the number of dead in aleppo is growing.ia's second largest city is close to the border with turkey. but it's not just forces loyal to bashar al-assad who are eyeing the strategic advantage of holding aleppo. in the last few months rebels have had to confront a new foe. the islamic state group. once their ally i.s. fighters are now pointing their guns to rebel positions. rebels are being squeezed between government and islamic state fighters and aleppo's people are trapped and suffering in the middle. al jazeera. kurdish peshmerga forces in iraq has taken control year erbil. it follows the advancing of islamic state fighters who have pushed inside territory in the country's north. fighters in the group are still in nearby villages which are as close to a kilometer to the kurdish position. >>> well, camps have been set up in turkey to shelter yazidis from iraq. they say the threat means they never will return home. >> reporter: this is a traditional kurdish chant for those left behind. these yazidis are safe in a turkish refu

it's going to be a very interesting. >> residents in aleppo and idlib provinces say u.s. airstrikes killed nearly a dozen civilians. the u.s. admits that there were some deaths but it's precision strikes were aimed a the al-qaeda and al nusra front. >> we from europe, we show the world that we've against any aggression. >> the fighters came from the al nusra weren't. the two groups broke ties last month. 150,000 people have now crossed the border since thursday. stephanie decker reports on the mass exodus. >> reporter: it's a very difficult situation here. they're now bringing a gentleman in on a stretcher from the our side of this opening. this is a makeshift medical center set up. but people keep streaming in. the town is joust a couple of hundred meters away, this is basically what is happening here. this is the turkish side of the border. people will get processed where their details are taken, checks for medical conditions. a lot stay with families or makeshift shelters official refugee camps, but it's an incredibly difficult situation. also when they get here they d

the air strikes in aleppo were going after core southern.ghters the government tells us were planning attacks on the united states. we mention this nasty brew. and there are a lot of bad options, frankly. the question is when know what option do you take to make the least worst of those bad options. the second question is what happens tonight? does this continue or does it not? martha: as we have seen with al qaeda before, hitting the areas they hit west of aleppo may or may not disable this group. so obviously our intelligence folks at home have a lot on their plate as well. the pentagon releasing stunning video of these airstrikes that happened overnight inside syria. these pictures look like the trailer from a movie but they are very real and they are what happened off the coast of syria overnight launched from u.s. ships. reminiscent from the first gulf war that was watched playing out live on cable television. be the first go-pro war. how will these pictures and the social media showing all these actions influence public opinion here at

it's not just forces loyal to bashar al-assad eyeing the advantage of holding aleppo.els had to confront a new foe, the islamic state group. runs their ally, is fighter pointing their gun towards rebel positions. aleppo's people are trapped and suffering in the middle. >>> al jazeera continues to demand the release of our three journalist detained in egypt for 252 days. peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed, were given long sentences after a trial seen by observers as politically motivated. there's an appeal against their convictions right now. the case has been raised by the u.s. secretary-general in a conversation with the egyptian president. you can join the campaign to get al jazeera journalists free by using the hashtag free aj's staff, and find out more by going to the website aljazeera.com, special pages on the subject and the day's news. aljazeera.com. >>> syrian rebels and government forces resumed fighting in the golan heights. fighting has taken place in the syrian controlled side of the territory, mostly under israeli occupation. last month re

the number of dead in aleppo is growing. area's second largest city is close to the border with turkey with access to crucial supply routes. it's not just forces eyeing the strategic advantage of holding aleppo. rebels have had to confront a new foe, the islamic state group. rebel are being squeezed between government and islamic state fighters. aleppo's people are trapped and suffering in the middle. al jazeera. >>ler monsoon rains and floods killed more than 120 people in pakistan. the floods are dataerred across eastern pakistan, over 100 others died east in india. indian administered cashmere. some areas are facing the worst flooding in two decades. pakistan's disaster management authority said it's dispatching tents relief items and helicopters to evacuate people. more rain is forecast in the coming days. more than 2000 people have died in the latest wet african outbreak. the world health organization says they are not sure that number won't be much higher. 4,000 people are infected with ebola. a quartantine where most

