>> the iraqi army begins a major offensive to retake sadaam hussein's hometown from isil. >> you're watching al jazeera live from doha. also on the program the u.s. asks meets his russian counterpart for the first time since accusing russia of lying about its role in ukraine's water. >> benjamin netanyahu arrives in the u.s. to give a controversial address which has hanged the white house. >> the outgoing president is awarded the prize for excellence infringe ken leadership in

namibia. >> the iraqi army launched an offensive to retake sadaam hussein's hometown of tikrit. a force of 20,000 militia understand and sunni tribes are push fighting to push ice oil out north of the capital of baghdad. >> today, god willing, we will start and important military campaign to liberate the citizens of the province from islamic state militants. i call upon you to deal with the citizens well. we should protect the citizens and their properties.

>> prime minister abaddi this afternoon is briefing members of parliament on how that operation is going. it has a huge political component. iraqi military officials say they've launched a three-pronged offensive, they're no longer on the defensive, coming from the south, north and west of tikrit. tikrit is the first big city the first really big test that iraqi forces face, and part of the reason it's such a test is that it is a major sunni center. it's sadaam hussein's hometown. in the past few hours military officials say they have retaken the town where sadaam hussein ended up hiding when he was found. it's the base of operations of support for a group that has allied itself with isil, a former is a doom loyalists. they have retaken that town.

tikrit is another matter. >> isil released 21 christians, but is still holding people in syria. they are abducted in the province in syria's northeast. others freed were welcomed to a church in the city. >> the plans of the u.s. led coalition to train what it calls moderate syrian rebels have suffered a setback. the movement, which was the first rebel group selected to receive the training has disbanded. the group's ranks collapsed after fighting against the al-qaeda al-nusra front in syria. we have a report from beirut. >> they lost many men in the fight and the movement appears to have collapsed, but these syrian release were not killed by the syrian government. they died fighting al-qaeda's affiliates in aleppo. a few days ago, the nusra front declared all-out war on the group, accusing it of killing and kidnapping its fighters, a charge the u.s -- backed group

denies. the movement has decided to disband. in a statement, a spokesman said the syrian military began to advance on several front lines because of the opposition's in-fighting, as long as it remained, it would be a target for al-nusra. >> the fighting in aleppo was not the first confrontation. al-nusra pushed the movement from the neighboring province. it is based in the north. it was the first group to receive sophisticated weapons with the u.s. but links with the west only earned it enemies on the ground. >> the fact that the movement no longer exists is a setback to u.s. plans to arm and train a rebel force. this is not the only obstacle, it is convincing that the force it wants to fight is isil.

>> syrians in opposition controlled areas are worried. the rebel in-fighting coincides with government control of aleppo city. >> we call on the rebels to stop fighting each other. nusra should go to the front lines and fight the regime. we are attacked by militiad from iran and other shiites, they are trying to lay siege to aleppo. >> one of the few rebel groups the obama administration trusted in syria, it was chosen to be part of the training program. some individual members may still join, but if and when that u.s. force is ready it will face opposition, not just from the government and isil, but from within rebel ranks. al jazeera beirut. >> egypt, two people have been killed in an explosion in the capitol, cairo, court to go state media. the blast happened near the how court building in the center of the city. at least four are to be wounded.

>> some senior democratics including vice president joe biden will not attend benjamin netanyahu's speech to the congress. he arrived in washington sunday, expected to argue against any deal with iran. >> let's join tom ackermann live from washington d.c. this is a controversial trip by benjamin netanyahu to the united states. tell us what he's doing over the next couple of days. >> well, first of all in just about an hour, he'll appear before the national conference, the huge and highly influential pro israeli advocacy group 14,000 people will hear him. what we expect to hear, just a dress rehearsal of what he'll tell the u.s. congress tuesday. he'll be extolling the traditional ties of friendship and appliance to the united states, thanking them for the extensive military aid that the united states gives them, but go

