x welcome to the journal on dw coming to you live from berlin. but our headlines at this hour. the pentagon flies airstrikes on oil plants in syria. as the u.s. fleshes out its new strategy for fighting the jihadist. >> in the philippines threatening to kill a hostage unless there demands are met. >> and sierra leone locking down more districts to combat ebola. the country's president says it is worse than terrorism. ♪

the u.s. military has launched airstrikes against oil refineries controlled by islamic state militants in eastern syria in a bid to shut down its funding. >> the raid started 12 refineries -- targeted 12 refineries. >> sales of smuggled crude oil have helped finance is operations in both iraq and syria. >> the pentagon released this video of a strike on a refinery. military analysts say the u.s. is targeting oil facilities because it's the most efficient way to hit the finances of is, also known as is -- isis. >> when they are looking for isis targets to hit, it's difficult to pin down and get an exact target and the solo refineries -- these oil refineries have become the best one. i think a large part of their income does come from oil. >> the pentagon estimates [no

audio] >> what we are conducting in syria is that strategic level. we are trying to remove the means for which they sustain themselves. that is the goal. >> washington says it is too early to evaluate the success of the strategy. >> how do you know you know you're going to win? what i'm telling you is that it's going to take us a while to be able to say that. this organization is still, even after the hits they taken -- and they have been hit -- they still have financing at their fingertips. they still have plenty of volunteers. they still have plenty of weapons and vehicles and the ability to move around. >> the u.s. has vowed to continue strikes against what president obama if calling -- has called the islamic state network of death. >> richard point is now from new

york -- it joins us now from new york. it looks like we are seeing a coherent strategy emerging to fight is. can you fill us in? >> brian, to be fair, the united states has said all along that it will be trying to target the islamic state's ample sources of financing as it tries to come as it put it, and "degrade and destroy" the organization. as of now, that's not just a matter of trying to trace funds moving around between shady bank accounts. there is also a military reality to that, targeting these oil refineries as we just heard in the report. it is alleged that the islamic state is able to produce up to $2 million a day in revenues. but it's not the only aspect to the story. we've also heard that the french have been taking part in airstrikes. outside the city of fallujah, not far from baghdad. we also have the dutch getting

set to join the airstrikes in iraq. a fast-moving situation, but as you say, we are beginning to see flesh on the bones of the strategy. >> what about iran? there are signals that it might be able to help out the coalition at some level. >> a very interesting position going on here on the sidelines of the united nations, particularly from the british. on wednesday, david cameron, the british prime minister, met hassan rouhani, the iranian president, at the highest level of meeting between those two nations in decades. and david cameron did move the idea of iran joining as a partner as -- against the pfor his part, hassan rouhani spoke to the general assembly earlier on there's day and criticized the u.s. mission

against the islamic state. he said any action against it should come from within the region. but he did dangle one tantalizing offer a potential partnership in the future, saying that iran could see further cooperation on the multilateral level within the middle east if -- and here is the big if -- there is a deal on its nuclear program. talks have been going on, on the sidelines of the united nations this week. other than that, a couple of months to go before the next guideline -- deadline. we have heard there will be a meeting later on today. a lot of dots to connect, but yes, some interesting positioning. >> we will see if those two situations intersect. thanks very much, richard. >> the focus at the united nations was on the general assembly today where the president of lebron, croissant -- has found -- the president of

iran, hassan rouhani, spoke to western leaders. >> he is urging them to re-stabilize the region. rouhani has always said that airstrikes will not be enough. let's hear some more of what he had to say. >> for honeys speech -- rouhani 's speech was wide-ranging, but one thing he chose to photos on was -- focus on was the rise of terrorism in the middle east. he strongly criticized groups like is an said that they had no right to follow the teachings of islam. >> they have one ideology, violence and extremism, and they have one goal, destruction of civilization, giving rise to xenophobia, and creating a fertile ground to more foreign forces in our region. >> but he blamed it on the west, and said that colonialism of the past and the racism of the present had created a breeding ground for extremism.

he accused other nations of providing is with nation -- with weapons. >> the right solution to this quandary comes within the region . regional solutions with international support and not from outside the region. >> tehran said it would be willing to work with the west to combat the islamic state. rouhani stressed that an end to islamic -- and into western sanctions against iran would help in the cooperation against terrorism. >> while the islamic state dominates the news, the civil war in syria reince on. >> rebel activists claim that chemical weapons were used as the syrian army overran a town in -- a town near damascus. they uploaded video of what they say is the aftermath of chemical attacks, showing medics

attempting to treat victims. the rebels say six people died in the attack. there has been no confirmation. the advance of islamic state in iraq and syria has triggered a huge exodus of people from those countries. >> as many as 150,000 people have fled from syria in recent days alone, most of them seeking refuge across the border in turkey. we have been talking to some of them. >> since the beginning of august, 28-year-old from us on the air --ramis hamir and her children have been living in an empty warehouse. they just escaped a death squad near their home village. but her husband is still missing. >> we fled in the middle of the night as is closed in on the village. after a while, my husband said

he wanted to go back and get his id card. since then, we haven't heard from him. no telephone call, no sign of life, nothing. >> more than 3500 refugees are living in this camp in her biel -- irbil in northern iraq. it is one of 10 cities in the town a miss region. these people just managed to escape from jihadists and more refugees are arriving every day. >> it is out of our control, and you know the situation of the kurdistan region. it is important for other countries to help and to come into the country and see the situation for themselves. >> the refugees have been provided with clean water, electricity, and hot meals, but no one is helping them recover from the traumatic ordeals have experienced.

