we have more from baghdad. >> the political establishment in iraq shaken up after haider al-abadi's decisiono dismiss the three vice presidents and three deputy prime ministers. what is interesting about the decision is that already the cabinet here has approved prime minister haider al-abadi's decision, there was an emergency meeting by the council of ministers in which the action was approved. now it must move to parliament, we were on the streets of baghdad and spoke about many people, normal citizens telling us that they were besistic about the prospect of this being approved, ratified. many believe that rampant corruption exists in parliament, and were glad that prime minister haider al-abadi took the actions, and believes that he's doing everything he can do fight corruption, but believe it's so strong that perhaps the ugly spectre of sectarian politics will raise its head again and the debate on the issues, the decisions could last a while. all that said, it will be difficult politically for anybody to opposed the measures. we are at a time in iraq when there's a record heatwave, when

whose as considerable influence over the shia population, through his statement he urged haider al-abadio press ahead with reforms. it was a message of support and to his rival - don't stand in his way. he took over and replaced nouri al-maliki a year ago, accused of sectarian practices. after i.s.i.l. took over much of the mainland. his mission was to reconcile the communities, and reassert state authority. he's been challenged by forces within the leadership. shia militias, known as the popular mobilization forces replaced an army that collapsed. they have political ambitions, some have links with iran and are allies of maliki, who have the largest single block in the iraqi parliament. >> there are serious divisions within the shi'a house. this is very dangerous. haider al-abadi tried to stop shia groups meddling in state affairs. it didn't work. >> reporter: the protests emerged from a grassroots movement. but there's fear they may be hijacked by political forces who are stronger than the state. haider al-abadi needs to make people's expectations to ensure credibility. there's more at

iraq's prime minister haider al-abadi ordered military commanders to face trial for abandoning positions in ramadi this year. i.s.i.l. took over the city in may after months of fighting. we have more. >> haider al-abadi came out ratifying recommendations that has been made to him, and members in iraq's military that conducted an investigation into officers abandoning their post when i.s.i.l. took over the city of mike amadio last year. the prime minister is dagreeing with the assessment of the military officers saying any of them were in the army, abandoning their posts, must be court marshalled. it's not clear when they'll happen or if they have happened behind closed doors. this is following up on hours, and hours of investigations by members of the iraqi military. they came up with the recommendation, and it was approval recommended that the previous prime minister and members that abandoned their post should be court martial led and that may happen soon >>> children are among dozens of migrants boarding inflatable rafts in turkey hoping to reach cos. emma haywood reports >>> it's unc

in terms of mr haider al-abadi. why he's looking at the fall of ramadi and not the fall of mossuals. it's affected in every ruling state to court martial anyone that has not followed the rules. we need to follow the rules equally and more effectively as we go along. we don't think the government is doing that. we know now that the iraqi army is not effectively trained or equipment. i don't think anyone is expecting the army to withstand the big assaults as we have heard them from the i am not s i.s. the more leading role is by the militias supporting the army, they are taking a backseat role. in order to effectively carry out the battle against i.s.i.s., we need to strengthen the army and investigate as to why they have withdrawn from those places. taking a few generals, i don't think it's going to achieve much. >> government forces are battling houthi rebels for control of the city. fighters loyal to haider al-abadi say 50 houthis have been killed in fighting in tiaz south-wests of the capital. the main security he

i don't think haider al-abadi started with us. what he did was name and shame individuals. that is not the way to go forward. we need to tackle the deep state that is accused of a number of non-governmental organizations of being deeply corrupt and unrepresentative of iraqi people, that is the reason why we have thousands upon thousands flogging the streets, demonstrating against the government. unless we treat the root causes of problems, we are not going to produce anything. >> good to speak to you. pro-government forces are backing houthi rebels for control of the third-largest. fighters say 50 houthis have been killed in tiaz. south-west of the capital sanaa, the main security headquarters was taken by pro-government forces on saturday. they are also in full control, which had substantial oil reserves, and that means they hold five of yemen's six provinces in the south. >> in pakistan, the home minister of punjab and 11 others have been killed in a suicide attack. 32 others have been injured. rescuers are on the scene trying to help those buried under the rubble >>> chi

