tv News Al Jazeera May 21, 2015 12:00pm-12:31pm EDT
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isil fighters make major gains in iraq and syria just weeks after predictions the group was in retreat. ♪ i'm lauren taylor this is al jazeera live from london. all thes also coming up the malaysian prime minister orders his navy to search for more migrants. in the u.k. the government talks tough on immigration, but fears it is missing its targets. >> while a strong country isn't one that pulls up the
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drawbridge, it is one that properly controls immigration. and a state of emergency in california has almost half a million liters of oil spill from a pipeline. we'll be live in santa barbara, and the cleanup begins. ♪ the momentum of fighters of islamic state of iraq and the levant appears to have accelerated as they take control of palmyra in syria. >> reporter: this appears to be the final stages of fighting for a city at the heart of syria. [ explosion ] >> reporter: isil fighters push syrian government forces out of palmar palmar palmar -- palmyra. they are now in control of the
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city and of course thousands of people. >> translator: there are about 140,000 people here including some displaced from homs. people are afraid. there's no water. we can only use local wells. and there is no power most of the time. >> reporter: palmyra is surrounded by gas fields and is home to a prison where the assad government houses prisoners. >> reporter: the human cost in terms of the refugees and death has been huge but the cultural loss has been incalculatable. >> reporter: the site is 2,000 years old. some artifacts were bundled up and taken out of the city according to activists, but much of the site remains at risk. >> we may have different beliefs. we may have different views, but we have to protect such
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incredible vestiges of human history, and i would appeal indeed that destroying heritage will not achieve anything. >> reporter: fighting when the rebels and government forces has already damaged parts of the site. the u.n. says it is being used a syrian military camp. activists released video of an inchenth walls full of bullet holes. palmyra is seen by many as the cradle of civilization. it's future is uncertain. at least 22 people have been killed in fighting between libyan soldiers and isil fighters in benghazi. 50 people were injured during the battles in the eastern city. rival groups have been fighting for control of benghazi for more than a year and in recent months this includes members of
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isil. isil is also making gains in iraq where heavy fighting is underway around ramadi. >> reporter: there is a new front line in anbar province. in the east of ramadi there is a fierce fight. isil has taken some towns in the district. forces loyal to the government are trying to prevent the armed group from getting closer to a main base a few kilometers away. the islamic state of iraq and the levant hasn't lost its momentum. just days after seizing the capitol, ramadi. there are those two believe the armed group may not just want to grab territory. it wants to drain the resources of its opponents. >> does isil want to settle or to be a moved group? this is the idea of to be a moving combat or let's say a
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moving group, that you are always threatening so many fronts especially when the defensive military forces are not equipped and not ready. >> reporter: shia militia commanders are moving some of their troops from the front lines across iraq towards anbar as part of ongoing operations for the promised counter offensive. these men are known as the popular mobilization force, and they will lead the fight in the sunni province. they were called in after the regular forces and anbar's local police were not able to hold off the isil assault. there is a shortage of government soldiers in anbar, and authorities are now asking for volunteers to join. the prime minister also says that they will speed up the training of the local police and arm and recruit sunni tribesmen. it is not the first time he
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makes such a promise to integrate sunnis into the security forces. many are skeptical that this plan will work especially because there has been long-time opposition from shia politicians. on anbar's front lines, shia militiamen are seen fighting alongside the local police and army soldiers. the government has been trying to show that this fight is being waged by iraqis, and is not a shia war against anbar sunnis. there is a need to create a non-sectarian army in iraq. attempts in the past have failed but the country is at a dangerous cross road and with multiple front lines, iraqis need to unite now more than ever. russia says it is ready to send weapons to the iraqi government to help it confront isil. speaking before a visit to moscow the russian foreign minister said his country would help in any way it could.
