>> a huge operation in the mediterranean, thousands of migrants have been rescued. >> hello this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up. heavy casualties reported as isil fighters and the iraqi army clash in anbar province. scuffles break out between protesters and police ahead of the g-7 summit in southern germany. and the crowds come out as

bosnians hear the pope's message of reconciliation. >> now we begin with the mediterranean where thousands of migrants from rescued on saturday alone. 15 operations have been carried out in the past 24 hours. some are still under way right now. vessels by the british royal navy in the irish and italian german navies have been involved. we understand that they've been taken to the italian ports. we have been following the mediterranean migrant crisis. what more do we know about the rescue operations which are still continuing? >> well, we just have an update from the italian coast guards. now so far 3,100 migrants have been rescued.

the 15 rescue operations we're talking about are coming to an end. we don't have the final number. it could rise by a few hundred still. we have to wait and see. these rescue operations were carried out mainly by the germans, the italian it's and the irish. the italians have been in the forefront of these rescue operation force quite awhile now. they are in charge with the search and rescue operations south of the mediterranean into the tritan mission but they also go further south of the tritan limited area to an area where most of the rescuers happen because it really limits international waters and the libyan territorial waters. we went on patrol just a few days ago, and they have carried out several rescue operations while we were there. >> their mission is to patrol and protect the borders of

italy, including the maritime ones. but for a few years now it goes well beyond that. at the forefront of the rescue operations of migrants making journeys across the mediterranean sea. >> saving human lives is really gratifying especially when there are children. once there was a baby who showed no sign of life. his head was tilted. one of my colleagues started to massage his tiny stomach. he started crying. it was emotional. >> when the sea is rough we have to keep them calm and bring them on board as quickly as possible. once they all started singing thanking god we had found them. all of them were singing old and young. >> the state of the art vessel, the newest in the fleet of border police. it's on-board camera can zoom in 18 kilometers. but finding the tiny dinghy and fishing boats used by

traffickers is much more difficult. the searches happen in international waters south of italy where other e.u. nations are also patrolling by sea and the air. this is the ship of the british royal navy. we're 24 nautical miles off the coast of libya, off this is where most of the migrants are rescued. any boat has to identify itself or it's searched. carrying out a rescue. you see the white dinghy on the screen was later destroyed by fire. for a while the smoke dominated the horizon. they're all part of the recently established tritan mission. >> it consists of joint sea patrols by various european members. it has had days where 6,000 migrants reached our area in just a few hours. we had to call upon commercial ships nearby to help.

there were no borders in the sea. if there were lives to be saved we will go wherever they are beyond the tritan area. >> beyond is the marked area on this map. here the italians are in charge of coordinating all search and rescue operations. it's here that we saw the crew rescue nearly 250 people in little more than an hour just a few days ago. thousands more in the past. and while the e.u. politicians mull over how to deal with the never-ending influx, unsung heroes like this crew continue to comb the sea in search of lives to save. >> how do we know that the summers are a very busy time for migrants trying to cross the mediterranean to try to get to europe. they're going to be conducting more and more rescue operations in the coming months.

>> that's not only the anticipation, they had no doubt. when we were with them there were weather conditions, not the perfect one but still good enough for these boats to leave the coast of libya. if we compare the numbers of this time next year there is already an increase of 30%. now, there is that happening here you do have more departures over the libyan weekend and that starts on thursday evening. if you recall at this time last week we were talking about nearly 5,000 migrants being rescued in the mediterranean and then throughout the weekend. it drops to just a few hundred here and there. yes, there is an anticipation, and obviously for the italian authority it is a huge challenge because even though the germans the irish the british and in total 26 countries assist in this tritan mission all migrants get brought here to

italy. here there are 106 who arrived a little more than an hour ago. we will hear throughout the night and tomorrow that more and more ships are docking. it is certainly a huge challenge for the italians. they have been taking the brunt of all of this for the past few years. the europeans are helping but they're not going as far as need. this is not only my word but the head of international migration office. the short answer to that, allowing the foremigrants to arrive in libya. there is an estimated 1 million people waiting there to make that crossing to the mediterranean and reach southern europe. >> thank you very much. at the tiny island of lampedusa thanks.

