team is supposed to travel to aleppo. the idea is for a halt in all aerial bombardment and attacks using heavy weapons. at the same time, they aim to completely freeze all fighting on the ground in one district in the southwest of the city. people in aleppo have been suffering so much the hope is that humanitarian aid can be distributed and then the freeze can be extended. special envoy has been working closely with the u.n.'s humanitarian chief. >> if he's able to do what he would like to do, which is to deescalate the violence, that's good for us. because it means that there are more places that we can get to. he is trying to once that violence is deescalated to focus on trying to bring some normalcy to aleppo. trying get people to restart their livelihoods. >> reporter: there has been nearly four years of war about 200,000 people killed. here at u.n. headquarters, no one is particularly optimistic about the plan, but right now it's the only plan there is. james bays, al jazerra, at the united nations. >> joining us liv

aleppo has become almost impossible to live. they don't have enough food, water, electricity or adequate medical care. there would be a better chance of getting humanitarian aid to them if u.n. plans for a ceasefire go ahead. for now, fighters from all sides continue to battle for aleppo. many of them are paying the ultimate price. caroline malone, al jazeera. >> fighters forced 11.5 million people to leave their homes. nearly 4 million have left the country, most of the them taking ref skwraoupblg in lebanon turkey jordan or iraq. more than 7 million more are internally displaced and more than 12 million are in need of humanitarian assistance. let's talk to secretary general at the norwegian refugee camps. every week you think it can't get worse and every week it seems to. what can you do for these people? >> we can do a lot for these people. i spent this day up in the valley here in lebanon. half of the polllation there are refugees from syria. there are also syrian refugees there. a lot of humanitarian organizations, includin

dozens in the cities of aleppo and dhouma. fors have been fighting for control of several villages of aleppo as dominic cain reports. >> reporter: a desperate search in the rubble of duma in these bombed out houses lie children wounded in a government airstrike. some have light injuries. soerdz are far more badly hurt. >> before the civil war, more than 110,000 people lived in this city. but four years of conflict have killed thousands and driven many away t scenes like these have become commonplace. this is the aftermath of a barrel bomb staab in aleppo bur irked in this rubble is an earl earlerly lady. she says she has lived hear all her life. attacks by both rebels and the government have intensified north of aleppo. last week, rebels regained

trying to get a deal in aleppo. from al jazeera's headquarters in doha i'm jane dutton we are in yemen's southern city of aden where people say shifting power to their city will bring trouble. >> bombing every day. we can't give him quite into that. >> you can't. >> we can't. >> ukraine's ceasefire - not taking taking hold in mariupol. >>> and trying to entice children abroad back home >>> the u.n. special envoy is in turkey trying to secure opposition support for a freeze in fighting in aleppo. the syrian government has agreed to suspend air strikes and shelling on aleppo for six weeks. hampering a potential deal are i.s.i.l. fighters around aleppo. they are unlikely to observe any ceasefire. the al qaeda-linked al nusra front is an obstacle. dismissing the u.n. proposal as a conspiracy allowing syrian forces to launch more assaults. there's a disconnect between the syrian opposition and fighters on the ground. if politicians are a good plan opposition fighters may not comply. zeina khodr is in beirut. talk us thro

of aleppo for six weeks. the move described as a glimmer of hope towards ending the conflict which is about to enter its fifth year. the syrian army has been advancing to aleppo capturing several villages. it is divided between the east and the west. it used to be the country's financial center and is close to a supply line providing a link to the turkish boarder. james bays has more from u.n. headquarters in new york. >> for months the special envoy has been talking about freezes - what others call ceasefires, in part of syria. for months he said that aleppo the largest city in the country is where he wanted the first freeze. now there has been an important development, he says. >> the government of syria indicated to me its willingness to halt all aerial bombing, all sorts. all types of aerial bombing for a period of six weeks, over the city of aleppo from a date which we will announce from damascus. >> he didn't say it in public but in the closed security council meeting he told ambassadors that the first

to try to start a freeze, not in all of aleppo although there would be a freeze across aleppo in aerial bombing, but in one district. but the idea is aleppo is such a large city. the largest city in syria this is a high risk, but high-reward plan. that's why they are going ahead with this plan. not had much of a chance to speak to many diplomats about this. they're still in that meeting. but it's fair to say some responses are saying we're not sure about anything that is promised by anything assad. reaction from some diplomats that i've managed to communicate with is skeptical. >> james bays, our diplomatic editor at the u.n. in new york. now to the conflict in ukraine which has diplomats scrambleing to stop a cease-fire in the eastern part of the country from unraveling. the u.n. security council has called for all parties to stop fighting. tuesday was supposed to see pro-russian separatests and troops to withdraw weapons from the front lines but the shift to the town of debaltseve. it's a transport hub and fighting there has been so intense that observers have been unable to get into

