>> this is the journal on d.w., nice to have you along. coming up in the next half hour, the u.s. military conducts air strikes on militant targets in northern iraq as minorities flee islamic state fighters with a humanitarian disaster looming. >> and a truce in gaza expires and an extension is rejected, sparking an exchange of rocket fire between militants and the israeli army. >> the world health organization warns that the worst outbreak of ebola could go on for months and get even worse.

we start with breaking developments in iraq where the u.s. has teard -- carried out air strikes to beat back islamic extremists who've unleashed a campaign of terror. >> fighters of the group that calls itself the islamic state made lightning advances capturing large parts of northern iraq and forcing thousands of iraqis to flee in fear of being massacred. >> the measures are stoking fears of genocide and regional instability, triggering president obama to give the go-ahead for u.s. military action. >> we'll go live to the city close to where the air strikes have hit as well as to washington. first, this report -- >> u.s. bombs are again falling on iraq. fighter jets struck artillery belonging to the i.s. militant group a short distance from

erbil. for weeks, kurdish security forces have been trying to stop the militant advance. that's thought they're joined by other kurdish groups from turkey, iran and syria but they haven't been able to turn back the i.s. onslaught. erbil is a base for u.s. diplomats and security advisers, another reason for washington's intervention. >> president obama has been unequivocal that he will do what is necessary, what is in our national interests, to confront isil and its threat to the security of the region and to our own security in the long run. >> the white house says strikes will continue but ground troops won't be going back in. in the long term, washington wants iraqis to maintain their own security. >> the only durable way to stop isil is for iraq's leaders themselves to unite and form a government that represents all of the people as rapidly as

possible within their constitutional framework. >> for now, though, there are other concerns, averting a humanitarian disaster in northern iraq. in the hostile mountains of sinjar, tens of thousands from the yazidi minority are in desperate circumstances. they have few supplies. the iraqi military released pictures of personnel distributing emergency aid. u.s. military planes have dropped food and water. other governments have pledged to send aid. hundreds of christians have sought refuge in erbil. many are in the city's cathedral. the fear here is great at what could happen should the i.s. fighters take the city. >> and we'll have further analysis of these breaking developments in a moment. our correspondent joins us from the kurdish city of erbil. islamic militants are within

striking distance of the kurdish heartland, are people bracing for the worst? >> yes, they are. on wednesday and thursday, there was a sense of panic here in erbil and people are filling up with gas, buying food, planning to leave. they were preparing what they needed to take had to flee. the news yesterday that president obama was authorizing air strikes has calmed things down. so now i think things feel a little calmer here. but, yes, i think people are still very nervous and are preparing for the worst. >> senior kurdish officials say that the islamic state militants have seized iraq's largest dam. that sounds like a game changer. >> yes, it is. although, again, we have been hearing this since sunday. so every day or even several times during the day we'll hear different news about the dam. so i would -- i'd still be

unsure whether it's absolutely confirmed that they have taken it. the reason it's under so much discussion is because it's such a big development if they do, in fact, take it. it's essentially a weapon of mass destruction. if they choose to destroy the dam, they could flood, most would be under 25 meters of water. baghdad itself, much further south, could be under five meters of water if the dam were to destruct or collapse. and also even if the dam remains in tact, they obviously -- it would mean that the militants control the power supply and the water supply to somewhere in the region of half a million people. so it would be very, very strategically important if the militants have taken it. >> very briefly, the kurdish region is on the front line of the humanitarian crisis. how are people feeling there right now? >> it's desperate.

