on target only on al jazeera america >> a truck bomb kills 8 and wounds hundreds in kabul. it's the latest in a string of attacks across afghanistan. you are watching al jazeera live from doha. also ahead -- >> get a warrant! >> let me tell you something. >> senator christy make your point. >> leading republican contenders for the u.s. president face off in a firey political debate. people are urged to move to

safety as swollen rivers continue to rise. plus a new video of a 25-year-old cold case and hopes it could solve one of the world's biggest art thefts. a powerful truck bomb killed at least eight people. it injured 400 others in afghanistan. the bomb went off near an army compound in kabul. this is the fourth attack in two days. just this week the u.n. reporter that nearly 5,000 civilians have been injured or killed. many women or children. we are joined in kabul to tell us more about that attack. quite a large explosion. what are you hearing about the latest death toll? >> reporter: that's right. the blast could be heard across the city for miles. it happened in the middle of the night, at 1:00 in the morning.

while the target seemed to have been military base, it left a giant crater in the road. the injured and dead are all civilians. people sleeping, lots of flying glass, all of the hospitals here in kabul have been inundated by the injured. more than 400 we are hearing from the health ministry now coming into hospitals. a lot of the injuries are minor. but a potent reminder for people here about how tenuous the security situation remains. it took everybody by surprise. you could hear the explosion across the entire capital last night. >> what is the political fallout from the recent uptick of violence? >> reporter: well, the taliban right now very divided. taliban peace talks were supposed to be held a week ago. a couple of days before they were scheduled to be held

between taliban representatives and afghan representatives we heard that their leader was dead. the afghan government says he's been dead for two years. since then there have been sharp divisions over the new leader, whether they will pledge allegiance to him. there are differing factions. over the last couple of days we have had an uptick in violence, a helicopter crash yesterday which the taliban took responsibility for. that killed 17 afghan military. and a car bomb in logar province killed six targeting the police. a very uncertain time for the afghan government trying to get peace talks with the taliban back on track. but the taliban very divided about who's in charge of the taliban now and whether to try to go back to the negotiating table. >> thank you for that update from kabul. the president is urging people to seek higher land.

monsoon rains have washed away villages and crops. more than 70 people have died. >> reporter: this is one of the most affected townships. up to several days ago people tell us that this place was completely submerged. the water was between four to six feet high. they had to leave their homes and take shelter in a monastery. the roads are filled with mud. the army is deployed to help. this road which was only reopened recently after floodwaters receded. a troop of soldiers had to rely on shovels and some had to use their bare hands. it isn't just mud that's left behind, but this area is covered

with debris that the floodwaters brought. villages have the task of removing the debris piece by piece before they can use their farm land again. all across the country the government estimates more than 1 million acres of crop land have been inundated with water. there are concerns that food security will be a problem in the near future. the weather bureau forecast more rain in the coming days. while the floodwaters have mostly receded, there are flood warnings in other parts of the country, particularly in the southwest, the delta region. the concern is that floodwaters from central will blow into major spill ways that make their way south. the worry is that new areas could become flooded. the opposition leader is warning the government not to use the flooding to undermine

upcoming general elections. she pointed to a 2008 referendum which was overshadowed by a cyclone raising questions about its results. they appealed for international aid to help rebuild. taiwan is preparing for the strongest typhoon in three years to hit the island. it's packing winds of up to 220 kilometres an hour. it's due to make landfall early saturday. flights and schools have been canceled. the storm has already taken two lives and one person is missing in choppy coastal waters. we have more from taipei. >> reporter: this is a city under red alert. the remaining hours before the typhoon makes landfall. people are stocking up before it hits. they are saying that the prices for vegetables, particularly green ones, have risen