>> two iraq where there is intense fighting between government forces and fighters between the islamic state in iraq and the levant both sides try to gain control of iraq's anbar province. that's the vast area to the west of baghdad that's been the main target of isil's advance. to the north of fallujah government forces repel suicide-bombers with air support from the u.s.-led coalition. just west of baghdad 2 iraqi soldiers were killed in an attack. in samarra they say they've killed 55 isil fighters. we have reports from baghdad. >> the aftermath of an attack at the air base anbar province. the battle for this iraqi outpost is filmed by isil fighters. it those that their advance for ramadi is not slowing down.

>> the mounting losses here suggest they're right. at least 22 people have been killed. most of them are iraqi soldiers and shia militias who have fled ramadi. the u.s. carrying out airstrikes to help the iraqis say even sow the strategy won't change. and so the plan continues to the west of samarra it's military commanders call this a second phase. backed by airstrikes, they continue to regain control of pockets of terrain. >> we reached the more strategically pocket of terrorists. i saw intense presence of terrorists. we seized a total control of the air we're standing in. we have now secured the area of provide a security for the residence. we'll be backed up by army jet fighters. it was a surprise by the terrorists that we managed to accomplish the mission in a few hours. >> the task now includes patrol, a dangerous mission in this

barren land. the else attacks have killed dozens in the last few days. isil has shown it's ability to advance on several fronts when iraqi forces appear distracted so iraq's bid to consolidate power is key before the focus is all on ramadi. in many ways the current battle for anbar province is one for control of its roads and smaller towns and villages. iraqi security forces have had success in taking back those roads in the smaller towns and villages. they're using those towns and villages as a staging post to retake ramadi. but the isil fighters have an advantage. they have two major border crossings from anbar province and they're using those for great affect for greater forces. al jazeera baghdad. >> meanwhile iraqi officials have said 14 people have been killed by a car bomb. it happened near a market in the shia town northeast of baghdad.

no one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. now in other developments rebels linked with al nusra front and al qaeda control parts of the countryside and part of a motor way to aleppo to syria's mediterranean coast. >> they call themselves army of conquest. they an appear to be living up to their name. they have taken over a number of villages after intense fighting with regime forces. it gets the army of conquests closer to the key port of latakia. >> the all thes began early in the morning with a barrage of firing by heavy weapons including artillery, tanks and machine guns. >> this map of northwestern syria shows why this battle is so important. the syrian regime has already lost control in parts of aleppo

and now rebels include a motor way linking idlib with latakia on the mediterranean coast. it is the anisette traditional home of the assad family and the alawite sect. the latest rebel games consolidate their power in idlib. the capital fell in march and the syrian regime lost another key piece last month. meanwhile, rebel groups, regime forces and isil continue to fight each other in neighboring aleppo. that province remains divided. the syrian regime is on the back foot here. it will not give up the coastal province of latakia without a fight. a survival of the assad regime and the alawite sect to which he belongs is at stake. al jazeera. >> saudi arabia said it has shot

down a missile fighter across the border from yes ma'am. it was fired by houthi rebels. earlier throw saudi soldiers and board guard were attacked by houthis on the border. meanwhile, the united nations has said that it would hold peace talks between yemen's warring factions in geneva on june 14th. the talks were postponed because of objections by houthi government. the houthies meanwhile want a cease-fire as a pre-condition for talks. much more still ahead for you on al jazeera during half hour. turkey's elections for ruling party. and tackling mental health in nigeria. just because i'm away

