the group formerly known as i.s.i.s., now the islamic state group. it can be confusing. goal is to give people a baseline on whether or not the group is, and how to do it. >> they've ban good at promoting islamic state. as we found out. the n.s.a. is spying on leaders. mohammed is a supporter of islamic state. tweet at me saying: >>> the hashtag is arabic for islamic state. maybe i should feel commissionered or scared -- comforted or scared being trolled by them. >>> there's no doubt that america has a stake in the crisis escalating. the group calling itself islamic state, formerly i.s.i.s., has not only been making headway in key iraqi cities, but on a battlefield everywhere can watch unfold in real time. [ ♪ music ] >>> from youtube, twitter, facebook, info graphicses, the islamic state is executing a highly strategic social media campaign to spread its cause. it's nothing new for fighters to use the internet to form and recruit, this level is unprecedented and islamic state may be the most social media savvy rebel group. reportedly they are the best funded. there's a n

the new battlefield? how should the united states government respond to the islamic state group?> i am a big believer in counter radicalization. i think when you, as he said, you cut off the -- one head and another grows or multiple grow. there are windows into how this group things and how its followers adhere to that ideology. i think we have to have a counter radicalization online in the same -- on the same platform that isis is using, we can have people who are actually providing i hope sight on how to not join this group or reasons why we shouldn't join this group whether it's killing other muslims, causing afterok -- havoc, there is no reference for the rule of law. it's gruesome and brutal. we need to utilize every single online medium in order to counter this kind of rhetoric. should the u.s. set its sights on the islamic state as the new al-qaeda. their objectives, the risk every day iraqis face trying to go about their every day routine? >> the situation is volatile. anything can happen at any time. people don't know how to go on their daily life. >> those closest to th

one of the iraqi cities that the group known as the islamic state took over. abu bakr al-baghdadi called on all muslim to obey him as long as he followed the rules of god. abu bakr al-baghdadi is the secretive leader of the group islamic state of iraq and levant. up until now this photo was one of two authenticated images of him, earning him the nickname the invisible sheikh. he joined the fight against the u.s.-led invasion of iraq in 2003 and spend time in a u.s. detention camp. he became the leader of an armed group led by al qaeda. al qaeda rejected ties to him. imran khan has more from baghdad. >> if this video of abu bakr al-baghdadi is confirmed, it send out a strong message, the first message is that the is will say this abu bakr al-baghdadi, the cal af of the islamic state is able to travel within his territories and not get harassed and hit by the security forces. he has come from syria across the border into north-western iraq and appeared in a public place, that, itself, is a big message. what did he say? >> well, it's stuff that is consistent with

the islamic state in the north and west. >> what are the chances of displacing the islamic state group? >> the islamic state group presents a serious problem for itself. it isn't simply an iraq. it's fighting other islamic groups in syria at the same time. so it needs time to build up control over the areas it's taken if it can do so because it does say strong rivals and certainly a lot of tribal resistance. >> what about the impending refugee crisis into neighboring countries? >> well, there already is a refugee crisis radio. you've seen at least 1 -- refugee crisis. you've seen at least 1 million people move out. it's gone into lebanon, turkey, jordan and other areas. >> we also see troops amassing along the borders of neighboring countries. is there concern iraq cannot stay together as a single country anymore? >> i think everyone is concerned iraq may not stay together as a single country, but the more serious problem is that having a single country where you have sectarian and ethnic groups that hate each other, that drive people who are in the might be out of their homes or kill --

on the one hand the coalition of sunni groups that has aligned with the islamic state is entrenching nz the north and west of iraq. the longer that there is a stalemate, the more there'll be tensions in the coalition that the islamic state aligned with. and many groups, whether tribal or other militant networks formed out of military officers, they will not put up with the extreme understanding of sharia for long. the coalition will crack eventually. >> both of us should feel honoured or scared. we have been controlled by the islamic state group. they targeted me. after a show we did earlier, where we talked about glen's latest report about the n.s.a. surveying leaders, i tweeted about that, and they responded with a tweet saying: >>> one of your quotes was featured in an i.s.i.s. congrats on that, i guess. they are paying attention to what is said about them. the question is for what purpose - recruitment. intimidation. at least they called me brother, so i'm probably coming out better than you. crusader. you. >> i think what it shows in these cases is that these folks say they don't