on to criticize the terms of the deal that is now being negotiated between the united states and iran and the other powers, and specifically, his objections will turn around such things as the iranian envichment program, which he says is unacceptable and objecting to the terms of the agreement in terms of length, 10-15 years reportedly, as well as how it will be supervised, enforced and how if the iranians fail to abide by the agreement what the repercussions would be. the administration here is rebutting it. first of all you'll be hearing -- we'll be hearing samantha power the u.s. ambassador to the u.n. preceding him here at this conference and later this afternoon immediately after his speech, president obama has an interview which will baseman be a rebuttal

to whatever netanyahu will be saying here and is expected to say before the congress on tuesday. >> and that speech, tom has caused deep divisions on capitol hill hasn't it? >> it's specifically the objections here are that has driven a wedge in the traditional by partisan republican-democratic alliance in this conference, where most jewish americans are in fact, who align themselves with any party of pro democratic. just to give you an indication, the scenor democratic in the senate senator dianne feinstein yesterday said she thought it was arrogant for obama to have said he is here as an emissary of all the jewish people, because certainly not all jews agree with his terms and certainly settlement policies in the west bang and other policies issues in israel, and of course everybody here realizes that

this is being -- this speech is happening with the backset of netanyahu waging a very hard-fought election campaign, the election just two weeks from now in israel. this speech will be broadcast virtually live on israeli television, so will the speech in congress on tuesday, and of course, that is a much bigger audience than the americans who will be listening to him both here and on capitol hill on tuesday. >> tom, thank you. >> now drone strike in yemen has reportedly killed three suspected al-qaeda members and wounded three more. it's the second drone strike in the last two days. meanwhile, penalty adou rabbo mansour hadi spoke publicly for the first time on sunday since he was forced to flee the capitol, sanna. >> adou rabbo mansour hadi is a president who's role has become unclear. he was forced to flee the capitol, sanna last month after

rival shia houthi's put him under house arrest. he is conducting business in the southern port city of aden. sunday, he met with supportive leaders from several provinces. >> we came carrying a message of peace to all yemen. >> the president asked the houthi's to help unite the country, accusing them of conspiring with iran to scuttle a democratic transition. >> we called them for a dialogue. they do not know that the dialogue will bring rights to those oppressed for 10 was years. the results of the dialogue support a united yemen. >> houthi leaders appear to be focused on the relationship with iran. the first direct flight from tehran arrived in sanna this week with it aid workers bringing medical surprise. the houthi signed an agreement for 14 flights a week between two countries. >> these flights come in the context of breaking the international isolation imposed

specifically by america and saudi arabia on yemen. iran russia, and other countries opening spheres for yemen. >> critics say those flights might bring weapon to say arm the houthis. yemen's two warring sides have international allies split along religious lines, leaving the country's path forward as uncertain as ever. >> more than 6,000 people have died since fighting began in ukraine. a new u.n. report said there have been heavy casualties since the start of 2015 with hundred was lives lost around donetsk and debaltseve in the last few weeks. sergey lavrov said although there have been tangible results from the minsk peace accord, ukraine needs to do more. >> the grave humanitarian situation in the donebar should be given the highest priority to ensure the fundamental rights of its people. the ukraine government must immediately lift the de facto blockade of this region, restore

economic ties, payments of social benefits, banks services and the freedom of movement with other parts of the country. these provisions were set out in the minsk agreement antimplementation must not be delayed. >> lavrov med earlier with u.s. asks, john kerry said he told the recognition foreign minister there would be consequences for russia if the minsk accord wasn't fully implemented. >> i reiterated the urgency of russia's leaders and the separatists that they back implementing the full measure of the commitments under the minsk agreements and to implement them everywhere, including in debaltseve outside mariupol and other key strategic areas and i underscored this morning that if that does not happen, if there continue to be these broad swaths of non-compliance or there continues to be a cherry

picking as to where heavy equipment will be moved back from without knowing where it's been moved to, or if the osce is not adequately able to gain the access necessary, then there would be inevitably further consequences that will place added strain on russia's already troubled economy. >> time for another short break. when we come back, tensions rise on the korean peninsula with protests as joint military drills start with the united states. plus, two young to marry young girls in bangladesh say no to a husband. more on that. stay with us.