and attacks using heavy weapons across the city of aleppo.the last week alone 48 civilians have been killed in the providence of aleppo according to the syrian observatory of human rights and we take a closer look at the situation on the ground. >> reporter: fighting in the strategically important aleppo providence is fierce and complicated and here rebel groups take on soldiers from regime but many other sides involved in this war. last week forces fighting for bashar al-assad and hezbollah and iran said they took part of aleppo and took parts of assad and killing his men and taking some prisoners they say. >> translator: rite you we freed the gangs from assad and iranians. >> reporter: and lost men to al-news yeah an al-qaeda affiliated group and fighting for control of aleppo and withdrew but remains a threat from positions nearby and they have important supply routes for both rebel and government forces wins in aleppo would be important for any side in the fight. >> it's a big city the biggest in syria, it's the commercial heart of the co

isil is not far from aleppo. opposition fighters say this war cannot end unless you deal with the syrian government and not just isil. the coalition is targeting isil from the air but doesn't have partners on the ground. it's a very complicated process. right now isil is engaged in fierce battle with the kurds in the northeastern province. it's not just a question of taking over villages, for isil, it is important because of its strategic location. it borders the territory it holds in neighboring iraq. fit loses the border crossing, it means it loses a main supply route between syria and iraq, so the fighting is on going. he has said that we need to find some sort of truce in aleppo to make sure that it doesn't fall in the hands of isil, but what he's actually asking is the government and the rebel to say work together against isil and both sides have rejected that. >> despite hopes however slim of some kind of temporary ceasefire in syria the fighting continues for the moment. rebel groups have made some progres

aleppo is a difficult place to live.eople are without water, electricity and little access to food. many hospitals are not functioning well if at all. that makes some kind of ceasefire all the more important but no more likely is this kind of intense fighting continues. carolyn malone al jazeera. >>> the president hadi meeting political leaders opposed to the houthi take over in sanaa and now based in aiden and we are live and word is he is trying to set up a government there. how is that going? >> reporter: yes, since his arrival here jane, president hadi has been meeting with security officers and governors and that is a daily process. today he is meeting with more governors from the south, the earlier reports we had are that some of the northern governments will attend the meeting but they say that is not the case and probably they need more time to make it because it's a long distance and drive to this area and to understand that some of them will be arriving starting for tomorrow for more meetings so the idea of mr.

his last stop to get a deal in aleppo. hello from al jazeera's headquarters in doha, i'm jane dutton. also ahead. >> bombing every day from separatists and we can't give him -- >> he can't reply to that fire? >> we can't. >> ukraine's ceasefire deal struggles to hold in the city of mariupol. >> all about crime scene investigation. >> the u.n. special envoy to syria is in turkey trying to secure opposition support for a ceasefire in aleppo. trying to agree to ceasefire for six weeks but around aleppo they are unlikely to observe any ceasefire. a conspiracy that would allow syrian government to launch more assaults. then there's the disconnect between the syrian opposition in istanbul and fighters on the ground. they may not comply. zeina khodr is on the ground. it's not going to be easy is it? >> for months he has been trying to broker a deal in aleppo city. what he calls a freeze in the fighting. there has been little progress since october. shuttling between the damascus deposit and rebel groups in turkey. there is little

is not far from aleppo. if you talk to anyone in the opposition they say this war will not end unless you deal with the syrian government. we know the u.s.-led coalition targets i.s.i.l. from the air. it's a complicated process right now. i.s.i.l. is engamed in battles with -- engaged in battles with the kurds. it's not just the question of taking over the village, for i.s.i.l. it is important because of its strategic location. it borders the territory in iraq. if it loses the border it losses a supply route between syria and iraq. the fighting is ongoing. they need to find a truce to ensure that aleppo doesn't fall in the hands of i.s.i.l. what he is asking is the government and rebels to work together against i.s.i.l. and both sides have rejected that. >> zeina khodr, talking us through a push for piece in syria. despite hopes for some kind of temporary ceasefire, they are fighting. rebel groups made progress in the historic and strategic province of aleppo fighting that cost many lives. >>> some of the ca

is trying to end the fighting in aleppo, it hopes a truce will ease the suffering of the people allowand possibly lay groundwork for political process and until now opposition fighters have not been convinced. syria information minister says saudi arabia and qatar and turkey must convince them to comply with a ceasefire. >> translator: the success of any effort related to the war on syria depends on the capacity of the parties that finance the armed terrorist groups. >> reporter: the opposition holds the western part of aleppo government forces control the eastern part of the city. but over recent months military has been closing in on opposition supply routes. the syrian government says it is prepared to suspend its aerial attacks on aleppo for six weeks in a trial ceasefire but opposition groups like this front will not guaranty president bashar al-assad forces will not take advantage to allow in the fighting. the u.s. for its part continues to launch air strikes on i.s.i.l. fighters in the region and signed agreement with turkey to train and arm moderate people fighting i.s.i.l. an