the stream." from fighting in iraq to social media masters. the islamic state is giving a minute by minute window into their lives. the reason the groupt al qaeda, we break two. >>> later - every day iraqis trying to buy groceries, get their kids to school and go to work. how those

the arrest happened in hebron. >>> the sunni group trying to establish an islamic state in the middle east has released a video of its leader abu bakr al-baghdadi preaching in mosul. iraq says the footage is fabricat fabricated. >> drivers fired at protesting against the hiking fuel prices in egypt. the government says it's necessary to fix the economy. >>> more than iran. 40 indian nurses stranded in tikrit after fighting broke out are back on home soil. they arrived from iraq on saturday and were reunited with family and friends. we have this report from mumbai. >> exhausted and relieved 46 indian nurses who were dropped in iraq are back home, working for a hospital in the northern city of tikrit when detained by fighters from the armed group islamic state. >> i'm so happy because i tell my children, and they are happy. if i tell them, they would be orphan. >> despite the ordeal the women were freed well. when we saw them they were in fear. they did not harm us, they behaved nicely. >> the crisis was a major test for the newly elected government. officials are not disclosing how the

the province. many sunni groups took part in the offensive pushing the iraqi army out. among them the self declared islamic state. weeks later they share the toppling of the nouri al-maliki regime. beyond that they don't have the same vision for the future. the group known as islamic state of iraq and levant started a campaign to get rid of dissent to its rule. >> translation: masked fighters are looking for and arresting former barthist and officers of saddam's army and tribal leaders, exposing their own views on people, telling tribes to lay down their arms. we will not accept this. >> reporter: this former general prefers to remain anonymous. his former cousin arrested. >> translation: mosul, is where the leader of the self-dlarld islamic state chose to make his first public appearance. this video after he declared a calafat and demanded muslims declared allegiance to him. >> reporter: many sunni groups have in the heeded the call and that is why the islamic state has been arresting former bosses and tribaledliers, saying it's a -- tribal elders, saying it's a scare tactic. it's hard to gauge public opinion,

this week the leader of the jihadist group now known as the islamic state made his first public appearance he gave a sermon in the second largest city of iraq praising the creation of an islamic caliphate on the occupied territories the militants are making major gains capturing a key oil field on the syrian border that's on top of the other resource rich sites have already snatched from baghdad. let's take a quick look at how much land the islamic state groups already got under its control that we're about to see coming up here in black on the map is the self-proclaimed caliphate straddling the border between syria and iran as you can see the success of the islamic state group has seen a number of rebel factions in syria now pledge allegiance to it as well and the green group is eager to show off its military might to persuade other fighters to join their cause a parade of tanks and other combat vehicles some of them of american origin was filmed in eastern syria iraq insists it can defend the jihadists but as you see catherine of explains that could prove the heart of the thinks. jim hal

the islamic state is on the move in syria. the islamic state is in control of syria's oil and gas fields. they have oil assets which could bruce 3500 barrels a day. the monitoring groups is in control of an area five times the size of lebanon. iraq's kurdish minority is pushing for more independence, it's the subject of our "deeper look", later in the hour. >>> moving to ukraine - a major win for the government forces. pro-russian separatists have been driven out of slovyansk. ukraine's president has given them until sunday to lay down their weapons. scott heidler has the day's developments. >> reporter: hundreds of separatist fighters on the move, pushed out by a major ukrainian offensive. many leaving the northern front in slovyansk, a position they held for three months, near the russian border. it's a victory for the central government in kiev whonded a ceasefire -- who ended a ceasefire five days ago. >> armed forces are under operation in slovyansk. an order was given to raise ukraine's flag on the city administration building. >> reporter: this is the direction the fighters were heading, here to don everybody. several -- donetsk. several hundred arrived. local