most of the folks were glad that haider al-abadi made the move. made the decision, but were pessimistic about when it would be put into effect. because corruption was rampant in parliament, because parliamentarians as many on the streets told us were looking out for themselves and not the country, they believed it would not get pass the. right now a lot of pressure on government and parliament to pass the resolutions to look to the people in iraq, that they are doing their best to fight corruption and get a return to the basic services like electricity, clean water to the citizens in this country. it's a dire time. >> thank you very much for that >>> the director of the iraq foundation for development and democracy joins me live from london, thank you for joining us on al jazeera. a significant move this, isn't it? >> it is no doubt one of the most significant steps taken in iraq since the occupation in 2003. the iraqi process has reached an impasse. it cannot function or render a result. if a mistake happens, the blame is thrown on the other side

let's hear from haider al-abadi. in pakistan administered kashmir. >> although the indian prime minister and the pakistani minister, sharif agreed to resume talks, there was an indication it was a step forward. now the pakistani side said it analysed the indian foreign minister's statement at a press conference in which india put two conditions - pakistan says india cannot unilaterally put conditions for talks, they should be unconditional. they cannot do this alone. they object to the second point, that the pakistanis will not be allowed to meet the kashmiri leaders likely to attend the talks, and india would not accept a third party. therefore pakistan coming to the conclusion that the talks would not be productive. the fear is that with the breakdown of the talks, the tensions along the cin of control -- line of control in the disputed region of kashmir was likely to get worse before it got better. >> india described pakistan's decision to back out of the national security advisor's talks as unfortunate. the stall

haider al-abadi's proposal needs to be approved by the cabinet and parliament >>> a year after the u.s.-backed coalition targeted i.s.i.l. positions in syria, activists told al jazeera the strategy is not working. the group lost some territory, but it controls the capital raqqa >>> hatians are preparing to vote for their members of parliament after nearly four years of delays. 139 seats are up for grabs with 1800 candidates looking to fill them >>> memorial ceremonies are happening in japan to mark 70 years since the u.s. dropped an atomic bomb on the say of nagasaki. 70,000 people died in the attack. which took place three lies after the atomic bombing of hiroshima. during the ceremony prime minister shinzo abe promised to work towards a world without nuclear weapons >>> japan's relationship with nuclear energy has been a fraught one, embracing nuclear technology. harry fawcett explains, the 2011 tsunami and earthquake turned opinion against it >>> 70 years ago "new york" magazine -- nagasaki was the second site of an attack. it mirrors japan's remarkable transformation, one that saw

. >> prime minister haider al-abadi promised to do that. protests a show of support for a pledge to fight corruption, reforming the sectarian political system will not be easy. the prime minister said he is facing powerful enemies. >> translation: there are people that want to bring down the political process. they have money and run television and radio stations. we will stand in their way. >> they have the backing of the highest society in iraq. the grand ayatollah sistani. whose has considerable influence over the shia population, through his statement he urged haider al-abadi to press ahead with reforms. it was a message of support and to his rival - don't stand in his way. he took over and replaced nouri al-maliki a year ago, accused of sectarian practices. after i.s.i.l. took over much of the mainland. his mission was to reconcile the communities, and reassert state authority. he's been challenged by forces within the leadership. shia militias, known as the popular mobilization forces replaced an army that collapsed in the face of i.s

party with a strong presence in parliament. . >> he's not the one man, and and prime minister haider al-abadi, or anyone else, is not marginalized. the u.s. is worried about its strength, especially in the post i.s.i.l. phase. it wants to contain powers and numbers. it has pressure to do that. >> it has become stronger than the state and the army. >>> the mobilization forces is believed to number around 100,000 men. they were given status by the government. they pay some of their salaries. they have largely replaced the army. and even here in baghdad. and thousands of forces are in anbar. newly trained troops are close to ramadi. but the government continues to rely on shia forces, the city of fallujah, as well as supply routes. it is expected to be a long fight. not just in anbar, but the militia they failed to capitalize on what was given to them by the army >>> one of syria's important and best preserved historical sites has been destroyed by i.s.i.l. a temple in the ancient city palmyra is reported to have been blown up on sunday. it was built around 10,000 years ago >>> 45 civilians have