it's really desperate. we've had people coming in. obviously, we're starting with syrian refugees who have been here for the last few years. we've had residents of mosul, huge numbers of christians even before this week and more christians coming in and the yazidi. people are cooking food for them, and everyone is rallying. in the long term, it's unclear what can be done. it's a very, very desperate situation. >> a harrowing situation, indeed. thank you very much for that update from erbil. >> now let's get the view from washington. our correspondent richard walker is standing by for us there. the u.s. intervention has two aspects. there's a military one and a humanitarian one and it sounds like a substantial mission. what's the strategy? >> well, that is the question,

monika. both sides of the mission have begun, both the humanitarian and military side but the white house is coming under increasing pressure to complain -- explain what its overarching strategy really is especially given that a few months ago barack obama made a big speech at the west point military academy suggesting that military intervention would be less of a means of applying u.s. power in the future and not more so today, josh ernest, the white house spokesman, facing a barrage of questions in a very long press conference with journalists asking him, is it the u.s. strategy to destroy the islamic state and the white house is saying no but journalists asking, why not? at that point, the white house responding, well, u.s. military power simply cannot solve everything by itself, there has to be a political solution in iraq, there's due to be a new government taking over soon and that's a more important

groundwork for creating a long-term solution but then of course journalists firing back, well, the islamic state isn't going to give up because there's a new prime minister in iraq. so all of those questions and many more factoring into will this really be a short time limited operation, very targeted, or drag out into something longer. >> another question could be, why did president barack obama decide to intervene in iraq but not in syria? >> absolutely, and it's not just journalists asking that question. also hostile voices in congress. john mccain and lindsey graham, prominent figures in the foreign policy scene here, making exactly that point, that you cannot target the islamic state simply on the iraqi side of the border because it is moving back and forth between syria and iraq. they're calling on obama to

launch air strikes against isis or islam state positions on the syrian side. the white house line for now is that it has a request from iraq to take action there, that it is protecting its own personnel there and that there is this urgent humanitarian situation concerning minorities in the north. >> certainly a lot of explanation from the white house. thank you very much for filling us in. now, the first u.s. air strikes on islamic militants were carried out only hours after president barack obama authorized attacks against the extremists advancing on the kurdish regional capital of erbil. >> kurd stan has long been considered an ally and island of stability. the lightning quick advance of the islamic state militant group and its brutality along the way has been a source of deep concern since it began two months ago. >> this was the moment last

month when islamic state militants destroyed the tombs said to contain the remains of the prophet, jonas. the shrine was considered important and holy for shiites and christians. the militants blew it up as a display of power. the radical sunni group, formerly known as isis, have made their mark as a force to be reckoned with, since launching a string of brutal attacks in the region. the group are recognized by this trademark white script on a black banner. their name derives from the aim to establish an islamic state. the i.s. group have emerged as a main jihadist organization in the syrian civil war and control vast areas of the country like here in the northern province. the militants frequently release videos boasting of their gains.

they're especially keen to show financial donors that their investments are producing results but who is funding the group? a lot of money has come from oil rich countries in the middle east like qatar and sexual sauda which support the fight against bashar al-assad but the group is making financial gains by targeting oil rigs in syria and iraq. the i.s. is the richest islamist terror group in the world. that goes some way toward explaining their alarmingly rapid advance. the islamic state group has an estimated membership of about 20,000. they come from all around the world, including germany. the militants are united in the belief that all other systems of faith must be destroyed. that radical islamist majority has left thousands of yazidi

minority fleeing for their lives. the lebanese military engaged in fierce and deadly battles to regain control of the border town of arsal, briefly overrun by islamic state militants. >> to help us better understand events unfolding in iraq, we are joined in the studio by miguel. less than three years ago, u.s. troops left iraq. now america is coming back to iraq's rescue. in meantime, so many cities have fallen, muslims slaughtered by muslims. why now? >> what we see now, the events unfolding in iraq is really the late result of the american intervention of 2003. the big mistake of american occupation after the toppling of saddam hussein was simply the fact that the sunnis were completely expelled from all spheres of influence. hundreds of thousands of sunnis