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alan fisher is live in washington, d.c. alan, we have had some lines coming through from president obama, describing the tactical setback, and saying i don't think we're losing the fight against isil. but is this raising new questions about the u.s. mill stair strategy? >> the idea of this being a tactical setback has been a line that the white house has been trying to frame over ramadi over the last few days. they are saying the coalition needs to ramp up training in sunni areas. but there are those like john mccain who has been speaking who said the whole plan for iraq has been going in the wrong direction from the very beginning, and really needs to be reassessed urgently because of the gains that isil are making. there are some on the republican side who are calls for boots on the ground people like the former texas gov no, rick perry,
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who is thinking of running for president. but there's no appetite in the white house or the administration for putting boots on the ground. they will continue training they will continue making sure that they have military advisors on the ground but they don't want to be send combat troops there. on the issue of strategy a few months ago, obama got into trouble by saying we don't have a strategy yet. is it apparent they still don't have a strategy? or it is evolving? what is the plan on the strategy front? >> reporter: he did set that forward by saying the idea was they would commit to training iraqi forces. they wanted to make sure the sunni tribes were also involved in the fight. he wants to make sure there were military coordinators. he wanted it to be a coalition. so he has a strategy >> but the critics believe that it simply isn't enough. that it shows how much america's
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influence and power has reduced that isil is able to make these sweeps. the whole idea was they would take over mosul, and he said that that would be a long-term goal, but to get to mosul, they have to take over anbar province so until they can get anbar under control and move through ramadi then there is no prospect of them dealing a blow to isil really at its heart, which is in mosul. so there's a long way to go and a lot of voices will be heard over the next few days and weeks about u.s. policy, but it seems that barack obama is committed on the path he's on in ensuring the iraqis have the necessary guns weapons, and training to carry the fight to isil. >> thanks very much indeed. ♪ -- play sha's prime minister
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has ordered the navy to search for migrants still adrift at sea. 3,000 have been rescued all came ashore in malaysia and indonesia in the past month. robert mcbride has more from malaysia. >> reporter: that was always the problem with this policy let k the people whom you are trying to help know that they can now receive help. these migrants boats are thought to be way offshore especially since the push-back policy by the different governments of this region. they are thought to be outside of mobile phone range, and probably don't know they can now seek refuge. if they saw a vessel they would probably be more likely to try to out run it rather than knowing that that vessel is now there to offer help.
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so that will now change in theory. migrant vessels will have the choice of going to indonesia or malaysia, but they will probably choose to come here. and people in malaysia know that. many of the migrants have been going through to the indonesian side of the sea. in theory though if given the option they will start to come here. this is the destination for many on board, especially the rohingya from myanmar, many of their family and friends are already here in malaysia. so people the authorities are gearing up for an expected influx of hundreds possibly thousands of newcomers in the next one to two weeks. >> many migrants are in poor health. steph fasten visited them. >> reporter: they all thought they were going to die when they were finally rescued they
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couldn't believe it. doctors who examined them say their condition is very very bad. most of them are dehydrated malnourished, they have infections, and all kinds of skin diz -- diseases and authorities here are struggle to take care of them. >> translator: we thought we had died already. we had lost all hope of survival. we were so scared. >> reporter: indonesia and malaysia have agreed to temporarily accept 7,000 migrants, many still at sea, but the reality here on the ground is they are not actively rescuing anyone who is still stranded in their boats until they get a direct order to change the policy to send away everyone who is illegally entering their territory. this means that time is running out for the thousands who are said to be still at sea, and looking at the condition of those who just arrived one day ago, it's clear that there's no time to lose.
