an air strike on an afghan hospital in kunduz kills three - the u.s. military may be responsible hello, i'm martine dennis. this is al jazeera, live from doha. also ahead on the programme... >> i'm mohammed idris, live from the scene of where one of the bombs went off last night. we bring you the latest. >> an attempt by russia and iran to prop up bashar al-assad...

>> president obama says russian air strikes in syria are a recipe for disaster and calls for a political solution. plus... >> i'm catherine wambua-soi in central kenya, where this has been turned into a rehabilitation center because of an alcohol problem that has goaten out of hand at least three people have been killed in an air strike on a hospital in the afghan city of kunduz. n.a.t.o. says it is investigating the attack, carried out by u.s. forces. victoria gatenby reports. >> reporter: this is what is left of the doctors without borders trauma center. the hospital was hit several times during a sustained bombing attack. the air strikes started at 2 o'clock in the morning, local time, when most of the hospitals, more than 100

patients, would have been asleep. in a statement n.a.t.o. says u.s. forces conducted an air strike in kunduz city against individuals threatening force. the strike may have resulted in collateral damage. the incident is under investigation. afghan government forces backed by u.s. air strikes and n.a.t.o. special forces have been fighting to regain control of the northern city from taliban fighters. the bombing is a reminder of how imprecise air strikes can be. doctors without borders said in a statement: the loss of kunduz was one of the biggest military victories achieved by taliban fighters since the overthrow of the taliban government in in 2001.

on thursday the african army said it had retaken the strategic city. the taliban claimed that was not the case, they had withdrawn from neighbouring provinces because a counterattack. aide workers fear many more civilians will be killed or injured. the doctors without borders is the only specialist trauma center? north-eastern afghanistan. the damage caused by a bombing attack is a blow to people who rely on the free life-saving treatment that the hospital provides we can go live to our correspondent who is in kunduz province. and from where you are, what can you tell us about the state of fighting for kunduz. >> we are seeing brutal fighting going on in the streets of kunduz city. we talked to a couple of residents, and they are felling

us a lack of food, water, electricity makes lives almost impossible. taliban have told residents that they should leave the area because taliban are planning to stay and fight gains the security forces. now, last night, afghan security forces were telling us that they would launch a big operation and were promising by today they'd clear the area. and the taliban are fighting in kunduz, life is miserable for the locals, and heavy casualties, telling us that hundreds of civilians were killed in the past six days, but they are stuck in their home, they can not move the injured or dead bodies, they don't know who controls the next street. it's basically street fighting between the two sides. this present a comment for the

afghan security forces who clearly remain dependent, to some degree, on n.a.t.o. forces. >> afghan security forces we are hearing from our sources that about 7,000 of them are now involved on retaking kunduz, and they are promising to take control of the city, but we see continued fighting. what happens, is they are telling us that taliban are hiding in an area making it hard for them to fight because they are pair of heavy civilian casualties, but civilians in kunduz are telling us that despite all the heavy bombardment artillery, they are facing so many other problems that makes life almost impossible there. >> thank you very much. >> now, three bombs exploded on the outskirts of the nigeria

capital abuja. 15 people, at least have been killed. these are the first attacks to occur close to the capital city in over a year. live to our correspondent who is in the scene of one of the blasts, and is just on the outskirts of abuja. just what is the scene around you. well, all of the places there's human tissue, a piece of bone here, blood, and an indication of also how people panicked and ran when the blast happened last night. it's been 14 hours when the device went off here, and security is saying that there are three - actually, there are three bombs that went off. one at this location. which caused the maximum damage, and another, a few hundred meters away, close to a police

station, and one in the area which is a scene of bomb attacks by boko haram fighters. the last one being, like you said, in may 2014, where more than 19 people died. right now forensic experts, the military, the paramilitary organizations, the police and special forces from the counterterrorism unit are busy trying to sort out details of what happened, and trying to recover body parts and trying to see whether or not there are people that need help or whether there are bodies that need to be picked. >> sounds as though this was a sophisticated orchestrated operation involving three explosive devices going off at the same time. therefore, are people assuming that this is the work of boko

haram? i'm afraid we seem to have lofted ahmed idize, reporting live from the outskirts of abuja we'll move on. u.s. president obama says his country will not be drawn into a proxy war with russia in syria. president obama said moscow's air strikes are strengthening i.s.i.l. and driving the moderate opposition into hiding. and he's reiterated the best way to achieve peace would be for president bashar al-assad to step down. >> mr vladimir putin had to go into syria, not out of strength, but out of weakness, because his client, mr bashar al-assad, was crumbling and it was insufficient for him simply to send arms and money. now he's got to put in his own planes and his own pilots. and the notion that he put

forward plan and that somehow the international community see it it as viable because there's a vacuum there, i didn't see after he made the speech in the united nations, the 60 nation coalition lining up behind him. iran and bashar al-assad make up vladimir putin's coalition at the moment. the rest of the world make ours. the top-line message i want everyone to understand is we are going to continue to go after i.s.i.l., we are going to continue to reach out to a moderate opposition. we rejected russia's theory that everybody opposed to bashar al-assad is a terrorist. we think it's self-defeating. it will be used as a further recruitment tool for foreign