lost their jobs within a very short period of time and the sunnis became very angry, if i may say so, both regarding the united states but also in regards of the new shiite government and this fight is really going on, has been going on for several years now. the sunni tribes in iraq are the backbone of this uprising and the islamic state is the spearhead of this uprising. islamic state is strong because of the civil war in syria. they have gained control of large parts of the country in the east towards the iraqi and the turkish border so it's a huge problem. it's a mixture of various influences of wrong policy making and government in iraq because the maliki government has miserably failed in integrating groups and tribes within iraq. >> how much support is there in the region for the u.s. and its military intervention? >> well, i think most countries are very happy. i think even iran will be very

satisfied by this american strike against the islamic state and definitely the gulf states are also very happy because jordan and saudi arabia in particular are very worried that the onslaught of the islamic state movement might even push towards jordan and saudi arabia. there's quite a contradiction. the governments in those two mentioned countries are very much against the islamic state but very rich people in the gulf, they like to fund this organization because it's fighting the shiites because it's weakening iran and that's the idea behind it. >> very briefly, can the u.s. military turn this tide on the islamic state? >> definitely not. they can weaken the onslaught of the islamic state but the whole problem needs a political solution and this one is not in sight. >> very worrying developments there. thank you so much for coming to complain this all to us. and we're going to take a very short break and be back in just one minute.

>> welcome back and now to the other major story from the middle east, israel and hamas have resumed hostilities on friday after negotiators in cairo failed to extend a cease fire. >> the main sticking points has been israel's blockade on the gaza strip. in an about-face, hamas officials say they're prepared to continue talks but israel says it will not negotiate while under fire. >> the fighting has started again and with it, this all too familiar sight. this israeli family had just returned to their house near the border to gaza when sirens forced them back to the air raid shelter. >> honestly, it's quite

depressing. we want quiet. we want them to have quiet. we want to be their friends. >> israel says palestinian militants fired at least 18 rockets from gaza shortly after the truce expired. hamas rejected the idea of extending the cease fire, saying israel must first meet their demands. before the truce ended, a representative of the group's armed wing said hamas were ready to keep fighting. they want to bring israeli cities to a standstill, he said. israeli warplanes hit targets across gaza in response to the rocket fire. one palestinian child was reported killed. israel says it won't return to peace talks until hamas stops firing rockets. >> when hamas broke the

cease-fire, when hamas launched rockets and mortar shells at israel, they broke the premise of the talk and there will not be negotiations under fire. >> the destruction looks set to continue. many people in gaza are losing hope that a lasting cease-fire is even possible. >> d.w.'s own tanya kramer has been covering the story since the outbreak of the conflict and joins us from jerusalem. there are intractable differences between the two sides. israel is demanding gaza be demilitarized while hamas wants the blockade of gaza lifted. is there any chance they could bridge these gaps? >> i think this is exactly the problem, that the gap seems quite wide between what israel is willing to give in terms of opening up gaza. israel is more talking about an easing of the siege rather than lifting of the siege. that's what hamas wants.

also, both sides are not recognizing each other, of course. in terms of the siege for gazzans, it means that over the past seven years and longer, the movement of people was restricted between gaza and the west bank, virtually no exports but it also concerns egypt, so a third party is involved. so it's more than one party involved and that's why it's also complicated, as well. >> what are the chances of talks being revived again? >> well, there are conflicting reports at the moment coming out of cairo as to the egyptian foreign ministry said earlier this evening that they want resumption of talks and claim there's agreement on the majority of the points. we understand the israeli delegation they will not hold indirect talks while fighting is ongoing but they're all tight lipped about anything what's really happening in cairo right

now so while the war is ongoing, it's difficult to say whether diplomatic efforts are done by now. >> thank you so very much. >> to afghanistan now where the two rival candidates for president have signed a deal agreeing to form a government of national unity. the breakthrough comes after emergency meetings between u.s. secretary of state john kerry and the two candidates announced the agreement to end the deadlock in kabul. >> one-time finance minister, ashraf ghani, and abdullah abdullah, both claimed victory in the election. the former rivals have agreed to form commissions to work on the structure of the next government but only one will be president when the results of a u.n. supervised election recount comes through. the u.s. brokered a deal aimed to defuse sectarian tensions over the presidential elections

