one of syria's most powerful rebel leaders is killed in an air strike. hello. from al jazeera. also in the next half hour, holidays going up in smoke, bushfires force tourists to take refuge in evacuation centers in australia. more than 100,000 people were forced from their homes by severe flooding in south america. plus. >> reporter: i am at the camp where displaced iraqis and i will tell you why some sunni

tribesmen are afraid to return home one of the most powerful rebel groups in syria's capital has been dealt a blow. its leader has been killed in an air strike. zahran alloush died alongside five of his commanders in an air strike east of damascus. his group is the largest rebel faction around the capital. they attended the opposition conference in the saudi capital just this month. they cooperate with other rebel groups but they are in conflict with i.s.i.l. a report from our correspondent in turkey just across the border from syria on what his death means. >> reporter: he was the most powerful rebel commander in damascus. his headquarters were only a few

kilometres away from president bashar al-assad's palace. he was released from prison in a germ amnesty months after the uprising against bashar al-assad began in syria. many of his jail inmates would later become rebel commanders. he rose to prominence in 2013 when he convinced many armed groups to form an army of more than 20,000 well-trained, unarmed fighters. a few months ago zahran attended a military parade. it was the biggest shell force by the syrian opposition. unlike most rebel factions with units across the country, the army of islam has one base on the outskirts of damascus with one task. waiting for the government to collapse to march into the

capital and secure it. this is where alloush was killed. he was meeting with military commanders. the syrian army says he was killed in an air strike carried out by a syrian fighter jet. the syrian opposition says the death of alloush may undermine talks between the rebels and the syrian government. he was not only a military commander, he was also a prominent preacher with many followers in the damascus area. with his death, the future of the army of islam is uncertain. in 2013 the syrian government kill killed, a charismatic man of

brigades. many leaders a year later were killed in idlib. the key rebel groups never recovered. >> he was a commander that built the organization from a small company back in 2011, in mid-2011 to now an organization with 26 command centers, 64 batallions and more or less somewhere between 4 ah to 50 thousand fighters. >> reporter: this is zahran's successor who has been in charge of annie lit unit in the army of-- an elite unit in the army. he should also be remembered as the man who prevented i.s.i.l. and the al-nusra front from expanding towards damascus and that his death could pave wait for i.s.i.l. and the al-nusra front to launch an offensive to

capture the outskirts of the capital the turkish military have bombed the south-eastern town as part of an operation against kurdish separatists. six kurdish fighters and one kurdish fighter were killed in an attack near the syrian border. tanks have surrounded this town. peace talks with the group collapsed yearly this year. in yemen 13 houthi rebels have been killed in fighting with pro-government forces. houthi fighters are trying to reinforce their positions in the maree province. that is east of the capital. rebels have held that city since september of last year. afghan special forces are struggling to drive out taliban fighters from the tan of sengeen in helmand province. they have had some success in

retaking the police department. our correspondent joins us now. how easy would it be for the taliban to regain control of the syria. how frustrated are the people there? >> reporter: people are very frustrated and they're tired of fighting. it is not only this year, it is almost 15 years that there is heavy fighting in this part of the country. we talked to many people here. the reason that they're supporting is very simple. in this province people are relying on poppy cultivation and their income mainly comes from poppy. if government gets control of those, government will stop them to grow poppy. that is one main reason. the other reason is corruption in the government. people, like residents don't

want corruption in their area. taliban are offering them better justice system. also if you talk with the residents of helmand province, they're telling you that government offering democracy. this something new. they want a good income which is poppy offers them, a good justice system, that's what the taliban offer them. that's why the majority of people, it's easy to say the majority of the people in the province of helmand are supporting taliban, especially in the countryside. that's why taliban are able to hold a big part of this province so it sounds like what you're saying that they want what most people want is actually just stability. >> reporter: well, they want the stupidity, but they're-- stability, but they're not sure if the government can offer this stability because anywhere where the government is present, there is heavy fighting.

like, now, with some part which is under control of the government, there is heavy fighting. they believe, and maybe they are wrong, that the taliban are giving them stability, they are giving them peaceful life. also remember that those that are helping the government, those that have a sympathy of the government, they are also afraid that if they support the government, maybe taliban will get control of thorp area and they're going to shall punished by-- to be punished by the taliban. ? people are supporting taliban because they like to support them or because they are scared of taliban. that's why the taliban are very active and very strong in this province. even in here, if you see the government is that weak that you could hear begun fire at night-time-- gun fire at night-time, not far from the governor's office or the police headquarters, about six to seven kilometres. the taliban has a strong

presence there. government provides false security and justice to the people. that's why taliban is getting so strong there's back and forth against the taliban fighters and special forces in this area. there seems to be no end in sight to it. >> reporter: it's true because afghan security forces are suffering from lack of support. this work cannot be win without support. in the past 15 years, foreign forces were present in this province. they were using heavily support. that's why they were able to keep some area under their control. now afghan government don't have here support. afghan support are facing a v-- facing difficulties to their support in the countryside because taliban are holding a