attacks by both rebels and the government have intensified north of aleppo. last week, rebels regained control of hadamin village, taken and held by government soldiers for just one day. some somevillers say the soldiers rounded up local people in a school and killed 48 of them. >> at 6:00 in the morning, we had heavy gunfire in the village. we took children and ran away. the army was surrounded this. they asked us to go in here but then we met other solids. there were about 250 men and 37 women. they took us to this school. >> the villages north of aleppo are important to both sides, but if the syrian army takes them it would allow them further to isolate the rebels in aleppo, itself. dominic kane al jazeera. >>> the number of ebola cases in we felt africa is steadily declining but the outbreak is not over yet. detecting new cases early is crucial. last week, the world health organization approved a 15 minute test for the virus but as nicholas reports from senegal, scientists are developing other diag diagnostic kits which could improve early detection. >> i

all over the city of aleppo. from a date which we will be announcing from damascus. i plan therefore, to proceed to both damascus and hopefully to aleppo as soon as possible. >> the u.s. is accusing russia of violating the minsk agreement last week on a ceasefire in eastern ukraine, and the council as endorsed a draft resolution calling for both troops and government to stop the fighting. the fighting conditions in and around the town of debaltseve. paul brennan reports. >> reporter: near debaltseve there's no truce. as the fighting continues, stray shells is a constant threat. this is what happens. a spectacular explosion that injured the camera crew. tuesday was supposed to see the start of withdrawal of such artillery and heavy weaponry both sides say until the ceasefire takes hold the big guns remain at the front line. on the outskirts, separatist artillery use the firing area to target troops. now that battle is over it's not clear whether the grab launches and artillery mooved back or elsewhere. outside the town of debaltseve, there's a unit of separatist artil

attacked by about the rebels and the government have intensified north of aleppo. last week, rebels regained the village taken and held by government soldiers for just one day. some villagers say the soldiers rounded up local people in school and killed 48 of them. we heard heavy gunfire in the village, so we run away. the army was surrounding the village. they asked us to go in this direction, we did but then met other soldiers. we were 250 men and 37 women. they took us to the school. >> the villages to the north of strategically important to both sides, but if the syrian army takes them, it would allow them further to isolate the rebels in aleppo itself. >> the number of ebola cases in west africa is declining, but the outbreak is not over. detecting new cases early is crucial. last week, the world holt organization approved a 15 minute test for the virus. we have a report from senegal. scientists are developing other diagnostic kits which could improve early detection. >> in the fight against ebola time plays a crucial role. the longer it takes to detect the vi

isil is also fighting for control of aleppo. it recently withdrew from some suburbs, but remains a threat. it has supply routes for government and rebel forces. winning would be psychologically important for any side involved in the fight. >> it's a big city. the biggest in syria. it's the commercial heart of the country. it has incredibly strategic links to turkey in the north, to the heartland in the center and towards lebanon, towards the isil controlled areas, the kurdish areas in the east, so it's a very, very important symbolic issue that the government and rebels are both willing to fight to maintain their control or at least the areas that they control, because the city's divided. >> meanwhile, cultural heritage is being wiped out. these images taken from a drone camera show what little is left in the old city, one of the country's six unesco world heritage sites. aleppo is becoming more difficult to live without electricity or access to food. many hospitals are not functioning well, if at all. that makes a ceasefire all

attacks by rebels and the government have intensified north of aleppo. last week rebels regained control of one of the veil edges. it han -- villages it had been taken and held by government soldiers for a day. some villages say the soldiers rounded up local people in a school, and killed 48 of them. at six in the morning, we had heavy gun fire in the village, so we took the children and ran away. the army asked us to go in this direction, so we did. we met other soldiers 137 men and women. they took us to this school. >> the villages are vat eejicily important -- strategically important. if they are sustain, it allows the army to isolate the rebels further >>> hundreds of turkish troops launched a raid in syria, sa move described as flagrant aggression. the mission was to evacuate an otto man. the site was the final resting place of suleyman, living from from 728 the founder of the ottoman empire. 600 soldiers and tanks went through, before raiding the tomb 35km south of the turkish border evacuated 40 troops and removed suleyman shah's remains. turkey

the syrian government offers to suspend air strikes on aleppo allowing for a u.n. plan for peace to come into force. a ceasefire in peril, fighting for control of debaltseve in eastern ukraine >>> we look at the tighter security measures at rio's carnival. >>> western powers are calling for a political solution to the spiralling violence in libya. meanwhile egypt is wanting u.n. backed support. in libya, fighters allied say they are heading from misrata to the city of cert. they are rejecting calls for an intervention. egypt wants to trike further in retaliation for 21 coptic christians. it's air force has bombed targets in libya. he was at the u.n. headquarters lobbying for international support. >> egypt on the diplomatic offensive. foreign minister with the u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon was after his boss hinted at the idea of a u.n. intervention led by his country. after a meeting with ambassador inclueing the u.n. representative he clarified proposals. suggesting expanded support for the government. and a strengthened army. is the possibility of troops on

