an apology from the head of u.s. forces in afghanistan after an air strike on a hospital in kunduz kills nine medical staff. this is al jazeera liver from london. also coming up. multiple bomb blasts bomb a abuja. russia conducted 20 air strikes in the last 24 hours. i'm in central kenya where this football field is turned into a rehabilitation center because of an alcohol problem

that has gotten out of hand. hello. the head of the u.s.-led forces in afghanistan has apologized after an air strike hit a hospital run by doctors without borders according to the afghan president's office. at least 16 people were killed in the incident in kunduz city. doctors without borders condemned the attack. they provided coordinates well in advance. the united nations high commissioner for human rights called the air strikes inexcusable and possibly even criminal. we have the report. >> reporter: the attack began at 2:00 in the morning. inside more than 100 patients as well as 80 doctors without borders staff. they described the terrifying sustained attack that condititi for an hour and a half. the main operating room and

other parts of complex were all hit. doctors without borders says several of their staff were killed and hundreds injured. it said gps coordinates for the facility were given to american and afghan officials as recently as a few days ago. they say we're deeply shocked by the attack and the heavy toll is inflicted on health care in kunduz. we urge all parties to respect the safety of health facilities and staff. officials it issed the hospital has been infiltrated by taliban fighters. >> we have seen the terrorists, and all the terrorists were killed. we do everything to make sure >> reporter: this was not confirmed by other forces, but the head of u.s. forces issued an apology to the afghan

government. earlier nato issued its own statement. u.s. forces conducted an air strike in kunduz city against individuals threatening force. the strike may have resulted in collateral damage to a nearby medical facility. this incident is under investigation. in the past collateral damage has referred to the accidental killing of civilians. there's been intense fighting in and around kunduz after taliban forces captured the city earlier in week. afghan ground forces backed by nato air power have been trying to regain control in the last few kay days. the u.s. secretary of defense, ash carter, issued the following statement. overnight learned a tragic incident involving a doctors without borders hospital in kunduz, afghanistan that came under fire. u.s. forces in support of afghan security fourses were operating near by as were taliban fighters.

i want to extend my thoughts and prayers to everyone involved. an investigation is underway in coordination with the afghan government. we will continue to work with our afghan partners to try to end the ongoing violence in and around kunduz. we're in kunduz province, and he joins us live. any more information that's come out about this bombing? >> reporter: lauren, we filled a very heart-breaking scene here from the two survivors from the hospital this morning bombed. 12 years old and 7 years old. the two boys were injured after the first day of fighting five minutes ago, and they were admitted to the hospital of doctors without borders. suddenly last night they told us that the heavy bombardment

started. it was not once or twice. it continued until the morning. they said it was like a doomsday the father graned them and hid under a chair. it's very hard for afghan civilians who were the victims to cope with it. we know that other american and nato commanders in afghanistan has apologized for the incident. will the apology be accepted by the family? that's the question. >> give us an idea of what is the latest in kunduz itself? >> reporter: still heavy fighting going on. there's the civilian who was caught in the middle tells us that they're facing the shortage of food, no water, no electricity. heavy bombardment artillery used

and they are injured and cannot move him from the homes or street simply because any movement of civilians in the street would be a target of one side. afghan sicilians lost their fate in the afghan government. they blamed both sides from the afghan government and taliban, but they think they provide them discuss to live normal lives. >> thank you very much, indeed. 39 1i68ians and 14 fighters have been killed in four days of russian air strikes. the kremlin said it carried out 20 air strikes in the last 24 hours and targeted nine isil positions including the main stronghold in raqqa province.

syria's western-backed political opposition and armed groups have rejected a u.n. peace plan saying it will not work in the current form. in july the special envoy to syria proposed inviting warring factions to perform working groups backed by the syrian president. the opposition said president bashar al assad should have no place in syria's future. kurdish forces in iraq say they made gains to retake the town of howiji. it's the only time in kirkuk still held by isil. we have the report from baghdad. >> reporter: they stand confidently for the cameras. they begin their assault on villages and then begin surrounding the town. in many ways this phase is the most simple. isil fighters have largely abandoned the victimages and fall easily.

this is the regional government to travel to the front lines to visit the troops. >> reporter: these territories you were under isil control, and now they're back in our hands due to our well-organized plan. >> reporter: well-osrganized th plan might be, but they know how to use urban areas. they said they could take ramadi quickly. isil knows how to use urban area and that will be a challenge for the force the. for now they wait until they have sufficient territory on the outskirts to launch an attack on the town sometime in the next few weeks. now, in the last few minutes we have reports of two large bomb blasts which have hit the shia neighborhoods in the iraq capital of baghdad. at least 18 people have apparently been killed in the

neighborhoods. there's no immediate claim of responsibility, but isil, which controls large parts of the country, has claimed several previous attacks. bringing more detail of those to two bomb blasts in baghdad which we think have killed 18 people according to police and medical sources as soon as we get more details. the bodies of 104 iranian pilgrims killed in last month's spam bead at the hajj arrived home. iran appears to have lost the largest number of pilgrims with 464 believed dead. they blamed the mismanagement of saudi arabia for the disaster. saudi arabia says 769 people were killed in the stampede, but other couldn'ts say the number is higher. south sudan's president wants to create 28 states out of the current 10. opposition leaders say that

violates a peace agreement to end the country's civil war signed in august. most of the states have been redrawn. we have more from the south sudanese capital. >> the announcement that 10 at a times would become 8 took everyone by surprise. i understand the opposition calls for an urgent leader to discuss what it means. he said that he rejected this poouf and it's a violation of the peace agreement. the peace agreement in signed in august awarded mrits cal control of 3 out of 10 states to the opposition. thousand that we have 28 states, nobody says what they will control under the terms of that transitional agreement. we expect them to come back and govern again and it created a dret deal of uncertainty? south sudan.