considerably and that they are not satisfied with the level of preparations. >> translator: everyone is watching the government's work. they should do their best this time. >> translator: people are rushing to buy food, prices have gone up, i don't want to buy too much. >> reporter: this could be the strongest storm to make landfall in taiwan in three years. at least its weaker than on tuesday when it was given super typhoon status. it's going to be packing winds as strong as 220 kilometres an hour according to the weather experts. and the risk on the eastern make landfall is of landslides and flash floods. nobody knows if and where that will happen. a meeting between families of chinese passengers from the missing flight mh 370 has been canceled. they have been due to meet in beijing. crossing over to beijing

adriane brown relatives waiting for information from authorities. what happens next? >> reporter: yes, that's right. for the third day running these families relatives of those missing from mh flight 370 have been protesting. the day began with a protest outside an anonymous building close to beijing international airport where they were due to be given a briefing by a senior manager of malaysian airlines. the families had demanded that the media be allowed in to watch proceedings, officials said no. so then the families decided to take their protest to the malaysian embassy in downtown beijing. that's where they remain. the police have allowed them to protest outside as they have done on many other occasions. the reason for that is these demonstrations are not directed against the government here in china. they are aimed squarely at

malaysian airlines and also the malaysian government. what is fueling their anger at the moment is this. it is the mixed messages emerging from the inquiry. on thursday malaysia's prime minister said that the wing part found on reunion island was conclusive evidence that it came from mh 370. but french prosecutors within a day were saying, well, they weren't so sure about that. their judgment was not so categorycatcategoryical. they have accused the airline of lying from day one and do not believe a word they are being told by malaysian airlines. they are simply a breakdown in trust. because of that, they are really hostage to all the various theories swirling on the internet about what really

happened to mh 370. >> thank you for that update from beijing. now the leading republican candidates vying for the u.s. presidential nomination held their first debate. donald trump reinforced his reputation by bold talk by holding out the threat of running an independent campaign if he fails to be nominateed. >> reporter: the crowd of 5,000 republicans expected sparks as the ten top contenders took the stage. donald trump did not disappoint. the only one refusing to rule out an independent campaign if he loses the republican race. >> you can't say tonight that you can make that pledge. >> i cannot say. >> when donald trump said he would not pledge to support the republican nominee. you heard the reaction. do you get to play in our party if you don't agree to play by the rules.

>> reporter: trump said mexico sent its criminals across the border as unauthorized immigrants. >> our leaders are stupid. the combative tone drove a rebuke from yep bush. >> we are not going to win by doing the barack obama and hillary clinton do every day dividing the country. >> how are you supposed to -- >> there were a few flashes of raises tempers when chris christy clashed with ryan paul over the government's secret surveillance. and ben carson challenged president obama bend on interrogation of detainees. >> what we do to get the information we need is our business. i wouldn't be broadcasting to everybody what we are going to

do. >> reporter: between now and the next debate in september one of the weakest performing candidates here will have dropped out. by then we'll have much better sense of whether donald trump was just a flash in the pan or the man to beat for the nomination. still to come on the program, isil claims responsibility for a deadly mosque bombing in saudi arabia. we take a look at how personalities, not policies, are getting the attention in sri lanka's campaign. the nra is not invincible.

>> hello again. top stories eight people have died in a blast. more than 400 were injured. the bomb was hidden in a truck and detonated near an army compound. people are being urged to leave the delta regions. wide spread floods have killed more than 70 people. the top u.s. republicans contenders for president faced off in their first televised debate. there will be a second debate in september. isil says it's responsible for thursday's bombing. it happened in the in the asid region. isil is becoming increasingly active in saudi arabia which is part of the u.s. led coalition

fighting the armed group. >> reporter: this is where the attack took place. a suicide abover managed to get into this mosque, blowing himself up and killing police trainees. the governor visited the injured in a nearby hospital. fighters from the islamic state of iraq claimed responsibility for the attack. they included a targeting of two shia muslim mosques in the eastern province. 25 worshipers were killed in the heartland of saudi arabia's shia minority. last month police arrested hundreds of suspected isil members and displayed some of the weapons which were confiscated. the saudi minister of interior said it stopped isil attacks on

