have also been taken into amnesty international have also been ta ken into custody amnesty international custody in turkey. i spoke to the executive director of amnesty international to get his analysis of what is happening. amnesty international to get his analysis of what is happeningm the last month, first the chair of amnesty in turkey, a human rights lawyer, was picked up and he is still in detention. in the last two days, we have had another ten or so human rights activist detained, which includes amnesty turkey's director. they were just in a training programme, and suddenly the civilian security forces came and asked them to drop everything and took them away. for over 24 hours, we didn't know where they were. now we didn't know where they were. now we know their locations but they are still detained. no charger. they are a p pa re ntly still detained. no charger. they are apparently being investigated for being members of an armed terrorist organisation, which is just being members of an armed terrorist organisation, which isjust about the most absurd charge. everyone knows who

among them amnesty internationals turkey director.he had already been arrested in links tor suspicion of the preacher. the arrests come in the context of a widespread crackdown in the years since the attempted coup. over 50 people have been arrested including ngo workers. across the atlantic, millions of americans who had looked set to lose their health care rights now appeared likely to keep them for the near future after a second attempt by republican lawmakers to scrap president obama's health care laws ended in chaos. doug herbert explains what's gone wrong for the republicans in congress. >> seven years of a feverish and pitched battle which had become the rallying cry of the republican party against obama's 2010 health care bill. it seems those republican havets to undo the bill hit a potentially fatal hurdle. it could be the deathblow to the efforts. in the short-term and perhaps the medium-term. they simply did not have the votes in the end. we know the republicans have 52 votes in the senate. it's a paperthin majority which m

amnesty international says the truth and justice have become total strangers in turkey. that comes after an instant poll ordered the continued detention of the group's director. a new report chronicles how hundreds of boys were subjected toto decades of physical violene and sexual abuse and germany's most famous boys choir, the regensburg domspatzen. croatia's defense minister has offered to resign after the president said the army was too slow in helping firefighters tame this forest fire. emergency workers fault a two-day battle to save the historic city from being destroyed by the blaze. police say they are now largely under control, but some areas are without electricity and running watater. reporterer: s song winds whippig up the flalames. but the worst has been averted. only yesterdayay, the fires that engulfed acres of pine forest and sprawled along croatia's adriatic coast had been threatening the eastern suburbs of a popular tourist destination thronging with visitors at this time of year. some parts of the city were left without water or electricity. locals hel

brent: i am joined by representative of amnesty international. we appreciate you taking the time to talk to us tonight. talk to me about liu xiaobo's struggle and his work. why were they so important? reporter: it was incredibly important. liu xiaobo was really a human rights giants of our time, a man of enormous courage, grace, decency under such pressures. he took incredible risks again and again. he defied the authorities in beijing, knowing punishment would come. he had many opportunities to leave the country and he refused. he was repeatedly jailed, repeatedly locked up for speaking in the simplest sense, for speaking truth to power. he spoke simple truths about the kind of freedoms on chinese people should have, oh people in the world should have, and he was terribly punished for that right up to his final days. brent: he was punished right up into his death, he was still in custody when he died. how much of a chilling effect do you think that will have on other activists who may want to push for more human rights in china? reporter: it's d

he will hear from amnesty international about their claim that suspected militants are being tortured: approves a law that critics say threatens the independence of the country's supreme court, even as its citizens protest and the european union threatens to punish warsaw for the move. it was an event that could have changed the course of the second world war. 73 years ago today. the german officer tried to assassinate adolf hitler. we find out from his son what happened to the family after that fateful day. ♪ i'm brent goff. it's good to have you with us. tonight's threats, insults, and claims of blackmail. those are the elements of a very troubled german-turkish relationship to the german foreign minister sigmar gabriel vowing to take steps aimed at punishing uncorrupt for the latest detention of a german citizen. he says that berlin has exercised restraint up to now but that ankara needs to understand that its behavior will have consequences. pres. trump: the foreign minister sigmar gabriel broke off his holiday to return to berlin trade on his agenda, the dentist -- latest of the

