domestic crisis for japan and to basically use it against the international coalition led by the united states. >> fawa gerzes please stay with us as well analyze the story in more detail here on al jazeera. a story that broke in the past hour and a half or so so a reminder of the breaking news here on al jazeera: a video allegedly showing the killing the zap needs journalist held hostage by isil has been released online. the japanese and jordanian governments had been working to secure the release of kenji goto along with a jordanian pilot being held in exchange for an iraqi woman, want-to-be suicide bomber currently on death row in japan...

>> a speaks bottom form white house said we are working to confirm the video's authenticity. the united states condemns isil's actions and call for the immediate release of all remaining hostages. she added the u.s. stands in solidarity with its ally, japan. >> let's cross live to the jordanian capitol and speak to our correspondent there andrew simmons, following developments not just tonight, but throughout the unfolding crisis that we've seen very much linking the fate of kenji goto with that of the pilot also captured by isil. very tense moments now in the jordanian capitol i imagine.

>> most certainly. this has come as a real shock. however, the fear had been that the next development in this crisis would be something along these lines the grotesque ritualistic death of a civilian journalist who was well respected in japan and the procedure we've seen. now this is the sixth time of a video which obviously has to be verified but undoubtedly would seem it is the worst possible scenario for this man and his family. now, as far as the jordanians are concerned they say they have been working for a three way deal. they have been trying their jut most to represent japan. japan's had a special envoy here. there are a lot of journalists now waiting outside the japanese embassy, hoping for some sort of

statement that hasn't come forward yet and we've not heard from jordanian officials but as far as jordan is concerned, they had been trying to get this three way deal. cast your mind back now -- it's a complex procedure but last tuesday, the time line went like this. last tuesday, kenji goto in a video said he only had 24 hours to live unless there had been the release of the would-be suicide bomber in the attacks commissioned by al-qaeda in iraq. that was the dough hand from isil. at the time, there was no mention of the pilot, 26 years old, who's jet was crashed in northeast syria last december. no mention of him.

jordan then, it would seem separately was engaged in this process of trying to trade with isil. isil were also talking in those terms, as well. there was confusion of an extension of the deadline and further, this time an audio threat to everyone saying that unless there was the release by sundown on thursday, then there would be the death of this man. there was silence then, no communication from isil since until this video. we now have a pivotal moment in this crisis. we had a would-be suicide bomber a military jordanian f.6

pilot and a civilian 47-year-old journalist all their lives at stake. we've lost one. now the question is whether or not the pilot is alive, whether or not the jordanian pilot is alive. jordan wants proof and that has not been motor coming. we do not know where this goes next. >> thank you. let just comments on the developments of the last few hours. obviously shocking news about the death of this japanese hostage, when seen in the current picture in the fight against isil. how that is coalition fighting going overall? >> the fight had not started the offensive or offenses against the major cities, this

particular fight will be a prolonged fight cost costly and uncertain. even if daish or isisis defeated in iraq, they will go on to fight in syria for seven, eight years. it is the nerve center, the financial resources so even hope to the international coalition has made some progress in particular in kobane and in particular in some areas in iraq particular lib the kurds the reality isisis or daish deeply entrenched. it controls two thirds of iraq and syria. it has a relatively important social base in iraq and syria because of the sectarian conflicts inside syria and iraq. the reality is tragic and sad as the hostage crisis is, the fight is bigger. the fight is great and no one

knows how long this particular fight will take, whether it's two years, three years as the american and before its say. >> a video has appeared that seemingly has killed mr. kenji goto. the family has tried to deal with this matter, but we are deeply saddened by this despicable and horrendous act of terrorism and we denounce it on the strongest terms. to the terrorists, we would

never, never forgive them for this act. the act committed, we are going coordinate with the international society so japan would never be defeated by terrorism. we would have the food aid and the medical aid and to those humanitarian aid, we would even further our efforts to strengthen these types of aids. moreover inciting this terrorism in the international society, as japan, we would be keeping to our responsibilities to deal with this act of terrorism and to japan the

international society has showed us solidarity, and we'd like to thank the leaders of the world for that and to the friends of japan. i'd like to thank them deeply and to king abdullah of jordan, i would like to thank him on behalf of the june japanese nationals for his strong support. we would continue to extend our efforts to keep the safety of japanese nationals. >> the reaction of the japanese prime minister speaking about the despicable and horrendous act of terrorism that has resulted in the death of the hostage, the second japanese hostage killed by isil. he said japan will not be

defeated by terrific and that it was going to coordinate with the international community giving food medical and humanitarian aid. >> the u.s. has obviously also condemned isil's actions. a spokeswoman for the white house knoll security council said we are working to confirm its, the videos you a 10 advertise city. the united states strongly condemns isil's actions and call for the immediate release of all remaining hostages. she added the u.s. stands in solidarity with japan. >> joining us from washington d.c. a professor of foreign policy and former u.s. diplomat. madam, thank you for joining you guess here on al jazeera. the reaction from the u.s. obviously not a surprise, standing next to its job knees ally. i guess it's the jordanian ally it will be worried about more, because the jordanian pilot's fate still remains in the hands of isil.