big part in the countryside. any roads are mainly controlled by taliban. without support it's very hard for afghan government to win this war thank you so much. two african migrants have drowned trying to enter the spanish territory on the border with morocco. hundreds of people tried to reach the enclave by swimming from the coast or climbing barbed wire fences. red cross volunteers treated 185 of the migrants who succeeded in getting into that territory. bushfires in the australian state of victoria have destroyed more than 100 homes. fire crews battled for hours on friday to control the flames at a popular tourist designation. emergency services are warning that there's more fire likely to come. gerald tann reports. >> reporter: an eerie silence hangs over australia's great

ocean road. the scenic route outside the city of melbourne is usually packed. a tourists' magnet. it is off limits for now after bushfires swept through towns along the coast >> there are significant property losses. today is really assessment day. whether it's assessing damage to property, safety to roads, power, ware, environmental issues. the other issue today is smoke and what impact that will have in terms of knows who have got underlying conditions. >> reporter: overnight rains helped to get the 22 hundred hectare blaze under control, but the area is still not in the clear. >> this fire doesn't go away. this fire is a fire that will remain with potential to burn in january and february of this year. the forecast for a long dried up summer is there. >> reporter: firefighters battle into the night on friday. water bombing aircraft were brought in, but the flames continued to engulf trees and

homes. many residents and tourists spent their holidays in eau vacuum ewe yeggs-- eau vacuum ewe situation-- evacuateion centers. >> it is just apock lip particular-- apocolyptic. >> reporter: they strike each summer and each time the losses are no less painful the u.s. state of alabam a have declared an emergency after torn a doughs and-- torn doughs-- tornadoes have been hit. it has been a week of extreme weather in the south. people have been killed across tennessee, arkensaw and

mississipi. one hundred thousand people have been left homeless from floods. parts of brazil, argentina are also suffering. >> reporter: severe flooding in the southern part of south america driving more than 150,000 people from their homes and spending christmas looking for higher ground. in the city of concordia, north-east argentina, it has been called the worst flooding in half a century as nonstop overnight rains forced the river to flood its banks. thousands forced to evacuate. >> translation: the water level was high inside high house. i found as much as 20 or 30 centimetres. >> reporter: the nearby dam was nearing capacity as it tried to contain more flood waters. >> translation: the priority is to get control of the situation. helping the evacuese.

>> reporter: the state of emergency in the neighbouring paruguay as water covered buildings. people tried to support each other in shacks as best they could. >> translation: we've already run from the water four times. now we don't know where we will go. the water reached the place where we escaped to. we're now on the side of the road and the water keeps coming >> reporter: around the capital at one point more than 100,000 people were without power. the effects of the flooding reaching far and wide. >> translation: the situation is very bad. the children and also us, we're all sick. all week we've had diarrhoea and in the medical centers there's no medicine. >> reporter: the exceptionally high rainfall in the region is due to an el nino weather pattern but few here expected it to be this bad still to come on al jazeera. >> translation: there is only

us. we have no friends here and no family a life destroyed, a family torn about. the story of an elderly couple forced from their home in syria. wrong number. what happens when a british as trow nought calls the wrong person from the international space station-- astronaut.

welcome back. here is a quick recap of the top stories right now. one of syria's most powerful rebel leaders has been killed in

an air strike in damascus. zahran alloush is the largest group around the capital. the turkish military has bombed a town in an 11-day attack. emergency services in australia are warning more bushfires may break out in the south-east. several blazes have destroyed more than 100 homes. fire crews battle $for hours to control the flames along the great ocean road, a popular tourist designation. thousands of displaced sunni iraqis say they want an international body such as the u.n. to guarantee their safety if they return home. the tribesmen left their homes as government-backed shia militias fight i.s.i.l.

crossing live to irbil. tell us more about their situation. >> reporter: before i come to the plighf of these people, i want to come to the prime minister, saying that the force will take on mosul after ramadi. iraqi forces are still in ramadi. they're facing stiff resistance from i.s.i.l. fighters. they're in the north and in the south trying to retap cure the center of the city and once they have recaptured once, they will be able to move towards mosul. this is the sunni hard land of iraq. there is a lot of mistrust. there has been a lot of allegations about abuses, torture and other excesses carried out by iraq's militias. we spoke to those militias and they have rebuffed those claims. they say it comes up every time

a major challenge and city comes up. the people who have fled from these areas disagree. take a look at this report. >> reporter: this man used to be a soldier. he was fighting and then captured on his way back home by shia militias. his crime was being sunni he says. he showed us burn marks on his body where he was tortured for ten days in a youth center which was used as a praise. he says his-- as a prison. his uncle died after being tore turret by the-- tortured by the same militia. they used electric torch on me. they had nylon set it alight and put it on my body. they told me to confess and tell them the truth. i told them if they were an iraqi soldier. if i.s.i.l. see me, they will kill me. >> reporter: people we spoke to

say there were no i.s.i.l. fighters there and they were pushed by shia militias on the suspicion that they might be harbouring them. they have been denied back to their own areas. it is not the first time that militias have been accused in the province. human rights watch says that militia abusers are wreaking havoc amongst the most vulnerable people. everyone here has a horror story. the divide is everywhere. people are afraid to go back to their homes. they want an international body like the united nations to guarantee their safety. rf is among those asking for guarantees and compensation. the iraqi army turned a blinds eye to abusers. >> translation: we were surprised to see shia militia forces when they came they started to kill indiscriminately.