. >>> well activists say civilians were killed during the air strikes around aleppo. the u.s.itary says there were at least 8 strikes in that area, targeting the al-qaeda linked group khorasan. >> reporter: there is anger in western aleppo, syrians are blaming the u.s. military for the death of civilians. activists say the u.s. was responsible for hitting this residential building which is not far from a known headquarters of an al-qaeda branch. they say 11 people, including 4 people were killed. early on tuesday, the obama administration expanded its operations against the islamic state in iraq and the levant to syria. dozens of air strikes were carried out in the north of the country. the u.s. defense department confirmed a strike in aleppo, but said an al-qaeda group, khorasan was the target. >> translator: my village along the border, there is no isil positions here. why did the coalition target civilians with missiles. this is the first time we have seen this kind of missiles ever. >> reporter: the air campaign is part of the u.s.'s administration's strategy to defeat and

the strikes were aimed at aleppo

those strikes occurred near the syrian city of aleppo. through it all, isis kept up the propaganda war with a brand-new video of british hostage john cantlie warning the west that fighting isis will lead to a mess not seen since vietnam. we knew the united states would somehow sometime hit isis in syria. but the strikes against the khorasan group whose existence the u.s. only really publicly acknowledged last week came as a surprise. pentagon correspondent barbara starr joins me live with that. the khorasan group, why now and why alongside these strikes? >> reporter: well, this is a group in western syria near aleppo clear on the other side of the country from where they struck isis. they had been watching them for some time by all accounts and believe those al qaeda operatives were in the final stages of executing a plan to attack u.s. and/or western targets. not a lot of specificity about what that target was. but the intelligence was showing that they were in the stages of the ability to make non-detectable explosives and put them in v

operatives or to infiltrate back into their homelands. >> reporter: today, a dutch jihadist in the aleppo area posted a video of the aftermath of what he said was a usairstrike against an al qaeda headquarters. >> many brothers died. many brothers got wounded. >> reporter: the u.s. had developed unusually good intelligence on the syrian safe haven of the hard core al qaeda unit. and the white house treated the khorasan x secret. >> we stopped plotting by conditioned al qaeda operatives known as the khorasan group. >> reporter: this is the leader of the cora son group. a one-time confidant of bin laden. u.s. officials said today, most of his min volume ved in the plot and maybe him were killed. >> we believe that the individuals that were plotting and planning it have been eliminated. >> that plot very alarming, brian back with us. the big question tonight, was that leader taken out? >> reporter: the officials say they don't know yet, but they are confident that plot has been disrupted, at least for now, david. >> brian ross leading us off. thank you. >>> let's get right to abc's martha ra

ahmed sadiq is a syrian refugee who fled the city of aleppo two years ago. after syrian government forces began indiscriminate attacks on its residential neighborhoods. "why didn't the americans target the regime, "asked ahmed. "if they bombed the regime three years ago, isis wouldn't even exist now." but instead, isis has thrived on the deadly chaos of syria's civil war. last week, they launched another violent offensive, seizing scores of villages and forcing more than 100,000 syrians to flee their homes for the safety of turkey. mahdena wasu told us she came to this makeshift refugee camp three days ago after isis besieged her town and killed two of her cousins. "we've been hoping for a year that the americans would attack them," she said. "they slaughter people, and we were living in fear." the syrian civil war began as an uprising against the country's government and, scott, now the fear is that these u.s.-led airstrikes could strengthen the position of the syrian regime, which continues to kill its own people. >> pelley: holly williams on turkey's bord

dedicated eight of the 22 airstrikes against the syrian base of the khorasan group ju$e city of aleppo we believe the khorasan group was nearing the execution phaseq of an attack either in europe or the homeland. >> reporter: three key factors emerged today about why the e1 khorasan group is considered so 1 it's made up of some 50 seasoned al qaeda fighters. many of whom who were close to osama bin laden. they were building bombs h@crport screening machines. and among their targets were passenger jets bound for the u.s., using recruits posing as 3 tourists to carry the bombs on board.t( >> we know that the khorasan group has attempted to recruit 1 westerners to serve as operatives or to infiltrate back into their homelands.e1 >> reporter: today, a dutch jihadist in the aleppo area a5 posted a video of the aftermath of what he said was a u.s. t(e1 airstrike against an al qaeda headquart. >> many brothers died. many brothers got wounded. >> reporter: the u.s. had developed unusually good intelligence on the syrian safe haven of the hard core al qaeda unit. and the white house treated th