iran and hezbollah took over parts of aleppo. rebels fought back regaining some of the ground they lost. here members blew up a tank. some belonged to al nusra, linked to al qaeda, and i.s.i.l. fighters from other suburbs, but a threat from positions nearby. alep j - people no longer have places to win . many people are paying the ultimate price in the battle for aleppo. >> we are going back to baghdad in a moment. to remind you of the breaking news we have. near tikrit in iraq. carried out. jane arraf is in bad dad and established contact. you can tell us what you know. >> we spoke to a leader of one of tribes and he said 177 members from kidnapped, three days ago, east of tikrit. he said i.s.i.l. came and many including nine boys aged in my opinion and 10. they released them and are holding the rest. the sheikh tells us he believes it's because most of his relatives are fighting against i.s.i.l., and it's a beans to get them to -- means to get them to quit. it's an indication that i.s.i.l. is holding sway in large parts of the

syrian government is willing to temporarily suspend all aerial bombardments over aleppo. the city is divided between the rebel controlled east and the government-held west. it's syria's biggest city and once a financial hub. fighting has reduced it to rubble. the government says it will decide when to suspend bombing. but they described the news as reason for hope. >> the government of syria has indicated to me its willing possess to halt all aerial bombing. all aerial bombing. halt all types of aerial bombing, and artillery shelling for a period of six weeks all over the city of aleppo. from a date which we will be announcing from damascus. i plan therefore, to proceed to both damascus and hopefully to aleppo as soon as possible. >> in the coming hours, the united nations security council is due to meet in emergency sessions on libya. egypt is pushing for military intervention. the western government is looking at a political solution. here is political editor asking questions of the egyptian foreign minister. >> reporter: egypt on the diplomatic solution. the foreign mi

. >>> the syrian government offers to extend air strikes on aleppo to allow u.n. plans to come into force. and ringing in the year of the sheets. millions of chinese are heading home from the capital beijing >>> ukranian forces are pulling out of the eastern hub of debaltseve. ukranian commander says pro-russian separatists are trying to prevent some troops leaving the up to. ukranian soldiers are surrendering some newsagencies are reporting. debaltseve has seen constant fighting after a ceasefire deal. let's go to rory challands. we understand that this is news coming in over the hour and waiting for russia to react to this news. what is the likely rehabilitation? >> well moscow is going let the separatists and the rebels deliver the information about what is going on in debaltseve. they are not a party to the conflict, despite what the government in ukraine says and westerners have been accusing russia of for months and months and months. of course, moscow nose what is going on in debaltseve. because what is happening is one of the key negotiating topics of the

aleppo has become almost impossible place to live for its residents. there would be a better chance of getting humanitarian aid to them if plans for a cease-fire go ahead. for now fighters from all sides continue to battle for aleppo. many paying the ultimate price. al jazeera. >> well, at least 23 isil fighters have been killed in u.s.-led airstrikes in iraq. they're also treating a number of isil fight whose have been injured in airstrikes over the last few days. isil fighters blew up a terminal in anticipation of the coalition offensive. now they're reported to have retreated from mosul. we're live from washington, d.c. the former u.s. ambassador to iraq james jeffrey. thank you for being with us here on the program. from what our correspondent understands, some of those men and boys kidnapped in iraq have relatives fighting the armed group. does this appear to you to be some sort of new tactic by isil? >> we've seen this before, tragically not only by isil but also by al-qaeda in iraq, the precursor to t and by some of the shia militias. it is a co

the syrian government is willing to temporarily suspend all aerial bombardments over aleppo. it's syria's biggest city and former financial hub and it's been reduced to rubble. the syrian government said it will decide when to suspend bombing in the ancient city. stephan is hopeful. >> the government of syria has indicated to me its willingness to halt all aerial bombing all airally bombing all sorts all types of airally bombing and artillery shelling for a period of six weeks all over the city of aleppo. from a date which we'll be announcing from damascus, i plan therefore to proceed to both damascus and hopefully to aleppo as soon as possible. >> kurdish peshmerga forces killed several isil fighters near erbil. kurdish forces prevented isil from taking over two villages in the region. one kurdish fighter was killed. coalition planes were involved in the offensive. >> the u.n. security council meets later in new york for an emergency session on libya. egypt is pushing for military intervention and working on a draft resolution with members of the council but western countrie

these are fighters from the shamir front battling forces in aleppo. they just gained control of farmland in the north of the city. >> god is greatest, thanks to god, the heroes of the sharia front managed to liberate our farmland and expelled gangs from here. >> the united nations is trying to end the fighting in aleppo. it hopes the truce will ease the suffering of the people, allow aid in and possibly lay the groundwork for a political process. until now, opposition fighters haven't been convinced. >> syria's information minister says countries like saudi arabia qatar turkey and jordan which have supported opposition groups must convince them to comply with the ceasefire. >> the success of any effort related to the war on syria dependency on the capacity of the parties that finance the armed terrorist groups. >> the syrian government said it's prepared to suspend aerial attacks on aleppo for six weeks in a trial ceasefire. >> opposition groups won't guarantee president assad's forces won't take advantage of a lull in the fighting. al jazeera. >> u.s