two female skew side bombers attacked it on theout skirts of the city. it was a separate attack in another part of abuja. no group has said they're responsible. the armed group has been involved in violence in nigeria since 2009. we have this update from abuja. >> reporter: well, witnesses say a female sue died bomber debt anywayed a device in the outskirts on abuja and another device was set off again by the bomber at a market in the area. that's why the largest casualty has been recorded. they put the figure at a particular location at 13. the number of dead at that market may have exceeded 20 because one witness is tells me that he counted 20 bodies at

one, and then two people earlier on injured dies on the way to hospital. the officials cordoned off the air and the third bomb went off and also whether of course we have we have seen two or three bomb attacks there carried out by boko haram. still ahead on the program, voters prepare to choose a nye parliament in kurdistan in a poll that puts corruption at the top of election issues. have political turmoil in malaysia threatening to ignite racial tensions?

>> al jazeera america primetime. get the real news you've been looking for. at 7:00, a thorough wrap-up of the day's events. then at 8:00, john seigenthaler digs deeper into the stories of the day. and at 9:00, get a global perspective. weeknights, on al jazeera america.

the head of u.s.-led forces in afghanistan has reportedly apologized for bombing a hospital run by doctors without borders killing nine of its staff. russian jets have carried out a fourth day of air strikes in al raqqa. in total the attacks have killed nearly 40 civilians and 14 isil fighters. at least 15 people have been killed on the outskirts oft knee jeerian capital. pro-russian separatists started withdraw tanks from the line of contacts from government troops. it follows peace talks between leaders from russia france, germany and the tank recall is

the minsk deal reached in february. the spokes man for the special mission in ukraine says it will take a lot of political will to end the violence in the east. we're well-positioned to monitor the process. we have unmanned areas in the air as well or drones looking down on the situation. i must say that we're now actually into week four of a relative calm that we haven't seen before. the worst we've seen in terms of ceasefire violations have been small arms fires and mostly at training ranges. that's very, very good news and a conflict that lasted for so many months now. in the past two or three days our chief monitor has voiced his desire that all sides devote really their full commitment to this process. why? because with over 8,000 deaths according to the u.n., 18,000

injured it take a real big toll on eastern ukraine. voters in the mountainous government will elect a new parliament. it's five years after a government was removed. kurdistan introduced proportional representation for fairer power. 1400 are vying for a share of the seats in parliament. the sdpk is predekted to do well up against the self-styled parties, all members of the shaky coalition government. corruption remains the number one issue for voters according to the polls followed closely by unemployment and rising energy prices. from the capital, robin has the report. >> reporter: whether it comes to central asian democracy, this is as good as it gets.

with 14 political parties contesting, it's been a vibrant election campaign in kirring stan. for a plural society it's short on message of tolerance or diversity. harassment of minorities is common place. in this video so-called patriot movements force their wam into a private home and intimidate those inside. those same groups back an anti-gay propaganda law that enjoying cross-party support. i meet a candidate who tells me there's no space for gay people in this society. >> translator: homosexuality is a major problem. some organizations claim we've had homosexuality throughout our history. this isn't true. in the era of khan there was no concept of homosexuality. >> this support group for sexual

minorities had its own offices attacked but is willing to speak out. >> look at the platforms of no political parties. none of them are talking about minorities or nondiscrimination principles. >> ethnic minorities are vulnerable or voiceless in society, almost the governing social democrats say they sment diversity. >> translator: there should be no discrimination against people regardless of their religion, ethnicity or views. the law requires they have safety. it's not only my opinion but is what the law says. >> ultimately concern in the country's struggling economy may be foremost on voters' minds. the biggest issues are the problems facing the country. corruption and unemployment. as many a million are searching

for work. they're promising that they can fix those problems. whoever wins this vote has to deliver on the promises or risk marginalizing more than just minorities. germany is marking 25 years of unification with celebrations across the country. frankfurt takes sfr stage in year with a special service attended by chancellor angela merkel and the president. germany united in 1990, less than a year after thousands crossed from east to west following the fall of the berlin wall. the chancellor urged a unified response to the refugee crisis. >> reporter: today after 25 years we are facing big challenges. in particular, the refugee situation is on our mind these days, and it reminds that today we as a country again cannot solve the problem by ourselves but only together in europe by