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into the stories that are making our world what it is. >> ray suarez hosts "inside story". only on al jazeera america. >> welcome back. this is al jazeera. 15 rescue operations have been carried out in the mediterranean sea in the last 24 hours. around 3,100 people have been picked up. interest has been heavy fighting in iraq's anbar province between isil and iraqi security forces. military sources tell us 22 iraqi soldiers and militiamen were killed after isil attacked the base. and in syria the group army of conquest is consolidating it's hold on the highway leading to the city of latakia. now to the stories we're following, it's the final day of election campaigning in turkey

ahead of a parliamentary vote widely seen as a performance test for the ruling ak party. while the rules put the president above politics, president erdogan has been campaigning hard for the ruling party. al jazeera has this update from istanbul. >> this is a crucial election not just for the justice and development party but for the entire nation because at the heart of this election is the issue of changing the constitution. now the development party it's clear that the intention of changing turkey's parliamentary democracy into executive presidency in order to do that they need to win 330 seats and 550 parliaments. if they've got that number then they will be able to call for a referendum for the people to vote and choose if they approve

the new constitution. if they won two-thirds of those seats in parliament, then they would be able to chase the constitution right away. now if that happens the opposition is turkey is shifting towards a dictatorship. the ruling ak party warns that the turkey deserves a better constitution in modern turkey. >> military personnel has been deployed for the g-7 summit in germany this weekend. protesters are expected to try to disrupt the proceedings. >> this is an retreat for germany's wealthiest, but for the next knew days it will host the leaders of seven of the world's richest countries. protected by many thousand of police and military personnel.

the g 7 will discuss several of the world's glass points. noticebly the conflict in ukraine. in recent weeks the fighting has intensified. particularly near donetsk. this summit is the second such that russia has been excluded from. the g 7 groups say that russia's role in ukraine nations a meaningful discussion impossible. one leading german political common tater says that excluding russia is a strategic error. >> this situation is getting from bad to worse. the russians seem to have started just these days a new, a really serious offensive. and i really do mean the russians. it's not the donetsk mean in cossack uniforms. nothing would happen there without the pushing of the kremlin. >> the continuing threat of the islamic state is also high on

the g-7 agenda. the group has advanced further into iraq in recent months. the u.s. president barack obama is hoping to hold a series of bilateral meetings about isil on the fringes of the summit. >> there is no joint strategy to deal with isil apart from the military campaign that may either an right or wrong. politically what strategy do we have with syria? >> as host of the summit, the host chancellor angela america is looking to the agenda of climate change and ebola. but some say this is a missed chance. >> we have the opportunity to get to zero on preventable deaths for children and get to zero on hunger. this is a possibility. this is not a pipe dream. they could start the process put on the table strong commitments to what they're going to do to make that happen. that's what we're hoping to see this week.

>> then there are the people who promise to disrupt the proceedings as much as they can. >> these protesters come across germany with one intense. to cause disruption. >> some were involved in scuffles with the police. they hoped to put up a show of force and that this is what g-7 summit is remembered for. dominick kane. >> taliban fighters have launched a major assault in afghanistan's province taking control of the yamgan district. fighters took part of the attack which resulted in an assault on police headquarters from four sides. afghan forces are trying to regain control of the area. we have this update from banyan. >> the afghan government has

started it's campaign for yamgan district. they have brought up reinforcement of security forces. it's not the first time that the taliban has managed to take control of the district, but they usually can't hold it while they're there they tend to loot any weapons and vehicles that have been left behind. this spring season we're seeing the afghan taliban shift its focus of fighting from the south of the country to the north. >> the death toll from the chinese cruise ship has risen to 396. rescuers continue to find bodies as they search the bodies of the yangtze river cruise ship. only 14 are known to survived. the outbreak of mers syndrome in south korea has now infected 50 people and 1800 are

in quarantine. the country's health ministry said that the first mers patient is near to making a full recovery. india's prime minister narendra modi has signed an historic land agreement with his bangladeshi counter part. it allows the tens of thousands of people living on the border to choose their nationality. they've been effectively stateless for decades. an estimated 20 million nigeria suffer from mental illness but many go without professional help. there are only 130 psychiatrists in a nation of 174 million. psychiatric treatment is so expensive, so many have no choice but to turn to traditional heelers. >> she was hearing voices telling her to harm herself. her family handcuffed her and brought her here.