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>> welcome back. iraq's army launched a major offensive to retake sadaam hussein hometown, tikrit from isil. tribes are fighting alongside government forces. >> john kerry said there will be consequences for russia if the minsk peace accord is not implemented fully. sergey lavrov said there has been progress, but kiev needs to do more. >> one killed in egypt in cairo according to state media. the blast happened near the high court building in the center of the city. 11 of wounded. >> let's go to our top story now, the iraqi army's defensive

on tikrit. let's talk to the director of the house of iraqi expertise foundation live from london. how significant is this offensive on tikrit and why is it happening now, do you think? >> well, actually, what's happening during these two or three days is magnificent way of collaboration between the sunni trials, with the army, and the shiite militia against isis. which means it's a new way to solve problems in iraq. which is supposed to be added for successful attempts on a political way more sharing in power, more going forward but at the same time, we must say there are facts happened in these two days. the attack happened from the south, from the east south and from the west, which means that until now they didn't treat the heart of tikrit. they reached the university,

which means its needs more strong efforts to go forward into the heart of tikrit. if there is a victory a real victory, it's going to be added to the battle of mosul which is a very important issue against going forward to liberate these areas. >> but the danger here are, of course is that the fight against isil is so flue i had that isil can always retake territory in the short term. >> yeah, this is also correct because, and what's happening now, the information i have is that they are gathering to make a counterattack on these areas with a massive artillery against them. by the way the whole troops, the whole iraqi troops, tribes, the sunni trials the militia and the iraqi forces about 8,000, 10,000. the isis is only 750 which

means the main things that happened is there are air force attacks, artillery attacks and also a base ground -- a very harsh artillery attack happened on these areas, which means that the privilege that isis had on a military base is that they are always making so many mines where they are burying so many mines on these areas which is already have been explode by these artillery attacks. that means on the way to mosul there will be another issue another plan on a military base ales that there is no immune area which make us push on the very important aspect on humanitarian aspect. >> all right let me get one final thought from you because we're running out of time. how much political currency is riding on the success of this

operation. if it fails could this backfire politically on the government, very briefly. >> yeah, of course. it's very important now for the government to make a real meeting with the sunni parties with the sunni political parties, tribal leaders and to try to make them have secured thoughts about what's happening after liberating these areas that handing these areas to these tribal leaders to the political parties and at the end, to make a real settlement for everything in this area, because at the end if the militia stay there stay there they will suffer from a new targeting, not only from isis, from the people inside these areas. >> thank you for talking to al jazeera. you're most welcome. >> north korea warned of merciless strikes against its enemies, making the threat after launching two short rank missiles. they were fired and flew for

500 kilometers before falling into the sea. there are protests against joint military drills between south korea and the united states which began monday. we have a report. >> when two countries technically still at war, any show of force makes people nervous. every year, south korea he i military and u.s. troops show off their fire power in joint drills. every year, north korea responds. this time, it fired two short range missiles before the south korean drills even began. >> this is a deliberate provocation, seen as an armed protest. we are ready to respond immediately. if it takes provocative actions, our military will react firmly and strongly so north korea will regret bitterly. >> afraid things could escalate, a group of peace activists gathered within hours. they are part of a south korean organization campaigning for

both koreas to be reunited as one country. >> we are against all military actions taking place in the korean peninsula. if the exercises continue and north korea retaliates, a state of war will once again be a reality. >> we've heard all this before. analysts from the international crisis group isn't worried. >> kim jong-un has called them to be ready for war. the text is all in the context of deterrence. they are trying to gauge the reaction of the south and its allies and to see if they can changing its behavior and cans celling its exercises. >> this may be another case of posturing, however, history has

taught us that the standoff on the korean peninsula is unpredictable. >> the liberation army is on a mission to wipe out opium farms scattered along the border to w. china. >> it's a time for extra vigilance, according to the national liberation army. its fighters patrol the township in the northern state. they are an ethnic minority and one of several armed groups fighting for more you a you to know my. the heightened security comes as sporadic fighting in the region, home to another ethnic minority of the same name, continues. >> we are part of the federal union army. we're connected with the other ethnic groups, because we people