tonight amnesty international says truth and justice have been become total strangers in turkey. it comes after an istanbul court ordered the continued attention of the group' record for the country and five other activists. turkey accuses the 6 activists of committing a crime in the name of a terror organization but it hasn't said which group. one of the six is a german national and the german chancellor angela merkel, she has condemned the court pass ruling, calling it unjustified. reporter: relatives and colleagues of the arrested human rights activists are in shock. a turkish court ruled on tuesday that four of the detained must be released. but six others will continue to be held in pretrial detention, including the workshop leader. that makes him the 10th german held in turkey on terrorism allegations. the german government has declared solidarity with the detained human rights workers and says it is using every possible means to obtain their release. germany's opposition green party is calling for chancellor merkel to take a stand. >> this time has come, indeed it is long

led coalition in mosul fires back at amnesty international call in their reports are responsible and denying any violation of international law in their fight against isis those stories and more coming up right now. it's wednesday july twelfth four pm in washington d.c. i'm going to sweets and you're watching our america in june the senate overwhelmingly passed a new set of sanctions against iran and now the bill has stalled in the house the reason for the new proposed legislation is set to limit the president's ability to lift sanctions on any crime country which would be only done through congress all this is how lawmakers are trying to ensure that doesn't let any sanctions on russia which in fact dominate the supposedly anti iranian bill artie's left here looks at the history of the u.s. or russian sanctions the sanctions part of u.s. russia relations has a long history and rocked going back to the very start of the cold war when the nine hundred forty nine export control act was imposed forbidding all just about all trade with the soviet union and its european allies this so. of

here's the view of one researcher at amnesty international turkey. the work we have done. it is a threat against all of us as a human rights movement in turkey. it is a very, very dark day. a dark day for the turkish justice system. it has again proved that the law is not being followed. this is a political case. it doesn't have any standing in law. and i think it is a warning to all of us that we have no safety, no security. this is the background to the case. ten human rights defenders have been detained in turkey on fifthjuly during a raid in istanbul. they say they were making a routine meeting, whereas turkey's president said they we re whereas turkey's president said they were a coup. last summer, in turkey, there was a coup attempt, which is a serious allegation. yesterday, six of them would be remanded in custody, and four of them were released underjudicial control. the prosecutors have 12 days to look into the case, what did they produce in terms of evidence? we don't know much because it is a closed file, but what we can understand from wh

he was also twice named an amnesty international prisoner of conscience.o democracy now! we welcome youto democracy now! -- we welcome you to democracy now! the talk about what is happening right now? >> 11 years since the siege on gaza has been imposed, which is inhuman.and human -- at this moment, we are living the biggest man-made disaster. they promised they would turn us to the middle ages. and they do. gaza is completely disconnected from the outside world. subjugated [indiscernible] civilian and civilian targets. after all these years, we're unable to rebuild or construct most of these constructions. this led us to a situation where -- 65% areersons unemployed. population depends on journal of organizations. effectively, they're making gaza -- dumping some food and medicine. we cannot treat our water. we cannot treat our sewage. it is polluted. our water is not treatable. -- our water is not drinkable. people for tomorrow and on the verge of collapse. there are 2 million people suffering this for the last 11 years. the last thing we are having is el

number of civilian deaths there is r t correspondent ashley breaks with more according to amnesty international close to six thousand civilians have lost their lives during the fight to recapture mozote and i'm told we're two thousand and sixteen the iraqi military backed by u.s. forces launched a campaign to recapture the city and this past sunday iraqi prime minister had a body travel to mold told to declare victory over the islamic state u.s. president donald trump put out a statement saying quote we can graduate pm had barely a body the iraqi security forces and all iraqis for their victory over terrorists who are the enemies of all civilized. people we mourn the thousands of iraqis brutally killed by isis and the millions of iraqis who suffered at the hands of isis it took almost a year for the iraqi military to reclaim the city however this victory came at a heavy price and a matter of just four months from february twenty seven thousand in june twenty seventh teen thousands of civilians were killed and the sea international released a report showing mobile residents were collateral damag

