hashem joins us litsch now from southern turkey. hashem, just walk us through wyoming particular link is so important. >> it is important, because it has been a rebel stronghold for almost four years, since the start of the syrian uprising against the government of bashar al assad, this was one of the first areas where the rebels took control, further expanded, and there are two types of factions operating there. there is al-nusra front, an al-qaeda affiliate along with other conservative groups, very well organized and powerful. at the same time, there are free syrian army groups trained by the americans and western allies of the syrian opposition. since yesterday, there's been intensive airstrikes by the russian fighter jets. the syrian army started shutting positions and then advancing towards the city. rebel fighters put out from differently areas, but say they will continue to fight. they have called for general mobilization. these factions have never been united in the past and therefore it remains to be seen whether they will

. >> i think we've lost coms with hashem there. as you can imagine, ditch to get people out of syria. at the moment, isil controls much of the countries central corridor. the syrian opposition controls big parts of the north and the southwest. the kurdish popular protection unit, the y.p.g. have also been battling isil. the rest of the country remains under government control. a retired lebanese army general and military analyst in the capitol beirut says that both the syrian government and the rebels do benefit from this deal. >>> i think this is not the first time we've seen this in homs a long time ago. it is cost benefit approach. it's good for everybody is winning. it's a win-win situation. for the regime, he's securing his back yard, for hezbollah, he is economizing his forces for different places. he is really protecting his soft belly, because this area is in the middle of the area of influence of hezbollah where you have pro hezbollah, where you have pro shia and the at the same time, it is beneficial for the rebels to go

hashem ahelbarra reports just across the border from syria on what aloush's death means. >> he was the most powerful rebel commander in damascus suburbs. his headquarters were only a few kilometers away from president bashar al-assad's palace. sarad aloush was released from prison in a general amnesty. many of his jail inmates would come rebel commanders. he rose to prominence in 2013 when he convinced many armed groups to form jashel islam, an army of 20,000 well trained unarmed fighters. he attended a military parade. it was the biggest show of force by the syrian opposition. unlike most rebel factions with units across the country, the army of islam has one base on the outskirts of damascus with one task, waiting for government to collapse to march into the capital and secure it. this is where aloush was killed. waiting for fighters from jashal islam, killed in an air strike carried out by a syrian fighter jet. the syrian opposition says his debt will undermine the chance for internationally brokered talks between the rebels and the syrian government. he was not only a military comm

let's go live now to hashem ahelbarra, who is on the turkey-syrian border. hashem, in the past rebel groups have fallen apart when their leaders have been killed. is this going to happen? is the new guy strong enough to hold it together? >> this is one of the biggest concerns brought by different members of the syrian national you council, but also activists on the ground because throughout the last four years generally speaking most of the powerful armed factions were based on the charisma of their own leaders zahran alloush was an activists. there was this whole aura about him. he was able to form an army and convince others to join his army. particularly in the top-ranking commanders, they have a new commander, and it remains to be seen whether they would be able to maintain all the commanders in their authorit authority. he was a top general who was reaching out to groups they would try to merge in a new front. he was extremely powerful. extremely influential, and his death is a huge blow for the syrian opposition. >> tell us more about the realities on

thanks very much, hashem ahelbarra >>> north korea's state newsagencies says a top advisor died in aar crash. he was involved in negotiations with neighbouring rival south korea. very few details have been released about the circumstances surrounding the car crash that killed kim yang gong. north korea's state newsagency announced his death in a brief statement. >> translation: member of the political bureau. deputy to the supreme people's assembly died sadly in a traffic accident at 6:15, december 29th, at the age of 73. >> reporter: as secretary of the ruling workers party, he was a senior official, an experienced negotiator playing an important role in talks with south korea. in august he helped to diffuse tensions between the two sides after an explosion injured two seen soldiers at the border with north korea. the south korean government paid frib ute to skill and hard work during the talks. >> we offer our condolences. working to achieve an agreement between high level talks. he was, according to state media, the closest comrade, and the solid partner. his death is raiding ques

hashem ahelbarra has more. >> wounded rebel fighters and their families cross into lebanon from syria. the end of months of anxiety and uncertainty about their future. they were trapped in zabadani near the lebanese border. the city has been the focal point of intense fighting but after a series of set backs, the rebels lost most of it to the army. it has been laying siege to the area. the wounded and their families will be taken to turkey, their final destination is unclear. they could be sent to refugee camps on the border with syria or moved to areas under opposition control inside the country. also, as part of the deal, shia militia fighters were given safe passage out of small towns in northern syria. these pro-government fighters were evacuated to turkey. it is the first leg in a journey that will take them to lebanon and then syria's capital which is still largely a stronghold of president bashar al-assad. this complex movement of people was made possible because of a deal brokered by iran and turkey. it's seen as a significant development in a country battered by more than fou