haider al-abadi's proposal still needs to be approved by the parliament but it could upset iraq's delicate balance. mohammed jamjun, do you believe they played a part in the decision they made today? >> very good question, leading up to today on many occasions in the past weeks, you have heard from iraqi prime minister haider al-abadi, warned repeatedly iraqi politicians that they must get their act together, they must show the public that they're doing their utmost to fight corruption. he sense thread was a bit of revolutionary sentiment growing from this protest and government officials best be warned about the protests on the street. there is a direct correlation. one more thing to note. just on friday you had the highest religious authority, shia authority, to the highest shia cleric, ali al sistani, to give him a green light, to show the iraqi public they are battling corruption. we are at one of the protests and there were thousands of people in tahrir square, all of them saying these were apolitical protests that even though there are a number of security challenges in iraq the peop

haider al-abadi is on a visit to the united arab emirates for talks. they have been a key military backer, attempting to roll back the houthi advance >>> former u.s. president jimmy carter has said cancer spread to other parts of his body. he is rearranging his schedule to undergo further treatment. since leaving the white house he travelled the world to champion human rights. the u.s. environmental protection agency says water quality from a colorado river returned before 11 million litres of toxic. the city can start taking drinking water from the river again >>> lawyers for a man held in guantanamo bay accused the obama administration of endangering his life. he was cleared for release in 2009. he has been on hunger strike for more than eight years, the condition described as life threatening. we have this report >>> the u.s. military held this man at guantanamo since early 2002. in 2009, the obama decided that he no lodger posed a security -- longer posed a security risk and should be released. it's 2015, he is still at guantanamo. his lawyer filed

. >>> iraq's prime minister haider al-abadi has ordered military commanders to face trial for abandoning positions in ramadi earlier this year. let's go to mohammed jamjoom who joins us from baghdad. mohammed this is a big story. what is the latest you're hearing on this? >> shiulie, military officers, anybody who is military grade or above, must now be court martialed. what's not exactly clear is when those court mart yals have marte on behind could closed doors. it was also previously recommended that those who abandoned their posts should be court martialed. shiulie. >> it's been soundly criticized for how it has crit handled or not handled i.s.i.l. >> that the correct. the iraqi government is making great gains against i.s.i.l, those claims treated as propaganda. don't think they are making that much headway against the islamic state of iraq and the levant. now we should mention that this move today by the prime minister was very much expected, in fact this is part and parcel of the sweeping reform measures that prime minister abadi has been introducing and has been met with agreemen

how is this affecting haider al-abadi, and his government? >> haider al-abadi has actually come out in the last few days with a statement saying that the government better buckle down, get to the business of showing the people working for their best record. haider al-abadi said he is worried, saying he believes there's a possible sentiment expressed by baghdad and the people in iraq in general. one of the things that happened in this country is there has been multiple protests in various cities across the country. people that are demanding better services. demanding electricity, air conditional, clean water for the families so they can bathe in, drink the water. it's so dire the protesters are no longer political. what you are seeing now is the flourishing of a movement of civil society, people at a grassroots level organising and tomorrow we are expecting there may be multiple protests in cities across the country. it could be big. people are calling for protests in baghdad. this is something the government is aware of and they are frightened

. >>> iraqi prime minister, haider al abadi is cutting his cabinet by one-third. 11 cabinet posts aregone. mr. al abadi promised to reform the government. meanwhile, former iraqi prime minister, nuri al maliki could face trial. a parliamentary panel wants him and other top officials prosecuted for the isis capture of iraq's second largest city, mosul, last year. as part of reform measures, al maliki has been stripped of his vice president circumstantial post. >> nuri al maliki has been the face of the iraqi government since his first election in 2006. and he's not going to go gently into the night. so to have the current prime minister, haider al abadi and the iraqi council of representatives potentially indict nuri al maliki on charges that he was responsible for the lost of mosul to isis is a huge development and it's one that's going to bear close watching moving forward from here. >> how likely is it that al maliki will ever see the inside of a courtroom on this issue? >> i don't think it's very likely. but if this breaks his power base within the iraqi government i think it will

