>> we are hitting i.s.i.l. harder than ever tough talk from obama. he sets out his strategy against i.s.i.l. with the headlines on al jazeera. more peace for battling i.s.i.l. saudi arabia 34 nation alliance is to take on the rebel group. crowding into camps we need some of the thousands displaced by the conflict in south sudan. as the force awakens, we look at how the star wars franchise have

revolutionised movie merchandising. the u.s. president is stepping up the rhetoric against i.s.i.l. in a new effort to reassure the american public. obama warned i.s.i.l. leaders that they will be hunted down. ash carter is heading to the medal east to consult with a saudi led coalition on combatting i.s.i.l. an alliance was formed to fight i.s.i.l. and other so-called terrorist groups. more on that later. first, from washington dc on his warning on the armed group. >> reporter: u.s. president obama focusing on his secretary. he said he was sending him to the middle east in an attempt to get countries to contribute more to the fight against i.s.i.l. the president is under increasing pressure to do more in a new poll. 60% of the americans want more

u.s. troops sent to fight and 54% disprove of how the president is handling the threat of terrorism. that's the worst he has ever done. >> we are going to prevail. >> reporter: he is trying to convince the americans the strategy is working >> i.s.i.l. has lost about 40% of the populated areas it once controlled in iraq. again, these are urban areas where i.s.i.l. is entrenched. our partners on the ground face a very tough fight ahead. >> reporter: a new tact for the president for the first time what he seize as a big success. some analysts say it is still unlikely to change public opinion >> i think in an election year unless basically the head of i.s.i.l. surrenders or that we take back, for example, mosul, and you saw the situation in syria, i think other than that it is going to be very hard.

this is a long struggle. >> reporter: the president asking for patience, but in the political year that is much harder to come by onto the details on saudi arabia's 34 state military alliance and the so-called islamic alliance group, which clues turkey qatar egypt and pakistan. it will fight any terrorist groups threatening its members. >> translation: without a doubt a strong alliance is needed to fight i.s.i.l. in syria and iraq. terrorists in sinai, yemen, libya and mali, terrorists in pakistan and after afghanistan stan a ceasefire in yemen is said to take effect in just under four hours. that's when the government and houthi rebels are to begin talks in switzerland. the fighting continues ahead of

the truce. more than 11 fighters on both sides have been killed in southern yemen. >> reporter: it is a show of force just before the warring sides talk peace. the yemeni government and the supporters of saudi led coalition has forces close to the capital. that's where houthi rebels and their allies remain in power. the troop deployment in the province appears to be an attempt to pressure the houthis and their allies to make concessions at the upcoming talks in switzerland, but people are not hoping that they will give up power without a fight. >> translation: i reject the geneva talks. the houthis and pro forces who carried out the coup against the legitimate government want the government to give up some of its legitimacy. that is unacceptable. it is treason. >> reporter: the conflict is now in its ninth month.

neither side is winning and the human cost has been high. the u.n. saves yemen is facing one of the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. 21 million people are on the brink of famine e >> translation: what we see on the ground and hear from the politicians shows that both sides are not honest enough and willing to end this war. >> reporter: it the houthis and allies are wanted to lay down their arms. they're unlikely to do that. they have long demanded broader discussions which would involve a power sharing deal. the u.n. will be hosting peace talks at an undisclosed location in sit lands. -- switzerland. the condition for a political

solution are now in place. he didn't elaborate, but what has become clear is that the international community is determined to stop groups like i.s.i.l. and al-qaeda from exploiting the security vacuum in yemen. for now neither side can dictate the terms of a settlement since the balance of power on the ground is not clear. the u.n. is hoping the talks can lead to confidence building measures and at least ease the suffering of millions of yemenis. this could involved agreements to lift sieges and unfettered access to aid agencies. the last time the warring sides agreed to sit on the same table was in late may, but those discussions collapsed. >> translation: i think we need an immediate truce to provide a good basis for the talks. the humanitarian ceasefire was something we tried in the first