>> about one million refugees have fled to the kurdish controlled areas of northern iraq -- muslims, christians, yazzie d, arabs, and kurds. here in the capital, one out of every three is a refugee. kurds say they have been left to deal with the issue alone and neither the central government in baghdad, nor the west, are helping them. >> irbil seems outwardly unaffected by the conflict thereby, but the refugee situation is stirring up more and more controversy. many kurds are afraid the modest economic gains they been able to make in recent years could be under threat. this man says because of the refugees, prices is -- are soaring, especially prices for homes. i think it is a big burden for kurdistan. >> wherever you go, refugees are now working. they are taking away jobs from the local people.

>> there is no chance that a newly arrived refugee like ramah samir will be able to work, she is dependent on handouts, but she is thankful she made it this far. >> they would have sold me as a slave if they had gotten their hands on me, like they did it so many other women. >> they are unlikely to return home anytime soon. >> to help villagers like the ones we in seeing in that report on the front lines after an initial delay, german weaponry is finally arriving in northern iraq. >> kurdish peshmerga fighters badly need the weapons to halt the attacks from the islamic state. >> germans are in the region for an unannounced visit and to assess the fight against is. >> the german defense minister's flying visit to the kurdish

region of northern iraq was a gesture of solidarity. he promised increased support for kurdish forces. she also assured kurdish president a sunny -- assani of more assistance. >> the attacks have prevented refugees from returning to their homes. we agreed we would give extra assistance in the form of mine seeking and clearing devices. >> iraq is asking for more and more modern weaponry for some he says it would help in the fight. it is not only for those in kurdistan, but for the world who opposes terrorism.

the first delivery of german weapons is on its way. the shipment includes antitank guns, rifles, and machine guns. >> meanwhile, fears are growing for two german hostages seized in the philippines by n.l. -- by a militant islamist group that has links to islamist state -- islamic state. >> at 215 million philippine pesos, or over 400 million euros within 15 days, or they say they will execute this german sailor and his wife who were abducted five months ago. the militants are also demanding that germany ended support for the u.s. lead fight against the islamic state. the hostages are thought to be held by militants in sulu province. the terror group says it is finding -- fighting for the islamic state in the philippines, separate from the catholic majority. it demands ransoms to finance

its war. the group -- group came to prominence in 2000. they took hostages. they were freed after months of captivity. the abu sayyaf group has little to about 300 followers today. in july, the leader pledges allegiance to the islamic state, a move seen to revive his fortunes. despite that, germany says it will not back down. >> the threats are not an appropriate way to influence our policy in syria and iraqi some -- and iraq. >> berlin has set up a crisis task force to secure the release of the hostages. >> we will go to a short break. when we come back, more on the ebola crisis in sierra leone with the quarantine now affecting 2 million people. >> stay with us.

>> welcome back to the show. sierra leone has taken a dramatic step of sealing off districts were more than one million people live in an effort to control the evil outbreak. it has claimed 660 lives, and 2000 and the region altogether. with the newly quarantine area means that altogether, some 2 million people are now living in areas where their movements are heavily restricted. >> a special u.n. session has been held, in gets expanding -- aimed at expanding the international response to the crisis. >> to the north and to the south, yet more of sierra leone has been closed off indefinitely. on thursday, the country's president spoke to the special meeting of the united nations via a video link. he described sierra leone as being at the battlefront of one

of the biggest life-and-death challenges facing the global human timidity. -- community. >> sierra leone and its sister republics may be at the front lines of the fight. we must all work together to feed at -- to defeat the disease worse than terrorism. >> >> u.s. president barack obama also stressed ebola's threat to regional and global security in his address to the meeting and he urged the need for a rapid international response. >> if we move fast, even if imperfectly, then that could mean the difference between 10,000, 20,000, 30,000 deaths versus hundreds of thousands, or even a million deaths. this is not one where there should be a lot of wrangling and

people waiting to see who else is doing what. everybody has got to move fast in order for us to make a difference. >> good morning >> commission point -- >> good morning. >> in sierra leone's capital, freetown, volunteers go door-to-door to raise awareness about how to deal with ebola, and deal with suspected infections and deaths. it is crucial for the country's survival. >> when germany asked if military personnel to volunteer in a medical unit where the google outbreak is especially dramatic, -- where the ebola outbreak is especially dramatic, the response was overwhelming. >> that is right. far more to -- far more volunteered than what could be sent to the region. >> germany's push to combat ebola is finally on its way. better late than never is the hope.