fairly sharing the responsibilities and worldwide because not since world war ii have there been so many refugees like the 60 million today. that's something we have to deal with together and everyone needs to do their part. activists in malaysia warn that political turmoil will ignite racial tensions. as the prime minister battles corruption allegations, pro and anti-government supporters wi divided along racial lines. we have the report. >> reporter: after five years together, cheryl herr and married lasted month. she's a muslim and cheryl is a chinese christians. her parents worried about the ethnic differences but they were determined. >> i realized that we both shared the same values and

principles so what is right and wrong and what is ethical and unethical. i think that is more important than, you know, if he malaysian or chinese or indian. >> reporter: malaysia has been a melting pot of cultures. while about 60% of the population is muslim malai, there are large chinese and indian communities. despite decades of multiculturism, activists are worked about increases friction. >> what has been built over the last 58 years has now been fractured. it's been fractured, and my concern is the next generation. >> reporter: some analysts accuse government leaders of fueling ethnic tensions to divert attention from their falling popularity. the prime minister denies embezzling almost $700 million

from a state investigation fund. from a state investment fund. >> as conditions with the economy deteriorate, then we have politicians that speak to their own galleries to get them to believe something about another out group and shore up support for their ethnic party. >> reporter: as a recent pro-government rally supported by members of the ruling party, witnesses reported racial slurs chanted. in another incident police used water cannons to disperse protesters trying to enter a chinese business district. the government denies that there are racial tensions. while officials did not respond to our request for an interview, the deputy prime minister told local media that they won't know race. in malaysia, but the recent protests have some people worried. cheryl and hasham say for their generation athlete ethnic identity is becoming less

important, and they wish political leaders would catch up. al jazeera, malaysia. the fatal shooting of a police employee a a teenager in sydney is treated as an act of terrorism. the 15-year-old gunned down a civilian worker outside a police station on friday. the boy of iraqi kurdish descent was later shot dead by police. the prime minister called for un unity. >> it is a shocking crime. it was a cold-blooded murder targeting the new south wales police service. it was doubly shocking because it was perpetrated by a 15-year-old boy. it yurn lines the importance of families, communities, leaders being very aware of whether yuj people are becoming radicalized. it is also important that to

remember that the australian muslim community will be especially appalled and shocked by this. this week al jazeera has been speaking to people across turkey to find out how they will voet in november's election. in june the party lost the majority in parliament for the first time in a decade. we report on whether teaming up with the opposition party is a viable option. >> reporter: in turkey monuments to the country's founding father are everywhere, but the secular left-leaning political leader concreted by him never took full advantage of the popularity. towns across the south are strongholds of the republic people's party, the chp. supporters now it's accused of behaving as if it's entitled to

power. it needing to become a party of the people. in june's election the chp failed to capitalize on any dissatisfaction with a ruling act party. the chp secured 25% of the vote, about the same as in 2011. now some of its supporters are frustrated that there will be another poll. >> translator: no party, no leaders including the party i support came to ask if i'm hungry or not, whether i have money. we're getting more in debt. our taxes are paying for these elections. they're a burden for all of us. >> reporter: the party fell short of amajority in pa lament. >> translator: a coalition between the akp and chp is impossible. imagine a communist party and a nationalist party forming a government? the chp was talking about

democracy. kurd rights and lifting impunity from prosecution. >> reporter: after the june election most supporters will oppose the idea of a coalition with the akh party. if that appears again, the chp leadership will escape it and sharing power is a working, viable solution. a nationwide campaign has begun in kenya to alleviate what the country calls the country's the drinking problem. every year dozens die from drinking home grews. katherine sawyer reports. >> reporter: this is not a group therapy session. they get free treatment and counseling to help with their drinking problem. a number of people suffered violently strong symptoms when illegal alcohol places were shut down in july.

the main football field turns into temporary rehabilitation camp. daniel was a policeman for 14 years. he lost his job last year. his wife and children left two years ago. >> it became so hard for me to stop drinking at the house because i had to drink to su vive. to do anything i had to do, i had the drink in the morning. >> reporter: they will support each other and build their confidence. volunteer counselors, medics and teachers run the camp that was set up by the federal government. there are about 1,000 recovering alcoholics here and hundreds more register to get help. most of them are not employed. the concern is what happens when they leave this place. >> so we are working to make sure that they're strong enough to be able to prevent this. i know that you cannot present

it, but we are looking for and it will celebration if we manage to save 100, that's a good number. >> up to three months in rehab they go back to places like this village center where cheap, illegal xhol is still easy to get. roughly 40,000 people have a drinking problem in this region. many have died after drinking homemade brews laced with important ingredient. he became blind after drinking bad alcohol in 2001. his son is an alcoholic. on this day his nephews came to visit. they were drunk. he says he tries to tell them to stop, but they won't listen. >> translator: alcohol destroyed my life. i could not do anything. i couldn't even educate my children. it's very sad to see people drinking here so much because they'll never help themselves. >> reporter: back at the camp these people know too well how

hard it is to adjust to life whether they return to their villages. but at this moment they just want to stay sober and positive. much more on our website, the address for that is aljazeera.com. fastest growing country, home to the 2008 olympics. it's the vibrant centre, the super power, where the old wrestles with the new. communism clashes with capitalism and a new global economy is born, swallowing all