. >> raim prime minister hasiraqis revealed a number of new measures, haider al-abadi wants to get rid of six posts, three deputy prime minister and three vice presidents. nouri al maliki. mohammed jamjoom is in baghdad, from there he sent this report. >> iraq's government shocked the country with its announcement, that the prime minister and council of ministers would seek to cancel the positions of some of its top leadership. a decree garnering strong concerns on the street of the capital. >> translator: this is a real test for the blocks of parliament. if they refuse the prime minister's decree they will be singled out and will be held accountable. >> reporter: prime minister haider al-abadi's proposal cancels the positions of three vice presidents and three deputy prime ministers just one of the proposals he's putting forward to cancel the wasteful spending. abadi, is answering the protests of his citizens. demanding electricity, air conditioning, clean water and most importantly an end to corruption in parliament. by sunday just hours after abadi's announcement that sentiment had

haider al-abadi is on a visit to the united arab emirates for talks. they have been a key military back ir, attempting to roll back the houthi advance >>> civilians in yemen caught in a crossfire in what the u.n. calls an overwhelming humanitarian crisis. yemen, the poorest country with 21 million people dependent on foreign aid, the u.s. estimates 13 million yemeny do not have access to a reliable food source. since the conflict began, two sets of civilians died. >> steve is the emergency relief coordinator for the u.n. and says the need for humanitarian aid in yemen has never been greater. >> i was able to see for myself the destruction from the fighting. and the rebuilding that you can see which is destroyed or seriously damaged had people living behind them. we need to get them to sanaa and other areas of yemen that i have seen. it's clear to mee whether talking to a blind 6-year-old waiting in line for food - and they have done that - since 6:00a.m. watching for food. these are human stories, all of us have a joint reason. to be concerned about th

. >> a large force containing sunni forces, dozens of haider al-abadi's men has been killed in ambushes over recent days. it is proving to be a difficult fight, this battle is important for the government whose army and police units were abandoned after i.s.i.l. invaded anbar province. to avoid worsening sectarian tensions, those militias were immediately deployed to anbar when ramadi fell. it watts a request by the government whose army wasn't able to stop its advances. >> some western embassies should review their positions. we won't let anyone interfere in our are business, this is a red line. >> amery belongs to a political party that has a great position in parliament. >> amerie is the number 1 man, the force has become a military institution and the u.s. ask worried about its strength especially in the i.s.i.l. phase. he wants to increase his numbers. number around 100,000 men. they were given official status by the government which pays some of their salaries. they have largely replates placed the army in the place of deediyalla and, the government continues to rely on shia force

thousands of iraqis have marched through baghdad to back reforms announced by prime minister haider al-abadiming in response to weeks of political corruption and u unsatisfactory public services. mohammed jamjoom has the story. going i'm left with no other options but go out and fight corruption. >> reporter: the medical student and activist like so many other members of his generation says he tired of feeling despair and decided to do something about it. >> reporter: we created groups to help our friends and families because they are all in need of important services that aren't being provided. the most basic ones are electricity, clean water, and jobs. >> reporter: now he meets regularly with a growing group of like minded activists discussing and debating strategy they use every tool at their disposal to plan demonstrations. social media has become as important as physical publications and spreading the word. >> all these protests are peaceful in nature. >> but it's not just violence he wants to avoid. he wants to keep politics out of the protests, too. so far it's been working. later in

through the streets of baghdad in a show of support for recent reforms announced by prime minister haider al-abadi. widespread corruption has led to youth driving the protest, mohammed jamjoom has more. >> reporter: tired of seemingly endless roadblocks, he and his friends decided it was time to hit the streets. >> translator: i'm left with no other option but to go out and fight corruption. >> reporter: the medical student and activist like so many others of his generation says he tired of feeling despair and decided to do something about it. >> translator: we created groups to help our friends and families because they are all in need of important services. that rnd bein aren't being prov. the most basic are electricity clean water and jobs. >> reporter: now he meets regularly with a group of like minded activists. they use every tool at their disposal to plan demonstrations. social media has become as important as physical publications in spreading the word in conveying their most important message. >> all trees protesters are peaceful in nature. but it isn't just violence he wants to avoid. he