central command says it conducted eight strikes on khorasan in aleppo. the other side of the country. the training camps and other facilities were hit. back to isis. the strikes were significant in the terror group inside syria. previously it was just iraq where the united states was hitting targets for over a month. >> this marks a new phase and turn here. these strikes began with tomahawk missiles and followed up by fighter jets and drones. the u.s. not alone. all the partner nations involved in the air strikes are arab countries. including qatar, bahrain, united arab emirates and jordan. i want to start with senior washington correspondent joe johns. joe, we confirmed from central command. what are they telling us? >> reporter: the five arab nations along with the united states have struck the area. the latest information from cent sd centcom. the mix of tomahawk and land attack missiles and drones conducting 14 strikes. the strikes destroyed or damaged multiple targets in the area of raqqa and al hazaka. the isis fighters and storage facilities and f

firing some 40 missiles at positions near aleppo, fighters known as the khorasan group are based there. according to the pentagon, the group is made up of al qaeda veterans. >> the department of homeland security said that the group was close to executing an attack, and that's why they felt they had to go after them with these airstrikes, and homeless has issued a new security bulletin to state and local law enforcement, telling them what they know about 24 group, what the latest intelligence shows, and assuring them that the security will be updated as appropriate. meantime, of course, as you can imagine, the u.s. continues to keep a close watch on this khorasan organization. the first waves of strikes in syria targeted not just isil. but an organization that few americans have heard of before now, it's name, the khorasan group, made up of al qaeda veterans. the group, which has set up shop near aleppo, poses an immediate threat to the united states. >> the khorasan group, these strikes were given to disrupt imminent attack against the united states and western targets. >> the head of

the strikes around aleppo were aimed at a second terrorist group called khorasan, an organization of al qaeda veterans u.s. intelligence believes was plotting attacks against europe and the u.s. the strikes hit what they aimed ir, but isis will dig out. >> they will adapt to what we've done and seek to address their shortfalls and gaps against our air campaign in the coming weeks. >> reporter: last night's strikes inside syria were by no means the last. >> you're seeing the beginnings strikes like this in the future can be expected. >> reporter: at the very end of last night's strikes, u.s. aircraft spotted two isis trucks out in the open and attacked them, destroying one and amaging the other. >> pelley: and all americans returned safely. david, thanks very much. most of us are hearing about the khorasan terrorist group for the first time. so we asked homeland security correspondent bob orr to tell us more about it. >> reporter: taking advantage of the lawlessness inside syria, khorasan, a terror cell of veteran al qaeda operatives, has been working on new hard-to-detect bombs that

hit an al-qaeda position near aleppo. randall, we're hearing more this morning from the pentagon about why it went after those al-qaeda-linked groups. >> well, dell, last night, we know from cent com that they were going to go after a separate group of extremists, the al-qaeda linked made up of hardened al-qaeda veterans. we knew the u.s. was going after them specifically. this morning, the spokesman for the pentagon said that the reason they went after them is because there was active plotting and eminent threat against the u.s. homeland. the people who were part that have plot, according to the admiral were eliminated. the tares included command and control structures of the al-qaeda-linked group, also a munitions manufacturing facility. apparently, they have also been trying to recruit westerners to talk airliners and to talk attacks in western nations, especially the u.s. >> can you tell us who was involved in those strikes inside syria? >> the u.s. was leading the way. there were also significantly, the participation

the same is true in syria and towns north of aleppo that isis controls.ssuming they are sunni -- of course, it is different you are -- if you are christian or another religion. if you are sunni, isis is difficult to live with, but you stand a better chance of staying alive. strategy, which has been to try to separate parts of the sunni community from isis by getting the tribes to revolt and so forth, i think it is not just going -- i just think it is not going to work. it worked in 2007 in iraq to a degree, but it will not work now. dangerous. big, too >> is president obama working with syria, and also what about the allies that the u.s. says they are working with, the arab countries -- what are they doing in these airstrikes --patrick cockburn is a middle east correspondent for the independent. his new book is called, "the jihadis return -- isis and the new sunni uprising." stay with us. ♪ [music break] >> "is it for freedom" by sara thomsen. here on democracy now, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with fleming shaikh. turn to c