hashem ahelbarra, al jazeera, in southern turkey. >> nigeria's emergencies agency says at least 30 were killed in maiduguri. ahmed idris sent us this update. >> over the last 30 days maiduguri was under virtually a lock down. simply because the services here want to ensure this is a crime free christmas. in fact for first time in three years in the northeast area of nigeria there was no case of bombing by boko haram in a church or any other worship place. so the curfew or rather the ban on movement or car movements in maiduguri and other partle of pe northeast of course were lifted yesterday and there were suicide bombers by bus loads, intercepted 50 military. the military are captured dozens of them. for the first niem months they s they detonated their vests in certain areas. in fact 26 people have been killed in the series of bomb attacks across the state. and more than 80 people have been injured as a result. but the fatalities could rise because of the severity of injuries sustained during the series of attacks in maiduguri and the outskirts of the city. >> japanese prime minister

al jazeera hashem ahelbarra joins us now near the border between turkey and syria. hashem what the chances that bashar al-assad will try to consolidate what he has been trying to do in this particular area? >> he said that the death is a major set whack and definitely an opportunity for them to send troops into the outskirts of the capital of damascus to take advantage of the recent gains made by the syrian government and the russian airstrikes that tries to move towards the area under control by the rebels over the last four years. the syrian government is basically trying to take over areas in southern aleppo, also on the outskirts of the area and to consolidate its gains in dna to tell the international community that now that we're going to start political talks the world has to understand that the opposition is losing the fight. but we've been talking with different members of opposition military commanders. they say although the leader was killed, they're continue t determined to continue the fight. on the ground they say there is absolutely no way that they'l

hashem ahelbarra joins us now for a little bit more on this story.ignificant a figure was he within -- not just his group, but the sort of broader opposition movement? >> reporter: he was the most powerful military commander in the southern part of the country and particularly in damascus. this is someone who had -- his headquarters just a few miles from the syrian presidential palace, who was seen as an imminent threat to president bashar al-assad. he was a cleric. he was a military commander, and he has the capabilities to convince fighters, leaders, to join his army. the army of islam. this is an army of about 20,000 well-trained and quipped fighters, and they were basically seen as the army which was going to take over damascus if the government collapses. >> what would this mean for assad's control in the areas around the capitol where he has really struggled in recent months, but perhaps now things are moving a little bit more in his favor? >> reporter: this comes as a very critical moment for the syrian opposition, and it could definitely boos

hashem ahelbarra in southern turkey. >> the iranian president has ordered an expansion of the missiles development program. it is seen as a direct response to a report that the united states is planning a new round of sanctions of iran over previous missile tests. iran said it has a right to develop missiles as long as it does not carry nuclear war heads. we have more tensions between the u.s. and iran over its missile program. it is firing of missiles can you tell us why this has not been resolved? a bit of context around he's tensions? >> well, in the past year most recently in mid-october, the iranians test fired a ballistic missile. according to the united states and other countries that's a violation of international prohibitions on iran from testing it's ballistic missiles. so the u.s. is looking at implementing a new round of unilateral sanctions against the iranian government where persons who have been supporting this work. now the wall street journal said that people and businesses in three countries, hong kong, abu dhabi, and the u.a.e. and in iran would be facing these sanc

hashem ahelbarra reports. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: these rebel fighters are on the counter offensive.are launching an attack to repel government troops in an opposition strong hold in southern syria. they say that many tanks that were part of the government offensive were either destroyed or forced to retreat. but the army backed by russian fighter jets say the fight is almost over. and that the city will soon be under itself control. >> the russian arrival is like game changer. it added more military assets, more air power, more intelligence, since we know earlier, when president assad in his speech said we are -- i don't have enough personnel in order to fight. so accordingly, the russians are here, trying to, you know, limit the spillover, or spill back of the a-- regime. the rebels have captured most of the towns. dara is crucial for both sides. if captured by government forces, the rebels will have to pull out. it's fall is also going to be bad news for rebel factions on the edge of damascus. it's a vital supply route for groups in the area. there are many armed groups operating