prime minister haider al-abadi recently announced an 18th-corruption push. >>> prices of commodities are on the rise and that along with a series of corruption scanlts co. dilma rousseff is the most unpopular president in decades. >> ever since this woman's husband lost his job, this woman has become the sole breadwinner. even at countied prices, few of her clients are buying these days and she can barrel make ends meet. >> translator: i constantly have a headache, there is no jobs, no future, no end in sight. we need to choose which bill to pay every month. we also had to negotiate a discount at school. >> the brazilian middle class, flourished over the last decade and is now losing its privilege. >>> at this market they sell almost everything at unbeatable prices but even here vendors are struggling. there are plenty of people but few are buying. emanuel silva has owned this kiosk for 15 years. he comes from the northeast, once a strong hold of president dilma rousseff. >> i wengt to the process, she is sinking the country. we cut many things. we cancel the internet, we don't call

a spokesman for prime minister haider al-abadi called the general's comment irresponsible. odierno was asked about the iraqi situation yesterday, at his final pentagon news conference. >> i think there might be some alternative solutions that might have to come into this sometime in the future, where iraq might not look like it did in the past. it might be the only solution, but i'm not ready to say that yet. >> woodruff: chunks of iraq are already controlled by islamic state militants, kurds and shiites. and today, an islamic state bombing in baghdad killed dozens of people. we'll have a full report, after the news summary. >> ifill: back in this country, the supreme court of connecticut has ordered an end to executions. that decision today spared the lives of the 11 inmates still on the state's death row. they were sentenced in advance of a 2012 law that abolished capital punishment. the court ruled, 4 to 3, that carrying out those executions now would amount to cruel and unusual punishment. >> woodruff: u.s. customs officials returned a stolen picasso to french hands tod

. >> reporter: discussing decisions by the prime minister haider al-abadi, in baghdad we have spoken to many people who say they support the prime minister's decisions, that really the government must implement these reforms and yet there's a lot of si cynicism abt how long it should take to debate these issues. when it comes to political issues the ugly sectarian issue of secular politics has raised its head. nonetheless, parliamentarians under immense pressure to get these programs passed, air conditioning, clean water, and energy, massive protest planned once again for this upcoming friday. that despite the fact that parliament is expected to take up the issue on tuesday. we are hearing that thousands upon thousands of people will be coming out on the street across the city. >> police say was an exchange of gun fire with officers in ferguson. the violence on sunday happened at the end of a day of peaceful demonstrations. brown was unarmed when he was shot by a white police officer. now, there were fist fights reports of fraud and plenty of frustration in haiti, after the country's

while iraq's prime minister haider al-abadi and his parliament are quick to pass reform measures, iraqis say that's not enough. no matter how hot it gets and no matter you how long i how long . it's action he rather than words. >> it seems like the reform list and the decrees and the ratification of these proposals by the government is like ink on paper. protestors are waiting for implementation of these reforms. and no actions taken, the protests will develop into sit-ins. >> now prime minister abadi isn't just promising to reform corruption, but he will reform security. it is not clear yet what effect that will have on these weary fighters and the weary public. mohammed jamjoom, al jazeera, baghdad. >> ahead in the next segment. >> on the mississippi delta a fertile place where ironically it's hard to buy fresh healthy food but we'll show you how one food but we'll show you how one community is fighting back. ♪ ♪ ♪ get excited for the 1989 world tour with exclusive behind the scenes footage, all of taylor swift's music videos, interviews, and more. xfinity is the destination for all th

parliament will meet, that they may pass the directions that were given by the prime minister, haider al-abadi to fight corruption. but much needs to be seen tomorrow by the iraqi people to make sure that the government is doing as much as they can to deliver on the promises. they vow to the iraqi people that they'll fight corruption. so much going on on so many fronts, it's a country considered to be in crisis, and many want the security situation and the situation at large for society to improve. >> a member of bashar al-assad's family has been arrested. he is accused of killing an army officer for overtaking him in his car. the incident angered some of the regime's supporters. people want retribution, they chanted. protests are ordinary. this is a regime stronghold. the man they are protesting against is bashar al-assad's cousin. this man is accused of shooting to death a man in an incident. >> the president spoke to me saying just needs to be done. more than 1,000 took part in the protests. >> he's in a difficult position. i would not be surprised. an open trial. basically take police to s