fighters. >> meanwhile, it's day four of the russian air strikes in syria. i.s.i.l. positions in their main stronghold of raqqa province were targeted overnight. zeina khodr has more on the air campaign in the country. >> the russian defence ministry says it is destroying i.s.i.l. command and control centers along with arms dumps. >> to avoid hitting the civilians, russian air strikes are determined only after verification of whether they belong to terrorist structures. >> on the ground syrian opposition tells a different story. it feels whether air strikes have been targetting civilians or armed groups. and the campaign is part of preparations to launch a ground counteroffensive to recapture lost territory. >> air strikes could affect the opposition, but not that much. the syrian government has been

hitting the north for month. now there's information of a possible landoperation being prepared. >> looking at the maps. they have concentrated on front-line areas, surrounding the heart land. one target was an area only recently captured by opposition forced. it was a stronghold. it is not only close, but also an important hub for sending government reinforcements to the province. further east. the plains in the countryside have been a battle ground. here the government struggled to maintain a grip on a region that leads to the sea. further south, the northern countryside of homs. it is a last rebel stronghold between damascus, and the rest of the country. the kremlin made it clear. the aim of the air strikes is to hit the syrian armed forces in

their weak spots. the syrian opposition believes that's what the russian military are doing. it's not clear if it will change the balance of power on the ground if not accompanied by a ground operation. >> there are those that believe the west, including the united states is supporting russia's actions. >> russia doesn't want to end the war. the situation is more complicated. russia is in cahoots with russia. >> opponents of bashar al-assad say the intervention could give the government an advantage, and they believe that is the objective. to use military force for diplomatic gains whereby bashar al-assad could negotiate a political settlement from a position of strength. >> the u.s. secretary of state john kerry has been speaking to us at al jazeera, and told us that russia's attacks on opposition fighters antagonises other nations in the region.

>> the president is consider all the options available right now. we made it clear to the russians, do not attack the legitimate opposition. they have said they understand that. what we are looking for is not a military victory. we are looking for the political resolution that we always look for in the context of geneva, and so they don't have to fear that we are somehow building up a takeover military. what we are trying to do is have a legitimate transition now to save syria, and to have a unified secular whole syria going forwards. if the russians insist on fighting against them there could be serious consequence, the most serious being other nations supporting those people will have no choice but to double down and russia, itself, will become a target of those people. that's why i say that they have

done, if they are not there to actually fight d.a.e.s.h., is very dangerous for the long term. >> now, a plane arrived in the iranian capital tehran, carrying 104 bodies of iranian pilgrims killed in the stampede last month. president hassan rouhani and other politicians were at the airport for the arrival. 464 iranians were killed in the crush. iran has blamed saudi arabia for poor organization which they believe lead to the disaster. so far it's understood that 769 people died in the stampede near mecca now, more details are emerging of nine livers cut short during -- lives cut shrt during a shooting. they ranged in age from 18 to 67, the oldest a teacher.

the six guns used by chris harper mercer, along with seven others found in his home are all bought legally. the killings are the latest in a series of shootings across the country. alan fisher reports from roseburg. >> reporter: the president says mass shootings are becoming routine, this was a day like no other. the flags fly at half staff. the event cancelled. after the horror, pain and questions. sara was in the room next door when the shooting started. >> i feel numb, honestly. a mix of exhaustion, and it's like denial. it's happening. >> the shooter has been named as chris harper mercer. at the scene we find six guns, plenty of ammunition, and a hate-filled note. the local sheriff refuses to hear the name. >> i continue to believe media that publicise his name will

glorify his horrific actions. >> police are going through the 26-year-old's social media history, online posts and apartments and want to know what drove him to violence. it caused the president to come and have a look at gun laws. >> this will not change until politics changes, and politics of officials changes. so the main thing i'm going to do is talk about this. on a regular basis. and i will politicize it. >> it now joins tuscon, sandy hook and others where mass shootings took place, and were left scarred in australia, the fatal shooting of a police employee by a teenager is being treated as an act of terrorism. the 15-year-old gunned down a civilian worker outside a police station in sydney. the boy, of iraqi kurdish decent

was shot by police. prime minister malcolm turnbull urged unity. >> it is a shocking crime. it was a cold-blooded murder. targetting the new south wales police service. it was doubly shocking because it was perpetrated by a 15-year-old boy. and it underlines the importance of families, communities, leaders being very aware of whether young people are becoming radicalized. it is also important that - to remember that the australian muslim community will be especially appalled and shocked by this a lot more to come on the programme, including israel begins construction of a fence along the border with jordan, it says it keep out refugees. and f.i.f.a. president sepp

blatter will not resign like major sponsors. coca-cola, visa, budweiser and mcdonald's all calling for him to go.

>> we're here to fully get into the nuances of everything that's going on, not just in this country, but around the world. getting the news from the people who are affected. >> people need to demand reform... >> ali velshi on target . >> let's look at the top stories. doctors without borders say at least nine have been killed in a hospital. patients are believed to be among the dead. n.a.t.o. is investigating the air strike carried out by u.s. forces. at least 50 people were injured.

