for the better and it's up to us to take a different. look to destroy each other. we do want to go to the farming magazine. on d. w. . this is d. w. news the live from berlin islamic states defacto capital the city of brotha in syria has fallen. u.s. backed forces say that they have overcome the final pockets of resistance from the

extremists if marks the end of an intense battle that started back in june so what now for the so-called islamic state. also coming up in neighboring iraq baghdad is pushing ahead with an offensive to retake disputed kurdish held areas as the u.n. and the u.s. appealed for calm. and a dangerous journey to escape persecution thousands of new rope him to refugees pour into bangladesh from myanmar not all of them are making it alive. i'm sara kelly welcome thanks for joining us u.s. backed fighters in syria have retaken rocka the city that the so-called islamic state considers its capital a commander of the troops fighting i-s. says that operations are under way to clear this. city of landmines and militant

sleeper cells dozens of jihad it had made their last stand in the city stadium but it is unclear if they remain holed up there meanwhile still to celebrate its processes aeration as the four month battle nears an end i'm so sick. of a more now let's cross over to journalist lad and we have on build america who joins us from co balmy in northern syria led america does this liberation of iraq now mean that the back of the so-called islamic state has been broken so to speak here you could say that because of the now the cheated on arca and also the tunnel may it be with supposed to be sort of the second couple that was also think about a sunni regime so i was just sort of finished in in syria there's only some pockets in the area there is or and there's still be some fighting but there are pockets broken. so we know now that the big battle it appears to be over but just generally

speaking how much support from people and splinter groups does i ask still have there in the country i mean isis of never have money support the only thing was they did they control the area forced people to join them or knowledge specially because like they don't have any more victories so you don't see any more foreign fighters coming from outside to join them in syria and iraq and also there's no way for them to from now in iraq or syria so in iraq and syria like i said he's merely concluded but it's still possible that in on there are other countries are just trying to be something like the. afghans that. and that shift that you're describing there that that's something that we have seen actually quite often from the group they have shifted strategy when they have come on hard times what could therefore be ahead for the so-called islamic state. well we have seen that it's also been lies and one by law that was killed some people were saying all cried out so against but now you can still see al qaida still in some parts of the world so

probably going to the same advice is first of all they're going to go on the ground in the counties like in iraq or syria and maybe to try to establish bases for our control in other areas for instance where terrorists will if you like for instance in yemen or afghanistan or you just. let america what needs to be done now politically there in syria and internationally speaking to follow what has been achieved militarily with these gains that we have seen today law this is one of the biggest challenges because you have one area controlled sort of what occurred and then you have the syrian regime and then you still have some pockets must both rebel control so there need to be formal negotiations between douceur three groups over the future of syria and it's going to be difficult because the syrian government is saying they want to take back control of syria and i don't think the other area like the kurdish south areas the rebel held areas are mixed up. and aside from those negotiations led amir what is the next objective for and c.i.s.

forces would you say in their battle against this terrorist group was first of all you know dark they're going to clear out the mines and the rubble the rubble and start the reconstruction and especially priorities first restoring service just like water and electricity. and then in other parts that are sort are still fighting so that the kurdish that forces in that are sort of are still fighting the regime is fighting there also so there is or needs to be seen from isis in iraq there is a need for the morning especially there's a lot of mine so that's going to think some time will fall flat amount on bill ginsburg joining us from northern syria with the very latest on this story as we mentioned u.s. backed fighters in syria retaking the city of raka the city that the so-called islamic state considers its capital that a mess thanks for your insight on this. let's get a quick check now of some other stories making news around the world

a car bomb has killed the best known investigative journalist in malta daphne. zia ran a blog that highlighted alleged corruption among her targets was prime minister joseph most corrupt who she linked to secret offshore bank accounts he denounced her killing as an attack on press freedom and also acknowledged that she was one of his harshest critics. philippine president where we go to. declared morocco we liberated from terrorists he visited the southern city one day after the last few islamist leaders there were killed but military leaders say that the battle is still ongoing as they search the ruins for remaining pockets of militants taliban militants in afghanistan have carried out a suicide car bombing and a gun attack on a vengeful police headquarters an attack that killed at least thirty three people it was part of a series of attacks against police across the country that have left at least

seventy eight people dead and have wounded hundreds. of iraqi government forces say that they have taken control of all major oil fields in the disputed northern province of care cook there are also pushing into other kurdish controlled regions after kurds voted for independence in a referendum last month now that vote was held in the autonomous region of a rocky kurdistan and also in some disputed areas outside of its official borders like in care cook the disputed areas still under kurdish control are shown here on the map in gray as you can see they were occupied when kurdish forces defeated the so-called islamic state now iraq wants the territory back. celebrations in camp cook as iraqi forces roll in. supporters of the iraqi central government couldn't contain their joy. thousands of kurdish