islamic state fighters. most of the troops were beheaded after being captured alive. that's according to opposition activists. 28 islamic state fighters have died since the group launched an offensive in northern syria on thursday. the u.n. human rights investigators say an increasing number of syrian opposition fighters appear to be joining the islamic state group. they say fighters from the group may be added to a list of war crime suspects in syria. >>> church groups in the uk came together in london to protest the treatment of iraqi christians in mosul. demonstrators made their way to downing street to demand better protection of those in danger. islamic state fighters are in control in mosul, and there are reports over 10,000 christians have been forced to flee to neighboring cities. we talked to residents in mosul about how life has changed since islamic state fighters took over the city. we have this report. >> reporter: since june fighters belonging to the islamic state group have ruled mosul. their black banners are raised over your bases in the city. at this gathering in the city center, there is some support. this video is set to show government employees wa

the iraqi syrian border. so let's take a look at how much land the islamic state group already has under its control well the black area substantial that we can see here is the self-proclaimed caliphate the straddles the border between syria and iraq the success of the islamic state group has seen a number of rebel factions in syria now pledge their allegiance to it and the group is eager to show off its military might to persuade other fighters to join their cause a parade of tanks and other combat vehicles some of them originally supplied by america was filmed in eastern syria iraq insists it can defeat the jihadists but as they see catherine off now explains that could prove to be a tough task. to harvest formally known as isis this week to clear the completion of their islamic state this with a sham but now it's all one country there is no more or less. the iraqi army meanwhile is fighting back in televised news briefings the government takes a victorious tone you know what may just come from the information that the ice is leaders have started to flee but on the ground we've found little evidence to back

while the jihadist group now known as the islamic state strengthens its gains in iraq its leader is a family made a rare public appearance calling on all muslims to swear allegiance to his new caliphate. the killing of a palestinian boy in jerusalem triggers of violence across the region with activists saying israeli casualties get the lion's share of attention all the deaths of palestinian youths go ignored. welcome thanks for joining us once again you watch in the weekly on r.t. here with the day's headlines and a roundup of the week's top stories. first deadly fighting goes on across eastern ukraine and residential areas continue to be caught up in the army's assault so that despite promises not to attack them now these are images from the city of lugansk where shelling reportedly left at least one dead and forty injured it is the latest in a string of heavy raids on eastern ukrainian cities this week has seen dozens of civilians killed and entire villages razed to the ground. civilians have had to seek cover and avoid being caught up in what the military says are precise attacks o

the second-most powerful group in the country. so now they are fighting themselves in a helpless situation in which they have to fight two powerful forces the regime and the islamic stateink some of them have decided they will join the islamic state -- >> if you can't beat them join them. >> exactly. >> how much of a threat is this group to bashar al-assad? >> well, i think now we see that the islamic state is emerging as the most powerful challenge to the regime of bashar al-assad, maybe in the next stage. and as most of the rebel groups -- the moderate groups just diminish or disappear or join the islamic state, i think it's going to be a major threat to the regime. i think we'll see more fighting because now the regime feels like if it doesn't challenge the isz -- islamic state right now, i think they can't do it later. >> so given that what would be -- does that change the policies of the region and the west who are supporting the rebel fighters on the ground in their fight against bashar al-assad if actually the strongest fighting force becomes the islamic state? >> i think that will affect the calculations of all of the regional and international players. right n