there is anger in western aleppo. syrians there are blaming the u.s. military for the death of civilians. we continue independently confirm this. but activists say the u.s. was responsible for hitting this residential building which is not far from a known headquarters of syria's al quaida garage. they say 11 people including four children were killed. early on tuesday, the a bam ma administration expanded it's operation against the islamic state. to syria. dozens of air strikes were carried out in the north of the country. two defense department did confirm a strike in western aleppo, but uh it said the affiliated group was the target. along the border with syria and turkey, there is no isil positions here. so why did the coalition target civilians with missiles? question have never seen this kind of missles ever. this is the first time. >> the air campaign is part of the strategy to defeat and destroy isil, which controls territory in iraq and syria. the fighters have been killed, but unlike in iraq, they do not have any martners on the ground in syr

it is not clear what the strikes and aleppo targeted.hey also hit the official al qaeda group inside syria. things are still very unclear. nonetheless, there has been a strike reportedly on the khorasan training facilities west of aleppo. >> and the context your of the syrian civil war. are any of the groups, either the assad regime for the rebel forces were opposed to assad but also to isis, are either of them in position to take advantage of any strikes against isis by the u.s.? >> well, it is interesting. if you consider the united states government has decided to -- currently,a there is a siege of a major city on the turkish border were half a million people have taken refuge. tens of thousands of people have crossed into turkey. these are kurds. it is quite something that kurdish refugees have been allowed into turkey. this city is on the verge of falling. the isis fighters that have surrounded it are using heavy artillery that they stole in mozilla. it is very striking the united states did not actually attack their hardened positi

we interviewed officers on the run from isis in aleppo, and he himself said what made people at that time want isis was that as opposed to the fsa they were not looting from simply citizens. they were able to institute a policy of taxation, but also charity, and perhaps most importantly is law and order, as barbaric as it may be, these are ungoverned territory. anyone who would be able to have some governance and resources would not alienate the population quickly. >> i'm interested in your point outside sources become as important as inside ones become more complicated. does this also make them easier to smoke out? >> i think during this time period when after, of course, the u.n. resolution on foreign fighters there should be some mechanisms in place , who is going to turkey? many of us know names from kuwait, which in august were put by the u.s. treasury put on a sanctions treasury. a lot of people go to turkey and smuggle cash in plastic bags, even. so right now i think there should an push to really focus in on saudis, kuwaitis that are traveling to turkey. what kind of travel p

this amateur video was shot in syria's northern province of aleppo, one of several areas targeted. since august, the u.s. has launched nearly 200 air strikes against islamic state jihadists in iraq, but their power base is in syria, and overnight, the pentagon confirmed that the strikes involved fighters, bombers, and tomahawk cruise missiles. five arab states also took part. >> we're not declaring details at this point. we're just saying a number of our airplanes have targeted these positions and came back safe so their bases. >> reporter: islamic state has battled through vast areas of land in iraq and syria in recent weeks. it's released numerous videos showing military prisoners being shot and western hostages being beheaded. president barack obama has vowed to degrade and destroy it. his secretary of state john kerry spent weeks building a coalition of arab states to take up a military role against the jihadists. tear involvement in the strikes in syria is a major development. >> isis is a threat to almost every country in the region, and from that perspective, at least they'v

warplanes and missiles also targeted a little-known al qaeda-linked cell near the syrian city of aleppo. >> yeah. the u.s. says the khorasan group has been working on some alarming plans for attacks on the west. our deborah feyerick explains. >> reporter: what makes the khorasan terror cell in syria so dangerous to the united states is they have one objective -- carry out a major terror attack in europe or america. multiple sources tell cnn the group has the materials and was operational. >> intelligence reports indicated that the khorasan group was in the final stages of plans to execute major attacks against western targets and potentially the u.s. homeland. >> reporter: an intelligence source says khorasan's potential plots include clothing dipped in explosive material or explosives contained in non-metallic devices like toothpaste tubes. >> you could possibly get some of these types of devices, bombs, through airport security, and they could be quite catastrophic on an airliner. >> reporter: a u.s. official told cnn the plot could involve a bomb on a plane. terrorists could have cho

the eight strikes near aleppo. all the way in the western part of the country coupled with 14 strikes against isis. not just centered in raqqa, but three cities as well. this is a significant operation. again, not to mention allies and arab nations involved in the strikes as well. >> reporter: right. an enormous swath as you can see in the country trying to make a statement in the early days and hours of this campaign in syria. so, the united states says it is only the beginning. they certainly made a statement. >> joe johns, we will check back with you in a bit. this information is coming in frequently. we are getting updates. thank you, joe. >>> let's move to the reporters in the region. arwa damon is in turkey. she is on the border with syria covering the refugee crisis setoff by the advance of isis forces in syria. arwa, what is latest there? >> reporter: before we start with what is happening around me, let's go with information we have from the activist that cnn spoke to inside raqqa city. he welcomed the air