security crisis in the country >>> well, the blast is one of the biggest to fight baghdad since haider al-abadi took office. attacks escalated as government forces moved to move the group out of its stronghold in anbar province. monday, 58 were killed. a market attack in july killed around 50 people. many of those killed were women and children gathering to mark the end of ramadan. according to the united nations 15,000 have been killed in iraq since the start of 2014. the charity of contemporary studies says that the attacks is struggling to control the situation despite coalition assistance. >> the blast in the last few weeks has been able to attack not only one particular theatre, but all over iraq -- the heart of the iraqi capital. the target is the same. we know that i.s.i.l. has a genocide ideology. so it could be shia sunni all-out war. the fighters have done well for the iraqi government, and in the words of the top american general who said basically that the united states might have sent ground troops in order to save the day. the war, basically a stalemate more than a year after the

the people here are throwing their weight behind the prime minister, haider al-abadi who has promised reforms, the challenge comes within his rule alliance. the power would unite powerful forces against him even the shia community's highest cleric in iraq is warning that politicians who will be hurt by the reforms won't give up their power and privileges easily. >> the demonstrators should not allow anyone to divert them from their objectives. they may try further their own interests. >> the protesters have made it a point to only display the iraqi flag, it is subdividing the majority shia community whose political and security factions have grown stronger than the state. zeina khodr, al jazeera, baghdad. >> angry that authorities have failed to clear the streets of mountains of rubbish. it's been building up following the closure of the city's mainland fill site last month. jamal el shael reports. >> at a glance it would appear that jordan' lebanon's rubbish m has been resolved. but you have to start holding your nose. resolving the problem on making it go away. waste has been taken

iraqis have marched through the streets of baghdad to show support for the reforms suggested by haider al-abadi. aal jazeera's mohammed jamjoom has more. >> he and his friends decided it was time to hit the streets. >> i'm left with no other option but to go out and fight corruption. >> reporter: the medical student and activist like so many of his generation says he tired of despair and decided to do something about it. >> we create groups to help our friends and families because they are all in need of important services that aren't being provided. the most basic ones are electricity, clean water, and jobs. >> reporter: now he meets regularly with a growing group of like minded activists discussing and debating strategy they use every tool at their disposal to plan demonstrations. social media has become as important as physical publications in predding the spe word and creating their peaceful protesters. but it's not just violence he wants to avoid. he wants to keep politics out of the conversation too, so far it's been working. later in the day as thousands gather in baghdad's tahrir square

washington has reportedly asked prime minister haider al-abadi not to use shia militiamen to secure sunni territories to avoid worsening secretary tear worseening secretaryworsen secretarsectarian tensions. >> some embassies should review their positions. we won't allow anyone to interview with our internal affairs. this is a red line. >> an influence man, he has been leading the fight against isil. his brigade is the strongest militia in the popular mobilization forces. he also belongs to a political party that has a strong presence in parliament. >> he's the number one man in the popular mobilization forces. and prime minister abady and not everyone else can marginalize him. the u.s. is worrying about its strengths, especially in the post isil phase. it wants to contain its power and numbers. >> but the militias have become stronger than the state and the army. the popular mobilization forces is believed to number around 100,000 men. they were given official status by the government, which pays some of their salaries. they have largely replaced the army and the provinces and even here i

not only are these proposals that haider al-abadi made, not only did he expect those to past, he was also proposing the same or more somber measures. right now, any plosion any political leader or political block leader, milkily, because right now these politics are tween rock and a hard place. right now so much of a ground swell of anger, they would like air conditioning and clean water that aren't being provided to so much of the citizenry, people are calling it a revolutionary feeling in the crowds that are coming out. more protests called for even now, and we expect that on friday as well and several cities across iraq. it will be interesting to see what happens, tomorrow, if these measures pass, you still have to get to the implementation phase and that's where it's going to be interesting to see if the devil is in the details here, if these things happen quickly and if in fact this appeases the anger of the iraqi citizenship. >> mohammed jamjoom, thank you. >>> taken most of northern idlib province and fighters now say they are murk forward against the stronghold ever latakea.