amnesty international releases a report on civilian suffering during the coalition led liberation of the city we'll discuss the matter shortly with the deputy spokesman for the u.n. secretary general. and to the european court of human rights up holds belgium's ban on the full face nicads they all in public the country is among a group of european nations which the clothing. thank you for joining us here at r.t. international coming to life from. the names trump and russia never seem to be out of the headlines but now it's the president's son that the spotlight is turning on it all concerns a meeting he held for the russian lawyer during his father's election campaign and let's get all the details from caleb maupin as he joins me now live from. hi there cable the story's been circulating for several days now but trump jr has just released a new statement what more can you tell us well the media is jubilant now that e-mails have been released between donald trump jr and the intermediary who set up this meeting and the mainstream media seems to be convinced that the trump russian story

know it's the western coalition so hey we're the good guys right well when it comes to mosul amnesty international say no way sir there's been some war crimes committed here and let's get a quote directly from them iraqi government and u.s. led coalition forces appear to have committed repeat violations of international humanitarian law some of which may amount to war crimes and that's amnesty international out of the horse's mouth but if you talk to the coalition listen to what a british british major has to say it strikes me as being written that's the amnesty report by people who simply have no understanding of the brutality of warfare but we should be absolutely clear we were deliberately we were clear who were deliberately killing civilians that would be isis according to him but wow you know aleppo very different story if it's the syrians the russians trying to get rid of terrorists including isis but when it comes to the brits the americans and their friends well it just seems to be ok if civilians are dying talk about the brutality of warfare mosul is a very brutal place look at these pict

amnesty international accuses iraqi and coalition forces of using excessive force in mosul — leadingo the deaths of thousands of civilians. the coalition disagrees. i reject any notion that coalition fires were in any way imprecise, not lawful, or excessively targeted civilians. we'll also bring you a special report from front line of raqqa where female commanders are leading the charge against the so—called islamic state. these fighters are coming up against snipers from is in streets around here and other than that they have drones, this will be a hard fight. and in os sport, we'll be looking towards the 2024 olympic games. more on our top story — donald trumpjunior releasing emails showing he was eager to accept what he was told was damaging information about hillary clinton provided by the russian state, during the presidential campaign. it appears to be the first confirmation that a trump associate attended a meeting in the expectation of being handed sensitive information from russian officials. there's been strong criticism from democrats and some republicans. but there are th

an artist who's been depicting the civilian suffering in iraq the city of mosul it comes as amnesty international releases a damning report on the coalition led liberation on the city. run the high talent the police advised to board case a terror attack on holiday. also the european court of human rights. and on the full face veil in public the country is among a group of european nations which outlaws the clothing. you're watching on international live from our moscow studio with me today welcome to the program. some five thousand eight hundred civilians may have been killed by iraqi and u.s. led coalition forces in mosul in the last four months that's the latest estimate from human rights organizations amnesty international and his new report the group says pro-government forces relied upon imprecise weapons during the liberation of west mosul and ignore the growing number of civilian deaths it also claims pro baghdad troops are pit to have repeatedly violated international humanitarian law something that may amount to war crimes amnesty international collected testimony from those displaced it

horrors of war in the iraqi city of mosul which he's been depicting on canvas it comes as amnesty international releases a damning report on civilian suffering during the coalition led liberation of the city. tell that's the police advice to brits heading abroad in case a terror attack happens while they're on holiday. and the european court of human rights upholds belgium's ban on the full face may come to veil in public the country is among a group of european nations which built in all the clothing. thank you for joining us here at r.t. international live from moscow i'm kate partridge. the names trump and russia never seem to be out of the headlines but now it's the president's son that the spotlight is turning on it all concerns a meeting he held with a russian lawyer during his father's election campaign breaking news report now maggie haberman reporting in the new york times and it is really something that certainly shows intent to collude with the russian government and that is a giant turn in this unfolding story this morning sobered up. everybody still talk about russia. well let's tr