30 missing. three bombs exploded on the outskirts of abuja. 15 have been killed. these are the first attacks to hit the city in over a year. >> russia is continuing to pound i.s.i.l. conditions in their main stronghold of raqqa province overnight. it's the fourth day of moscow's air raids. russian military action criticized by the u.s. president, who says it's a recipe for disaster. >> israel is building for separation walls and fences along the border. the government says it's as a security measure, others think it will isolate it further from its neighbours. scott heidler reports. israel is criticized for its separation wall. in some cases drawing borders where they are not recognised.

leaders say it was done in the name of security. now the nation is upgrading existing and building new barriers on its front ears with regional neighbours. the prime minister says it's for security and for the sake of israeli livelihoods. the extent that it is possible, we will encompass israel's borders with the security fence and allow it to control the borders. we will not allow israel to be flooded with migrants and terrorists. >> with the increase of violence on the southern border. israel built a fence to keep out attackers, and also african migrants. it took three years to build. hungary and romania are looking into building similar security fences. now the country is focussing eastward, breaking ground on a new border fence ahead of schedule. the. >> the border with jordan is the

longest. the fortification is taking place in the south, and is expected to expand. the government says that it will undermine jordan's sovereignty. it shows that israel is growing more concerned about a security threat. >> in the '70s, there was a period going from the east bank to the west. there were terror attacks. so israel fears that this thing will resume. >> many say a physical a barrier will not prevent attacks. there needs to be a focus on maintaining and approving relationships. the. >> there's no process, eventually the borders with security and cooperation, they will once again be turned into inward looking areas. >> and without that cooperation, some feel the walls and fences could be viewed as israel sealing itself off from the

region, rather than protecting its borders. >> rescuers in guatemala are trying to provide survivors. 30 died. hundreds missing in the town of santa casuarina. the disaster management system says it's been warning the municipality not to build any structures due to the area being a high risk zone. >> now, columbia's notorious warlord has been killed in a military raid. the year-long manhunt ended after six previous attempts to capture him. he was nicknamed me tata yo and on the king king ping list. he's long dominated the lawless region on the border with venezuela. >> four of f.i.f.a.'s biggest

responses called on sepp blatter to quit. they have issued statements saying they want him out now because he's an obstacle to reform. sepp blatter responded saying resigning now whether or not not be with the best interests of f.i.f.a. tom ackerman explains. the indictments and extraditions pushed sepp blatter into ending hi 17-year rein. since an announcement that he was being investigated, the pressure for him to go has become intense. coca-cola said sepp blatter must resign because: coca-cola's response was quickly

followed by other. >> there's one more threat, to withdraw sponsorship. we are talking about megathreats here. >> in zurich, blatter's lawyers issued a firm rejection of the call, saying that blatter's departure would not be in the best interests of f.i.f.a. nor advance the process of reform, and he will not resign. last month u.s. attorney-general loretta lynch who filed the first criminal charges said she expected others to follow. >> i'm grateful for the cooperation and evidence that we received from all quarters. basted upon that cooperation, we anticipate pursuing additional charges against individuals and entities. sepp blatter will leave following an orderly success, but the favourite to take his place is reported of receiving

what the swiss prosecutor called a disloyal payment. he defending the payment and said he'd stay in the race. the former head of the committee urged the retired president to be named as blatter's temporary successor now. the kenyan government has begun a nation-wide campaign against the country's drinking problem. dozens of people die every year from consuming illegal home-made brews, and alcoholism is a major issue. >> this is not an ordinary group therapy session. the men and women are getting free treatment and counselling to help with a drinking problem. a number of people suffered symptoms when illegal alcohol dens were shut in july. some fields have been turned into temporary habitation camps.

daniel was a policeman, he lost his job. his wife and children left two years ago. >> it is so hard for me to stop drinking alcohol because i have to drink, i have to drink for me to survive. to do anything, i had to drink. >> here they reflect and support each other. volunteer counsellors, medics and teachers run the camp set up bit federal government. >> if 1,000 recovering alcoholics, hundreds are registering to get help. most are not employed. the concern is what happens when they leave this place. >> so we are working to make sure they are strong enough. there are those that call back.

we are looking forward and if we manage to save 100, that's a good number. after three months in rehab, we go back to the village center. while cheap alcohol is easy to get. roughly 40,000 have a problem. many after drinking home made brew laced with poisonous inn ingredient. this man became blind after drinking bad alcohol. his son is an alcoholic. on this day his nephews came to visit. they were drunk. >> alcohol destroyed my life. i could not do anything, i couldn't even educate my children. it was fine to see children drinking so much. >> back at the camp, these people know too well how hard it would be to adjusted to life

when they return to the villages. at this will moment they just want to stay sober and positive and you can find out more about what is going on in kenya and the rest of the world on the al jazeera website, aljazeera.com. around. the middle east is on fire, and u.s. policy in the region is coming undone in places like iraq, syria and yemen. we're seeing civil wars, power power vacuums and world powers like russia and of course th