parliament will meet, they may pass the directions that were given by the prime minister here, haider al-abadi, to fight corruption but much needs to be seen by the iraqi people to make sure that the government is doing as much as they can to deliver on the promises they have vowd to the iraq vowed to . it is a country that is considered to be in crisis and many people want both the security situation and the situation at large for society here to improve. >> that was mohammed jamjoom reporting from baghdad. from iraq to egypt, a blast there killed four people today. four victims were policemen. a bomb squad was able to defuse a second device in the area, a group emerged last year and has been targeting security forces in and around the capital and it was another violent day in afghanistan after a car bombing killed at least five people. the explosion there happened just outside the encumbrance to the country's main airport in kabul. jennifer glasse has more. >> reporter: the taliban car bomb exploded at the busy civilian entrance to kabul airport. the target was likely a military convoy athat

washington has asked president haider al-abadi not to use shia militias, those militias who are known as the popular revolutionary forces, now one of the commanders of the forces feel there are attempts to stop them. >> translator: some western embassies should review their positions. we won't let anyone to interfere in our internal affairs. this is a red line. >> reporter: hadi al amry is an influential man. he has been leading the fight against i.s.i.l. amry also belongs to a political party that has a strong presence in parliament. >> translator: amry is number 1 man in the popular mobilization forces and prime minister abadi or anyone else cannot marginalize him. the force has become a military institution and the u.s. is worried about its force. it wants to control its power and numbers and has pressured abadi to do that. >> but the militias have become stronger than the state and the army. the popular revolutionary forces is said to number around 100,000 men. they were given official status by the government which pays their salaries. ing iin diyalla and other places, around ano

. >> reporter: prime minister haider al-abadi promised to do just that. but reforming iraq sectarian based political system will not be easy. teen prime minister said he is facing -- even the prime minister said he is facing difficult adversaries. >> we will and in their way. >> abadi has the backing of the highest shia authority in iraq. grand ayatollah ali al sistani. it was a message of support to abadi and to his rivals not to stand in his way. he approached nouri al-maliki. he has been challenged by political forces from within the shia leadership. shia militias who are known as the popular mobilization forces have replaced asn army that collapsed in the face of i.s.i.l. forces. allies of maliki who still has the largest single block in the iraqi parliament. >> translator: there are serious divisions within the shia house. this is very dangerous. abadi tried oask iran to stop shia groups from meddling in affairs but it didn't work. >> many cases stronger than the state. abadi needs to meet people's expectations in order to ensure his credibility but

washington has apparently asked haider al-abadi not to use shia militias. those militias who are more than as the popular mobilization forces, now, one of the commanders of the forces feels there are attempts to stop them about. >> translator: some western embassies should review their positions, we won't let anyone to interfere in internal affairs, this is a red line. >> reporter: hadyr el amry is an influential man has a strong influence in parliament. >> amry is a number 1 man in the force he and prime minister abadi or anyone is el, the u.s. is worried about its strength especially in the post-i.s.i.l. phase. it wants to contain its power and numbers has pressured abadi to do this. >> but the militias have become stronger than the state or the army. purported to number more than 100,000 member, the government pays some of their salaries. they have largely replaced the army in the provinces of diyalla and anbar. the city of fallujah, as well as on supply routes, it is knot expected to be a long fight not just in anbar. zeina khodr, al jazeera, baghdad. >

it is near baiji, and iraq prime ministers haider al-abadi said winning the battle for the city is key to defeating i.s.i.l. iraq's shia militias known as the popular mobilization forces plarp for an assault on baiji city. this is the image they want you to see, that they are confident and ready to defeat i.s.i.l. this battle will decide the future of iraq. he met with senior officers. >> now we plan to secure the whole situation as the enemy tries to find a break. the ramadi operations are going smoothly and the enemy besieged there, that's why they advance, trying to open another front in baiji to develop the situation. >> the forces plan to defeat the enemies. it is a great success. >> the oil refinery and town, kilometres from each other changed hands several times. neither the iraqi security forces or the islamic state has been in control. retaking it, holding it will be a big victory for iraq, one badly needed. >> in anbar, people tried to flee the violence. the government say they will not let them cross because they don't have the relevant paperwork. i.s.i.l. killed the command