amnesty international's country director steps into this president is stumble. along with five other activists before being ordered to remain behind pause. the rights watchdog has slammed back court ruling saying the truth and justice have now become total strangers in turkey. the message to them is we will fight for you until you are free. we're going to keep continuing to work that's the most important the reason we're in turkey is not to talk about ourselves is to talk about the rights violations that have been pestering this country. for a long time. judges in istanbul also ruled that four other activists could be released pending the outcome of a trial. but that's still under judicial control. amnesty saves all tan all suspected without grounds of committing a quotes crime in the name of a terrorist organization. without being a member. we ask the court which organization mrs we couldn't get an answer. during the questioning we asked many times again. but we still couldn't get an answer. the group were arrested on july the fifth as they took part in a digit

amy: this comes as amnesty international says the u.s.-led coalitioion and the u.s.-bacackd iraqi forces violated international lalaw and may have committed war crimes during the battle to seize controof m mosul from isis. we'll have more on iraq later in the broadcast. in a sururprise move, south kora has reached out to north korea withthn offer toto hold military talks this friday at the demilitarized zone between the two countries. the u.s., japan, european union on the other hand are pushing for heavier sanctions against north korea. the south korea overture comes as south korea refused to allow peace activist christine ahn, who was born in south korea, into the country, where she was slated to meet with women's peace groups. south korea said she had been denied entry on the ground she might "hurt the national interest of public safety." this is christine ahn, speaking earlier this month on democracy now! about the prospects for de-escalating tensions between south h korea, north koreaea, ad the united states. viablet now, the most proposal that is on the table t

amnesty international releases a report on civilian suffering during the coalition led liberation of the city we'll discuss the matter shortly with the deputy special representative of the un assistance mission for iraq. and the european court of human rights upholds belgium's ban on the full face nican veil in public the country is among the group of european nations which outlaw the clothing. thank you for watching r.t. international broadcasting live from moscow i'm kate partridge. but i am strong and russia never seem to be out of the headlines but now it's the president's son the spotlights turning on it all concerns a meeting he held with a russian lawyer jury in his father's election campaign and let's get all the details from khaled willfulness he joins me live now from new york hello again caleb while the story as we know has been circulating for several days now but trying judy and has just released a new statement what more can you tell us. well it began over the weekend with allegations from the new york times and now donald trump jr has released e-mails on the surface th

amnesty international used to focus a lot of their work on the rights of roma.ll their attention has been on the last few years. they have been watching every fromand implementation member states. we saw them come out today with a 29 page report called a perfect storm. they actually blame the reckless policies of the european commission for making. this year one of the deadliest years yet. they say the cooperation with the libyan coast guard is irresponsible and leaving people in a country like libya where detention centers report a i believeatrocities this is irresponsible of the european union. there are also not pleased with the code of conduct outlined in this action plan. they believe they have been focusing their energy on rescuing and searching and the european commission and member states should focus on that. of all ofman rights these people trying to cross over to europe. genie: thank you, meabh mcmahon. a military strongman in libya has announced what he called the total liberation of benghazi. codenamed his offensive operation dignity targeting sever

julia kim tells us more. >> a damning report by amnesty international, accusing cameroon's elite forcesf torturing boko haram suspects. thethe past four years, police rapid intervention battalion has been fighting the nigerian militants. amnesty says it has documented 101 cases of arbitrary arrest and torture. a former detainee describes how he had been suspended from a wooden goal post, his feet tied from behind while he was whipped with anything the soldiers had at hand. other methods included waterboarding, food deprivation, being forced to drink urine, and electric shock. the report also states the victims included women, the disabled and mentally ill. and some were tortured to death. mst has pinpointed two bases where the abuse allegedly took place. mst has pinpointed two bases where the abuse allegedlythe ris video evidence of french and u.s. troops at the sites. >> did they know that there was torture taking place? did they know that people were being illegally detained and if so, what did they do about it? war crimes are taking place under the nose of international -- the united

