what we did in ramadi, we will do in mosul. iraq's prime minister's pledge to wipe out isil in his country's northern strong hold. ♪ the last few minutes there has been confirmation that the u.s. air strikes in syria have killed a number of important isil leaders. hello, you are watching al jazeera live from london. also in the next 30 minutes. more than 20 are killed in pakistan as a suicide bomber targets a government office in the northwest. the sentence on bribery charges have been reduced but he

will still be the first former israeli leader to go to jail. and guinea is official i will ebola free, but the search for a vaccine continues. we have a special report. ♪ well, it started with a fight against the islamic state of iraq and the levant and there has been confirmation from the pentagon that u.s. air strikes in syria over the past month have dealt a heavy blow to the group's leadership. that confirmation coming from the u.s. military spokesman in baghdad. >> in addition to our tactical operation, we are also striking at the head of this snake by hunting down and killing isil leaders. over the past month, we have killed ten isil leadership figures with targeted air strikes, including several external attack planners, some of whom are linked to the paris attacks, others had designs on

further attacking the west. >> our correspondent rosiland jordan live for us now in washington, d.c. a tantalizing glimpse there into the type of people they are targeting within isil. do we know anymore from the people who have been talking in the last 30 minutes or so. >> well, we -- apparently understand from the pentagon that one of the people who was targeted had ties to one of the men who was said to be the mastermind as it were of the recent attacks in paris. he apparently comes from one of the poorer suburbs in the paris region. he is said to have been 27 years old. he apparently was killed in -- inside syria in an air strike in recent days. the pentagon isn't offering more details about it, but notes that he was a significant figure in isil, and was in the region, and

was in fact one of the targets by the u.s.-lead coalition, david. >> in terms of the attempt to target these particular isil figures, this is something they say has been going on for month now. they must be gathering a great deal of intelligence, which they think is leading them in the right direction. >> that is the apparent situation, although colonel steve warren, who is the briefer out of baghdad didn't want to get into the particulars of how it was that the u.s.-lead coalition figured out where these men were, and they were all men, and then decided to take them out to -- as it were. but they are noting that the decision to go after these ten particular people is a significant blow to the leadership of isil. however colonel warren is cautioning this does not mean

that isil has been defeated. there are plenty of people who are capable of moving into leadership roles, but anything that disrupts the momentum of isil's ability to take and hold territory is certainly a good thing for the u.s.-lead coalition to try to execute. but they are saying that this is something that has picked up in recent days, and they are saying that they are making this a priority as they continue to support the iraqi military in particular. and trying to retake territory from isil in the western part of that country as well as in the northern part of the country. >> rosiland thank you very much. this development in syria comes a day after iraqi forces declare a major victory retaking the city of ramadi from isil. the prime minister has been touring the city and has made a series of defiant statements

saying he and his forces will take mosul next. >> translator: i congratulate the iraqi people on the liberation of ramadi and retaking it. the iraqi forces have dealt a heavy blow to isil and their followers and collaborators. we won't stop until each city and village is liberated. we are coming to liberate mosul to defeat isil. we will achieve final victory over the group with the determination and resolution of our great people. the united states is warning that there is more work to do to secure ramadi. our correspondent is in the iraqi city erbil, and says the hunt for fighters in ramadi continues. >> reporter: when the prime minister made his way to [ inaudible ] his helicopter came under fire. there were isil fighters present in the area, who tried to attack

the plane, but they couldn't really, because it was out of range. but it gives you an indication that this area is not completely under their control yet. in parts of central ramadi, east ram, and northern ramadi, there are still large pockets of isil fighters who have always been there, and there have been some fighters who fled from the southern areas. so it's very much an ongoing fight. yes, it's a symbolic victory, but there is still a lot of work ahead of them to completely secure ramadi. ♪ in pakistan, at least 22 people have been killed and 42 others have been hurt, by an explosion which targeted a government office in the northwest. police say the attack was the work of a suicide bomber, a

break away group from the taliban claimed responsibility. more now from victoria gatenby. >> reporter: the attack was timed to cause maximum devastation. the government office issuing identity cards was packed with people. there was chaos in moments after the bomb exploded. police say it was a suicide attack. many people were killed and many more were injured. >> translator: there was a blast in the office around 2:00, around 100 were injured and around 20 have been martyred. >> translator: i was offering my prayers in my house when the blast occurred. it was a huge blast. >> reporter: the attack happened in the tribal area bordering afghanistan. a group once linked to the taliban claimed responsibility. but the pakistan taliban claimed it has nothing to do with the

attack. the explosion comes two days after the head of pakistan's army was in kabul for a meeting with the afghan president. they were trying to restart talks with the taliban. >> what pakistan is trying to do is to sort of persuade them to engage in political negotiations with the afghan government instead of fighting this insurgency in afghanistan, so pack tan's focus today is that there should be some sort of political settlement between the afghan government and the afghan taliban. >> reporter: although both governments have been adopting a new approach, it appears there are many fighters who are committed to continuing the chaos. victoria gatenby, al jazeera. the former israeli prime minister has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after conviction for bribery.

