another setback for syria. the opposition says the death of a pourful rebel leader could undermine talks with the government-- powerful. welcome. you're watching al jazeera live from doha. also ahead this hour. >> reporter: i am at the camp for displaced iraqis. i will tell you why some sunni tribesmen are afraid to return home desperate to chase the american dream, but now there are complaints of migrants trying to reach the u.s.

>> translation: there are only us. we have no friends here owned no family the family torn apart. we report on the flight of an elderly cull couple forced from their home in syria. the death of a powerful syrian rebel leader could be yet another blow to the peace process. the opposition's interim leader has tolls al jazeera they will attend talks in geneva next month, but bashar al-assad won't have a future in syria. this follows the killing of zahran alloush in an air strike. the national coalition is an umbrella group. what was carried out by russia represents a clear victory for terrorism and d.a.e.s.h. it undermines its foundations. the attack is also an attempt to "abort the u.n. efforts of a

political settlement". our correspondent has more. >> reporter: for the syrian opposition the killing of zahran alloush is an indication that the syrian government and the russians are not genuine about a political way out of the crisis in the country. i've been talking to the prime minister of the opposition interim government that was established in 2013. the prime minister thinks that the death of zahran alloush could be the beginning of more targeted assassinations against others. he says that the opposition is definitely going to go to geneva to start talks with the syrian government, but under one condition, that bashar al-assad should have no future in the country

a senior fellow at the american university of the beirut. he says it will be up to the new leader to ensure that the armed group remains powerful and influential. >> a lot of this depends on personal charisam a, diplomatic savvy, some on the ability of the leader to actually lead on the ground, zahran alloush's strength came partly from the fact that he was with his troops on the ground all the time and had tremendous credibility with ordinary people. it also depends on the new leader's ability to work diplomatically with the saudis, with the western world, the u.n., all the russians and other players who are going to be involved in the geneva process. the russians and the syrians together or one of them killed zahran alloush presumably because they don't want a strong

syrian-based opposition group to gain ground. by killing the leader they think that they can knock out the whole group. again, that remains to be seen. our groups have had leadership like that and bombings. some of them regrouped and continued to work. others fell by theway side. we will have to wait and see in the next couple of months how this assassination is dealt with. iraqi security forces say there are intense fights near the center of the ramadi. the government says soldiers managed to-- soldiers managed to advance. iraqi forces began an operation to recapture the city from i.s.i.l. on tuesday. iraqi security forces said 27 soldiers have been killed south of falujah. seven civilians were killed after their neighborhood was shelled by the army. the country has been besieged in an attempt to force i.s.i.l. out.

thousands of displaced sunni iraqis say they need help getting home safely. they fled their homes during fighting between government-backed shia militias and i.s.i.l. some now live in camps in the kurdish region as our correspondent plains. >> reporter:-- explains. >> reporter: he used to be a soldier. he says he was fighting and then captured on his way home by shia militias. he showed us burn marks on his body where he was tortured for ten days at a youth center which was used as a prison. he says his uncle who was a police officer died after being tortured by the same militia. >> translation: they used to hang us and ten people used to hit me. they use electric torch on me. they used nylon, set it alight. i told them that i am an iraqi soldier. if i.s.i.l. see me they will

kill me. >> reporter: the area is now a government town after tens of thousands of its people were forced out of their homes. though we spoke to say there was no i.s.i.l. fighters there and they were punished by shia militias on the suspicions that they might be harbouring them. after militias took over, they were denied entry back into their own areas. it is not the first time that the government backed militias is accused of abuse in the province. human rights watch says that they're wreaking havoc. everyone here has a horror store. the divide is everybody in this camp. people are afraid to go back to their homes. they want international bodies to guarantee their safety. rf is among those asking for guarantees and compensation. he says the area was under siege and the iraqi army turned a blind eye to abusers. >> translation: we were

surprised to see shia militia forces. when they came they started to kill indiscriminately. they took our belongings and took everything around burnt our houses down. >> reporter: militias is an important part to the fight against i.s.i.l. and they deny the chambers against them >> translation: for us this issue is silly and has no effect 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 in this community and thousands who don't want to return are coming to terms with this as their new homes the afghan national army says 21 of its soldiers have been killed in the last 48 hours in helmand province. fighting between afghan soldiers and the taliban has been particularly heavy around the

town of sangin. our correspondent now reports. >> reporter: it's very difficult to know what exactly is going on in this moment because it changed every few hours. we heard just a few hours ago that afghan government now controls the district control headquarters and the police headquarters. we're hearing the taliban got control of this area. we talked with the government officials here with residents of the area and also with some soldiers who are fighting for afghan in the battle field. they're complaining of lack of leadership and they're complaining that there's not enough air support by americans to them. there are some, but they say it's not enough. this war cannot be won without air support. also they're complaining about logistics supplies. remember sangin is almost 70

kilometres away from the capital, from the main army base. any supply needs to go by road. the afghan government does not have a big air force. so getting to sangin on the way in this 70 kilometer is all taliban stronghold area. that's why it makes it difficult for afghan security forces to give inner supply for the forces in sangin palestinians calling for the bodies of their loved ones to be returned by the israeli government have been attacked by the security forces. around 150 people protested in occupied east jerusalem near damascus gates in the old city. soldiers fired tear gas and hit demonstrators with batons. several palestinian youths were arrested. 57 bodies held by israel were people killed by the security forces over recent weeks. earlier in occupied east jerusalem israeli forces shot dead a palestinian man.