residents fled the city ahead of the advance. of the super bowl you were heading to irbil because the situation is getting worse the iraqi troops have entered there's no way we could stay. there are no our children are terrified we were afraid that there would be clashes and mortar rounds would have to us that's what i'm worried about. can't cook an oil rich province claimed by both kurds and the iraqi government had been under kurdish control since iraqi forces fled when the militants swept through the region in twenty fourteen now it's back into the control of the iraqi government the advance comes three weeks after residents in the kurdistan region and also here in kids voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence in a controversial referendum kurdish peshmerga leaders say the seizure of kirkuk amounts to a declaration of war. the united nations has released new aerial footage showing

streams of muslims making their way to bangladesh now most are on foot and are carrying their belongings the u.n. refugee agency says that more than five hundred thousand rohinton refugees have fled persecution in neon mar in just the last five weeks they have called the crackdown ethnic cleansing we have this report. the humanitarian crisis unfolds thousands of russian german islams fleeing persecution trying to get to bangladesh by whatever means possible. meanwhile five hundred kilometers away in myanmar as capital naipaul the united nations political affairs chief jeffrey feltman met with anger to try to halt military operations and violence and northern rockies state he is also demanding unlimited access for humanitarian support from iran. but the toll of the exodus is

rising all right in one hundred eighty renji have dr involved trying to reach bangladesh. on monday twelve more including six children drone when an overcrowded capsized in the bay of bengal. when our homes were burned there was no place to live then we started walking towards the west there were no boats and we had to wait for more than ten days without food when we got the boat it took us along a different route but we were near an island when the boatman ran aground and then a big wave hit our boat and it capsized. more than half a million revenger have fled me in marston's coordinated render insurgent attacks more than seven weeks ago sparked a ferocious military response security forces have been accused of arson murdering

civilians and rape the united nations has labeled it ethnic cleansing. in other news catalonia has refused on tuesday to renounce its declaration of independence speaking at a news conference catalan government spokesperson jordi. said that the autonomous region will stand by its just the announcement came as protesters gathered in barcelona to demand the release of two cattle and independence movement leaders the two have been provisionally jailed since monday night in a sufficient probe. standing by with the latest from barcelona and barbara i mean it's seems as as if what we're hearing here that these cattle and leaders and the majority government are on another political collision course tell us more. they are really headed for a major crash because what the regional government now may totally clear is that

the answer from serious d. is going to be more or less exactly the from monday and that was what madrid deemed not to be good enough on monday the president put him on said we want to talk to you we're not risk drawing in the independence declaration we're not doing anything else but we want to talk to you and madrid says no you have to withdraw otherwise on thursday the regional government will be taken out madrid will take over power that also means that probably troops will move in the state police will move in and that everybody in this government will immediately overnight lose their jobs so the situation is serious here absolutely and i want to ask you a little bit more about something that we just heard about madrid's high court jailing the heads of catalonia two main separatist groups what more can you tell us about that. that was

a decision of the court that nobody had really expected probably the independence leaders themselves because they sort of left some televised messages beforehand but the court argued that if they were really engaged and see session that they were really sort of breaking continuously breaking the constitution and that they would probably flee to another country and probably destroy evidence if they were being let free so they put them in jail and now the independence movement certainly has to marchers and they're talking about our political prisoners and they're saying that their democracy is dying in spain so they're really using this to the utmost to sort of stir emotions in their followers barbara people there on the streets of barcelona what to they make of all of this because we know that the catalan government for example is calling for peaceful protests this evening in particular given the current tensions i mean how is that expected to play out.

i suppose this demonstration tonight will remain peaceful because pressure here is sort of being pushed absolutely it's not that people are running around the streets screaming and yelling but you feel the tension that is sort of underneath everything underneath the surface of tour is sort of milling around on the romulus behind us but that will remain peaceful because state police will supposedly not intervene and of course the couple and police will sort of stay hands off all the ministers of the regional government take part and so they're supposed to be a reality of the large turnout however things are just sort of working themselves up step by step there is going to be another demonstration tomorrow and we'll see how peaceful that remains then. barbara visa with the latest from barcelona thank you. time now for just a quick reminder of the top stories that we have been following for you u.s.

fact syrian forces have retaken rocka a city that i as militants had considered their capital local military leaders say that an operation is underway to clear out dozens of fighters who have refused to surrender and iraqi forces are celebrating their capture of the northern city of kirkuk from the kurds but as thousands of civilians flee both the u.n. and the u.s. have expressed fears that tensions between the two sides could escalate into a conflict. up to date news i'm sarah kelly in berlin thanks for watching. why your million people in east africa threatened by starvation what are the causes of the situation. we focus on five specific problem areas. as human journalistic project tries to find the answers why africa goes green.