>> well, i would hope that policy makers here in washington would be very worried about our allies the allies who ever joined the united states in a military strategy to combat the united states, a strategy we know is not going to work. the united states spent eight years, one trill i couldn't be dollars and 125,000 troops in iraq trying to fight the precursor of the is state when it was in its junior status. it didn't work. it failed. the strategy now to continue to pursue a military one is only going to cause more death and mayhem to the beyond an our allies. what the is state is targeted toward jordan and japan after japan pledged $200 million to the fight against it. we are going to continue to see this whether in canada or australia, as long as the strategy is so ill fated, we

will continue to see this kind of terrorism. >> i guess it's unlikely that the u.s. would change its strategy and the many countries that are allied with the u.s. but if jordan decided to change its strategy, how much would that change and shift the balance of power in the eveningen? >> jordan could change its strategy. other american allies accounted change their strategies. turkey has not stepped forward to join this military coalition against the is state and turkey has been able to escape a lot of the terrorism and consequences of what the is state has without throughout the region. i'm not a supporter of turkish policy but it's clear that states have a choice. they can does whether or not to join a strategy that is fated to fail and will reverberate back against them with deadly consequence. states have that independent ability and we see it happening

in the region. if they were to choose a more independent course, and pursue their interest as they see them. it's very important that the beyond and other countries outside of the middle east have as constructive a relationship at possible with each country there and accept them on their own terms. so not to try to overthrow governments, for example in libya or syria or to seek regime change in ron but to accept those governments and those states as they are for them to balance themselves and the united states not to constantly have to intervene with a military strategy that is becoming increasingly deadly not only to ourselves but to our allies. >> when we see videos like the

killing of kenji goto and other hostages others tend to get more coverage in the u.s. and western media doesn't it strengthen the resolve not just of the governments like the u.s. but the people to fight against a group like isil? >> well, it certainly makes it easier for politician to say rally the public toward an ill-fated, wrong-headed policy. this is a policy we know, we spent eight years a trillion dollars, 125,000 troop to say fight a much less lethal, less dangerous insurgency in iraq. we know this isn't going to work. certainly these images have the effect of enabling politician to say rally otherwise innocent americans and others to a strategy this is just going to end up killing more people in the middle east with increasingly deadly consequence for ourselves. >> hillary professor of u.n.

foreign policy. thank you, it was a pleasure to talk to you. >> thank you very much. >> now let's speak to charlie winter from an anti radicalization think tank here. we've been talking about the fact that japan actually was more likely to negotiate with isil than the u.k. or u.s. ever would have been and isil were asking for two hub million dollars, probably were never going to get that. might have had quite a lot of money and hostage taking is quite a cash cow for isil. why does isil not go for that, not go for the money but produce these videos doing the rounds on the internet. what's the propaganda value for isil and is it really worth the millions of dollars they might have had for these hostages? >> absolutely.

the propaganda is two pronged gives the utopian world view of the islamic state. what they are doing showing these horrible images is trying to began they are reaction from western states, in particular from the united states. it is looking for intervention. it wants western boots on the ground and this plays into its ideology which is very -- it's looking for the end of days and they are deliberately trying to lure. >> they are trying to provoke. >> exactly. that's something that's been missed that is one of the most important things about this propaganda. >> you mean provoke a governmental response or provoke public opinion in these

countries? we're going to see the reaction in japan in the hope that the public opinion will then influence the government. >> absolutely, influence both governments and the public. it basically wants to increase the military intervention. it sounds crazy to us, but the ideology is based around the idea going back hundreds of years to the crusades. it considers western countries to be the crusaders and to have direct clashes between asking state and the crusader forces would work exactly into its ideology and that would abmassive recruitment tool. >> thank you for having been with us. >> let's get news on what's happening in syria and iraq where isil of course is based. in syria isil said it's

retreating from the border town of kobane because of shelling and the death of its fighters. the group post add video on social media showing fighters launching rockets in kobane. one has been heard saying he does not see the retreat as a loss but more of a precaution. u.s. coalition airstrikes and kurdish fighters have been targeting isil in the town since october. >> today a while ago we slowly started retreating due to the shelling and murder of some of our brothers. this is not a loss, god willing. the death of our brothers is a victory, but the retreatise necessary. >> battles are continuing all around the town. we report now on the new challenge ahead for kobane and its residents. >> it's only been a few days since the streets of kobane went quiet. four months of combat have taken

a huge toll on the town and on those who remained here throughout. >> i was terrified. i'll never forget those moments. they'll stay with me until i die. we live near the front line. our fighters gave us food and water. there was no electricity. the children were very scared. >> it's been months since they have been able to walk around their hometown. she also stayed in kobane moving around as the fighting spread from one area to the next. this is the first time he sees his family home. >> they were destroying people's lives. before there were people, traffic, they all fled to turkey lebanon and iraq. all gone. it's sad. >> it's a war that cost the islamic state of iraq and the levant this is the body of a