mosques, security forces and western diplomats. the kingdom has seen a surge in violence in the last two decades when al qaeda launched nationwide attacks. security forces led a crackdown. al qaeda's top leaders were either killed, arrested or fled to yemen where they formed al qaeda in the arabian peninsula six years ago. now saudi arabia faces new challenges, a fight at home against isil and a campaign in neighboring yemen against houthi militias. pro government forces in yemen are gaining ground after taking back the country's largest military base. fighters are calling it a significant blow to the houthis and those fighting the former president. securing that air base has given the popular resistance control of roads listening three southern states.

>> we have cleared them out. with the help of the coalition the fighters are in control and we are still pushing back houthi fighters and militias. a french woman kidnap in yemen has been freed. isabel prime will return. they were abducted in february. the u.n. security council is expect would to adopt a draft resolution to investigate chlorine gas attacks in syria. john kerry said he reached an agreement on that resolution with his russian counterpart. they met on the sidelines of the summit. in the u.s., the pentagon has defended its decision to recruit and train fighters in syria. that's even after the program suffered a major setback. from washington d.c., kimberly hackett explains. >> reporter: syrian fighters, now refusing to fight.

this video released on social media appears to show some of the fighters in cap activity after an attack. five of the recruits have been detained. a sixth recruit has been killed. the white house is under scrutiny for the apparent failure of the operation. >> would you say that the white house is disappointed, the president is disappointed? >> we have been forthright about the significant challenges that operation has faced. it has not significantly encumbered the other aspects of our strategy. >> reporter: the syrian fighters accuse the pentagon of misrepresenting its mission. the u.s. backed group said it signed up to battle isil. it's also opposed to u.s. air strikes carried out on al qaeda fighters. the pentagon denies it disported

its plans. >> the idea we were caught totally flat-footed by the idea we were sending people into a dynamic and rapidly changing war zone is not accurate. >> reporter: still, the united states spent money and months training the fighters, supplying them with sophisticateed night vision equipment success that's not contingent on one battle. even if the first foray into combat for the u.s. backed group is a failure. south sudan's rival factions have resumed peace talks. both groups have come under increasing international pressure to end two years of violence. fighting broke out at the end of 2013 between forces loyal to the president and rebels aligned with his former deputy. several rounds of talks have failed to break the dead lock. >> it's our hope that all the

stakeholders are determined to improve and strengthen this proposed compromise. the agreement is intended to help south sudan close the chapter of civil war and destruction and create a new dispensation in the country. seven people have been killed in air strikes by the egyptian army. many of the dead are women and children. 26 others were injured. the egyptian army targeted civilian homes including the house of a tribal leader. the area has seen a sharp rise in civilian casualties in fighting between the army and armed groups. meanwhile, egypt opened the suez canal extension with a lavish ceremony attended by high profile foreign delegation. it will allow two-way traffic. >> reporter: egyptian government

leaders call it the great egyptian dream. kings, princings princes and presidents gathered for an inauguration. among the dignitaries leaders from across the arob world. the suez expansion is designed to double the number of ships sailing between europe and asia. it has great political significance for the egyptian president who after years of unrest, say he wants to unite the nation. >> translator: the new suez canal is not just an engineering achievement. there is a great dimension. in one year we have given egyptians more confidence, less anxiety about the future. no one can harm egypt as long as the egyptian people are united. >> reporter: earlier in the day he traveled along the widened

canal via yacht. the $8 billion project created a 35-kilometer bypass along the original route. the original suez canal took ten years to build. the new channels have taken 12 months to dig employing more than 40,000 workers and soldiers laboring around the clock. the egyptian government promoted the new canal describing it as a channel of prosperity. on the streets of cairo some have publicly celebrated its opening. only egyptians have been allowed to invest in the project. they expect to see a share in its profits. it could be many years before ordinary egyptians feel any benefits. the government hopes the channel will double toll revenues basketball eight years and help refloat egypt's ailing company. while deep social and political