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britain's prime minister has promised a crackdown on the number of immigrants entering the country. the number coming into the u.k. has entered record levels. despite the promise to cut the number to less than 100,000. but restricting immigration could put him on a collision course with the european union. >> reporter: british police on a raid looking for illegal immigrants in london. it was a good photo opportunity for a prime minister trying again to get tough on immigration. the latest numbers are an embarrassment to david cameron, who keeps promising targets he can't keep. immigration was an issue in the recent election, and he now claims a mandate for tougher action. >> so while a strong country
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isn't one that pulls up the drawbridge it is one that properly controls immigration. >> reporter: next week his new government will introduce a new immigration law, promising to make the u.k. less attractive to migrants. >> one dealing with those who shouldn't be here, by rooting out illegal migrants two reforming our immigration and labor market rules so we reduce the demand for skilled migrant labor, and crackdown on the exploitation of low-skilled workers, and three addressing the spike in e.u. migration by renegotiating in europe. >> reporter: david cameron in his speech paid homage to the long traditions and benefits of immigration, but his argument is that now the numbers are simply too high and they are putting pressure on public services and forcing down local wages. making life harder for imma
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grants won't help according to some. >> they have gone beyond tightening the borders and tightening visa controls now it's about letting any migrants who want to try the adventure of living and working in britain for a period of time to know that they are going to have a very very tough time. >> reporter: half of last year's immigrants were from the european union. david cameron says he is determined to get concessions on immigration from his e.u. partner partners, unless he does he won't get the numbers down and his promised referendum will be much harder. still to come on al jazeera >> i'm lawrence lee in the skies over lithuania, as russia increases their rhetoric to the threat over the baltic states.
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♪ a reminder of the top stories here on al jazeera. fighters of the islamic state of iraq and the levant say they are now in full control of palmyra, and u.s. president barack obama says he doesn't think the fight against the group is being lost. the prime minister of malaysia has ordered his navy to start searching for migrant groups in the sea. rights groups estimate as many as 4,000 are still adrift. many that have made it to shore are in poor health.
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and britain's prime minister has promised to crackdown on the number of migrants entering the country. the number entering the u.k. has hit record levels. 400,000 liters of oil have leaked out of pipeline in california. >> reporter: this is what the coast looks like after nearly 400,000 liters of oil spewed from a pipeline. the health department is urging people to stay away from the oil. >> we currently estimate a portion of that or more 500 barrels, which is approximately 21,000 gallons of that 105,000 gallons may have migrated to the water. >> reporter: environmentalists are warning that the leak
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threatens wildlife. >> we have response crews out now combing the beaches looking for affected wildlife. >> reporter: over 100 cleanup crew and nine vessels are trying to limit the spread. >> we are actively on the beaches and we have the contractors on the beaches removing oil from the sand is the first step because that's the easiest thing we can get to on the beach area and we have plans, obviously to continue the cleanup of the rocky areas, pebbles, and outcrop. >> reporter: the there was a mayor oil spill here in 1969 and it is credited with giving rise to the american environmental movement. locals and volunteers are also joining to clean the beaches. >> terrible this is some of the most pristine coastline we have in the county and to see it covered in crude oil is really sad. a few pelicans started washing
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up. we had a few other sea birds wash up. a few seals as well. >> reporter: the pipeline carries nearly 1200 barrels of oil an hour to a distribution hub, the company that runs the pipeline says it is sorry for what happened. >> we apologize for the damage that is done to the wildlife and to the environment, and we're very sorry for the disruption and inconvenience it has caused on the citizens and visitors to this area. >> reporter: an investigation is underway to determine what went wrong, but like in all man made disasters the ecosystem is already paying the highest price. >> jake ward is live in santa barbara in california give us an idea of the scale of the cleanup operation where you are. >> reporter: lauren has you can see behind me there are over 300
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contract workers working to get the oil off of objects and wildlife on the beaches. the bags contain dead fish that have washed up on shore. and the beach is dotted with oil. it's inconceivable that any crew could come in and by hand clean off everything that has happened here. one of the tragedies is this is a migratory period. blue whales gray whales porpoises, sea lines are all migrating, and it takes them through what is a marine mammal highway. all of this makes this an even deeper tragedy than the simple spills of an incredibly toxic substance into nature here.
