>> mexico arrests one of the most wanted drug records from the knights templar cartel. you're watching al jazeera live from our headquarters in doha. also coming up, the search for lost lives a grim recovery operation in northern afghanistan, following and avalanche which killed 200 people. >> germanys parliament overwhelmingly approved the extension of greece's bailout. iraq's heritage destroyed isil fighters smashed priceless statues dating back more than

2,000 years. >> we begin in mexico with a drug lord, leader of the knights templar drug cartel was arrested. he was the target of the president's drive to regain control of the state. crossing over to mexico city, bringing in john hohman who will tell us more about the circumstances and just how significant a capture this is for the mexican government. >> this capture comes at the end of a quite significant manhunt by mexican authorities. this is probably mexico's at least most public and notorious criminal that was still at large. it's very important for mexican authorities to be hunting him

down. they did so very early in the morning in the capitol of the southwest state. the state itself has been a real area of conflict in mexico. several defense have sprung up there to try to protect themselves from cartel, mainly from the knights templar. this man la tuta headed it up. he styled himself as a sort of robin hood, putting out videos of himself giving out money in villages and frequently giving interviews to local radio local television, even international outlets, which made him popular among some. the organization that this man headed up was responsible for extortions, drug trafficking kidnapping and the murders of many people, so this is a significant capture for mexican authorities. >> how do we expect the knights

templar to respond? >> this is their last major leader. first of all, i should explain there came another cartel, la familia, and the knights templar is a splinter group that came off that cartel and took power. with the leader captured or dead, you would assume that they would have less control and their prominence would be affected by this. it's difficult to tell how the situation would be affected in the southwest of the country. there's been violence for sometime. there were other groups, obviously other cartels and criminal organizations there who would probably be looking to move into the space that may be vacated by la tuta no longer in control there. this could calm the situation or create some sort of power vacuum where in the short term we see more deaths and violence, so difficult to tell at this point

which way it will go. >> thank you for that update, reporting from mexico city. >> the german parliament has backed a four month extension of greece's bailout program by international creditors. the yes vote was expected after chancellor angela merkel's party voiced support. we have more from berlin. >> the vote was massively in favor, 542 ballots, 42 against 16 abstentions. this is hard for her to sell to the german public, giving greece more time to stick to its bailout prom. only one in five germans actually wanted parliament to vote the way it did. the german finance minister who has been driving talks with greece and driving a hard line

agenda on bailouts said it was time for the greeks to recognize that it needed to convince the financial markets not germany that it was able to achieve a competitive economy without relying on support from our european countries. and it was up to the greeks themselves to realize that wages were higher in other parts of europe. if they expected solidarity with europe they had to continue with the bailout prom. >> ukrainian troops and pro-russian separatists continue to withdraw heavy weapons from the east. this shows cranes pulling back anti tank guns. the withdrawal of heavy weapons was supposed to start a week ago under a ceasefire deal agreed in minsk. >> the snow in northern afghanistan has started melting. that means the risk of further avalanches. there's been a massive effort to dig out homes schools, and mosques that were buried in the northeastern province of

panjshir. in many cases it's been in vain. at least 197 people are no one to have died so far a figure that is expected to rise. nicole johnston is in panjshir for us with an update. >> the police chief and governor of panjshir say that there are dozens of villages that they simply cannot contact at the moment. these are isolated villages, high up in the mountains much further down into panjshir. there's estimates that 200 families unaccounted for at the moment. afghan security forces have tried to reach these areas helicopters have flown in, but they've been unable to land. we've seen a very large convoy entering panjshir today. there's 1,000 troops in the area trying to clear the main road. there's only one road into tan sure, which is a big part of the problem. afghan security fores are also

hampered by the fact that they don't have all the necessary equipment they need or the expertise. afghanistans president ashraf ghani will visit the area. the government is under a lot of pressure to try and do something, to try and help the situation and get supplies to people who desperately need it. panjshir is an area that a lot of the political elite in kabul come from, and that's putting extra pressure on the government. >> isil fighters have seized control of a bridge linking two cities connecting them in anbar province in iraq close to an air base used by the iraqi and u.s. military. twenty iraqi soldiers were killed in that battle. >> an iraqi airstrikes is believed to have killed isil fighters as well as civilians. this attack was in western iraq. hospital staff say at least nine civilians and many isil fighters were killed in that attack.