divisions remain in the country the great egyptian dream may be wishful thinking. more than 300 migrants rescued off the libyan coast will be transferred to various centers for refugees in italy. 25 bodies were recovered. it's feared up to 200 people drowned. rescue vessels continue to search the area where the boat sank. campaigning is under way for sri lanka's election. the polls could see the former president make a political comeback. >> reporter: a two-time president defeated at the last election, a prime minister with a dismal election record, former youth fighters and even a mrs. world. just a few of the candidates vying for a seat in the 225 member parliament. the prime minister is promising to build a new country.

>> translator: if we could create just and fair rules in 100 days, we can build a new country with everyone's support in 60 months. >> reporter: he remains popular for ending a civil war. he says he's changed. >> translator: today we have a new approach. we are time to think during the last six months. now we have the ability to think afresh. >> reporter: some don't believe that. they say he could have brought important changes using his immense popularity, but failed to do so. >> translator: we first presented our common plan to the then president. he had two-thirds majority. and his manifesto included the

changes, but it didn't happen. >> reporter: it appears that the personalities are getting the attention. issues including governance, the economy and post conflict recovery seem to get lost in the process. voters must decide whether to re-elect the former president this time to parliament. or they could extend the mandate given to him as his allies who defeated him in january to bring change to sri lanka. that change is being seen in the way the campaign is unfolding. >> the guidelines issued have been followed by officials and specialist police departments. we have never seen this kind of situation earlier. >> reporter: they will have two more weeks of campaigning before making their choices.

argentina's former president failed to turn up to court for the start of his trial. they are accused of trying to be a instruct the investigation into the 1994 bombing of a jewish center. lawyers for the 85-year-old cited poor health as the reason for his absence. no one has been convicted of that attack which killed 85 people. it was one of the world's largest ever art thefts. 25 years ago two men stole 13 masterpieces worth half a billion dollars from a boston museum. police have now released security video hoping to finally unlock the multimillion dollars mystery. >> reporter: it's dark, it flickers, poor quality and hard to make out. fbi agents are hoping this just released decades old surveillance video could bring

in new leads on the largest art theft ever in u.s. history. 25 years ago two men posing as police officers walked into the gardner museum and walked out with 13 masterpieces. stolen were three rembrandts, oil pointings one being the only sea scape rembrandt painted. they took very meres one of only 36 in existence. and several sketches. >> the stolen items are worth $500 million or more. that's a fairest mat. however, i like to point out that the pieces stolen from the gardner are the true definition of pricelessness. they can never be sold or replaced. >> reporter: the museum has left the walls where the art was empty. it will never be complete again until the pieces find their way

back to their rightful home. the fbi has investigated thousands of leads all over the world, but they have all led to a dead end. investigators now say they are less concerned about finding who were the perpetrators of the crime and more concerned with just finding the art even the people that have it now don't realize that it was stolen. >> we understand that someone who comes forward with information about the whereabouts of this artwork or any of the pieces themselves is not necessarily involved in the theft and is not necessarily engaged in illegal activity. >> reporter: the video shows a shadow of an unidentified man exiting the car that matches the description of the vehicle parked outside the museum prior to the theft. he then is mysteriously allowed to enter the museum after midnight. who is the man what was he doing, what does he know. could he be the person that unlocks the mystery in the stolen art? lots of questions the fbi and

art lovers around the world want answers to, hoping the mystery doesn't go unanswered for another 25 years. you can find out much more about that story on our website, www.aljazeera.com. you can see other news on arts and culture. i'm ali velshi, and i'm devoting the show to the trafficking of children as sex workers, a crime most think happens somewhere else. it's happening here in the united states. tonight - we bring you the story of a 15-year-old girl sold for sex online. hundreds of times. and the website that listed her for sale. mary snow has the story. >> we did everything with the kids. that was our philosophy as being parents.