the government has agreed to suspend air strikes and shelling on aleppo for six weeks. >>> houthi forces in yemen have taken control of forces in sanaa. the armed group controls the capital and wants to arrest the president. in venezuela a policeman is charged after shooting a 14-year-old boy during a protest in san christo ball. the city was the epicentre of street protests. despite hopes for a temporary ceasefire, for now the fighting conditions. rebel groups have made some progress. it has cost many lives. some of the casualties of the civil war laid out in the village, medics say these are the bodies killed fighting in aleppo provies. >> translation: the head of forensics started to receive the body in the north countryside since wednesday. there has been a lot of casualties on all sides here. many groups want to take control of province and important supply routes. forces fighting for the syrian president took over the area. rebels fought back regaining some ground they lost. there are different groups. here members of free syrian army blew up a tank using antitank rockets. >> some

aleppo.ve just regained control of farmland in the north of the city. >> translator: god is greatest. thanks to god, the heros managed to liberate our farmland and expelled the gangs from here. >> reporter: the united nations is trying to end the fighting in aleppo aleppo. they want to get aid in and possibly lay the ground for a political process. until now opposition fighters haven't been convinced. siria's information minister says other countries which have supported opposition groups must convince them to comply with the ceasefire. >> translator: the success of any effort related to the war on syria, depends on the capacity of the parties that finance the armed terrorist groups. >> reporter: the syrian government says it is prepared to suspend its aerial attacks on aleppo for six weeks in a trial ceasefire. but opposition groups want guarantees president assad's forces will take advantage of a lull in the fighting. >>> u.s. military commanders are preparing iraqi and kurdish forces to re

i look at august 2013 in aleppo. that is before this group started gaining momentum and we really started covering them month to month to month. can you take me back to august 2013 and what was happening to aleppo at the time? >> listen, aleppo was a crucial area being fought over by the syrian government and variety of rebel groups. if you look at pictures of aleppo right now, it's been totally destroyed. this is one of the nicest most pleasant places in syria before the war. now a place that has been sort of decimated on all fronts which is unfortunate. fortunately this individual who is trying to really help the syrian refugees get through a really tough time was taken by this organization that had nothing on their minds but using her demise for propaganda purposes. in 2015 we see the end unfortunately. >> apparently the end according to isis. in may 2014 this is when the first contact was made to the family confirming captivity. they provided proof of life. what kind of communication -- behind the scenes aki, wha

this is the aftermath of a barrel bomb attack in aleppo. irked in this rubble is an elderly lady. she says she has lived here all her- attacks by rebels an the government have intensified north of aleppo. last week,renals regained control of hardinin village, taken and held by government soldiers for just one day. some villagers say is the soldiers wrangled up people in a local skill and killed 48 of them. at 6 :00 in the morning, we had heavy gunfire in the village. we took our children and ran away. the army was surrounding the village. they asked us to go in this direction so we did, but then we met other soldiers. we were about 250 men and 37 women. they took us to the school. >> the villages north of aleppo are important to both sides. but if the syrian army takes them it would allow them further to isolate the rebels in aleppo, itself. dominic kane al jazeera. >> fighters loyal to isil in libya have claimed responsibility for an attack on the iranian ambassador's residence. they targeted the building with hoe made bombs. it's been vac

we documented more than 1,000 strikes on aleppo. >> 1500 in aleppo. >> exactly, and there has been other areas where we do the satellite for aleppo. it's a real problem. it's not getting the attention it deserves. it has not just killed and maimed civilians, but caused a massive displace. >> where there's a massive refugee problem in that country, and a lot of people displaced within of the borders of syria as well. on the other hand you are putting most of the blame on the syrian government but there's indiscriminate bombing going on. >> we highlighted it in the past. this is why we call for an arms embargo, not just on the syrian government nusra, i.s.i.s., but other mainstream groups causing widespread human rights. the army is protecting civilians. there's an arms embargo in syria. only for these two groups. what we are saying is yes, the groups are dangerous. you have to control weapons getting to them. also many are killed by the groups, and you have to control the weapons getting there. we are highlighting barrel bombs and other weapons used. they have this devastating impact. >>

she was captured in august 2013 in the syrian city of aleppo. muller's death was announced by president obama, who vowed to bring her can'tors to justice. -- can'tors to justice. >> relatives and friends of the 26-year-old humanitarian aid worker struggled with the news of her death. trying to find consolation in a letter that reached her parents. >> in kayla's letter to marshall and carl she wrote - i have dom see there's good in every situation. sometimes we have to look for it. right now, that's what we are trying to do. >> the news of her death was confirmed in a private message from i.s.i.l. to her family. the white house said intelligence agencies verified her death, but not the cause or time. they challenged her association that she was killed in a jordanian air strike. >> there's no evidence of civilians in the target area prior to the coalition strike taking place. >> that would call into question the claims made by i.s.i.l. >> u.s. secretary of state john kerry said i.s.i.s. and i.s.i.s. alone is the reason kayla is gone. unlike the th