this military transport plane is bringing boots, gloves, and disinfected to the senegalese capital where the bundesliga is setting up a hub. >> we will unload the material in the car -- in dhakar and then disseminate them, for example, from munro via to liberia. >> estimated deaths are just under 3000, but it is evident that the real numbers are much higher. there has been a robust response to germany's request for help. soon, the paramedic will be helping ebola patience in west africa. the father of three has mixed single -- feelings. >> i feel fear. i would call it a healthy risk -- respect of the disease.

ebola poses a serious risk when you come in contact with infected people. >> the german units will go to the three worst infected countries. but it is suspected that more civilian medics will be needed if the anti-ebola mission is to be effective. >> in other news, ukraine is to apply for eu membership in 2020. president poroshenko said they will use the next six years to make the necessary social and economic reforms. >> last month, the soviet republic ratified an agreement on closer ties with the eu, however their trade part of that deal has been pushed back until january of 2016 to appease russia, which said it would arm its markets. onto thursday's market action. after a positive start to the day, shares in europe plunged late in the trading session. our correspondent sent us this summary of the day's trading on the frankfurt stock exchange.

>> especially the software problems that apple have been disappointing, not only for users but also investors. apple shares fell by up to 3% also here on the front for floor. the trading -- here on the frankfurt floor. the trading has been weak, but a gain in the a trading -- midday trading. new economic data came in from the u.s. saying that the u.s. economy is not in a very strong position. incoming orders for durable goods limited, and shares fell out. -- shares followed. >> looking at the dax, is finished off by more than 1.4%. the euros stocks also closing at this hour. the euros weaker against the dollar, trading at a value of one u.s. dollars -- $1.27.

>> the bundesliga was in midweek action on wednesday. >> perhaps the most eye-catching of the five matches would be the would be title contenders -- would-be title contenders. [laughs] a little slow. >> it was just off the market. shortly after the break, stood guard aggressive -- stuttgart's aggressive play paid off. minutes later, 24-year-old midfielder was again in the right place at the right time. stuttgart weaves through a confused defense to make it 2-0. that woke the host squad out of its slump. some fancy footwork in a superb solo effort paid off handsomely. then minutes before time, a glaring defensive error.

stuttgart mistimed a long ball, leaving an open goal. he nailed the equalizer. stuttgart show some promise, and dortmund continues to limp into the new season. >> meanwhile, three more points for on formal borussia moenchengladbach in an early victory over hamburg. hamburg push hard for its first victory under the new coach. to bite at the cherry, to score what would be the only goal of the match. hamburg still have not scored one in five outings so far this season. just one goal was enough for the leverkusen in their match against oxford. -- alex berg -- auchsberg.

that victory secures leverkusen the never to stop in the current standings -- number two spot in the current standings. >> we will shift gears now. not long until germany will be marking the 25th anniversary, believe it or not, of the fall of the berlin wall. >> the crumbling of communism in east germany -- in former east germany had become -- begun earlier than that in light sake. -- lisicki. but we will hear about one man -- >> we will hear about one man whose grave message from leipzig was sent out around the world. >> 25 years ago, this was a dangerous climb in more ways than one. he retraces the steps he took with a friend to the top of the reform church in light sake. back then, -- in the big.

back then, it was a part of the communist. >> we overtook military convoys on the way to leipzig. they were planning something. >> demonstrators have been gathering in the six every monday -- in light sake every monday for several weeks. 70,000 people had joined in protest against the communist dictatorship. >> after a long think, we came up with the church tower because we knew the march would pass below and we would be able to film there safely. the state again the line was that there were just a few drunks and hooligans causing a ruckus on the city road. that and show they were tens of thousands taking part in peaceful demonstrations, that something else was happening.

>> the footage was smuggled out into west germany's main evening television show. the report about the leipzig marches was also seen by hundreds of thousands of people seen in east -- living in eastern amini. he was one of them -- living in east germany. this was one of them. but i still get goosebumps when i see it. the protesters were shouting "join us." we were not involved, but we saw the pictures. >> what did you think when you saw the crowd? >> we should have been there, but we were scared. >> and the week after? >> then we marched, too. >> the march was provocative in many ways. the crowds passed by the headquarters of the east german secret police. >> this was always a critical

time. it was right on the ring road. the demonstrators had to go by. the study was standing here at the windows and the protesters were here -- the stassi was standing by the windows and the protesters were here. i was up on a tower, but the critical point was here. had they been hiding behind the curtains, they're deathly could have been a confrontation. >> no blood was shed. but he and his film played a crucial role in the citizens uprising. >> that is all for now. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

this week on "welt trak" once the demand of institutions and overturning nervousments are available in a new form and open to vid investors. liquid at triadvisers lara mag newsen and robert jenkins guide us through this hot property next on consuelo mack's "wealthtrack." new york life along with mainstay's family of mutual funds offers investment and retirement solutions so you can keep your clients keep good going.