the attack, which led to the cancellation of a film about north korea's leader kim jong-un. north korea said that the u.s. is spreading groundless allegations.

a cyclist has miraculously cheated death after colliding with a 14-wheel truck in eastern china. the man was hit by the front of the truck and then rolled under it. he incredibly emerged from underneath a little dazed but unhurt. now in other news from spain, thousands of protesters have been on the streets of the spanish capitol of madrid angry at a new la that will effectively ban demonstrations. they're unhappy at the so-called muzzle law, which will punish unauthorized demonstrations with a heavy fine. it's expected to pass in the senate where the ruling people's party rules with the majority. now for many residents at the romanian capitol bucharest life is good for a moment. a property boom is transforming the city.

however, as paul brennan reports from bucharest, the very same law is hitting one of europe's most persecuted minorities. >> winter is almost here and the only heat available is a small campfire kept allied by burning whatever debris comes to hand. for five years these families paid rent and lived inside the two townhouses which they now camp outside of. despite having nowhere else to go, they were thrown out. >> i agree with giving back the house to the owner, but what are we supposed to do? stay in the street with the children? is that reasonable? >> we are at the end of our strength. we are cold. we can't endure the cold and the snow and the rain. what are the authorities doing? >> these roma have become the unintended victims of romanian

restitution laws which returns property taken by the state during the communist years. as many as 50,000 people have been maids homeless. the roma living on vulture street live in the perfect storm. the gentrification of certain areas, the property boom, which is taking place here in buick rest, and the apparent inability of the city authorities to find alternative housing for them. but for the first time these people are fighting back, and it seems with effect. instead of dispersing, the families chose to stay and demand their rights, demand that the council start tackling the issue. >> the authorities have to admit that there is a problem, and they have to, like, start organizing and meeting to discuss this problem. and the exact details. and this started to happen. >> buick rest city council

declined to be interviewed, but in a statement it said: >> reporter: in other words, the families of vulture street are just some among many. the balance of the rights of the property owners and the rights of evicted tenants seem tilted in favor of the owners, but as winter arrives, the need is shifted. >> a wrench was printed in the international space station. it was printed by a 3d printer. normally they would have to wait months for the next flight to have something delivered. nasa is researching it's 3d

printing of food for longer space missions but that is still in the early stations. it would be handy in normal life any way. you can find out much more about that on our website at www.aljazeera.com. >> i'm russsell beard, in southern kenya, where the latest development in human elephant conflict resolution is creating a real buzz. >> and i'm amanda burrell in indonesia, to see a wasteland restored.