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gonda in washington. e this is bbc world news america. the de facto leader of syria says his country isn't a risk to the world. the cia director travels to the middle east to try to make a deal between hamas and israel with the cease-fire said to be within reach. the bbc goes on patrol with kenyan police in haiti dealing with escalating gang violence and we speak with one of the country's most notorious gang leaders. >> welcome to world news america. syria's de facto leader says syria is exhausted by war and isn't a threat to its neighbors or the west. in an interview with the bbc from damascus he called for sanctions on syria to be lifted. a sunni islamist group

claims to have disavowed its isla past since splitting from al qaeda. saying they too are victims of the assad regime as the international organization for migration says the country is not yet stable enough for the large-scale return of refugees. about 100,000 people have already returned to syria. international editor jeremy bowen sat down with syria's de facto leader and send this report. >> the de facto leader of syria ahmed al-sharaa chose to do the interview in the presidential palace built by the assads. he was not surprised the old regime collapsed so quickly. he said syrians needed to keep calm. >> you made a lot of promises. you said you need to respect the mosaic of different sectarian

groups in syria, and minorities as well. will you keep those promises? >> the syrian population has lived together for thousands of years. we will discuss all of it. we will have dialogue and make sure everybody is represented. the old regime always plays on sectarian divisions. we won't. we are welcomed in all big cities by every sect . i think the revolution can contain everybody. >> so this will not be some kind of a caliphate. you won't make syria into a country like afghanistan? because you know, there are people that say maybe you want to behave like the taliban. >> there are many differences between syria and the taliban. the way we govern is different. afghanistan is a tribal community. syria is completely

different. the people do not think in the same way. the syrian government and ruling system will be in line with syrian history and culture. >> the culture of syria includes rights for women, education for women, tolerance for people drinking alcohol? is that all acceptable to you? >> when it comes to women's education, of course. we have had universities for more than 80 years. i think that the percentage of women in universities is more than 60%. >> and alcohol? >> there are many things i just don't have the right to talk about. because those are legal issues. there will be a syrian committee of legal experts to write a constitution. they will decide. any ruler or president will have to follow their law. >> let's talk about why the issues you face.

first, this country is broken. there is a massive amount of destruction. the economy is destroyed. there are huge debts. how do you begin to start dealing with all that when you are -- when the country is under sanctions? and when major powers around the world and the united nations say you are the leader of the terrorist group? >> that is a political classification. we have not committed any crimes that justify calling us a terrorist group. in the last 14 years we have not targeted any civilians or civilian areas or civilian targets. i understand that some countries will be worried by that designation, but it's not true. now, after all that has happened, sanctions must be lifted. because, they were targeted at the old regime. the victim and the oppressor should not be treated in the same way.

>> later in the show we will hear more from our international editor jeremy bowen about that interview. one of the hts leaders first televised introduce -- interviews. the assad regime was accused of widespread extrajudicial killings including mass executions in the country's prison systems. there have been reports of mass graves found outside of damascus exposing systematic abuse. thousands of syrians are estimated to have been killed since 2011 when bashar assad's protests mounted to a full civil war. a mass grave towards the capital contains almost 100,000 people killed under the assad regime. joining me is the director for the syrian emergency task force. you just got back from damascus. tell us your impressions.

>> i got back last night. one thing i was heartened to see is how much jubilation there is across the cities. i drove through aleppo, homs, ham all the waya two damascus. people feel like they can say what they want and make jokes. they could not make jokes where they were living under a terrorist state. that was lifted. american citizens, my own family that was detained were going from intelligence branch to prisons, intelligence branch to present. we saw how sadistic the assad regime was torturing these people and now we have the mass graves. these are the worst crimes of the 21st century. >> how did you find it syrians coping with this? searching for their own family members, friends? >> it is tough. they just want closure. 99.9% of loved ones are

gone. my uncle, most likely, i know he is dead. where i was was most likely where he was buried, under my feet in the mass grave. but as long as you have that .1% chance you live on that and that is why i am frustrated with the international community. they allowed these horrific crimes to go on and did not do anything to help even though it was all televised and documented, what was happening. now, at least out of shame, they should send teams on the ground to preserve evidence and bring fast dna testing to help us provide closure for families and build a system where we can hold criminals accountable. >> we were sitting here listening to the interview with yays -- to the interview with ahmed al-sharaa and you were nodding when he talked about the lifting of sanctions and not equating the victim with the oppressor. what do you think? >> i came back here for exactly that purpose.

there have been meetings to lift the sanctions including the caesar military protection act. he showed the world 50,000 photos of men, women, children, elderly tortured to death. even he is saying it is time to lift the sanctions. i think that the way bashar assad -- i think that the way ya ahmed al-sharaa have conducted themselves, liberating thousands of people come up decorations. instructions for fighters from different factions including hts to conduct themselves professionally. in damascus, the only checkpoint they have going in is a smile and it says welcome home. it is night and day from the hitler-esque assad regime to a new government that is allowing syrians to go back to all citizens.