. >>> now the aged city of aleppo has seen some of the fiercest fighting. barrel bombs have been dropped with devastating effects. it has killed 50 local people. here is marianne hand. >> reporter: it's difficult to pick out anything here that might indicate that this was once a popular taxi stand. people had been lining up on friday hoping to catch whatever public transport was available in aleppo. two barrel bombs reportedly fell. when rescuers scrambled to find survivors they mostly found the dead, a child among them. >> all the people here are civilian workers and passengers, people who were killed and dozens injured from the bombs. there is not a single militant here. >> reporter: and this is the difficulty for the future people who were trying to scrape out an existence in this besieged city. according to human rights watch the government's weapon of choice the barrel bombs are indiscriminate and wildly inaccurate. but the bombs have hit and killed hundreds of civilians. the number of dead in aleppo is growing. syria's second largest citiest to the bo

was alone conducting those strikes near aleppo. this is aleppo over on the border. there's a reason we were alone. those were the khorason terror group. the strikes in eastern syria targeted areas around syria's oil fields that are under isis control. so this was about striking the money. get the oil fields, you strike at their money source. this one over here was about striking command and control, right? if that's where they're headquartered, that's what you take out. it's a hard target, it's easy to find. this one over here is what they're calling this imminent threat. they are lacking specificity and we have lots of questions. officials say sales of that oil over here in the east made the islamic state the richest terror group ever recorded on this planet. we have video of some of those bombings. military officials say this is an isis storage facility. a u.s. bomb shreds the building in a cloud of smoke. this particular strike made history as the first time that the military used a stealth f-22 raptor. that's the pentagon's most advanced fighter jet. it had neve

to stephen sokoloff we do know that he was captured in august last year by the isis in the town of aleppo while covering the slot between the syrian government and the anti-government forces it's interesting to note though that the steve inside life was of course a u.s. citizen and he was in the town of aleppo one it was controlled by the rebels by the end government forces. and now to israel where numerous neighborhoods in east jerusalem were engulfed in violence on saturday night hundreds of palestinians clashed with police and jewish residents according to israeli officials the violence was abruptly quelled by riot police equipped with stun grenades tear gas and sponge bullets and there were no serious injuries or arrests made but now simians in east jerusalem are no stranger to arrests over the past several weeks police have arrested approximately five hundred fifty arabs for rioting and protests sparked by the heinous murder of sixteen year old mohammed adair mohammad was burnt to death by israeli settlers and what was seen as a revenge killing for the earlier murder of three israeli

and that was their aleppo. becky anderson has been covering the breaking development from abu dhabi. becky in the centcom press release. they aimed to lay a definitive blow. only evidence we have seen that one picture, communications tower near raqqa sent out via twitter. as day light emerges we need to see how definitive the attacks really were. >> yeah, i'm sure we'll get more flesh on these bones as it were in the hours to come. i was thinking as you were speaking there of what was saidsaid saiden in the u.s. centcom release, alluded to regional players and how incredibly important the local pan-arab coalition of the willing is and will be going forward. u.s. centcom saying, paraphrase here, bahrain, saudi, qatar, and the uae participated in all supported air strikes versus isis. all aircraft safely exiting the strike areas. we have spoken to a minister in jordan this morning who confirms that their planes were in action over syria. they have all returned safely. but will continue to attack what is this coun

people in aleppo there are still atrocities carrying out documented evidence of war crimes on both sides. obviously you know the fear of this is great and i think this the turning point happens to be i think the beheading of james foley a couple of couple of days ago and it seems that now you know the death of an american journalist is bringing this back in the spotlight and bringing it closer to home again just so you know as i've just said let me ask you do you think that sun intentionally and i'm not dismissing the suffering of that man and his family and his grieving family but you know it's quite interesting from a p.r. perspective isn't it you have such a spotlight on an american being killed by someone with a british accent which i think needs to be a little bit more investigated as well what i'm saying is it fits really well into this kind of media environment what i think i think with the images of of james foley we have possibly the biggest extremist p.r. coup since nine eleven i think this comparable images that in terms of london's bombings in madrid bombings and also the dea