the same. we can't leave under the pressure of myanmar's military. >> they admit to an alliance with cocaine fighters and have come under attack in recent weeks. they believe that another reason why they're being targeted poppy fields flourish here under the control of militia groups, which they accuse the army of aiding and protecting. >> this morning, the militia troops attacked us with artillery five times. within three days, we've already destroyed about 1,000 acres of opium fields. >> they had agreed to stop fighting nearly a decade ago in exchange for a self-administered zone, but they say things only got worse, including a growing drug addiction rate among the local population and took up arms again four years ago. their story indicates how complex negotiating a nationwide ceasefire deal is. >> we have this very rooted, you know, deep-rooted conflict. the conflict started in 1948 along with the independence, so you cannot or one cannot simply

undo almost 70 years of conflict, 70 years of distrust overnight. >> so far, several deadlines to sign a peace deal passed, but negotiations continue. >> another round of talks is scheduled to begin later this month. the president still wants a ceasefire agreement before elections are held at the end of the year, but despite the many meetings that have taken place the government and more than a dozen armed ethnic groups remain divided. al jazeera. >> 20 years ago, more than half of women in bangladesh were married by the age of 15. today, that number is 17%. as we report, the battle against child marriages is far from over. >> not too long ago the 13-year-old's parents told her they found her a husband. the groom to be was middle aged with criminal charges and his prefers two wives had run away.

a few years back, the wedding would having ahead. she turned to an organization working to end child marriage. >> the man asked me if i wanted to get married and i said no. then he told my parents he'd marry me anyway and would pick me up the next week. my parents said that was fine, that what i thought didn't matter. i said no and came here and asked for help. >> the n.g.o. created a network of 1500 young people across the country to keep watch for potential child marriages in their neighborhoods. this team of 50 in the area is one of the most successful. in the last two years no child marriages have been reported in six of the villages they cover. despite the progress, there are risks to fighting a deeply entrenched tradition. >> the parents sometimes attack us. a few days ago, when with he went to stop a wedding, one guardian tried to chop me with a

machete and when the police came, the local elders complained about me instead. >> parents try to marry off their children. nina's father is a recovering heroin addict without an income. her mother works as a maid. she said it will help their family if they no longer have to provide for her and that's not the only factor. >> of course it's better to get her married before she's older otherwise people will talk about what she's up to, saying she is unmarried and seen with boys. it's better to get her married and preserve our dignity. >> she however is defiant. she said if her parents can't provide for her she'll did it hers. she dreams of starting her own business insisting she'll learn to stand on her own feet, before she considers getting married. >> bangladesh's success is in no small part due to government and n.g.o. efforts to raise awareness among parents helping them realize child marriage

isn't the best option for their offspring. as seen in this village the most progress has been made in places where the children themselves have worked up the courage to start saying no. al jazeera bangladesh. >> the prize for african leadership has been awarded to the outgoing president of namibia. the $5 million prize has only been given out three times in eight years. he explained why the award has not been given every year. >> our price was given four times in the last seven or eight years. it is a prize for excellence in leadership and we are not lowering our standards. it is people to come and do an extraordinary job. that is a touch benchmark i speak to our friends in europe, for example and i say is this

prize offered to european presidents and leaders? how many leaders you think european leaders would have won this prize in eight years. africa is not doing badly to find four excellent leaders in eight years. this is a measure of excellence. it's not common. now, i accept that we have some challenges in africa. i don't have issues, but we are moving forward. 95% of african people today live under better government societies than 10 years ago. it's not perfect and it's not by wide margin, but it's a movement forward. what needed is a society continue the scrutiny and we move forward, you know, one step at a time. >> the duke of cambridge met the chinese president in the highest profiled u.k. royal visit to china in nearly 30 years. the two met in beijing's great

haul of the people. he said they had contributed to relations between china and the u.k. >> you can keep up to date with all the news on our website the address, aljazeera.com that's aljazeera.com. [ ♪♪ ] >> we get the, you know, credible messages from credible source that is we can never trace back to their origins, you know, that austin is alive. >> people have, you know, had no reason to lie to us as far as we can tell. >> reporter: american journalist austin tice has been missing in syria in 2012. a video appeared on the