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>> how soon briefly will we know the scale of impact on the wildlife. do they know how many creatures are likely to be affected or die? >> reporter: there is no actual estimate right now of wildlife that has been affected but it is certainly going to be a very bad effect on a lot of wildlife. this is now day three since the spill, and that is when scientists say we will begin to see effect in wildlife, the toxic effect begins to show up so certainly that scale is going to get worse and worse as time goes by. unfortunately these cleanup crews are not going to be about cleaning these animals as much as they are about disposing of their bodies today. >> jake ward thank you very much indeed. sweden says it has scrambled fighter jets to intercept two russian military planes flying near its air space. it comes as nato considers a
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request for thousands of troops to protect the baltic states. lawrence lee has this report from lithuania. >> reporter: it's a drill, but the intention is real enough. the pilots have 15 minutes from the alarm sounding to take to the skies. they will scramble for real 150 times last year to shadow russian aircraft over the baltic. the current lead nation in this nato mission is norway backed up in lithuania by the italians. this they say is all about reassuring the tiny baltic states that they won't let the russians do to them what they did to ukraine. >> we show presence by being up there and show them that we are nearby and that we are on alert.
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we are airborne within 15 minutes and there is basically show of force and show them that you are here. >> reporter: lithuania's government is bringing back conscription to bolster its army. should they fight the russians on the streets or in the countryside to protect the capitol they will be ready. as well as having russia to the east there's the russian enclave to the west. the trains carrying oil and russian troops pass straight through. lithuania feels surrounded. so as well as calling on nato to defend itself skies, this country, and two others have formally requested standing nato army of 3,000. that's a real test of nato's stated commitment to protecting these countries.
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>> we are asking to get together with us. if there -- process will continue on the ground the same as we have the air mission, it will be good. >> reporter: of course the russians say this is hysterical scare mongering. we asked for but were refused with an interview of their ambassador. nato admits there has never been a single significant incident of a russian war plane deliberately breaching the air space of any of the baltic states yet for all of that, these pilots practice this stuff over and over again, just in case they say they ever have to do it for real. privately some nato officials admit it looks strange to
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spending so much effort on preventing an air or ground war, but they prefer not to take any chances. lawrence lee al jazeera, lithuania. mexico has opened up a new front in its war against drug gangs. 10,000 mill stair and security forces have been sent with the task of dismandeling the new generation cartel. adam rainey reports. >> reporter: a show of force, 10,000 federal soldiers and security forces have been sent to the western state. just the latest military buildup in an ongoing eight-year drug war. it follows a wave of spectacular attacks, the downing of a military helicopter with rocket launch grenades and the killing of 15 police officers last month in an ambush. despite talk that the car tet is
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a new threat, this missing persons advocate says it has been behind hundreds of disappearances of people across the state. >> translator: there is an organized structure directly tied to the disappearances. it is gaining attention now because of the police ambushes, and violence, but this is not new, this is just the tip of the iceberg. >> reporter: this is who the government is up against, the new generation cartel. a heavily armed paramilitary criminal group that has grown over the past five years while the government took on other car sells. they make millions enforce their own justice, build their own weapons, and increasingly use them against the government. the state security chief admitted he had no idea if the cartel has hundreds of gunmen or thousands. >> translator: i'm confident our
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actions will allow us to capture these criminals. >> reporter: the capitol here is mexico's second largest city. for years they drew little attention. many believe they had an understanding with authorities as long as things remained calm. in the wake of all of the recent violence, though there are raids here nearly every day. there was an operation in an up scale neighborhood by the army and federal police and what we're seeing is an increased coordination of efforts between various security forces as they try to take back control of the state. there's even more attention on the issue with elections less than month away. the whole state is being closely watched. >> translator: this is the result of security strategy that is corrupt to the bone. corruption is behind the security failure. >> reporter: it has long been an open secret that complicit
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politics are part of the problem. less clear if that will change soon. >> many more stories for you any time on our website, the address is aljazeera.com. details there of our top story, isil capturing the syrian city of palmyra. a state of emergency in california. workers are doing everything they can to clean up an oil spill along the coast. the u.s. and cuba sit down again trying to hammer out their differences over reopening embassies and washington and havana. plus isil takes control of a strategic ancient city in syria. now the u.s. is sending more weapons to help in the fight. ♪
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