they intrude houses, took our belonging and burnt everything down. >> reporter: shia militias are an important part in the fight against i.s.i.l. they didn't deny the accusations against them. >> translation: for us this issue is silly and has no affect on us. as we continue to make progress, we will get more accusations. we don't care about it. we expect it. >> reporter: the sectarian distrust and fear runs deep here. thousands who don't want to return are coming to terms as these tents as their new homes. >> reporter: this is the testimony of some people from the province, areas were retaken by the military and militias last year. it is fear it will be repeated in other areas that are majority sunni and are being obtain by the iraqi military.

in ramadi the iraqi military has not taken the help of the shia militias. instead, it is using sunni fighters alongside it so that there is more trust and rapport that it can build with the local communities as it moves in. the battle rages on and the taking of mosul stale remains far ahead of us thank you. -- still remains as the end of 2015 approaches, al jazeera is looking back at five families whose lives have been affected by significant events. an elderly couple spoke to bernard smith. >> reporter: just 50 kilometres from this church in turkey across the border in syria, open christian woreshop is now impossible. there i.s.i.l. is in control.

so this man and his family fled here seeking refuge with its small community of fellow syrian christians. his wife is bed ridden, getting treatment has been harder in a country where they don't speak the language. >> translation: when we came to turkey, we stayed in the monostrery for moure months. it was too crowded with others. they put us here and we were given everything eau we need. >> reporter: like millions of syrians of all faith, theirs lives have been drawn pa part. two of their sons have gone to europe. >> translation: they were working here for just 15 liras a day. it wasn't enough for cigarettes and phone credit let alone something to help us. we sold our home and used the money to send the boys to europe. >> translation: every day just

15 lira. how can you live on that? >> translation: now they're in refugee camps somewhere. we're not sure. >> reporter: too sick to get to church, the priests now come here. >> translation: i used to walk a little, but now it's difficult. now all i can do is go to the bathroom and back with this frame. there's only us. we have no friends here and no family. >> reporter: a proud couple. they now face a retirement dependent on charity. >> translation: we want to go back to our life as it was before, but it's hard. >> translation: believe me, there is no place in all the world better than syria. rich or poor, everybody had a life. there was work. now syria is destroyed.

>> reporter: still, he says he prays that next year he will be able to take his family back to a peaceful syria the next part of the series, the struggle to move on after the alshabab last april. 18 workers remain trapped in a collapsed mine in eastern china. so far seven miners have been rescued from inside this mine. emergency services have been communicating with the trapped minors by-- miners by writing messages on footballs and throwing them down the mine shaft. dozens of people have been injured after a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit afghanistan on friday. tremors were felt in kabul and pakistan and india, collapsing

houses and walls. japan's prime minister stays in power until 2018, he will be the country's third longest serving leader since world war ii. it has been three years since he came to power. ratio el mealy reports. >> reporter: amiddle of the the hustle and bus el, these people gave their opinions about the prime minister's performance. >> translation: i didn't like him from the start. >> translation: i see the economics working, but there are issues too. i think he should listen to the people more. >> reporter: a few months ago many people had much stronger messages for the government over legislation that allowed japanese troops to assist allies

in come balt for the first time since world war ii. -- combat. the laws were past by the parliament in september. personal approval rating has inched back. >> while he talks a lot, he hasn't always followed through on reforms. moving forward one of the biggest challenges is to implement a lot of the policies he has been talking about, especially with structural reform as part of the economics program. >> reporter: he became prime minister in 2012 with' mandate to fix-- a mandate to fix the stagnant economy. on that front he has had hit and misses. the share market, corporate profits and economic growth are up. there are still major problems with the economy such as a huge debt, dwindling birth rate and falling productivity. >> the japanese government has to show continuously to the

nation, to the business community, that they are permitted, they are single-mindedly dedicated to bring about change. that's what the prime minister must do. >> reporter: japan will vote in upper house elections in july next year and the ruling coalition is hoping to win a two-thirds majority across both houses of parliament. this would fast forward the prime minister's plans to revise the constitution. the prime minister is also benefitting from weak and disorganized opposition parties. the people we spoke to found it very difficult to name an alternative leader. >> translation: i can't think of anyone. >> reporter: this might mean that he is safe in the top job for now. rachel mealey. al jazeera tokyo imagine someone dialling your number by mistake from outer space. that is exactly what british

astronaut tim peake did. he has apologised for calling the wrong number from the space station. he rang and asked if he had reached planet earth. it was not a prank. you can catch up with all the news on al jazeera.com >> on august 3rd 2014 us and afghan special operations forces deployed to charkh district about sixty miles south of kabul to clear taliban from the area. there's nothing unusual about this. us special operations forces often accompany afghan soldiers on these sorts of missions. i was in afghanistan at the time