amnesty international calls it a grotesque abuse of power. 10 people including the local director ofhe rights group have been detained in turkey. they are suspected of belonging to a terrorist organization. since the failed coup, turkey has arrested thousands of people. hundreds of teachers and public servants have been dismissed. >> the director of amnesty international in turkey is being held within these walls at istanbul's police headquarters. on suspicion of belonging to a terrorist organization. staff andmbers of the others who were detained by turkish authorities while taking part in a training workshop on an island south of the capital. >> they decided to detain them and issue a ban on lawyers. she could not meet them during that time. we cannot get any information. today we learn that they extended the. of detention for another seven days. we were not told why. the organization is demanding the immediate release and that members raise the issue with erdogan. the g 20 liters is that he cannot be allowed to go scot-free. basically completely breaking every norm. and attending

how can the local people be confident when, as amnesty international reported in their most recent reporty this year, the military is arbitrarily arresting thousands of young men, women and children, based simply on profiling, they say. they are being put into detention facilities like the giwa barracks in maiduguri. i'm quoting amnesty — forgive me, but it is quite long. the cells were overcrowded. diseases, dehydration and starvation was rife. at least 240 detainees died during the last year. bodies were secretly buried in maiduguri's cemetery by the borno state environmental protection agency. that is a scandal. it is shocking, and how can you possibly defend it? well, it is interesting. but let me tell you, we have been vindicated. the special inquiry that was set up, you know, by the army, headed by independent personality ahmed jibrin, a retired major general, has clearly stated that whatever comes out of — you know, within the detention facilities, these are things that are likely to — are bound to happen everywhere. and you look at... now, with this outbreak of diseases... the boa

in mosul in the last four months that's the latest estimate from human rights organization amnesty international in its new report the group says pro-government forces relied upon imprecise weapons during the liberation of mosul and ignored the growing number of civilian deaths it also claims pro baghdad troops appear to have repeatedly violated international humanitarian law something that may in mind to war crimes amnesty international collected testimony from those displaced it says more than six hundred thousand people were forced to flee west. mosul. and here are some of the latest pictures from as you can see vast parts of the city lane ruins with smoke still rising above some of the buildings earlier we discussed the diocese actuation mosul with modern warfare from the iraqi project of unicef. i was about we can have a go in the central hospital of western most of. fun people are coming that they're coming there with fresh wounds and one of the image that touch me and it still remains on my. head is this woman who probably four or five children into the hospital. all of you know had with

amnesty international's naureen shah joins me from washington to discuss this. it's interesting because for the past couple years, there's been different levels of attention being paid to this. but you're pointing out that there are still more people coming even though the condition have gotten worse. >> that's right, hari. 2017 is actually on pace to be the deadliest year for the world and migration route. we see more and more people drown and at the same time european governments honey said of stepping up are taking a step backwards and trying to see responsibility for what's happening to local libyan authorities and actually woefully dysfunctional. >> sreenivasan: what's creating this. it seemed there were some sort of agreement european countries would step in and stem this. it seems like search and rescue is the priority. >> we saw european governments actually do more to fund search and rescue operations and we see a decrease in the number of people drowning at sea. unfortunately what's happening since then is european governments have shifted to a differe

arabia on issues like dealing with terrorism on counterterrorism issues as well according to amnesty international more than thirteen thousand civilians have been killed and injured since the beginning of the conflict they've called the court's decision a potentially quite deadly blow to yemeni civilians. who spoke to all of the activists behind the legal challenge what's your response to the voting and also what's the next step now however they were very disappointed very disappointed on the behalf of the people of yemen where you know saudi the saudi forces have been flying you came a planes which up and you came and that's led to a country where seven million people on the edge of starvation where there's a lot of out how bright the saudis be funerals for forty people killed them are stepping up from an oscar declaring. the size cities a military target so we're very disappointed with very angry will be appealing the opinion the judgment and you know i've been for the arizona star for the last says is by clear is as if there's a clear risk of serious violations of international humanitarian law

amnesty international releases a report on civilian suffering during the coalition led liberation of the city we'll discuss the matter shortly with the deputy special representative all of the u.n. assistance mission for iraq. and to the european court of human rights upholds belgium's ban on the full face niqab a veil in public the country is among the group of european nations which outlaw all the clothing.