round of geneva talks but it lasted less than an hour and failed. >> reporter: this time around they say they have committed themselves to a ceasefire that would begin on the eve of negotiations. if that holds, at least while the degree gagss discuss peace it could be a sign of whether the diplomatic process can succeed turkey has pulled some of its troops out of a base in northern arook near mosul. the presence of turkish troops have led to tensions between the two countries. at the weekend protests took place demanding the troops leave. turkey says the soldiers are part of an international mission to train iraqi forces. more from erbil. >> reporter: after weeks of a war of words between turkey and iraq, the turkish troops stationed in northern iraq are finally on wear way out. from the peshmerga sources we know that more than a thousand troops, according to these kurdish sources, are on their

way out. tar can said there were only 150 here. the kurds say there are trucks carrying tanks and other heavy military equipment back to turkey. the movement of these caused a row between the two governments. the prime minister of iraq wrote to the united nations ask to use its influence on turkey to try and get niece troops out of his territory. turkey insisted these troops are important in the fight against i.s.i.l. and also to try and take on the i.s.i.l. stronghold of mosul. kurdish forces have told us the difference happened after intense negotiations between baghdad and ankara and also the pressure from the u.n. now we know that these troops are on their way out and turkey is insisting this is just a regular redeployment of troops the u.s. secretary of state is heading to moscow to discuss syria after already having talks with foreign ministers in paris. john kerry will be meeting

syrian russia and iran in new york next week. as the international community plans its next move, syria's humanitarian crisis is worsening by the day. >> reporter: winter has arrived in syria. bringing with it a new set of challenges for people who have been displaced from their homes. >> translation: these heaters are dangerous to have in a tent. children can suffocate from the smoke. >> reporter: 35,000 syrians live in this camp on the northern outskirts of aleppo. while fighting in the area continues and is, perhaps, the most intense anywhere in syria, in the central city of homs a u.n. administered ceasefire between rebels and the government is holding. the u.n. humanitarian chief steven o'brien met residents of this neighborhood. he says the u.n. was able to deliver life-saving aid to the district for the first time in 11 months.

but another truce, this one two years old, is under threat. in southern damascus iranian backed pro-government fighters have been tumbling towards opposition position. anti-government fighters are trying to cut a supply to damascus airport. they say the proceed regime fighters don't recognise the truce signed by bashar al-assad government. more than 50 people have been killed in attacks on an opposition stronghold east of the damascus. it happened of the u.n. humanitarian chief wrapped up his three-day visit. >> this situation is unacceptable. a blot on our collective conscience. >> reporter: there are about 16 million internally displaced syrians. three quarters of them don't have access to drinking water while two million children are out of school many of the refugees germany

has taken in are from syria, but chancellor merkel has signalled that she will cut back on the number of asylum seekers into the country. more than a million have arrived there this year. merkel says she is not shutting d'art completely, but her policy is causing divisions within her own christian democrat party. -- the doors completely. >> translation: we want to and we will noticeably reduce the number of refugees because it's in the interests of everyone. it is in germany's interest with a view to the tasks ranging from the accommodation of refugees to their integration into society and the labor market. it is in europe's interests with a view on our internal situation in europe and with a view on our role in the world and dear friends, it is in the interests of the refugees themselves because nobody, no matter why they make the journey, thoughtlessly leaves his homes >> reporter: human rights watch

is urging south sudanese leaders to stop the use of child soldiers. the group wants the government to suspends and investigate commanders who have recruited children. it says thousands of children have fought in the conflict on both sides in a new report. it's now two years since civil war began and the world's-- in the world's newest country. more than a million people are displaced and four million face severe food shortages. >> reporter: with heavy hearts and little hope, 20-year-old rebecca leaves the small clinic in a camp set up here in the town of malaka, to shelter those displaced by the conflict. she had brought her six month old daughter who was born with severe defects to a doctor's appointment >> translation: i gave birth to my child in june. it was very tough labor, but this is what god gave me.

the doctors said that she can be treated. >> reporter: it has been two years since this conflict began in south sudan forcing people like rebecca to flee. in different war torn areas of the country civilians are living in camps like these where it falls to aid organizations to keep them in food and services. >> the challenges that the service is facing is that this camp was designed to hold a smaller population than what it has right now. we're having to deal with more patients than our facilities are able to support. that causes a strain on us in terms of the supplies, in terms of staffing, in terms of space. >> reporter: many families live in small spaces with limited access to clean water and not enough food to feed all until the next food distribution.