. >> hashem ahelbarra joining us now.l us about the significance of this leader being killed. >> reporter: lauren this is a huge setback for the syrian opposition. he is the top military commander of the syrian opposition on the outskirts of the cop -- capitol of damascus. he commands a group of 20,000 well-trained fighters there. he is someone that could easily send troops in different areas, fire rockets to target the heart of the capitol. so he was seen as an immediate threat to president bashar al-assad, and the army that commands -- the army [ inaudible ] merger of different conservative and separatists groups operating in the area. the opposition was always looking at him as a man when d-day comes, he was going to be the one to secure damascus, take control of it, and start a new era in the country. >> there were question marks of who might be involved in talks about the future of syria, and where does that leave that process? >> reporter: it leaves the process in tatters and also it puts the opposition in a very de

hashem ahelbarra has been following the story and join us live from turkey.st of all, tell us what is the latest that we know about this attack on the town, and why is this particular town so key? >> reporter: barbara, the syrian government backed by russian fighter jets managed to advance towards areas in the town. the air strikes started since yesterday, the rebels told us they have been battered by the russians, and that they were forced to pull out, that the syrian government took advantage, and sent troops inside the town. but that the rebels managed over the last few hours, but it remains to be seen whether they will be able to hold ground because of the intensity of the air strikes. the town has been a -- a strong hold of the syrian opposition. it's -- it's a crucial road for them. they could easily channel weapons, and also fighters to the outskirts of the capitol, damascus, and the area has always been seen as a platform for any opposition offensive to capture the capitol. this is why the president was also concerned about the rebels there. it is als

hashem ahelbarra joins us live from turkey. hashem what more do we know?reporter: the fighting continues, peter, and we're getting reports from rebel commanders on the ground that they have regrouped over the last two hours or so, and launched a counter offensive. they say they have destroyed vehicles, and they have managed to control some of the areas. but it remains a fast-moving situation for both sides. the problem that the rebels face as we speak is the russian air strikes. they have been launching air strikes, pounding rebel positions across the area, and if that pattern continues, there are huge concerns that the rebels will lose the area. >> reporter: as far as we know, is it just russian air power in the skies over this region, or are other elements of the u.s.-lead coalition joining in as well? >> reporter: in the area over the last few weeks there has been an attempt by the government to recapture the -- the eastern and western part of the city. the syrian army was backed by the russians and also shia militias and mainly fighters from hezbollah.

hashem ahelbarra sends this report from the turkey-syria border. >> the death of d zahran allouc. interim government announced by the syrian government in exile in 2013.he say 2013. the ththe death of ofie ever al. in exchange of their pulgt out of yarmouk refugee camp on the outskirts of the city. the deal was seen by the opposition as an indication the syrian government concluding with i.s.i.l. >> the regime has deflected attention from the fact that what's happening is the fight for political rights and against tyranny to five off a secular regime against i.s.i.l. for the international community, the fight against i.s.i.l. comes first. >> these are delicate times for the opposition. over the last two years it has lost significant ground in southern aleppo, homs, and other areas. be manareas. many of its commanders have been killed and coming under increasing pressure to join talks with assad. concession by the rebels who had hoped to force sood ou assad ouf power militarily. no longer insisting on an immediate departure of the syrian president. hashem ahelbarra, al jazeera, on

hashem ahelbarra is live for us. hashem, the symbolism of this and what it could turn into is not lost on anyone. >> it's quite significant. the government has fighters trapped in towns in northern idlib, and they have the fighters trapped in an area where the government has laid siege in the past. they were hoping to have their own people evacuated. it comes at a time when the international community is hoping to convince the opposition and the government that the only way to put an end to more than four years of fighting and violence is a political way out. this evacuation could be the first step in that long process. >> and when we talk about that long process, i guess we've got to discuss the peace talks planned for geneva at the end of next month, january 25th and 26th, is what is going on today very good for the diplomats for the syrian foreign minister when they go to geneva. what is happening now is it takes the heat out of the situation. >> exactly. peter, when the united nations envoy took over, they said i

let's go to hashem ahelbarra. joining us from southern turkey. tell us more about it. >> basically security forces say that they acted following intelligence they have received about potential attacks targetting areas. basically that it went into a house, and they arrested two people who came from syria, with explosive belts and were planning to launch a suicide bombing attack in the new year. this comes against a backdrop of heightened security, and the past security forces in turkey. arrested dozens of people saying some of them were affiliated with i.s.i.l. planning attacks in turkey, or acting as intermediary with i.s.i.l. high command inside syria. it comes against the backdrop of the attacks launched by i.s.i.l. in turkey. one in ankara in october. and before that on the border with syria. so this is exactly why security is alert in turkey. >> absolutely, and the fight against the p.k.k. rebels is also raging. >> spreading in the south-eastern part of the countries, talking about areas like the eastern part also, and there has been clashes