regardless of who leads in the current recount. >> this audit is not about winning and losing. it's about achieving the credible result that people of afghanistan demand and deserve. >> both candidates can now be certain that they will have a say in the government. >> from now on, i hope that the people of afghanistan will be more hopeful, will have much better sense of certainty. >> the agreed time line will allow western leaders to meet their new afghan counterpart at the nato summit in early september. >> we hoped that by end of august that results of the audit will be completed and the next president of afghanistan will be inaugurated. >> while afghans don't know who has won, the most urgent challenge for the incoming president is all the more clear. just days ago, the u.s. military saw its most senior commander killed in action since the

vietnam war when an afghanistan soldier opened fire at training camp. a peaceful transfer of power would bring needed confidence that democracy is gradually taking hold in afghanistan. >> we head to africa because the world health organization is raising the alarm and itself upgraded the current outbreak of ebola in west africa to an international health emergency. >> the w.h.o. is calling for the screening of everyone flying out of the affected countries and for international aid to help the containment efforts. >> the death toll from the disease is approaching 1,000. >> it's here in sierra leone where the ebola virus has claimed the most victims. nearly 700 people have died here. and the number is rising every day. the world health organization has declared the epidemic a global emergency and said it would require an extraordinary response to stop its spread. >> emergency committee reached the conclusion that the outbreak

of ebola virus disease in west africa meets the criteria under the international health regulations for a public health emergency of international concern. >> this means the organization can now ask governments to take necessary steps to contain the disease, such as closing border or restricting travel. apart from sierra leone, liberia has been badly hit. both countries are working closely with the w.h.o. and have already placed entire cities under quarantine. nigeria is the latest country to record cases of ebola. >> every nation is our precinct. >> u.s. scientists have developed a serum that has improved the condition of two americans diagnosed with ebola.

only small quantities of the drug exist and officials say it needs to go through clinical trials. >> on sunday, turks will go to the polls for the first time to elect their president but there's little doubt who will win. prime minister is the favorite. >> he called on islam cons spoers to get out the vote. erdwan's latest remarks have caused outrage from opponents. >> he called a journalist a shameless woman. >> he has gained criticism for repeatedly verbally attacking women. >> the bid for re-election is in its final stretch and campaigners are out in force.

these women are going door to door canvas h -- canvasss for the prime minister. a long-time member of erdwan's justice party. >> we found a new unity and learned to get along better with one another regardless of our convictions or belief. >> the women don't need convincing. some say they're glad erdwan lifted a ban on head scarves at schools and universities. others praise his social policies. >> i didn't have a higher education but since erdwan's been in power, i have been able to attend evening classes and retake my final school exams. >> erdwan's deputy prime minister has taken a lot of flack for recently saying it was unfitting for women to laugh loudly in public but these supporters are paying no

attention to the message. >> we laugh when we feel like it. we come from the black sea where people laugh a lot. >> a few kilometers away, opposition campaigns are also in full swing. women's rights activist distributes leaflets to raise awareness of violence against women. these women say the government doesn't protect women but does try to control them. >> the clothes i wear, if and when i get married, the number of children i have, how i give birth. the government is against caesareans. the state is gradually denying women the right to make their own decisions. erdwan voters should think again. >> women voters appear evenly divided on erdwan. some believe he's championed

their rights. others feel he's given them less of a say. opinion polls suggest every second woman will give erdwan her vote. >> he's taught us turks who we are and that turkey is one of the great powers in the world. we don't want to lose a politician of his caliber. >> erdwan is a clear favorite in sunday's election thanks, in no small part, to women. >> with that we've come to the end of this edition of the "journal." captioned by the national captioning institute ---www.ncicap.org--- n8

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