people in aleppo there are still atrocities carrying out documented evidence of war crimes on both sides. obviously you know the fear of this is great and i think this the turning point happens to be i think the beheading of james foley a couple of couple of days ago and it seems that now you know the death of an american journalist is bringing this back of the light and bringing it closer to home again just so you know as i've just said let me ask you do you think that son intentionally and i'm not dismissing the suffering of that man and his family and his grieving family but you know it's quite interesting from a p.r. perspective isn't it you have such a spotlight on an american being killed by someone with a british accent which i think needs to be a little bit more investigated as well what i'm saying is if it's really well into this kind of media environment what i think i think with the images of of james foley we have possibly the biggest extremist p.r. coup since nine eleven i think this comparable images that in terms of london's bombings in madrid bombings and also the death o

it's fighting for control of aleppo, the largest city.s surrounded by one side the loyal assad regime and on the other side, isis. why they're america's best hope in syria. >> it's an alliance of islamist groups. they are together a loose alliance now and they fight together. the islamists are now fighting two enemies, the islamic state and the assad regime. they're fighting them both. they're fighting against assad to overthrow the regime as many of the groups are because of its tyrannical nature and historical nature of the assad regime. they're opposed to the fundamentalism of the islamic state. they're fighting in aleppo, which is this crucial strategic city which everybody is fight over. whoever controls aleppo, it's a massive, massive site, strategic support for the area. >> he lobbed a grenade of and the regime is firing back along the wall. >> this group has been fighting them in aleppo. they're very poorly equipped. the fighting is tragic. you see the equipment they fightering with. i think it's quite difficult for, i think, the

this is the area northwest of aleppo where the u.s. qaeda offshoot called khorasan. >> yes, this is an al qaeda-affiliated group, and kind of shadowy, and they brought in a bunch of bombmakers and the threat is, has always been going after aviation, and now you have heard the reports that there was a specific threat. that may have been what is driving the timing, and why last night, and why so important of starting the operation last night before the u.n. meetings and all that? maybe it is this imminent threat. >> and the the pentagon spokesman edadmiral kirby said they hit what they were shooting at perhaps neutralizing whatever threat was there and slowing it down what was target ing ting t united states. and let's talk about the strikes against the the isis group. this is raqqa, and the capital of the so-called islamic state. >> yes, it is the stronghold and the place they have the most people and the command and the control and the storage of the military equipment. a lot of the military equipment they took from the iraqi army over

going it alone to strike targets near aleppo. >> now let's check regional reaction. becky anderson joins us live in abu dhabi for that part of the story. and becky, of course in the course of these 24 hours we have learned a little bit more about what the leaders of these countries involved in these five arab nations that took part in this broad coalition, and also what people in those nations have been talking about. share that with us. >> reporter: that's right. let's start with the governments here because it is very unusual that you hear from the gulf region speaking out loud about their participation in what is a u.s.-led coalition. but we've learned over the past 24 hours from the president of the u.s. and others that it's absolutely crucial these five arab nations got on board. not just in a support role as qatar did but four others in full-on participation role. the uae, for example, the foreign minister is in new york for the u.n. general assembly, where many of these regional leaders are, and they will be having discussions with mr. obama as the days go on.

as you look at that slide, it is the target area around aleppo andh raqqa. the majority of the tomahawk strikes were against khorasan compounds, their manufacturing workshops and training camps. the second wave consisted of f-22 raptors in their first combat role, f-15 strike eagles, f-16s b-1 bombers and drones. they launched around 9:00 p.m. eastern standard time against targets in northern syria. targets included isil headquarters, training camps, barracks and combat vehicles. the final wave occurred shortly after midnight eastern standard time, f-18s from the uss "george w. bush" in the northern arabian gulf and regionally base u.s. f-16s among others attacked targets in eastern syria to include isil training camps and combat vehicles, principally in that circumstance toll the far east around darzar. coalition partners participated in both the second and thursday waves, supporting with a range of combat capabilities that began with combat air patrols to actual strikes on targets. the preponderance of coalition support was in the third wave. 96% of all th