a traditional doctor just outside of abuja. she believes that she's demonized. she's using herbs, leaves and other national ingredients to treat her. >> when people come and they tell me they have a problem in their head, i pray and god tells me the cause of the problem. god shows me that these are the issues in this person's life. through that i know what kind of herbs and leaves to give them. when i give them such herbs god relieves them of the problem. >> most nigerians suffering from mental disorders like depression anxiety or schizophrenia go to traditional doctors and heelers. that's also because there is no treatment available for 90% of mental health patients in conventional hospitals. some get referred here to the national hospital in abuja but it's a long way to travel for people living in rural areas where most nigerians live, and it's expensive to get here. >> less than 10% of people who have mental health issues in

nigeria ever get to see medical personnel, i'm talking in terms of whether they get to see a nurse, a doctor, a psychologists, not even a psychiatrist. >> according to health officials there are 130 psychiatrists in nigeria while there are more than 20 million people suffering from various types of mental illnesses. to try and close the treatment gap divorce in nigeria ken y ghana and south africa are starting a trial next month that combines conventional and traditional treatment. it's funded by the national institute of mental health in the united states. they believe the trial will help improve the services of traditional doctors. >> people believe in them, that's why they go to them. they cannot be ignored. at the same time we need to improve what we do. we cannot say that we're going to wait for when there are enough psychiatrists, you have

psychologists, enough social workers. >> community health workers will come in to visit patients in traditional medical facilities. if successful it will be rolled out to other clinics but it is fears in program might be too expensive. >> in the second part of our series of how countries deal with mental health issues we look at how mental illness is being recognized as a serious problems among young people in hong kong. now an egyptian appeals court has denyied putting hamas on the terror list. hamas is an off chute for egypt egypt's muslim brotherhood. pope francis the leader of the roman catholic church has held mass for thousands of worshipers in sarajevo.

he has asked that they leave behind their troubled pass and the barbarity of war. >> pope francis arrived at the olympic stadium to a roar of approval. catholics from crass the balkans balance--from across the balkans come for a message of peace and harmony. the pope was given a throne made by a bosnian muslim, given the history of this country that symbolism carries great significance. >> war means children, women and elderly in the camps. it means destroyed houses, streets and factories. it means above all countless shattered lives. you know this really having experienced it here how much suffering, how much destruction

how much pain. >> in the beautiful town, rachel and martizo have had time to reflect on the importance of this papal visiting. maritzo was forced to dig trenches around the town as they attacked the majority muslim here. yet his marriage with croate, christian wife did not fail. that is a love story that would make the pope's heart burst with joy. >> today we live happily together despite our ethnic differences. >> all the people from bosnia are thrilled with the hope coming to visit. this is a message of piece and will make things much better. >> rachel is now president of the local association for hundreds of survivors of the war camps. it's the only one in bosnia that caters to victories of all

ethnic groups. yet look at the condition of it. they've not received a penny from any political party. >> bosnia's divisions still hold the country back. there are still three presidents here. there is still segregation in parts of the education system, and some politicians want greater autonomy for their communities inside bosnia. for all that many bosnians say they're ready for greater reconciliation. the question really is whether their politicians have caught up with them. >> the pope met bosnia's three presidents again echoing the call for greeting understanding. there will be more of this next month when former u.s. president clinton comes to mark the 20th anniversary of the massacre. in places like this you would never know that there had ever been a war. and children not born when it ended will have a chance to build on what has been accomplished but it won't be

easy though, the divisions have not gone away. al jazeera. >> remember you can find more on everything we're covering on our website. the address is right there. www.aljazeera.com. era.com. >> ...i come around that corner... >> you don't want this? >> no, i think we should do it how we would normally... no exceptions >> should i also be in the picture? >> yeah [laughs] are you alright with that? >> no, i'm alright with that... >> ok, we're just gonna have to do it right?