the supreme court partially reduced the original sentence of six years. the hearing was brief, but the ruling was clear. he will become the first israeli prime minister to serve time in jail. the supreme court ordered the 70 year old to serve 18 months in prison for bribery, starting in february. he had initially been sentenced to six years in jail by a lower court after he was first convicted in 2014. the case revolves around a realest stated deal that remains deeply controversial, and was approved for construction while he served as major of jerusalem. the supreme court found he was not involved in the mains a -- aspects of bribery in the

case. >> translator: a large weight was lifted from my heart when the supreme court decided to acquit me of the main charge in the holy land affair. >> reporter: he is going to jail for accepting a bribe of around $15,000 for a separate real estate project that was also approved while he was major of jerusalem. despite accepting the supreme court sentence, he maintained his innocence. >> translator: no bribe was ever offered to me, and i never accepted one. naturally in line with my beliefs and way of life, i respect the verdict of the supreme court judges. >> reporter: he served as prime minister from 2006 to 2009. he was a relatively popular leader at the time, but as his caseworked its way through the legal system, there were increasing demands by the public that he serve time in jail. this isn't the end of his legal troubles. he still faces a potential

sentence of eight months of prison over allegations of fraud and making illegal payments to an american businessman. while the supreme court has yet to rule on that case, his legacy as the first israeli prime minister to be handed a prison sentence is cemented. the chief palestinian negotiator responded to a report that says israel plans to build 55,000 settlement units in the occupied west bank. the report by the ngo peace now is based on findings of government data. it says it will end all hopes of establishing a palestinian state by cutting off the south of the west bank from its center. he is calling on the international community to reconsider its relations with israel. >> we need to immediately knock on the door of the security

council to have the motion resolutions to the effect that not only the illegalalty, not only asking israel to revoke, but also to declare that these actions are absolutely a violation of international law, and to -- to hold israel accountable. >> reporter: hundreds of syrians trapped by the civil war in separate parts of the country have been relocated as part of a rare u.n.-backed deal to evacuate people from flash point areas. they passed through turkey and lebanon as part of the journey. one group including pro-government fighters and their families. some have had to remain in southern beirut to be treated for injuries. a separate group have arrived in idlib. >> translator: i was wounded during the shelling in the city,

and negotiations have been to evacuate us to turkey. and from turkey to leb i don't know, and then to the hospital. here we are being treated, then we'll go back, and if things are good we will go to damascus to work. >> we hear now from hashem ahelbarra. >> reporter: wounded fighters and their families who were evacuated from the area arrived in turkey, and then from there, they crossed into idlib, a rebel strong hold in northern syria. there were few exceptions. those who were badly injured were kept in hospitals. at the same time, the pro-government fighters and their families who were evacuated, they were flown from turkey to lebanon, and from there they will travel to damascus. the agreements were either put on hold or collapsed, but this

one went as planned. quite a significant step forward for the international community. who is hoping to bring the warring factions in syria to make similar deals in the future to sort of bridge the difference of trust between them. next month they will be able to tackle serious issues like establishing a transitional government in syria. coming up, we will be meeting the syrian refugees arriving in canada. among them the family of the 3-year-old boy, who's death shocked the world.

>> "inside story" takes you beyond the headlines, beyond the quick cuts, beyond the soundbites. we're giving you a deeper dive into the stories that are making our world what it is.

♪ time for the headlines, the u.s. department of defense has said that in the last month it has killed ten isil leaders in air strikes in syria. he recently retaken city of ramadi, the iraqi prime minister has vowed to push isil from the mosul and defeat the group in iraq in 2016. 22 people have been killed in a suicide attack targeting a government office in northwest pakistan. a group once linked to the taliban said it was behind the attacks. belgium police have stopped

an attack on the capitol. the arrest after house searching in brussels. isil propaganda, and computer hardware were found, but no weapons or explosives were seized. belgium has been on high alert since the attacks in november which left 130 people dead. russian state tv is reporting that a number of refugees and migrants are stranded on the border with finland. the border guards have blocked them from entering the country. relatives of the 3-year-old boy who's death in september and the photograph in particular helped to focus the world's attention on the plight of syrian refugees arriving in canada. alan curdy, died with his mother and five-year-old brother when their boat capsized.

allen schauffler reports from vancouver. >> reporter: at vancouver international airport a family reunion. his greeters her older brother, wife, and five children. >> thank you, canada. thank you, everyone. >> reporter: but there is misery mixed with joy for this family. another brother, abdullah lost his wife and two sons trying to get to greece. they drowned off of the coast of turkey in september. the images of the 3-year-old's body being recovered prompted outrage around the world, and helped raise awareness of the hundreds of thousands of people streaming out of syria, iraq, and afghanistan. and it thrust this syrian-born hairdresser into the international spotlight. >> it changed my life.