the government was willing to temporarily willing to suspense air tracks on aleppo.t is a divided city the rebel-controlled east and the government-held west. syria's biggest city in fact and was once a financial hub, but all of this fighting has just reduced it to rebel. the syrian government says it will decide when to suspend bombing in the ancient city. but the u.n. envoy describes the move as hope. >> the government of syria has indicated to me its willingness to halt all aerial bombing, all aerial bombing, all sorts, all types of aerial bombing, and artillery shelling for a period of six weeks all over the city of aleppo. from a date which we will be announcing from damascus. i plan therefore, to proceed to both damascus and hopefully to aleppo as soon as possible. >> reporter: at least two people have died in a suicide bomb attack in islamabad. the bomber blew himself up after he was confronted by security and tried to enter the complex during evening prayers. >>> at least one person is dead after a suicide attack in afghanistan in the southern city of kandaha

abducted on her way to a bus station, after spending a night in aleppo. her fellow captives delivered the letter to her family after they were released. she wrote: muller went on to say: she expressed an unwavering faith in god, writing: in prison what we see from that letter is that she continued to be free. >> and optimistic.

north of aleppo, there is fighting for control of several villages. soldiers carried out a mass killing in one. we have a report. >> a desperate search in the rubble of duma. in these bombed-out houses, lie children wounded in a government air strike. some have light injuries, others more badly hurt. before the civil war, more than 110,000 people lived in this city. four years of conflict have killed thousands and driven many away. scenes like these have become commonplace. this is the aftermath of a barrel bomb attack in aleppo. buried in this rubble is an elderly lady. she says she's lived here all her life. attacks by both rebels and the government have in stepsified north of aleppo. last week rebels regained control of a village that had been taken and held by government soldiers for just one day. some villagers say the soldiers rounded up local people in a school and killed 48 of them. >> at 6:00 in the morning, we had heavy gunfire in the village, so we took our children and run away, but the army was surrounding the village. they asked us to go

our correspondent reports. >> reporter: once a thriving tourist destination, this part of aleppo is nowefield. in the told city they fight street by street and snipers watch for targets. >> translator: we are here to fight on the front to prevent the regime from moving towards our area. this area is important because it is the regime's lifeline. >> reporter: on the outskirts of the city in the south, every sort of weapon is used on both sides. [ explosion ] >> reporter: the most serious fighting is on the road that leads to the western parts of the city. >> translator: our main duty here is to monitor the movements of the assad forces and how they mobilize their forces where they launch attacks. our mission is to liberate the area of the 80th brigade, so we can move towards the industrial come pound. >> reporter: the fighting in aleppo isn't just on these fronts. it's a deadly battle on 40 different fronts and while each of the battling sides tries to make gains. the u.n.-backed ceasefire plan looks unlikely. >>> unrest appears to be spreading in myanmar's northeast. the government is a

soldiers infiltrated a number of areas south and east of aleppo. but that was just a diversion.ain targets were three towns in the northern countryside. government forces backed by hezbollah fighters and shia militias from iraq attacked the towns. reports suggest that one town is now under the government's control, but there are fierce battles at the other two towns where rebels say they have the upper hand. there are also reports of heavy casualties on both sides as the bombardment continues. the escalation coincided with the special envoy to syria who is trying to reach local ceasefires in the city known as the freeze plan. the government's push on aleppo is likely to deepen the mistrust by the opposition forces about the regime's real intentions. he is expected to update the u.n. security council on the attempts to reach a ceasefire. but while the diplomatic efforts continue so does the fighting across syria. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: in the capitol eastern suburb rebels say they have stopped government forces from advancing. it has been under rebel control for more than two y

i want to take you to aleppo to show you the scene.ent heavy snowfall have added to the misery of syrians. in the countryside around aleppo, fuel shortages and plummeting temperatures have made life a struggle for people in the refugee camps. the winter storm also caused roads in jerusalem and israel desert with a rare layer of white. meanwhile friends found a way to play with snow. now the snowmaker has moved away from syria, now affecting pakistan and afghanistan with snow and also rain across the southern areas. and then i think kabul, you'll see rain changing over to snow as we go into wednesday. now a new system is moving into turkey bringing some snowfall to mountainous locations and flooding rain and the risk of tornadoes and hail over the western portions of turkey and rain will likely move into aleppo on tuesday, and rain will continue into your wednesday. now, across japan we have springlike warmth today for example in tokyo, the high is 17 degrees. it was more like april. and then fukuoka you saw the arrival of the sign of s