isil commanders are among the injured. >> for many months, videos showing a masked man threatening to behead westerners in iraq and syria under the flag of isil have shocked the world. now, he's been identified as a kuwaiti born british citizen from london. we have a report. >> by the time the reporters turned up at the family home in west london, they were long gone. the police had already been around. reports emerged that their son was a murderer. easy to understand why they didn't want to be there. >> you have donated $100 million to kill our women and children. >> it's weeks since american security services said their voice recognition software helped identify the man who the newspapers called jihadi john. this was a man involved in beheading several captives, aid workers and journalists people who could not defend themselves

and who had not gone to fight. he became the aims of an organization who tore through iraq and syria as the world looked on in disbelief. the question is raised as to what if anything the british security services new of him. neither they nor the police would comment. this organization, which routinely hears complaints prom muslims about life in prison did know him. he had told them he was repeatedly harassed by the security services, who blocked him from returning to kuwait, where he was born. the man who knew him described him as a beautiful person, enraged at his treatment by the british authorities. >> this is the pro be we have here that we have created here in the u.k., an environment in which the security agencies can act with i am punty and destroy the lives of young people without any recourse to being able to challenge them in an effective way.

>> to add to it all, he was linked with the killer of the british soldier lee rigby as men angered because of their experiences at the hands of british security. they say they can't talk about specific cases but their efforts to maintain safety in the u.k. are always proportionate to the threats. >> whether or not the security services here did try to stop him from returning home to kuwait from london, they certainly seem to know who he was. the question is how dangerous they thought he was because after all this appears to be a successful young man far removed from the stereotype of the isolated loser apparently at risk of radicalizing influences. >> he's someone well educated, as well, and that chimes with a lot of the research done in terms of looking at profile of people who go to syria. overwhelmingly, they are well educated socially mobile people. these are not people coming from

impoverished or deprived backgrounds. >> the media has made its mind up it is him but until he takes the hood off it won't be known for certain. his parents don't believe it's him, but that's understandable. >> coming up next, the hong kong maid abuse case, a woman is jailed for six years for mistreating her indonesian domestic helper. >> we'll tell you where these ethiopian expats are thriving, but the locals are not too keen on them. details coming up.

>> hello again the top stories on al jazeera. police in mexico captured one of the countries most wanted drug lords. gomez other americans, also known at la tuta is the leader of the knights templar dug cartel, the prime target in the president's drive to recontrol of the state. >> nearly 200 have died in afghanistan, soldiers are helping in the search and recovery operation after an avalanche. >> a strike is believed to have killed nine civilians and isil fighters in anbar province. isil seized a bridge used by the iraqi and u.s. militaries close to the air base. >> the u.n. in condemning the destruction of iraq's ancient history by isil fighters. the statues are from the capitol

of the ancient syrian empire. some pieces date back to the ninth century b.c. archeologists described this destruction as a nightmare. iraq has more than 12,000 registered archeological sites and around 1,800 of them are currently under iceville control. we have this report. >> the ancient statues from syrian palaces are in a inspire reaction for this man. he would hide a camera his pocket to take photos of them in the museum. he says he hasn't slept since he saw the video of their destruction. >> what is this statue? it's just stone, but it's what the statue represents. any citizen would consider this his ancestor. he doesn't consider it a mere rock, it's his ancestor.

>> this is near the heart of baghdad's cultural center. many here know firsthand of mosul's significance as a center of history and culture. isil took over the museum in june when it seized the city. the most valuable pieces had been removed years ago for safekeeping. these were wrapped by museum staff to protect them from the elements. there is no protection from these men. they smashed statues from syrian statues. nearby, at the site of nineveh they destroyed these statues which have stood for 3,000 years. they are so iconic, you see them everywhere in iraq. >> most iraqis see them as part of their legacy, stretching back to the world's first civilizations and mourn them almost as if they've been alive.