they are angry at the lack of basic services, and electricity, prime minister haider al-abadi visited to make sure that at the oil field it would not affect production >>> a senior democratic senator in the u.s. promised to fight the iran nuclear deal, despite two other democratic senators, jack reed and shelledion decided to back president obama. that has not swayed robert menendez. >> no, well i have many specific concerns about the agreement. my over arching concern is it requires no dismantling of iran's nuclear infrastructure, and moth balls it for 10 years. not one sent finaling will be destroyed under the agreement. >> from new york, kristen saloomey explains why menendez is not backing the agreement. >> bob menendez is the second democrat to come out against the deal. he's a senior democrat, a statement that the obama administration didn't want to hear. he says that he is concerned the deal does not do anything to dismantle iran's nuclear ambitions, and thinks contrary with the president, what he is saying, that it's not an all or nothing deal, and called on congress to regret

today the iraqi cabinet approved haider al-abadi's plan to cut spending and streamline the government. following protest over a lack of electricity and water. >> tin tens of thousands of christians fleeing, many trying to find a home in the west away from i.s.i.l. >> reporter: it's been a year since iraq's first group of christian refugees escaped to jordan. they were expelled by i.s.i.s., when it took control. a special prayer was held in their honour, north-west of the capital. this couple and their daughter, who fled may never see iraq again. they say that is a price they are willing to pay to keep the faith because they no longer trust the government >>> how can we be expelled from our homes and towns where we grew up like that, without any rights. we served our army and homeland. >> christian leaders and diplomatic missions attended the ceremony, as did an envoy of pope francis. in a letter red by the head of the roman catholic church, appealed to the international community to take action against the persecution of christians. iraq's christians are among the oldest christian com

on sunday, haider al abadi in what appeared to be a response to the streets and serious call for actionnce 2003. >> it may be the first time that we have a person who is able to change things on the ground rather than just continuing in the same mold as his predecessors. time passes and nothing changes on the ground. >> reporter: and those include eliminating the posts of three senior vice presidents and deputy prime ministers. the positions are allocated based on a sectarian and ethnic quota system created by the united states in 2003. but many iraqis feel the system is ineffective and part of the problem. other measures include cutting back on the security allowances allowed to officials and cutt g cutting -- iraqis on tuesday evening took to the streets in support. >> i don't think that the protesters are going to go away even if they hear the words from the prime minister. they want to see action on the ground. that will take some time. it is not something that will happen in a week or two. this is a several month process and it will keep the pressure on the government. >> reporter:

but this week surprising many, iraq's prime minister haider al abadi made hopefully what is the firstg his country back together with a series of reforms that would as the new york times eloquently put it radically reshape the dysfunctional political system of iraq that has been entrenched since the american led invikings in 2003. will it work? let's bring in two people who know iraq very well. michele flournoy was the highest ranking civilian at the pentagon. she was under consideration for the top job, secretary of defense. the ceo and co-founder for the new center for american security. dexter filkins is the author of the excellent book "the forever war." dexter, you have been in and out of iraq as recently as last year. will what abadi has proposed work? >> i'm pretty pessimistic about it. i think fundamentally the iraqi state is broken, you know. it's broken in three pieces. there is the shiite part and the kurdish part which is -- they're leaving. and the sunni part i think is irreparably broken away. trying to knit that together, i just don't see it happening. i think, if there

the call came after iraqi prime minister haider al-abadi ordered a court martial for military commandersaccused of abandoning their posts and allou)jrár& to claimed another iraqi city ramadi. , abadi also announced plans to cut 11 ministerial positions, reducing his cabinet by a third in a bid to appease mass protests over corruption. meanwhile, bombings across the iraqi capital baghdad killed at least 24 people. the bombings followed a truck bomb attack by isil which killed more than 70 people in baghdad thursday, marking the deadliest attack in the capital since abadi took office a year ago. in news from indonesia, a passenger plane has crashed in the province of papua with 54 people on board. rescuers are still searching for the wreckage. the plane was also carrying nearly half $1 million in cash assistance for poor villagers in remote areas. in news from china, the death toll from a series of explosions at a chemical warehouse in tianjin has risen to 112. nearly 100 more remain missing, most of them firefighters. authorities widened the evacuation radius to three kilometers after fre