a peace agreement signed in august of this year mostly remains on paper as fighting continues in many parts of the country. the aid organizations vary in the roles they play and the service that they deliver. they all agree that people need peace and stability to go home to resume their lives. lives that have been put on hold for two years and maybe on hold a while longer if the peace agreement signed more than three months ago is not put to practice still to come on al jazeera, bosnia's missing dead 20 years after the end of a bloody civil war, people are still looking for their loved ones. plus, this is the magellan strait. hundreds of whales here are dying and no-one knows why.

>> we have people who are desperately in need of jobs. >> hear from citizens caught in the crossfire... >> we want freedom, freedom!

>>...and what america can learn from chicago's ongoing gun violence. welcome back. you're watching al jazeera. a recap of our top stories. u.s. president obama has launched a strong defense of his strategy against i.s.i.l. he says they will be hunted down. ash carter is heading for the middle east to push for more help against the armed group. saudi arabia has announced it will head a 34 state military alliance to fight what it calls terrorism. the so-called islamic alliance group will include turkey qatar egypt and pakistan. more than 10 houthi rebels and

their allies have died. one pro-government fighter was killed and violence continued just hours before a ceasefire was due to take effect. violence has marred a second day of voting in the central african republic's referendum. 20 were killed and others injured. fighting an intimidation prevented many people from voting on sunday. the referendum is seen as a test for elections later this month. one of the areas where there has been violence in the pk 5 district is bongee. three years ago it was home to 100,000 muslims. after the civil war only a few thousand still remains. a report on why the community still lives in fear. >> reporter: a rare call to prayer in the central african republic. the central mosque in bongee is

only one place for the few thousand muslims who remain in the capital. 100,000 were forced from their homes and many others forced from their holes in the civil wars-- hair homes >> translation: they want to live with dignity and freedom >> reporter: this is the district, the only safe place for muslims. it is protected by international peacekeepers. in this neighborhood there is no conflict between muslims and christians, but danger lurks nearby. >> translation: we cannot go to the hospital. we have sick children. if we go out, they will kill us. >> reporter: muslims live alongside a few christians, cut off from the rest of the city deprived of health care and education. limited access to the area makes

it hard toer earn a living >> translation: we have a problem securing merchandise. we don't go down town and nobody wants to transport to us out of fear of getting killed >> reporter: what started as three years ago as a power grab between armed group, turns between christians and muslim rebels. especially here, christian militias are accused of targeting muslim families. christian worshippers in this church say they want to live in harmony with their neighbors. for this father sundays mass is a weekly chance to pray forgiveness and peace. >> translation: peace goes through forgiveness and a conscience check. we have to admit mistakes and decide to change. >> reporter: the search for a

long lasting peace continues here chile is asking for international help to investigate one of the largest whales strandings. 100 were on the found on the coast from april to june. >> reporter: this is the strait of magellan where normally at this time of the year you can see whales swimming to their feeding grounds on the tip of south america. instead earlier this year scientists discovered a mass graveyard. first, 30 dead whales and then another 307 in remote areas of southern chile, a discovery that is baffling experts. marine biologist took part in the first scientific expedition to try and discover the cause. >> translation: in samples taken from the stomach contents

of four whales, we found a poison found in sea plants. we can't say why the only whales and no other animals. we should have found other dead sea ma'am als and birds. >> reporter: the whales can weigh up to 20 tonnes and measure up to 18 metres. it is not certain if these died at sea and were swept ashore by the strong tied or if they were disoriented and became beached. >> translation: an expert in marine mrngsam males said there are many causes. >> translation: it could be a virus that affected their hearing system. that would explain why they were beached. another reason is if they ran into rocks which changed the mag necessity touchily of their-- magnetism of their hearing. >> reporter: for more than a century whales were hunted here in this strait and all the way