sudanese, kurds. all of them have said there are zero reports of violations. that is incredibly impressive. even in wars where western countries go sometimes there is no violation. in all there is no displacement, no reports of violations. people are happy and we hope it continues. >> western countries have said in statements they want to wait and see how the transition develops and how a group formerly designated as a terrorist organization does about governing. you said now your goal is to have those conversations. what is the reception like? i know you have just got back but you have been speaking to u.s. contacts. is there appetite to lift the designation to send more aid in and help with the transition? >> absolutely. people from washington saying, look, i know you have important work in damascus. come back here and let's lift sanctions. let's work out the designation. then you can come back and work on the ground. there is definitely open-mindedness to do this. i think that people have

been seeing what is unfolding on the ground. now almost 10 days of deliberation in these areas. people should not wait and see. international communities should help this new democracy. they should help move the constitution towards a new democratic republic not just wait and see. how a new group in a country that has just rid it self russia, iran and assad, there is a lot of work to do and the world should help now because it didn't during the crimes. >> thank you for joining me. >> thank you for having me. >> after months of deadlock the israeli ambassador to the u.n. says israel is hopeful a cease-fire and hostage deal with hamas can be reached before the holiday as officials report greater willingness by both sides to complete the deal. at the united nations headquarters he said that though there is optimism he cannot be confident the deal will get to the finish line for the u.s. cia director william burns is expected to meet with

the qatari prime minister in doha to advance the deal as the u.s. chose a line of cautious optimism. wednesday a palestinian official said mediators have narrowed the gap on most agreement causes. haiti is one of the poorest, most dangerous countries in the world. gangs control over 85% of the capital port-au-prince and the violence escalated following the recent resignation of the country's third prime minister this year. now there are 700 -- seven hundred thousand displaced people. our senior correspondent, and investigator of the first team to enter the country since the latest escalation. you might find the report upsetting. >> downtown port-au-prince. now it is the scene of daily street fighting between gangs vying for control. wherever you look, there is evidence of violence. once one of the city's

most populated areas. we are with the kenyan police on patrol here as part of a multinational force to restore law and order. it is not long before we are under fire. >> we are being shot at by a gang member from that direction. >> in this. -- then this. a human body burning in the middle of the street. haiti is a state on the brink of total collapse crippled by national disasters -- natural disasters and poor governance. violent gangs that controlled most of the country are terrorizing its people with over a hundred of them operating in port-au-prince alone. this week one gang was responsible for the murder of 200 civilians bringing this year's death toll to over 5000. >we will meet the leader

of one of the largest gangs. we are filming the journey into his territory undercover. notorious for kidnapping, wanted by the fbi. >> your gang and gangs like yours have spread terror across the city. you have raped and killed people. >> when we capture an enemy, we are celebrating a victory. sometimes, the group gets excited. they capture somebody and do things they are not supposed to do with them. because the other way around, they would do the same to us. >> i want to ask you about all of the young boys and all of the young men that are coming to fight with you. what motivates them? >> it is me that pays for school for them. i am the one saving them. >> haiti has had four prime ministers in 2024 alone. we asked to speak to the

current government, who declined our request. it is one of the poorest countries in the world and one of the most dangerous. over 700,000 people have had to flee their homes to overcrowded schools like these where sexual violence and drug use is rife. she holds her son tightly on the balcony she has made home for now. he tells me she's too afraid to sleep. she stays up to watch her children. >> my neighborhood was taken over by gangs. i left and went to live here for safety. today again i am on the run to save my life and showed that my life and my children. >> another 50,000 people were pushed out of their homes in the last few -- two weeks. the kenyan police are doing what they can but are overwhelmed. here's some progress. they have overtaken a former police station. >> we are waiting for them to take some stairs because of the area we are in is surrounded by gangs.

we have to stay low because there are snipers nearby. the police fire warning shots. >> you can shoot from here. >> that building over here, the red and blue is where the snipers are shooting. >> stay down, now. >> it is an uphill battle. the commander of the force is optimistic. >> i think i can tell you rome was not built in a day. as of today, people are set up rating. the population -- people are celebrating. the population is demanding us to go to other areas and pacify. there is overwhelming support. >> you came in six months ago with 400 officers and you were promised two buy 5000 officers. six months on, nobody -- 2.5 thousand officers. six months on, nobody has been deployed. why?