aleppo is a difficult place to live. people are without water electricity and little access to food. many hospital he are not functioning well if at all. that makes some kind of ceasefire all the more important but no more likely as this kind of intense fighting continues. caroline malone, al jazeera. >> france has seized the passports of six of its citizens bound for syria. it's believed they were leaving to fight alongside i.s.i.l. peter sharp has the story. >> we know they are alleged to have been leaving to fight with i.s.i.l, their departure was imminent according to the french ministry. an additional 40 citizens have their passports examined and will more than likely be banned from traveling abroad. this is part of legislation to counter the number of people in this country, this is the biggest home to mufers muz muslims in europe. that is why this legislation has been passed. >>> securing a four month loan extension for greece. without the finance greece faces bankruptcy which could mean more trouble for the euro

is trying to end the fighting in aleppo. a truce will ease the suffering of the people and let aid in and lay the ground work for political process and until now opposition fighters have not been convinced. countries like saudi arabia qatar, turkey and jordan which supported opposition groups must convince them to comply with a ceasefire. >> translator: the success of any effort related to the war on syria depends on the capacity of the parties that finance the armed terrorist group. >> reporter: the opposition holds the western part of aleppo government forces control the eastern part of the city. but in recent months military has been closing in on opposition supply roots and syrian government says it's prepared to suspend aerial attacks on aleppo in a trial ceasefire but the front won't guaranty president bashar al-assad forces won't take advantage to allow in the fighting. >> translator: the u.s. and it's part continues to launch air strikes in the region and signed agreement with turkey to train and arm moderate fighter

aleppo has become an incredibly difficult place to live. treeville water and food and many hospitals are not functioning, if at all. that makes the cease-fire all the more important, but unlikely as this intense fighting continues. >> turkey has said that the mission involving hundreds of troops who crossed into syria was conducted to bring an attack on a symbolic site. it involved tanks, drones, and reconnaissance planes as well as several hundred ground troops. france has ceased the passports of six of its citizens who were bound for syria. it's believed they were planning to fight along side isil. more now from peter oh shop in paris. >> we don't know the identity of the six french citizens, but we know that they were alleged to be planning to lead the countries to be fighting in iraq and syria and their departure was eminent. now at the same time a further 40 french citizens are having their passport examined, and it's very likely that they, too will be panned from traveling to abroad basically. in is all an as a result of the legislati

on august 2014 she was taken captive by isis in aleppo, syria. graduated from northern arizona university in 2009. kayla has devoted her career since then to trying to help people around the world, especially syrian refugees. that drew kata loath turkish/syrian border according to her family in december 2012. she worked with the danish refugee council, humanitarian sorgs organizations and then wound up going to syria. she was asked at the time why she was going on this mission. she said i'm quoting her now, i find god in the suffering eyes reflected in mine. if this is how you are revealed to me this is how i will forever seek you. earlier, she had done humanitarian work in africa in northern india and israel, palestine. she returned home to arizona in 2011 worked for one year at an hiv/aids clinic while volunteering at a women's shelter at night. she traveled to france in december 2011. she actually started to learn french in preparation for her humanitarian work in africa. that has been the common thread of her life. kayla mueller, 26 years old

government troops launched a new offensive on monday, to push them out of aleppo. activists say more than 150 people have been killed since then. this is the u.n. tries to broker a cease fire. this port of aleppo is now a battlefield. in the old city, they fight street by street. and snipers watch for targets. >> this here to fight on the front to prevent the regime from moving toward important because it is the regime's lifeline. >> on the outskirts of the city in the south every sort of weapon is used on both sides. the most serious fighting is on the road that leads to the person part of the city. >> our main duty here is to monitor the movements of the forces and how they mobilize their forces whether they launch attacks. the question is to liberate the area, so we can move towards the instrument compound. and while each of the battling sides tries to make gains the u.n. backed cease fire plan looks unlikely. al jazeera. u.n. special envoy said on tuesday that president asaad had expressed a willingness to stop bombing for six weeks. that esh under now illusion

she was captured by august 13th in the syrian city of aleppo. mueller's death was announceed by president barack obama who vowed to hunt her captors and bring them to justice. >> relatives and friend of the 26-year-old humanitarian aid worker struggle with the news of her death. they try to find some consolation in a parents letter sent to her parents last year. >> she wrote, i have come to see good in every situation. sometimes we just have to look for it. right now that's what we're all trying to do. >> the news of her death was confirmed in a private message from isil to her family. the white house said that it's intelligence agencies verified her death although not the cause or the time. but they also challenged isil's assertion that she was killed in a jordanian airstrike. >> the information that we have is that there is no evidence of civilians in the target area prior to the stroke taking place. that would call into question if the claims made by isil. >> reporter: u.s. secretary of skate johnsecretary of state kerry said that isil and is

envoy to syria has announced the syrian government will suspend airstrikes on aleppo.it is a divided city. it was once a financial hub, but the fighting, as you see has reduced it to ruble. ruble. the u.n. envoy described the move as. >> it's government has described to me it's willingness to halt all aerial bombing, all types of aerial bombing and artillery shelling for a period of six weeks all over the city of aleppo. from a date which will be announceing from damascus. i plan, therefore to proceed to both damascus, and hopefully to aleppo as soon as possible. >> u.n. security council holding an emergency session on a crisis in just over an hour. it comes as egypt carried out airstrikes in libya in response to the beheadings of 21 egyptian christians. the operation targeted groups. and witnesses say that the strikes killed seven civilians including three children. we report now from the tunisian libyan border. >> witnesses say this boy was a casualty of airstrikes by the egyptian military. as was his sister, doctors could not save their lives or the lives of five ou