>> an art student said the loss of the statues is incalculable. this is a symbol of iraq. i say i am a son of the bob loanians. the gold found here was one of the biggest treasures ever unearthed. almost as precious are the carvings which told of empires created and lost. >> these statues, you see them gone, they are unique and destroying them, i wish they looted them, because one day they come up, you know, in 100 years, let's say. things like that have happened before, but destroying them, they're gone forever. >> they were excavated by the british and others in the last century. major parts of the palaces were

taken to foreign museums. those may be the only places left iraqis will be able to see their ancient heritage. >> douma the rebel-held area has been under siege for two years. 300 civilians ever died because of food and medical shortages during this time. in the first week of february alone, more than 100 died in what's described as one of the heaviest air attacks by the government. we have a report. >> the child was over a year old and died of malnutrition. she wasn't the first victim, the rebel held suburb of the syria capitol damascus has been under siege for four years. during that time, activists say 264 civilians died, 188 of them children. >> we couldn't find medicine or milk and when you do, it is very

expensive and we cannot afford to buy it. douma has been a battleground for years. >> it is northeast of the center of damascus, just like other suburbs of the capitol, it is under siege. it was the first area in the damascus province to see anti-government protests. four years later, it is the main opposition stronghold surrounding the government controlled city. >> in the first week of february, more than 100 civilians were killed in what was described as one of the heaviest aerial attacks on the city that lasted for days. this man survived, but his wife and daughter didn't. minutes after he left the house, government aircraft targeted the neighborhood. the sustained and intense air campaign was in response to a rebel attack on central damascus. >> on that day, my wife was scared to stay home alone

because of the airstrikes. she took my daughter and i went to her sister who lives next to us. i left them there. a few minutes later i heard the plane and explosion. i came back to see the house destroyed. >> some people in the opposition questioned whether causing civilian casualties in damascus had any military or political benefit. he was not one of them. he blames the government for targeting civilians. despite losing his family and home, he still believes the struggle should continue. al jazeera, beirut. >> israeli soldiers fired tear gas and steel bullets at protestors in the occupied west bank. demonstrators were mashing the 10th anniversary of protests against the construction of the israeli separation wall. at least four people were injured. there have been similar confrontations in the city of hebron, as well. >> tunisian please arrested 13

on terrorism charges. the interior ministry said the suspects including four women were involved in the killing of four policemen near the algerian border. an estimated 400 people have been arrested in the last three days as part of a government anti terror initiative. >> a man described by prosecutors as one of al-qaeda's early leaders has been convicted of conspiracy by a court in new york. he faces life in prison for involvement in the u.s. embassy bombings in kenya in 1998 which killed 224 people. prosecutors are saying the saw saudi arabian was one of osama bin ladennen's closest aids. >> a blogger known for speaking out against religious extremism has been found murdered in the capitol dhaka. police have yet to name suspects in the death. we have more. >> a prominent bangladeshi born american bloggers were hacked to

death last night on university campus. his wife was also critically injured in the attack. no one knows who was behind the attack, but his family is saying that some religious fanatics have been behind the attack. he has written about religious if a nat six of all kinds. they were crying for help, but no one came across to help them out. now a group of protestors under the banner which roughly translathes to mass people's uprising have gathered here to protest and to demand the government to arrest the attackers. they said they will continue to protest until the attackers arrested. all this comes in a very critical time with serious

political unrest going on. the government no doubt will be under serious pressure to quickly apprehend the attackers. >> chinese state media says at least 15 are missing after a boat sank off the coast. 19 people are said to have been onboard that vessel, including 16 suspected migrants. state media is saying four people swam to safety, all of whom were from mainland china. strong currents of hampering rescue operations. >> a court in hong kong sentenced a woman to six years for abusing her indonesian maid. the victim has welcomed the judgment but insists that more reforms are necessary. her former employer was convicted of 18 charges ranging from assault to not paying wages. that high-profile trial has highlighted the polite that domestic workers abroad. the general secretary for the international domestic workers federation says while the decision is a step in the right direction, more needs to be done