. >>> the leader of the group islamic state said followers should go to iraq and syria to build a caliphate. in english and arabic, albag dardy said the islamic state is for all muslims, and said: . >> more than 500 people have been arrested in hong kong as police broke up a city, and by pro-democracy campaigners. demonstrators want freedom as to who runs their city. under the current system candidates will be vetted by beijing. adrian brown has the latest from hong kong. >> the streets have been cleared and cleared as you can see in the central business district. this is the heart of what is a world financial city. a key economic hub. and that is why the police moved in in the early hours of this morning and cleared away several hundred pro-democracy protesters who had been camping out. the police say the occupation was illegal. what we saw were often violent confrontations. now, the pro-democracy camp warned of a possibility of violence, of civil disobedience if they were not allowed to carry out their protest overnight. this shows us that the police are prepared to crack down hard on a p

importantly warned they could be smuggled out of iraq given the country's current instability now this sunni muslim group known as the law islamic state is now kind offshoot is spearheading the takeover of large areas of iraq and neighboring syria the group captured the facility in early june two bunkers inside of it are believed to contain two thousand five hundred degraded rockets filled with the deadly nerve agent sarin and mustard gas u.s. officials have downplayed the risk claiming the materials are too old to be useful but regardless of what the a or the united states government says now the fear remains that with the required expertise these could be developed into something dangerous and smuggled across the border and here's why the islamic state group is currently using weapons it recently seized in iraq to intensify its offensive in iraq and syria according to many media reports with crises carrying out across both those countries and libya and gaza the fact remains that these militants have a growing interest in chemical weapons they've seized materials and are potentially on the road to any of these hot spots that's why st

among one of the groups here the self declared islamic state. ter the groups still share the objective to recall the maliki regime. it seems the group has started a campaign to get rid of any descent to its rule. >> translator: masked fighters are looking for and arresting former officers from saadam's army. they are imposing their own extremist views on people. they are telling tribes to lay down their arms. we won't accept this. >> reporter: this former major general prefers to remain anonymous. this was here a man who was the leader of the self declared islamic state chose to make his first appear answer. he demanded muslims pledge allegiance to him. many sunni groups haven't heeded that call, and some people believe that is why the self declare islamic state group has been arrested tribal elders. they say it's a scare tactic to prevent any opposition to its rule. the city is off-limits to international journalists, and people are fearful to speak their minds, but formal general leaves the islamic state won't be able to prevail over what he ca

the group is known as the islamic state, taking over three weeks ago. imran khan has more from baghdad. >> if this video of abu bakr al-baghdadi in mosul is confirmed it send out a strong message. the first is that the is will say that abu bakr al-baghdadi, the cal af of the islamic state is able to travel within his own territories and got get harassed or hit by the security forces. he has come from syria, across the border into north-western iraq and appeared in a public place. it is a big message. what did he say. well, it's stuff that is consistent with what we heard from the audio tapes. once again he says "please come to the islamic cal af fate, it is your duty to fight and we are the om ones that -- only oning that can bring peace to the is lalic world." the islamic state are pushing this heavy, saying in is bagged. and the message is clear. we can travel anywhere we like within the islamic state. it's a big message to put out, one that people are listening to. >> two were injured when egyptian security forces fired at protesters protesting a hik

as the so-called islamic state terror group gains ground in iraq journalists scrutinize a rare video of its leader underpricing watch on his wrist raising further questions about the money behind the operation. also the killing of a palestinian boy in jerusalem triggers violence across the region with activists saying israeli casualties get the lion's share of attention on the deaths of palestinian youths go ignored. welcome you're watching the weekly on r.t. here with today's headlines and a round up of the week's top stories. now deadly fighting goes on across eastern ukraine and residential areas continue to be caught up in the army's assault starts despite promises not to attack them and these are images from the city of lugansk where shelling reportedly left at least one dead and four injured so the latest in a string of heavy raids on eastern ukrainian cities this week that's seen dozens of civilians killed and entire villages raced to the ground. well civilians of hand to seek cover and avoid being caught up in what the military says are precise attacks on anti-government fight