i am nobody. just a normal person. it's not easy. it's the most emotional, the hard thing i ever done in my life. >> since the tragedy in september, she has traveled aboard with the human rights organization, and met with u.n. officials, publicizing the flight of syrian refugees. a go-fund-me page will help with expenses. he will work as a barber in the new salon, and as this family adjusts to a new life, her joy is tempers by nearly five years of war in her native country and the reverberations throughout the region. >> enough already. i want to tell the world, stop the war. >> reporter: canada is expected

to accept 50,000 syrian refugees by the end of 2016. sen twral american countries have reached an agreement to allow several thousand cuban migrants stranded in costa rica to continue their journey towards the united states. migrants can now bypass cuba and ally nicaragua. that story now from victoria gatenby. >> reporter: around 8,000 cuban migrants have been stranded in this camp for more than a month. nicaragua has refused to let them cross. central american countries have been holding talks on how to resolve the crisis. it is agreed the cubans will fly to el salvador where they will be bussed to the united states. guatemala initially expressed two guarantees, the first was

for mexico to allow the people to pass through the territory, and the second was there would be no cost to them. >> reporter: they traveled north through columbia, to costa rica. but they were stopped in nicaragua. any cuban who makes it on to u.s. soil is allowed to apply for residency. but with improved relations between the countries, many cubans are worried that will change the cubans are expected to restart their journey next week, and realize their dream of making it to the united states. victoria gatenby, al jazeera. >> a landslide has happened in

brazil due to heavy rainfall. four people we know were hurt. among those rescued a one-year-old girl, her grandmother who used her own body to protect the child, died. world health organization has declared guinea free of ebola. it has been 42 days since the recovery or death of the final patient and there have been no new infections. it was in guinea that the ebola outbreak was first reported in march of 2014. since then 2,536 people have died there. 4,809 have died in liberia. 3,955 in sierra leone, and 8 in nigeria. world health organization declared nigeria ebola free in october of last year. sierra leone ebola free last

month. liberia in may. but weeks later further cases were reported any last two patients finally discharged from hospital last month. the search to find a vaccine is far from over. nicklas hawk visited a lab in dhaka where trials are being held. >> reporter: every time these two come to the lab for testing, they wonder, which one of them has been injected with the experimental ebola vaccine. one was given a placebo, the other a trial vaccine. scientists are still looking for a cure against the highly contagious ebola virus. at first my family and i were scared. i didn't know what they were injecting me with. but the doctors reassured me. it's my way to contribute to the fight against the virus.

>> volunteers are not injected with ebola but with a genetically modified safe version of the virus. then they were given a vaccine. the idea was to enhance the body's immune system all together so it can fight the virus on its own. like any other vaccines we expect some side effects such as fevers or headaches. we closely monitor volunteers. our priority is to ensure their safety. it normally takes ten to 15 years to get a vaccine approved. but scientists are accelerating the testing phase to get the drug on the market as quickly as possible. this is unprecedented and scientists and researchers say it is justified because of the scale of the ebola outbreak, and that the virus is still lurking in the environment. so it is still a threat for

people in west africa. according to the united nations, ebola killed 11,000 in west africa alone. the vaccines are tested on chimpanzees, known to carry the virus in the wild. some have developed a natural immunity. but a third of the world population of chimps have died of the virus. the outbreak has generated fear and an unprecedented global response. it has also brought west africans closer together. the battle against ebola is one they see as their own. and so far the vaccine they are testing is working. nicklas hawk. al jazeera, dakar. thailand's top court have upheld the conviction of the [ inaudible ] five. the muslim lawyer was pushed into a car on a busy bangkok street in 2004. it was said that five police

carried out the abduction, and the appeals court found them not guilty in 2011. rescuers are still trying to reach trapped minors. one person known to have died, 17 minors are still trapped. areas known as china town have been part of cities for decades. in the united states property development and rising rents are pushing many out of the neighborhoods they call home. here is gabriel elizondo. >> reporter: when jenny came to washington, d.c. with her family almost 20 years ago from china, she chose to live in chinatown to hold on to some of her cultural heritage. but today china town is fast

disappearing. the gate over the main avenue remains as a tourist attraction. but it's about the people, at one time, 3,000 chinese lived in washington's chinatown. today only about 300 remain. and half of those might soon be gone. their building being replaced. jenny to be viced so a luxury condo can be built. >> most of the people that live here, we all have jobs. but we don't have as much money as them. but every day, every month, we pay our rent on time. >> reporter: they are victims of what is called gentrification, a process in which poor minorities are pushed out as a city develops and the wealthy move in. non-chinese populations in these areas have doubled in a decade. some researchers estimate of the

15 china towns in america only three still remain authentic. china town is not just with the people. china town is a place where social networks, economic fabrics, right -- [ technical difficulties ] >> everybody knows that the heart, soul, and character of their original china town is gone, it will likely never come back. jenny tang knows this.

>> translator: my sister tells me to come back to china, but i don't want to go back. >> reporter: looking out at a chinatown that she now barely recognizes. gabriel elizondo. al jazeera, new york. for more any time, aljazeera.com. breaking news, the pentagon confirming ten isil leaders are dead after u.s.-lead air strikes. nothing, a police officer enters his plea over murder charges. thousands of flights delayed or canceled as a deadly storm system slows travel because of ice and snow.