up chile's pacific coast. they were sold for their meat, for making soap and even perfume. today killing whales is illegal in chile and local scientists are calling on international experts to help them discover what is killing the whales that are dying on these shores. the appeal is being made at this week's marine mam mal consequence in is an francis co - san francisco >> we are asking for collaboration, from international colleagues from the international whaling commission >> reporter: this particular mass death is considered the largest in such a short period of type and a mystery scientists are anxious to resolve in order hopefully to be able to prevent a repetition argentina's new conservative

president has ended export taxes on key agricultural products. it is part of his plans it to revive a struggling economy. macri predecessor had imposed taxes to keep the prices down. it was to help cristina kirchner's project for the poor. macri said it will bring more revenue tear gas has interrupted parliamentary sitting over la plan to improve tie whiz serbia. law makers are against the agreement that gives more autonomy to the kosovo's minority. the country broke off from serbia after a war in 1998. political divisions continue in the balkans 20 years after the signing of an agreement that ended the bosnian war. more than 100,000 people were killed in the conflict.

many of the bodies have not been recovered still. a report from sarajevo. >> reporter: one thousand muslim men and boys were massacred by the serbs at this site. investigators thought they had emptied the mass graves years ago but there are more victims being revealed now. this man has been through this before. >> translation: in 203 when i came to - 2003 when i came to another gray i approached it and said this is my father. a short time later i found my two procedures and four uncles. >> reporter: his search is not over. he is still looking for 14 of his cousins to give them their own graves just like he did for the rest of his extended family. >> translation: at that moment i was happy that i found them so i could bury them with dignity

and perform our religious rights >> reporter: no-one knows how many bodies will be hidden here or who they might be. they will be digging 4 metres down. the prosecutors are already standing by. >> translation: at the moment we're hands cleaning the remains. we have transported some to the center. with the help of dna analysis we hope we will be able to identify the victims >> reporter: 20 years after the dayton accord brought peace here, the killing fields have not given up all of their bitter secrets. in sarajevo one of these statues were erected showing a man shouting for his son to come out of the woods. when he came to his father's side, they were both shot dead. >> reporter: the remains of more than 400 victims of the massacre still remain unfound.

20 years of peace have still not brought close you're for their-- disclosure for their families - shall closure for their families. many are lying in unquiet graves. their bodies are still undiscovered. david chatter the fans have been waiting for a decade, but now the wait is over. the fourth has awoken with a premier of the new star wars film in l.a. it reunites the cast of the original trilogy and it is expected to break box office records. a report from hollywood. >> reporter: a banner for the force awakens unfurled over the historic tcl chinese theatre in hollywood. hundreds of die-hard fans have been camping out in weather unusually cold for l.a. to be part of opening night.

these folks have been on and off for over a week. >> over night and then rain and then cold. i'm from l.a., so it doesn't bother me. >> reporter: a lot of people would say people who do that must be crazy. >> i'm not crazy. we're just fans. >> to be a part of this, to see this, to feel it, i'm living it, this is the moment, this is awesome. this is a blessing. >> how excited are you about tonight? >> so excited. om my goodness. i'm surprised i can contain myself. >> reporter: it's expected to be the biggest opening night of the year and possibly the biggest in cinema history. three hollywood theatres have been dedicated to screen the premier. >> this is the biggest deal of the years. everybody everyone has been waiting for this for all year, for several years. everyone cares about this movie. >> the dark side >> reporter: the movie is predicted to earn 1.5 to 2

billion dollars in global box office returns, but it is potentially a much larger cash cow tore disney which brought the rights from lucas films for four million dollars. it will sell toys, video games, dvds and star wars experiences in its global chain of theme parks. >> i think the estimate is a good guess for the universe they're creating for the toys and games and movies themselves. >> reporter: at a toy store in beverley hills a truckload of star wars far fern nail i can't-- para fern nail i can't-- parphernalia is on store. this young girl has got her eye

on some star wars toys. it will be yet another generation hooked on the saga for years to come. rob reynolds all the latest news and analysis available on our website at al jazeera.com >> on "america tonight": the rise of the right. anger at politicians. fear of foreigners, drives the return of vicious hate to the streets of germany. >> people trying to kill others. that's the reality we have again in 2015 in germany. >> maintain's sheila macvicar with a spark that threatens to ignite