capturing a key oil field on the syrian border this on top of other resource rich sites they've already snatched from baghdad let's take a look at how much land the islamic state group already has under its control now this black area on the map is their declared islamic caliphate the orange line is the border separating syria from iraq the success of the islamic state group has seen a number of rebel factions in syria now pledge their allegiance to it and they're eager to show off their military hardware to persuade other fighters to join their cause a parade of tanks and other vehicles some of them of u.s. origin filmed in eastern syria iraq insisting it can defeat the jihad is but it's losing coughing up explains that could prove a tall order. just harvests formally known as isis this week to clear the completion of their islamic state this a sham but now. one country is no more or less. the iraqi army meanwhile is finding back in televised news briefings the government takes a victorious tone. come from the information that the isis leaders have started to flee but on the ground we've found little evidence to back up those claims this used to be a territory cont

the sunni armed fighters. including the islamic state group. this district has long been disputed territory between the kurds and baghdad. >> reporter: for kurdish officials this was the message. the iraqi army may have abandoned their positions during the sunni offensive in early unio june, but the moment nouri al-maliki has vowed to retake this land. they used planes to target this area. three missiles landed in a residential area. two people including an 11-year-old girl were killed. >> reporter: we're afraid there will be more airstrikes. the government offered an apology, but an apology is not enough. >> kurdish officials are confident that iraqi forces cannot return to this region. >> yes, it is a threat. we take it seriously. but maliki does not have that much power. and the islamic state group is between us and them. he should attack them first and then us. >> but kurds do have other enemies on the ground. this is ethnically and religiously mixed district. a double car bombing targeted a kurdish check point close to a marketplace two we

this week leader of the jihadi group known as the islamic state has made his first public appearance he gave a sermon on the second largest city of iraq praising the creation of an islamic caliphate on the occupied territories militants making major gains capturing an oil field along those. pardon me syrian border on top of the other resource rich sites they've already snatched from baghdad let's take a look at how much land the islamic state group already has under its control now this black area you've got syria here in iraq this area is what they control the yellow line is the border between the two countries now the success of the islamic state group has seen a number of rebel factions in syria now pledge allegiance to it the group is eager to show off its military might and perswade other fighters to join their cause a parade of tanks and other vehicles some of them of u.s. origin was filmed in eastern syria iraq insists it can defeat the jihad it's. explains though that could be a tall order for. jihad is formally known as isis this week to clear the completion of their islamic

on the syrian border that's on top of the other resource rich sites they've already so much from baghdad which take a quick look at how much of the islamic state group already has under its control it's coming up here in black a lot as you can see that is the self-proclaimed caliphate straddling the border. between syria and iraq the success of the islamic state group seen a number of rebel factions in syria now pledge allegiance to it and the groups eager to show off its military might as well to persuade other fighters to join their cause a parade of tanks and other combat vehicles some of them of american origin filmed in eastern syria iraq insists it can defeat the jihad this but is loosely caffein off explains that could prove harder than it thinks. two harvests formally known as isis this week to clear the completion of their islamic state this up with a sham but now so one country there is no more or less. the iraqi army meanwhile is fighting back in televised news briefings the government takes a victorious tone you know what may just come from the information that the ice is leaders have started to fleet but on the ground we've found little

that puts them at the forefront of battles with islamic state. the flag of islamic group has raised over a building about 800 meters away from where i am. kurdish forces are engaged in fierce battles on a number of fronts. they are overstretched. the commander shows me the hot spot under his command but says the battle is much wider. >> we have eight different battlefields with the fighters. we have 1,000 kilometers of border with the islamic state. from the syrian border all the way to the border with iran we ared a ready for them. they're all well trained former army fighters. >> reporter: not far from kirkuk this is a force. fighters from the islamic street drag the streets of the town. they're well armed and determined to carry on. kurdish security officials say that they they're armed with weapons seized from the iraqi army. the kurdish are preparing for a long battle. they have managed to secure itself away from the violence and the rest of iraq, now it's being dragged in to it. >> three al jazeera journalists have spent 213 days in an egyptian prison. two were give