>> this is a unique mission that has never been done the world over. it is the first of its kind. anything new that comes from it are challenges you have to accept. >> yet, violence is escalating a clear sign that kenyan strategy is failing. human rights agencies and governments from the americas are appealing to the united nations to launch a peacekeeping mention -- mission. in the only public hospital still operating we are taken to a room of young men, the latest victims. pierre was walking home from work when he was shot in the collarbone. >> i just felt a breeze. the breeze made me numb. i felt a cramp in my chest. until that moment, i did not realize i had been shot. i think that if the government was more stable and had a better program for young people, they wouldn't get involved in gangs and stuff it's that simple. there are no jobs. there's nothing for us. >> the violence permeates every stage of

life here. even those that are just beginning it. shayna is two years old. she, like 760,000 children in haiti is starving. her mother could not get her help until now. she prays it is not too late. >> i would like my kids to be able to eat bread, even if i can't. i would like to get proper care for my child too. i don't want to lose her. >> as the situation here continues to deteriorate, haiti risks losing an entire generation. bbc news, port-au-prince, haiti. >> back to our top story now. at the head of the most powerful group in the rebel alliance now in control in syria told the bbc the country is exhausted by war and is not a threat to its neighbors or the west. ahmed al-sharaa let the

lightning offensive that toppled bashar al-assad less than two weeks ago. he is the leader of hts, a group of rebels. in recent days he has been trying to allay fears that the new government will restrict the rights of women. he says the new group is no longer linked to al qaeda. many syrians are skeptical. jeremy bowen sat down with ya ahmed al-sharaa and joins us now. really interesting interview. give us a sense of what he was like. >> he comes across as actually a highly intelligent man. i would say he comes across as a man that is very politically astute. like a lot of astute politicians, he sometimes seemed reluctant to give a straight answer to a straight question. that will not necessarily allay people's fears. they look back at his history. this is a man with a long record as a jihadist fighter before

2016 when he broke with al qaeda. but, his record goes back to fighting in the insurgency against the americans in iraq 20 odd years ago. >> did you get a sense from your interview of what kind of government he and his group intend to build? >> well, without a doubt, he is an islamist. he says that. but, the way they presented themselves is as a group that is prepared to tolerate those people that are not devout sunni muslims . syria is a diverse country. there are shia muslims, there are christians. there is a community that former president bashar al-assad comes from. a lot of them are scared at the moment about what he might have in store for them.

there is quite a bit of skepticism. in damascus you see a lot of secular people. there is a strong secular tradition read you go to the old city and to sit at bars and buy drinks. you see plenty of women not wearing hijabs. i think people are concerned of their lives will change. he says the old regime used a play about with sectarianism to scare people. but, they will be ok with it. we will see. >> in the transition phase have we seen syrians cumming presents looking for any sign of loved ones. what did ahmed al-sharaa say about reckoning with the assad regime? >> he said that their organization is not an organization of vengeance. that in fact it's an organization which respects the legal processes. there is a real appetite here.

for getting even with the old regime. for example, the few days ago, i spent the afternoon with 5000 or 10,000 people waiting for what they thought would be a public execution of a man accused of being part of a massacre in their district in damascus. he will have to try to satisfy people's desire for reckoning. while trying to avoid excessive vengeance. that in itself is a destabilizing factor. >> it seems like he had a significant message to the west about the terrorist designation for his group. >> yes. he said they are terrorists. they have not targeted civilians. he said it's a political accusation and that sanctions should be lifted. as for the neighbors, israel has been bombing syria and taken more

land syria as well. hef said syria is exhausted. they can't fight anymore. he will try to reach out diplomatically to sort out these problems. >> jeremy bowen, interesting reporting. thank you for joining us. u.s. lawmakers have put forward more than 80 recommendations on how the u.s. should regulate artificial intelligence pretty u.s. house of representatives task force on artificial intelligence submitted an end of year review this week highlighting the risk of threats like misinformation, biases, privacy, loss of jobs and synthetically generated content like deepfakes. determining appropriate regulations for how ar is used in government sectors and liabilities in intellectual property law for people that create ai generated content. i spoke to the cochairmen of the house task force, a republican congressman from california.

on data privacy there were concerns about the amount of data being used to train ai models. i am concerned there are to the right regulations in the legal frame -- and legal framework in place to protect users. what do you think it happened on the federal level to do that? >> there are two issues at play with data and artificial intelligence. first, the one you highlighted. copyrighted material is sometimes used to train ai algorithms. the question has arisen, doesn't that create a derivative work? or is it fair use of material that is publicly available? this issue is making its way into the courts. the report goes into detail on different actions congress might take in the future to resolve the issue and create a legal landscape that is fair for everyone. the other issue we are highlighting in the report is the issue of ai being used by malicious actors to potentially pierce digital data privacy and we aggregate data that has been supposedly

disaggregated. ai is a powerful tool for pattern recognition. people are already starting to use it that way. it's a serious concern of ours so we feel strongly we need preemptive federal digital data privacy legislation to establish standards which preempt that kind of material. >> see more of the interview later on the show on bbc news. you can find more news on our website bbc.com/news. find more of jeremy bowen's interview with the rebel leader in syria and see what we are working on anytime. check us out on your favorite social media site. for all of us here at world news america. thank you so much for watching. stay with bbc news. announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james.

announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: get the free pbs app now and stream the best of pbs.

♪ geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. amna nawaz is away. on the "newshour" tonight. the federal reserve cuts interest rates once again but concerns over inflation and the incoming trump administration raise questions about future cuts. in