. >>> still ahead - a bitter battle for aleppo. why this large city matters to all side. >>> nigeria says it's making headway against boko haram, but the president admits he under estimated them >>> and more on fernando alonzo following his crash in formula 1 in spain >>> al jazeera obtained what appears to be a recording of a meeting of egypt's central security force led by interior minister ibrahim, discussing a strategy for dealing with demonstration, involving cracking down from protesters using water canon to live rounds. >> reporter: every friday they turn out across egypt, and november 28th, last year was no different. thousands demonstrated across the country, carrying pictures of deposed president mohamed mursi, and chanting slogans against a coup that forced him from power in july 2013. they didn't make it far. security was waiting for them and some opened fire. at least four protesters were killed. dozens injured. a leaked audio recording obtained by al jazeera provided new insight into events of that day. it comes from

he is supposedly in aleppo.s is the last film in the series last video in the series that he is going to be releasing. what's your analysis of what this means? >> it sounds that way, or canit could be. he doesn't look look he's under great duress. he is talking. and acting like a reporter. you don't know how long he has been there, how much pressure he has been put under. it doesn't sound good. he is one of the last western hostages. one of the rules of dealing with hostages and these kinds of situations is you really can't -- you shouldn't put a lot of credence in what people say because they have been under such tremendous duress. we don't know whether he's been tortured or what he has been through to get him to make what amounts to a very slick propaganda video. >> clearly, isis has propaganda interest. they are releasing a video like this. we will see what it means if anything. do we know how many western hostages are still being held? he is still being held. we know this 26-year-old american woman, they cla

attacks by rebels and the government intensified north of aleppo. last week rebels regained control of a village, taken and held by government soldiers for one day. some villages say the soldiers rounded up the local people in a school and killed 48 of them. >> at six in the morning we heard heavy gun fire we took the children and ran away. the army surrounded the village. we asked them to go in this direction. there were 150 men and 37 women. >> for villages north of aleppo they are important to both sides. if the syrian army takes them it would aloup them to is -- allow them to isolate the rebels. >>> to iraq u.s.-led coalition air strikes reportedly killed 63 i.s.i.l. fighters east of mosul. they had controlled the city since june when it made large gains. kurdish forces backed by u.s. air strikes are planning an offensive to retake mosul, iraq's second-largest city. iraq's defense minister said they are taking all forces to minimise casualties. >> translation: the fight in mosul, fallujah and ramadi is a battle in cities. there are civilians, an

. >> once a thriving tourist destination, this part of aleppo is now a battlefield. in babelel that'sel nassir,. >> translator: this is partly because, country side to the city. >> on the outskirts of the city in the south every sort of weapon is used on both sides. the most serious fighting is on the road that leads to the western parts of the city which are controlled by regime forces. >> translator: our main duty here is to monitor the movements of the assad forces and how they mobilize their forces where they launch attacks. our mission is to liberate the area so we can move towards the industrial compound. >> reporter: the fighting in aleppo isn't just on these fronts. it's a deadly battle on 40 different fronts. and while each of the battling sides tries to make gains the u.n.-backed ceasefire plan looks unlikely. paul tradergian, al jazeera. >> the nigeria government claims it has killed more than 300 boko haram fighters in attempt to gather back land from borno state. >>> the u.k.'s royal television society has honored al jazeera journalists, peter greste moh

i plan therefore to proceed to both damascus and hopefully aleppo as soon as possible. >>> the u.n.ity council is to hold an emergency session on the crisis in libya in a few hour's time. the same time that egypt said it carried out air strikes in response to the beheading of 21 egyptian christians. victoria gatenby has our report. >> reporter: these pictures are from a hospital. witnesses say this boy was fatally wounded during air strikes by the egyptian military. his sister was severely injured. some egyptian commentators have disputed whether the kids died in air strikes. >> translator: this is strong evidence of the conspiracy lying and fabrication against egypt. >> reporter: hospital staff say that account of events is a lie. >> translator: we stopped recitation on this bench. everything happened here. where they say the suffocation took place elsewhere. the children were here and the man with them is [ inaudible ] from the [ inaudible ] department. >> reporter: the egyptian government said the air strikes hit camps of isil-affiliated groups. egypt says the military campaign w