have already pledged allegiance to what is now been named the islamic states by militant so let's have a quick look at how much land the group already has under its control this black area on the map is the so-called islamic state you can see that half of the border between iraq and syria has been wiped dank by the militant iraq still claims that it can defeat the terrorists and reclaim the territories lucy careful of explains why that could prove to be very tough. the hottest formally known as isis this week to clear the completion of their islamic state this that opposition but now. one country there is no more or less. the iraqi army meanwhile is fighting back in televised news briefings the government takes a victorious tone. come from the information that the ice is leaders have started to fleet but on the ground we've found little evidence to back up those claims this used to be a territory controlled by the central government but the iraqi army fled this area the same day that the city of mosul was captured by isis millions of dollars of u.s. made equipment abandoned uniforms shared in haste. now this looks like a per

the group is humiliating christians. >> some muslims in mosul and other areas under the control of the islamic state became targets of discrimination. shi'ite and other minorities are being killed, kidnapped or forced to leave. sunnis that oppose the group's idea yoingly has been persecuted. many people are trying to cope and hiding their fears. there are others who say they prefer such over marginalization and being ruled by sectarian government. it presents an uncertain future for a country on the verge of disintegration. >>> three al jazeera journalists spent 204 days in an e-egyptian prison, falsely accused of helping the muslim brotherhood. mohamed fadel fahmy and peter greste were gaoled for seven years, baher mohamed was given seven years but received an additional three because he had a spent bullet in his possession, which he picked up at a protest. al jazeera continues to demand the journalists be freed. >> consider this: the news of the day plus so much more. >> we begin with the growing controversy. >> answers to the questions no one else will ask. >> why did so many of these people choo

the iraqi syrian border. let's have a look at just how much land the islamic state group already has under its control and if ake a look at the black area on our map or that is the self-proclaimed caliphate straddling the border between syria and iraq the success of the islamic state group has seen a number of rebel factions in syria now pledge their allegiance to it and the group is eager to show off its military might to persuade other fighters to join the cause a parade of tanks and other combat vehicles some of them originally supplied by america was filmed in eastern syria iraq insists it can defeat the jihadists as lucy catherine off explains that could prove to be a tough task. to harvest formally known as isis this week to clear the completion of their islamic state this that up with a sham but now. one country there is no more or less. the iraqi army meanwhile is finding back in televised news briefings the government takes a victorious tone. come from the information that the isis leaders have started to fleet but on the ground we've found little evidence to back up those claims this used to be terr

rich sites they've already snatched from baghdad in fact let's take a look at the mouth and see how much land islamic state groups already got under its control is coming up here in black this area is the self-proclaimed caliphate no struggle huge area bordering syria and iraq the success of the islamic state groups been seen by a number of rebel factions in syria who are no pledging their allegiance to it as well the groups eager to show off its military might look at this to persuade other fighters to join because this is a parade of tanks and other combat vehicles some of them american of american origin which was filmed in eastern syria iraq insists it can defeat that you know how this but as you see caffein off explains next it could prove harder than it thinks to harvest formally known as isis this week to clear the completion of their islamic state this. but now. one country there is no more or less. the iraqi army meanwhile is fighting back in televised news briefings the government takes a victorious tone. it is going from the information that the ice is looters have started to flee but on the ground we'

in the province alone, activists say 150,000 people have been forced from their homes. fighters from the islamic state group now occupy most of the towns and villages in that province. they told able to leaders that people who don't pledge allegiance to the islamic state group have to leave. >> let's go to egypt now where the president has issued a decree raising the sales tax on cigarettes and alcohol by between 50-200%. it's the latest move to address the countries economic problems following saturday's rise in energy prices. the fuel price increase by up to 70% led to protests in a number of cities, as we report. >> gridlock on egypt's highways, another result of the rapidly rise fuel prices. trucks brought to a standstill. the price hikes have made many egyptians very angry. >> this is about the people's livelihoods, this is not going to work. do they assume the people are passive and will not do anything? >> what can the poor man do to survive, what can the government worker do? the minister is sitting in comfort behind his desk, someone should go into the streets and see how the people of suffering. >