hashem ahelbarra, al jazeera, darrah southern turkey. >>> drive by shooting in the yemeni city of aden. shot after holding over control of the key port to government troops. one of the last working hospitals says it came under attack on monday. rob matheson has the story. >> reporter: at the closing of the year no letup in the fighting in yemen, hospitals are on the front line in the battle between the rebels and supporters of the internationally recognized government of abd rabbu mansour hadi. medical staff are struggling to cope. in ta'izz they plead for more oxygen supplies. without them, they say, medical care will suffocate. >> translator: we are protesting today because we are no longer able to save our patients. they arrive but we cannot help them. there is no surgery no equipment. >> people having been treated in the hospital have to bring their own oxygen bottles. >> i had to get it from outside the hospital because none are available here. >> reporter: the united nations say more than 21 million yemenis need humanitarian aid, more than 80% of the population. but houthi rebels

let's hear from hashem ahelbarra who is on its turkish border with syria. >> wounded rebel fighters and their families cross from syria. with insecurity and uncertainty with their future. they're trapped near the lebanese border. it has been the very tall county of intense fighting. but after a serious of setbacks, the wounded and their families will be taken to turkey. their final destination is unclear. they could be sent to refugee camps on the board with syria or move to areas under opposition control inside the country. also, as part of the deal, shia fighters were given safe passage through small towns. these pro government fight precious evacuated to turkey. it's the first leg in a journey that will take them to lebanon and then syria's capital, which is still largely a stronghold of bashar al-assad. this complex movement of people was made possible because of a deal brokered by iran and turkey. it is seen as a significant development in a country battered by more than four years of violence. the united nations hopes this deal will create some level of trust between the governmen

. >> we hear now from hashem ahelbarra. >> reporter: wounded fighters and their families who were evacuatedthe area arrived in turkey, and then from there, they crossed into idlib, a rebel strong hold in northern syria. there were few exceptions. those who were badly injured were kept in hospitals. at the same time, the pro-government fighters and their families who were evacuated, they were flown from turkey to lebanon, and from there they will travel to damascus. the agreements were either put on hold or collapsed, but this one went as planned. quite a significant step forward for the international community. who is hoping to bring the warring factions in syria to make similar deals in the future to sort of bridge the difference of trust between them. next month they will be able to tackle serious issues like establishing a transitional government in syria. >>> coming up, we will be meeting the syrian refugees arriving in canada. among them the family of the 3-year-old boy, who's death shocked the world. >> "inside story" takes you beyond the headlines, beyond the quick cuts, beyond the s

hashem ahelbarra has been following the story and sent us this report from turkey. >> reporter: it alled with intense air strikes by russian fighter jets paving the way for government troops to advance towards the town, which is an opposition strong hold. the rebels say that despite the losses, they are regrouping, and they are planning to launch a counter offensive to push the government troops out of the area. the town and the whole area is very crucial for the government and the rebels because it's in a strategic route that connects dara and the capitol damascus. for the rebels it has been a platform from where they could easily send weapons and fighters to provide and boost the presence of the opposition, and this is why the president has always been concerned about rebel groups present in the area. now there are different opposition fighting there. the nusra front, and factions associated with the free syrian army. we don't know whether they will pull out further south or will be trying to look for different routes to go to areas, which are strongly under the control of the opposi

. >> hashem ahelbarra reporting. >>> pegasus airliner jet, five aircraft were also damaged in the blast. the cause of the explosion is still not known at this point. meanwhile, turkish informs continue to bomb kurdish sites. troops and tanks have been deployed to towns on the borders of iraq and syria. turkish state media says it has killed 130 so farce far this week. >>> still ahead, russia's answer of aamnesty international's allegations. >> i did two tours in iraq, when i came back i couldn't find a job. >> fighting to survive. >> bein' a man and can't put my family in a home that they deserve... that's a problem for me. >> hard earned pride. hard earned respect. hard earned future. a real look at the american dream. "hard earned". sunday, 10:00 eastern. only on al jazeera america. >> syrian activists are accusing government forces loyal to president assad of using toxic gas outside damascus. the allegations haven't been verified but causing baseless, five men killed in that attack. >>> also in syria today air strikes hit a busy market outside damascus. victoria gatenby reports. >> t