to stop domestic worker abuse. >> i think employers will get the message if they don't treat their domestic workers fairly, there will be consequence but however, our government so far has not taken up any measures to stop future similar cases to happen, and i'm afraid that employer will still think that, you know, this is the isolated case and it's not about me, and they will not really look at how they are doing with the domestic workers. >> because domestic workers all stay inside private homes with their employers and they are very, very difficult for them to tell others outside the homes about their experiences so oh -- and also many of them,

especially the newcomers have to pay back loans which they have borrowed to pay the agency fees, which can be as high as six months wages so they'd rather keep quiet and they will endure even illegal treatment of their employers, so most of them don't speak up. >> a growing number of people from the ethiopian tribe are migrating to a region where they say they are marginalized and mistreated. many are trying to set up new lives, despite a crack down by the security officials. >> the message is clear, they are not welcome. somali soldiers are willing to enforce this with force if necessary.

every vehicle entering this town is searched for migrants drivers caught bringing mike grants in risk jail time or a hefty fine. >> most come by foot. we have reports of many of them and we will continue sending them back. we cannot cope with this number of migrants. >> these men told me the threats of deportation will not stop them from trying their luck. he walked for four months to get here. along with 10 other migrants, he has found a job on this farm also owned by an ethiopian. >> i chose to move here for security reasons and because i found a job. i went to amman to find work but i was deported, i'm staying here. >> this part of the city was exclusively inhabited by somalis. today it's home to thousands of ethiopian migrants and thriving

ethiopian restaurants and shops. >> some want them deported. >> we are not happy with their presence. they brought many problems in terms of health. they brought criminals to this town like people smugglers. they are also putting pressure on the job market. >> it is not home, but he is not going anywhere. soon he will save enough money to bring his wife and children. >> al jazeera, somalia. >> a congress lease war lowered is acquitted of war crimes and crimes against humanity. he was found not guilty of ordering killings during the 2003 conflict in northeastern democratic republic of congo. three judges out of five dismissed the case, saying prosecutors failed to prove he

ordered civilians murdered that were attempting to flee. >> moving towards normalizing relations, cuba and the u.s. agreed to reestablish ties and embassies in both countries. for some cuban americans there's skepticism. we talked to three cuban ballet dancers who defected to the united states. >> this is the ballet in central florida, a small dance company with big ambitions. >> its artistic director wants to bring ballet to the masses. he defected from cuba 10 years ago and is keen to note the talents of others who have been through similar experiences, like ricardo torres, who's been here for four months. the 23-year-old came to the u.s. alone. most of his family is still on the island. like many in his situation, he's

nervous talking about u.s.-cuba relations. he tells us he hopes any changes are positive for both countries. he especially wants change for cuba, its people and his family. >> like ricardo, diaz made the difficult decision to defect to the u.s. she left her friends and family behind to pursue a dancing career, but has a clear goal in mind for the future. >> my ultimate hope and dream is that my family joins me here in the united states. even if the situation were to get better in cuba, but i realize it's a personal decision, and i would understand if they didn't want to leave their country. >> in all the brandon city ballet is home to three cuban dancers who recently defected. they came to the u.s. for a better life, but like those who came before them, are realistic about the pace of change. >> it's going to take time from

both countries, in my humble opinion to kind of get to a good relationship and, you know something that can be really good for the cuban people. >> all three of these dancers that made the long and difficult journey are watching the normalization carefully with caution. they all three have bright futures, tempered by expectations of what might happen in the months ahead. >> people always say that nonsense, you can't speak ill. why not? >> brief en counters, conversations, magic moments and assorted hijinx is full of personal anecdotes. the host of the show has met and interviewed just about everyone who was someone. >> the phone rang.