the worst. >> we have been targeted before, but never to this extent. this group is humiliating christians. >> some muslims in mosul and others under the control of the islamic state have become targets of discrimination. minorities are being killed, kidnapped or forced to leave. sunni's who oppose the group's extreme ideology of persecuted. the islamic state has issued a stet of rulings imposing its strict teachings. many people are trying to cope and hiding their fears. others prefer such strict features over marginalizization or being ruled by the government. the country is on the verge of disintegration. it's not just christians living in fear of persecution. this is meant to be a place of worship and spiritualty but has turned into a sanctuary for families escaping mosul. when fighters from the islamic state who are in control arrived, they were not welcome. >> a shia group fled. >> they threatened us and asked us to leave. we didn't sleep because of fear. we didn't have anywhere to go. >> it might be safe, but conditions are tough, scorching heat, lack of food and medicine. >> 120 families are living here, most came from mosul on the surrounding areas. when

the brutality and this injustice. >> at least seven people were killed in a state of bombings and baghdad this morning. we have this report on the fighting between iraqi government forces and the rebel group islamic state. >> reporter: the bomb took place just behind me, we heard it as we stood here, and then when i looked behind there was a big cloud of smoke where the bomb, to go place. it was at a check post where seven people died and others injured. there was another suicide-bomb on a motorcycle, which hit another neighborhood. now after that bombing very early in the morning the islamic state claimed responsibility for this they sent out a picture of the man they say was responsible for that particular attack. now this is slightly different tactic than we've seen before. we've seen bombs in baghdad for the last 18 months but now the islamic state are very quickly taking responsibility for it. they say it's part of the tit-for-tat that is going on. the morwe may see more attacks like this in afghanistan. >> the electoral commission is admitting there may have been impropei improprieties. they say so far candidate abdullah abdullah has more than 3 million votes and the candidate gani has more

the conflict in gaza. a pro rebel group called it the deadliest day of fighting in the war. the group, islamic state, is making advances in both syria and iraq. in every place it takes over, people are ordered to either convert to it's extremely strict interpretation of islamic law or face death. >> there are fears that christians in iraq are coming under increased persecution, and many now have largely left. >> wit islamic state fighters ae focusing on minorities. forced to converter face death. hundreds fled. and families too afraid to show their faces, facing robbed of everything that they open. >> they stopped us on the way out and took my i.d. and found out i was a christian. they took all of my money, i lived and worked all of my life in mosul. >> they burned down an 1800-year-old church. since islamic fighters seized mosul last month, the second largest city, churches have closed and religious symbols are removed. this is believed to be the tomb of the biblical leader. they have been ordered to cover faces, and the christians have plummeted from 2,000 in 2003 to 100 now. we have been targeted

including the self-declared is lalic state -- islamic state group. we reach this district, long disputed territory between the kurds and baghdad. for kurdish officials, this was a message from the central government in baghdad. the iraqi army may have abandoned positions during the sunni offensive. nouri al-maliki vowed to retake the land. a few days ago the iraqi army used lanes to target the neighbourhood. three missiles landed in a residential area. two people, including an 11-year-old girl were kill. >> we are afraid there'll be more air strikes. the government offered an apology, but that is not enough. >> kurdish officials, however, are confident that iraqi forces cannot return to this region. >> yes, it is a threat. we take it seriously, but nouri al-maliki doesn't have power, and the islamic state group is between us and them. he should attack them first, and then us. >> but kurds do have other enemies on the ground. this is an ethnically and religiously mixed district. a double car bombing targetting a kurdish checkpoint close to a marketplac