when amnesty international accused iraqi forces and islamic state militants as violating international humanitarian law which they say may amount to war crimes. fighting on, thousands of iraqis have been killed leaving one million -- it is colossal. we bring you this report. once -- ruins, mountains of rubble is all that is left of west mosul and will take years to rebuild and millions of dollars. for those who lived under islamic rule states, there is an economic toll. >> they are highly traumatized living under is. what they have been going through and not having food or water or anything, including children and women, it has been terrible. >> manning who are able to fully 5 -- many who were able to flee fighting, millions left. mosul have to overcome a humanitarian crisis. 700,000 children -- people displaced. >> we have to close the gap. jobs, and provide government for the people. if we do not do that, we will not come back. nearly 38 organizations have issued a joint call asking for international soap court to rebuild the city. efforts expected to cost $1 billion. -- a joint call

horrors of war in the iraqi city of mosul which he's been depicting on canvas it comes as amnesty international releases a damning report on civilian suffering during the coalition led liberation of the city. right.

on thursday the charity amnesty international warned the human cost of migration is set to get worse.t year on record on the central mediterranean route. 2017 has already seen a loss of life of over 2,000 and the death rate at the moment is even higher than the one we saw in 2016. we are at almost three people in every 100 losing their life in the mediterranean, trying to reach safety or a better life in europe. also on thursday — the head of the world bank, jim yong kim, joined france's president macron in pledging much more investment in africa to stem the flow of migration. 0ur largest investments will go into africa. we will be putting in a total of over $50 billion over the next three years into africa and we will work very closely with president macron. on many different levels, we need to invest in human beings but we also have to invest in creating a kind of private sector in these countries that will create the jobs that young people need so badly. that was the head of the world bank. gervais williams is managing director at miton asset management. thank you forjoining us thi

and in turkey, amnesty international is demanding the director of its turkish operations and seven other human rights activist after they were detained by police wednesday at a workshop. in a statement, amnesty international's secretary general, salil shetty, called for the release of ididil eser d those detained with her, adding -- "eser's incommunicado detention and that of the other human rights defenders attending a routine training event is a grotesque abuse of power and highlights the precarious situation facing human rights activists in the country." and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. nermeen: welcome to all of our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. in a major speech in poland earlier today, president trump said the future of western civilization is at stake as he warned against the threats of terrorism and extremism. trump spoke n near the site of e 1944 warsaw w uprising against e nazis. pres. trump: this cotton no longer conference the specter of communism, bu

the amnesty international has released a report in response to the new plan saying that the europeannion decision to train libyan coast guard members to rescue migrants at sea is putting more lives at risk of. many of those migrants say that they are afraid of dying at sea at the hands of the libyan coast guard or facing human rights abuses once they return to libya. >> it is unconscionable that the eu operations would allow a search and rescue operation that we no would put people's lives in jeopardy. we've seen the living coast guard missed you the firearms and they are not properly trained. >> amnesty international said that so far this year more than 2000 migrants fleeing war, poverty and persecution of died trying to reach europe. >>> it is 5:16 am. >>> the pro-government militia stormed the congressional building in venezuela and four lawmakers were hurt yesterday. look at the pictures. these attacks occurred in front of the national guardsmen that were supposed to be protecting the lawmakers and this follows three months of often violent confrontations between security forces