peacekeepers in the area. >> the ancient city of aleppo has seen some of the fierce fighting of syrian war. the government's used barrel bombs on rebel-held areas with devastating effect, the latest drop killing 11. locals say there was not a single rebel fighter in the area. >> it's difficult to pick out anything that would indicate that was a popular taxi stand. people had been lining up on friday, hoping to catch what little public transport was available in the city of aleppo. two barrel bombs reportedly fell. when rescuers scrambled to found survivors, they mostly found the dead. a trial among them. >> translation: all the people here are civilian workers and passengers. people killed, dozens injured. this is a residential area. there's not a single militant here. >> this is the difficulty for the few people trying to scrape out an existence in the besieged city. >>> according to human rites watch, the weapon of choice, the barrel bomb is ipp discrime fate. they have hit and -- ipp discrime nate. they have hit and killed hundreds. the second-largest city is close to the border, wi

. >> reporter: they were just 20 minutes into their drive to aleppo. he explained three cars were parked by the highway, about 15 gunmen armed with assault rifles leapt out when they saw them approach. >> on the road i was who is you, what do you want? he say to me just shut up. >> reporter: he said the gunman ordered them to shut their eyes. >> he hit him and say close your face but in arabic. i explain to him, steve, close your eyes or they will hit you. they hit me and say to me "shut up, don't talk english." >> reporter: he new travel in syria was risky so he took trusted relatives and guns for protection. >> i have security and guns from my family. and i say to him i have weapons from brigade and he give me permissions to cross. >> reporter: before working as a fixer, he said he spent a few months fighting in the ranks in the rebel brigade, a modest islamic faction. he says the gunman took them to a text tile factory on the outskirts of aleppo. >> he took us to a building and put everything in a room alone. after that i hear one, he talking to ste

areas around aleppo and raqqa were targeted. the tarts training camps and workshops. and waves of air crafts and f22s - hitting barracks and combat vehicles. military officials expressed the nature of the strikes. >> the intended target was the communications array on the roof of the building. the toma hawks detonated with air bursts, focussing on communication array. >> reporter: the last two arrays, an unspecified number of sortees flown by neighbouring arab says. the involvement was a key to going forward with strikes in syria. president obama called out the country by name. >> saudi arabia, the united arab imirates, jordan, bahrain and qatar. america is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with the nations on behalf of common security. >> they are assessing the damage, they were called a success but that the strike was obvious. >> we will not allow geography or borders to prevent us to take it against i.s.i.l. >> one things that officials are stressing and a point of controversy in the aftermath - did the united states notify the bashar al-assad regime that the str

that is an al- qaida cell, based west of the syrian city of aleppo. that group was said to be plotting imminent attacks on american and western interests. president obama is scheduled to address the united nations general assembly on wednesday and the battle against isis is expected to be among the topics of his address. still ahead. suspicious meatballs discovered in santa rosa-- similar to those found in san francisco. what police are saying about the case. plus -- luxury cars stolen from several bay area dealerships. how the thieves got into the vehicles. next coming up the giants and the dodgers. the playoff implications are of next. three high- end bay area car dealerships in san jose, santa clara and belmont. all hit by organzied thieves. making off with more 20 - luxury vehicles over the past week. tonight -- we have surveillance video from one of the dealerships burglarized. kron 4's charles clifford shows us how they worked... this is video from one of the dealerships that was stolen from. after looking around he kicks in the blast of the fro

but in the northern city of aleppo, other groups suffered a setback. u.s.strikes targeted the nazra front. >> translator: the americans should know we'll remain to protect the blood and honor of the people of syria until the last one of us dies. >> reporter: the second largest city is close to the border with turkey. the front is under pressure in aleppo, targeted by coalition forces and the syria regime. >>> more now on the signing of the afghan security deal with the united states. let's bring in former afghan ambassador. good to have you with us on the news hour. i'm going to start if i may by asking you a question i put to our correspondent earlier. with 12.5 thousand mostly american troops staying on in roles described as being advisory and training, is it possible for the afghan forces to take on, defeat, the taliban or any other kind of insurgency? >> definitely the combat mission that the u.s. and nato has had for all of these past years is going to end. in post 2014, the 12 to 13,000 u.s., nato forces has to do mostly as you mentioned with training