israeli's military says he tried to stab an israeli. a palestinian woman was stabbed. another palestinian man killed near the border with the gaza strip has been buried. 22-year-old was killed on friday for allegedly throwing rocks at israeli soldiers. a wave of sigh p lens that started-- silence has left many dead. hundreds of people in thailand have been remembering victims of the 2004 tsunami. they gathered at the park. the park is built on the silt of a fishing village that was destroyed by giant waves. it killed more than 230,000 people in 14 countries. bushfires in the australian state of victoria have destroyed more than 100 homes. fire crews battling for hours on friday to control the flames at a popular tourist designation and will emergency services are warning that the threats of more

fires does remain. here is gerald tann. >> reporter: an eerie silence hangs over australia's great ocean road. the scenic route outside the city of melbourne is usually pack episode. a tourists' magnet. it is off limits for now after bushfires swept through towns along the coast >> there are significant property losses. today is an assessment day really. so whether it is assessing damage to property, assessment of roads, power, water, environmental issues, the other issue today, of course, is smoke and what impact that will have in terms of those who have got underlying conditions. >> reporter: overnight rains helped to get the 2200 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 this year. the forecast for a long dry hot

summer is there. >> reporter: firefighters battle into the admit on friday. water bombing aircraft were brought in. many residents and tourists spent their holidays at evacuation centers. >> i could see the plume of smoke on the highway and i thought it was getting close to home, you know. so i got to home and, yeah, looking out my back door it is just looking apocalyptic. >> reporter: australians are not stranger to bushfire. the losses are no less painful each time on the other side of the world there have been rare flood warning for parts of the u.k. more heavy rain is expected. the army has been called in to help. severe weather alerts to england

and wales. still to come here on al jazeera. >> reporter: no place to call home. i'm add aim rainy in a camp on the dominican borrower new york's metropolitan opera has hosted some of the world's most famous opera singers and now it is attracting a different kind of talent. stay with us and find out how.

welcome back. top stories here on al jazeera.

syria's opposition's death of a powerful leader may under mine talks between the government and opposition groups. zahran alloush was a leader of an armed group which is the piggest rebel faction in the capital city of damascus. iraqi security forces say there have been intense battles with i.s.i.l. fighters in ramadi. the afghan national army says 21 of its soldiers have been killed in the last 48 hours in the province of helmand. the army is fighting the taliban for control of the strategic area around the area of sangin. the turkish military has bombed the south-east town of zisra. sir fighters and one soler were killed in the attacks. turkish tanks have surrounded the town in an 11-day attack.

as the end of 2015 approaches, al jazeera is looking back through the eyes of five families whose lives have been affected by some of the year's significant new stories. that includes the war in syria of course which forced more than one million people to seek refuge in neighbouring turkey. one elderly couple spoke to our correspondent burr northward smith doctor - bernard smith >> reporter: 50 kilometres from this church in turkey across the burr der open christian-- border, open christian worship is prohibited. so this family fled here. 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

monestry for nearly four months but it was too crowded with refugees so they put us in this house, gave us blankets, pillows, a fridge, everything we need. >> reporter: like millions of syrians of all faith, their lives have been torn apart by civil war. two of their sons have gone to europe. >> translation: they were working here for just 15 liras a day. it wasn't enough for the cigarettes and phone credit, let alone something to help us. so 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 priest comes to her. >> 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 is only us. we have no friends here and no family. >> reporter: a proud couple, they 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: but still he says he prays that next year he will be able to take his family back to a peaceful syria. bernard smith, al jazeera, in south-eastern turkey now in eastern china 18 workers remain trapsed in a

collapsed mine. so far 11 have been rescued. the miners are having messages on footballs being thrown down the mine shaft. the communist party chief says those who failed to prevent the massive land slide will be pushed. many are still missing as the rescuers continue their work, a pile of waste collapsed burying more than 30 buildings. government investigators said the disaster was caused by safety breaches. emergency teams in myanmar are trying to find workers buried in a land slide there. 100 people were killed in the same way a month before. central american migrants passing through the territory on the way to the asmt s.