turkish national being returned to his family. there is a new found pride among kurds, but everyone here says it's not over yet. >> the houses have been destroyed, so they turned the basement of a building into a field hospital, and it's here that you really feel that the battle is still object going around kobane. >> isil controls hundreds of surrounding villages. kurdish fighters are trying to push them back. the wounded keep arriving. there is no water doctors lack equipment and medical supplies. they have had to adapt under pressure. >> in a real hospital, a doctor has what he needs. here we have to forget it all and work in a primitive way. we don't have the means to treat properly find out if vital organs were touched. a lot of people, my relatives have died in my arms. >> fighters from the free syrian army have also joined in.

escaping raqqa the syrian stronghold of isil, she said this. >> i saw what happened in raqqa. i had to help here. many of us died. some carried out suicide attacks. others were cut to pieces, images i'll never forget. very painful but they give you the motivation to keep fighting. >> kobane has much a much needed military base for the kurds. it's from here they prepare for the battles ahead. >> in iraq, kurdish forces, known as peshmerga say they've pushed isil fighters out of the northern city of kirkuk. it was seized in june when the iraqi army abandoned its position. since then, kirkuk has come under repeat attacks, hoping to take control of the oil fields near the city. we have a report.

>> in the heart of kirkuk, in broad daylight, the islamic state of iraq and the levant made its presence felt. three armed men in black detonate add car bomb outside the hotel before storming the empty building. the attack on friday destabilized the security situation in this northern city. it was part of a coordinated assault that involved isil fighters attacking kurdish peshmerga positions west and southwest of kirkuk. kurdish peshmerga soldiers told that you say they ended the hotel siege after a two our gun battle but the armed men preferred to detonate their explosive belts instead of being captured. it was a fierce fight for a six story building to cause chaos in kirkuk's city center. >> kurdish commanders say isil's objective was to capture the

city of kirkuk. it failed to do that, but managed to send a message. the armed group wants to show it hasn't been defeated after suffering recent setbacks on the battleground. >> kirkuk has long been a dangerous city. over the decades various people have laid claims to this oil-rich region. friday's attack wasn't the first time isil tried to take control. >> we know isil wants kirkuk. they have been telling supporters little a matter of time before kirkuk will be theirs. >> kurds did lose ground when isil pushed on three fronts around kirkuk. it was an aggressive attack, the worst in months. >> isil attacked us from many directions. at the beginning, they were able to surround us and we lost our positions. >> kurds have since managed to recapture most areas include ago small oil field. that was only possible with the help of coalition airstrikes. the peshmerga are facing a

well-armed enemy and isil's offensive here still hasn't ended. al jazeera kirkuk. >> at least 10 people have died in a series of explosions in and around the iraqi capitol. a blast near a car rare shop in central baghdad killed three. five others died in another explosion at a sheep market. two soldiers were killed after their army patrol was targeted in a bomb attack north of the capital. west of baghdad the iraqi defense ministry said government forces have killed more than 30 isil fighters near fallujah, rappeling a large isil offensive. among the dead were two snipers. >> the violence happened at iraq's prime minister was hosting a security summit in baghdad. al abadi addressed various factions from across the country. the feeing was aimed at divisions between religious

groups. the government hopes to create a united front against isil. >> let's go back to our main story now and let's just remind ourselves what we know about the japanese hostage who has apparently been killed by isil. kenji goto was an experienced war correspondent working in various conflict zones over the last 20 years. we have a report on his career and the events that led to his capture and eventual death. >> this is kenji goto in a video here last year before cross to go syria and into isil territory. he was well aware of the risks. lease don't claim any claim to the syrian people.

>> kenji goto was a freelance journalist but reported from war zones for 20 years in africa, afghanistan and the middle east. he traveled in syria to attempt a rescue of his friend who was captured by isil in august. he was a self styled military consultant going to set up a military company despite having no experience. kenji goto was captured and held captive alongside his friend. isil demand add $200 million ransom for the two men. last week, the armed group released a video which al jazeera has chosen not to show. there was an image of kenji goto chained by the wrist and in his hands a photograph of his friend, who had been killed. goto became a part of the swap between the jordanian government and isil. supporters held vigils outside

the prime minister's residence in tokyo. his mother begged for her son's life. >> dear mr. prime minister, please save the life of kenji. i call you to work with all your strength until the very end. >> despite that he is pleas and government intervention, isil followed through with its threat and killed kenji goto. al jazeera. >> plenty more coming up on al jazeera. we're going to have all the latest of the video of the alleged killing of the japanese journalist kenji goto. these are live pictures from the jordanian capitol right outside the japanese embassy in amman where we are waiting for reaction to that news. we're going to have lots more on that. do stay with us here on al jazeera for the latest.

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