the kenyan coast. somalia rebel group al-shabab says it's after the attack. the group calling itself the islamic state formerly the i.s.i.l. released this video of abu bakr al-baghdadi preaching in mosul. iraq's government is questioning the legitimacy of the video. >>> two people have been injured during street protests. shans are pro -- egyptians are protesting against the high costs. >>> a 70% increase in fuel prices took effect. commuters are angry. this will affect everything. food, drink, transport, expenses and work. how can all these people afford a life. this is not fair. >> reporter: after the government removed subsidies, many will go out of business. >> translation: gas cost 45 pei aft ras, now it's 110. we can't pay the represent or deal with this increase. >> reporter: these pictures show taxis in protest. the network is banned. we cannot independently verify the pictures. there were reports of skirmishes as temperatures ran high. cuts are needed. subsidies were costing a quarter of the budget. the government is not against the poor people. the government is working to fix things, lookin

islamic state, stretching across into syria. there are well-trained force that may share the short term aims of other sunni groups but not the moderatey. they are careful not to criticize the islamic state but at the same time they are not pledging allegiance to a group claiming sole authority on the ground. these tribal elders say the future of iraq will be decided at the ballot box but only after they get rid of what they call maliki regime. it began in 2013 when they took to the streets in a number of provinces and say their community has not only been marginalized but targeted by the government of maliki, the army responded with force. more than a year later they have pushed the iraqi government out of the sunni heart land and don't just want to replace maliki, they want to reform what they call iraq sectarian political system and end iranian and american influence in their country, that is their goal. and even though the self declared islamic state group is not part of their military council they don't plan to take up arms against it, at least not just yet. >> translator: we will not feel the awakening again and will not fight o

this week the leader of the hottest group known as the islamic state made his first appearance he gavea sermon at the second largest city of iraq praising the creation of an islamic caliphate on the occupied territories militants making gains capturing an oil field in the syrian border on top of that other resource rich sites they've already away from baghdad to take a look at how much land the islamic state group already has under its control of the black area of this map here is the territory that is currently under their command is yellow line is the border separating syria from iraq the success of the islamic state has seen a number of rebel factions now pledge allegiance to it in syria and the group is eager to show off its new military hardware to persuade others to join the fight a parade of tanks and combat vehicles some of them of u.s. origin filmed in eastern syria in iraq in iraq insists it can defeat the job this elusive cough and i've explained that this could prove a tall order. just harvests formally known as isis this week to clear the completion of their islamic state

but mali cuss not have that much power, and the islamic state group 200 should attack them. >> reportera double car bombing targeted a kurdish checkpoint close to a marketplace a week ago. people here blame the self-declared islamic state group for the attack. that groupening, along with sunni armed factions, are controlling territory less than a kil kilometer from the direct center. for now the kurds are holding their ground. they hope to hold this region in their future state. but the defenses they're building can't prevent their enemies from entering because this front is also a crossing point used by civilians. closing this road would only antagonize sunni arabs who live in surrounding region. this front line is an important junction. one road leads to sunny controlled city. the kurds want this land, but both sunnies and shias have said they won't accept a divided iraq. al jazeera. >> united nations security council is calling on rebels in yemen to leave the city of amram which they captured on tuesday. demonstrators have called on the government to crackdown on these rebels. >> yem

this week the leader of the jihadist group now known as the islamic state made his first public appearance see gave a sermon at the second largest city of iraq praising the creation of an islamic caliphate on the occupied territories. militants are making major gains capturing a key oil field on the syrian border but so on top of the other resorts ridge sites they've already searched from baghdad let's take it one is look at how much they've made on the map here this black area coming up is the self-proclaimed caliphate now struggling a border between syria and an area a big amount of land the success of the islamic state groups see the number of rebel factions in syria no pledging allegiance to it as well and the groups we get to show off its military might to persuade other fighters to join their cause this is a parade of tanks and other combat vehicles some of them with american origin by the way filmed in eastern syria iraq insists it can defeat the jihadists but not explain to us in the week but could prove harder that it thinks hardest formerly known as isis this week to clear the co