a clamp down has been put in place. the plan resulted in an increase in deportations, but there are claims of human rights abuses. in the first of a three hrt part series. >> reporter: the road to the u.s. has been barred to central american migrants like never before. this is mexico where deportations have gone up by 70% in the last year and a half. authorities send hundreds back every day to hondur monarch s, guatemala and other countries suffering brutal gang violence and desperate poverty. >> translation: we are pure and those why we look for the american dream. unfortunately, they catch and send us back with debt. what can we do apart from trying again? >> reporter: the count down began with the u.s. crisis. record number of child migrants turning up on its doorstep. mexico stepped forward to help

stem the rush enroute. >> reporter: rather than focus on the root causes that are causing people to flee central america, the u.s. has given mexico more money and more equipment to cut off the flow to the southern border. it has worked. roving check points and a constant watch on the cargo train migrants jumped on to travel north have meant this mexican detention center the biggest in latin america is full to bursting, but as migration officials have closed the net, accusations of extortion and physical abuse have soared. this is what happened to oscar's harm when he was run over by a patrol who saw his injury and left him bleeding on the roadside. >> translation: other people would have helped me. taken me to a hospital, but they just didn't care. it was as if i wasn't even human. >> reporter: to avoid authorities, migrants are often forced to travel through

isolated areas where gangs of robbers and kidnappers lie in wait. the state migration protection office say they're acting against the criminals and also against corrupt officials. >> translation: we have shown clearly that we don't tolerate impunity here. we have had accusations against officials and we have caught and tried them. >> reporter: the trust is far from earned yet. the vast majority of the migrants we talked to in mexico feel the authorities is just another threat in an increasingly hostile lands. john holman, mexico in the next part of that series, people smugglers prowling one of the areas most's dangerous cities. that's sundays at 13 hours gmt only here on al jazeera. thousands of people forced to leave the dominican republic are facing an outbreak of cholera. they were deported six months

ago in what the dominican republic said was a clamp down on illegal immigrants. >> reporter: close quarters near the dominican border. six months after fleeing or being deported, they have received no help to resettle of the government of any country. hungry and penniless they wait for help. the children keep their spirits up somehow. many now are weak and after being struck by cholera. >> translation: i was vomiting. i had diarrhoea. i went to the clinic for one or two nights and they gave me medicine. i got out. but now i feel weak when i walk, even slowly. >> reporter: he is more fluent in spanish. he was born in the dominican republic. he left a horse and house behind. here he has nothing.

he showed me a mere packet of rice that he and his family are given to eat. we first filmed here in july a month after the dominican republic began a crack down on migrant workers who lacked appropriate documentation. many appeared to have been caught up in that sweep. some here say they feared for their lives and came here on their own. others say they were deported. things were bleaker at this camp than they were in july. at least nine people have died from cholera here in this camp. people say they sleep in the dirt, they breathe in dust that makes them sick and weak. they have little to eat and drink, but despite that, every day there are signs that people keep showing up. this woman survived cholera too. alone here, her husband and son are back in the dominican republic. >> translation: i hope the government helps me move to a

better place. that is what i'm asking god for >> reporter: the camp is known as gift park. there were no signs of presents, though, on christmas. a water filter supplied by the haitian government arrived just a day ago. we were in july. it's now six months. why has it taken six months to bring these people water? >> translation: we thought this was temporary. now we have to do something. >> reporter: other projects like a reception center on the border have been promised, but so far have not been built. back in the camp cleaner water should arrive soon, but what people are really looking for is a way out of here. adam rainy, al jazeera, haiti now in the states the state of alabam a has declared an emergency after tornadoes and storms have raged through the

system. houses and power have been knocked out. new york's metropolitan opera has hosted some of the world's famous opera singers but these days a different kind of crowd is attracted. kids. school kids are being thought to appreciate this classical art form. >> reporter: these school children may be more familiar with others, but a trip to the world famous metropolitan opera house in new york never fails to impress. >> we were like gasping. >> it was just, like, watching on television but in real play. >> reporter: for many kids it's their first formal exposure to a classic art form. attending a dress-rehearsal is just one part of a comprehensive opera-based arts program sponsored by the opera gild. the gild represents artists like

one who in addition to being a world class performer has spent her time teaching children >> i made them realise how opera was in their lives. i said to them bugs bunny cartoons, you her "figaro. you hear that, right? "and they went "yes". so they understood that. >> row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream. >> reporter: in the classroom the children learn to tell a story with music and lots of drama. >> this is opera, so it has to be something like epic. they're escaping from the police. >> reporter: they even write their own story line. the class may be all about opera, but the lessons apply to other subjects as well. a four-year study by the metropolitan opera gild found

that students who participated in the program did better in maths, science and english than those who didn't. and at a time when many schools are focused on improving test scores, teachers say the class is a fun compliment to their lesson plans. >> the big thing for third grade is being able to tell a story and find all the parts of the story. we do a lot of work with the reading and writing, obviously, but it's so nice to able to have them see that show up in drama. >> reporter: with more than 15,000 students already taking part in the program, it's no wonder schools are singing its praises now imagine someone dialling your number by mistake from outer space. that's exactly what the british astronaut tim peek peake did. he asked her if he had reached planet earth. it was not a plank.

he also rang his family but he had to leave a voice mail wishing them a merry christmas because they were not home. you can tweet me and i will tweet you back. you can look at the website on al jazeera.com a show about innovations that can change lives. the science of fighting a humanity and we are doing it in a unique way. this is a show about science by scientists. let's check the team of hardcore nerds. specialising in ecology and revolution. tonight th