. >> thank you, hashem ahelbarra. >> general who do you think is responsible for this air strike? >> first, you have to ask the questions: who is the beneficiary from this killing? the regime, the regime doesn't have the pinpointing advance technology. it seems that though russians aren't declaring that they have really done it because according to alush, considered opposition and going to fight them in the future. this is context. who is the beneficiary, the regime, hezbollah as well as the russians. >> what kind of message does his death send to other groups fighting in syria? >> i mean, he's different from the other groups. he's like accepting, you know, the mitigation as political as well as military. he agreed to talk, his killing after the riyadh conference, or after a major hit, the terrorist organization, it is a major hit for this political process. it's like a hit for saudi arabia, in particular, after the riyadh conference. the shaping the military situation, in order to really weaken their opponents in any table of negotiation in the future. so this is major blow for t

hashem ahelbarra has the story. >> the rebels say that despite the losses, they are regrouping and they are planning to launch a counteroffensive to push the government troops out of the area. the whole darra area is very crucial for the government and for the rebels because it is on a strategic route that connects darra and the capital damascus. for the rentals it has been a platform for which they could easily send weapons and fighters. so the eastern in boosting the presence of the opposition. that's why president bashar al-assad has always been concerned about rebel groups present this darra. there are different factions operating there. the al qaeda affiliate el nusra front, and the free syrian army. where they are trying look for different routes to go to areas which are strongly under the control of the opposition. this is quite a delicate moment for syrian occupatio oppositione related groups. >> turkish owned construction and hotel groups have been barred from doing business with moscow. new sanctions take effect on new year's day. >>> the pentagon is providing more details fro

hashem ahelbarra reports. >> reporter: these rebel fighters are on the counter offensive.y are launching an attack to recapture an opposition strong hold in southern syria. they say that part of the government offensive were either destroyed or forced to retreat, but the army backed by russian fighter jets say the fight is almost over, that the city will soon be under its control. >> the russian arrival is like a game changer, it added more military assets, more air power, more intelligence. since we know earlier when president assad said i don't have enough personnel in order to fight. so accordingly the russians are here trying to, you know, limit the spill back of the regime. >> reporter: it's the birthplace of syria's uprising, while the capitol is still under government control, the rebels have captured most of the towns. it's crucial for both sides. if captured, the rebels will have to pull out, it's fall is also going to be bad news for rebel factions based on the outskirts of damascus. it's also a vital supply route of weapons and recruits for groups in the east an

hashem ahelbarra has been following the story and sends us this report in turkey. >> it all started with intense airstrikes by russian fighter jets paving the way for government troops to advance against opposition strongholds. the rebels say despite the losses they're regrouping, and they're planning towards a counter offensive to push the government troops out of the area. the area is crucial for the government and the rebels because it's on a strategic route that connected sanaa and damascus. it would provide. >> the al-qaeda al nusra front and other factions, some were trained by the americans. we don't know if they'll pull out further south, or if they're trying to look for different troops to go to areas that are in the control of the opposition. but this is quite a delicate moment for the opposition and for rebel groups. >> moving to iraq now forces say they're tightening their grip on ramadi after recapturing the city from the islamic state in iraq and the levant. we have reports now from northern iraq. >> more iraqis have been forced out of their homes with fighting within isil

i'm joined by hashem ahelbarra from turkey just across the border from syria. significant of a figure was he? >> reporter: lauren he was the most powerful opposition military commander in damascus. he has an army of more than 20,000, well-trained, well-equipped fighters operating in areas in basically the eastern outskirts of the damascus capitol. he was always seen as the immediate threat to president bashar al-assad. they told fire rockets targeting areas not far from the presidential palace. and his basic task was to wait for the moment when the opposition launches a massive military operation. and he was going to be the man to secure the capitol damascus. that gives you an idea about the man. they were thinking this was a man who could take over damascus and announce the end of the era of bashar al-assad and the beginning of a new one. his death will be seen by many people as massive blow, a major setback for the opposition. >> reporter: and in terms of the international efforts to bring about a diplomatic solution in syria, where was he going to play a par

they also spoke with the brother of muhammad hashem, the man who died after being interrogated at the base. well for more we're joined by , nicholas kulish, a correspondent for the "new york times" and lead reporter of this article, "navy seals, a beating death and claims of a cover-up." why do you start off with how you learned about this incident that happened back in may 2012? had a tip from a confidential source that this had taken place, which is what investigative report. the problem at that point was that it was entirely redacted and it said the soldiers involved were the witnesses had recanted their statements. at that point, unless we could figure out who the soldiers were, tracked them down and find out what they actually seen and what they had, there was nothing we could really do with it so that is where we focused our efforts. juan: you are able to track down some of the soldiers. had they recanted? >> all of the soldiers and they all said they had not recanted their testimony. amy: talk about what you believe happened on that day. >> i mean, i can talk about what the wit