amnesty international describes the battle over mosul as a civilian catastrophe. the top u.s. commander in iraq says the coalition's next target is raqqa. lieutenant general stephen townsend says the fight is not a priority although iraqi forces need more time to get any i.s. fighters from mosul. >> one residential apartment block, the frontline of the assault to reclaim rocker from the islamic state. in an eastern district, the syrian democratic forces are meeting in the detective capital. up to 50,000 civilians may be trapped in the remains of the city. >> availability of food, water, medicine, electricity and other essentials has bn dwindling with the situation rapidly deteriorating. it is apparent that trapped civilians need to be able to get out to reach safety and protection. >> according to the united nations, the intensified fighting has been more dangerous for residents to escape. 300 civilians have died in the past month. in recent weeks, hundreds of families have risked their lives to free themselves from the grip of islamic control. some of the 200,000 residents an

according to amnesty international, he has stoked prejudice in the traditionalist society to enlist peoplepersecution. >> families are expected to kill their own relatives if they have been publicly named gay. it seems the authorities behind this campaign have staged night way that they didn't to have deal with anyone directly. >> since the story broke, there has been international condemnation. >> the united states and other nations should do more to make sure all people are protected. >> it does everything they can to end this appalling persecution. >> he was summoned to moscow and denied there was any purge during the meeting with vladimir putin who ordered an investigation which has since been halted. despite all of this, they both say they were torn between protecting themselves and leaving their families behind. dmitri, who is married and has two children, has not even told his wife where he is. >> she thinks i'm in russia working. just left for work. that i took a job on a construction site somewhere. no one knows where i will. >> both men now in hiding are being protected by the ru

their protest comes as turkey continues to detain idil eser, the director of amnesty international's turkey office, as well as other human rights defenders. in iraq, the head of the kurdish autonomous region said thursday he expects a new kurdish statate to emerge after an historic election on independence scheduled for september. massoud barzani was speakingng with reuters. >> i don't think anybody caca stand agaiainst the bigig wave f people of kurdistan when they decide their destiny. maybe there will be some attempt to foil it. we will try our best not to let that happen. the september 26 plebiscite amy:the september 26 plebiscite could increase tensions in turkey, syria, and i iran, countries with sizable kurdish populations who fear an indedependent t kurdish state. meanwhile, in mosul, iraq, u.s.-backed kurdish and iraqi forces cornered the last of the city's isis fighters in a tiny stretch h of the c city on thehs of the tigris river. an iraqi commandnder sd d about 10,000 civililians remainedd trapped in the battle zone. back in the united states, the christstian craft chaia

military coalition actions during the liberation is heating up that's off the amnesty international report accusing the coalition response ability for civilian casualties. disrespectful and naive. the iraqi security forces have put the safety of civilians is the absolute centerpiece of the liberation of the city in providing support to the iraqi security forces we go to extraordinary lengths to ensure that when we strike we only kill the enemy by using explosive weapons with wide area effects on disproportionate airstrikes in densely populated areas the u.s. led coalition and iraqi forces fail to adapt their tactics to the reality on the ground during the anti eisel operation in mosul iraq and u.s. led forces used unguarded artillery mortars and improvised bombs these weapons are highly imprecise and according to human rights watch their use in heavily populated areas like mosul can be unlawfully indiscriminate the coalition also used white phosphorus which in rare cases as allowed under international law however a former counterterrorism intelligence officer says the use of white phosphor

but the coalition disputed that claim. >> i would challenge the people from amnesty international or anyone else out there who makes these charges to first research their facts and make sure they're speaking from a position of authority. i would argue that this is i believe this is the most precise campaign in the history of warfare. >> woodruff: much of western mosul has been laid waste by fighting that began in february. secretary of state rex tillerson traveled to qatar today, trying to resolve a rift with its persian gulf neighbors. four arab nations have slapped sanctions on the oil state over charges that it fosters islamist extremism. tillerson signed a counter- terrorism agreement with the qatari foreign minister. his next stop is saudi arabia, one of the nations demanding that qatar reject militants and limit its ties with iran. back in this country, fire crews in the western u.s. made more progress today, but in some cases, they were too late. in northern california, at least 36 homes burned down near oroville over the weekend. that fire is still burning in places, keeping