imran khan, bring us up to speed on the beji siege. >> three kilometers outside the crucial oil refinery about 15 kilometers away from the town itself. they were poised to go in but then there were a change of tactics. they fell back to the town itself and decided to clear isolated pockets in the north and the east of the towrn and te country side. the idea was they would completely clear the town itself before moving on the refinery. what sources are temg us is any move on the refinery could take place on monday. once they're in a position to mount a big attack on that refinery to take it back from i.s.i.l. fighters. this is a fight that is being watched very closely by the international coalition. like you say u.s.'s top general martin dempsey was in town. he was speaking to the ministry of defense and other security forces. they'll be looking at towards mosul whether that needs more strikes, they are very pleased that both the coalition and the iraqis, the way the fight in beji has gone. different tactics and has gone the iraqis way, you can understand why it's been careful to take th

imran khan has this report. >> she has incorporate to go noo go nowhere to stay. the men in her family tried to fight back but without backup, they were overrun. >> i.s.i.l. attacked us in the early hours of the morning. they swept the house he of the village and looked for those who were resisting them. when my husbands and two sons ran out of ammunition, they stormed the house and executed them but i managed to escape in an underground hole. after two days i got out with my grandchildren only to see that our house was burned down and i.s.i.l. had taken our car and electricity generator. >> she becomes too upset to talk but her cousin tells us what happened next. >> translator: we have lost 22 men from our family. we have been displaced for more than three months. our family has been scattered. some to the north of iraq, others to the south. the rest just outside of kirkuk. after the village was liberated, some of us came back but only to see devastation of what used to be a peaceful suburb. >> they live in a bathroom of this bombed out shell. in september iraq's

imran khan has the story. >> kurdish forces celebrate the taking of jalalla city. i.s.i.l. fighters have been forced from the area. >> units were formed to liberate jalalla. >> iraqi jet fighters led the first wave of attacks in the early morning of sunday, then ground troops swept in checking the area for hidden explosives. >> we won a huge victory with the support of the iraqi army and badr forces. now jalalla and sadiha are under complete control. >> others are foreign to solomonea. , dyalla province has seen clashes since june. when i.s.i.l. took over. it's already been held as a success, also been looked at as a blueprint for future operations. this was a cooperative effort between the iraqi air force, kurdish peshmerga forces iraqi ground troops and shia militia. however where i.s.i.l. have their strength near mosul and whether iraq can beat i.s.i.l. back, that fight will be much more difficult than the fights they faced against i.s.i.l. so far. imran khan, al jazeera, in baghdad. >>> amateur video posted online shows government forces seemingly using barrel bombs and

imran khan live there in bagdad. >>> republicans are demanding that the obama administration clearlyxplain its strategy for fighting isil. the president has sent u.s. defense secretary chuck hague -- makel and the joint chiefs of staff to congress for hearing. hagel hold the committee that the u.s.-lead air war will intensify. >> isil will not be defeated through military force alone. our comprehensive strategy is focused on supporting inclusive governance, sustaining a brood-based regional and global coalition, and strengthening local forces on the ground. it also includes undercutting isil's flow of resources, countering isil's messaging, constricting the flow of foreign fighters, providing hue pl plan -- humanitarian assistance and our global diplomatic effort. >>> iraq has sacked many senior commanders. it's the most dramatic decision since taking office in september. the government has been investigating military failings that allowed islamic state of iraq and the levant to seize large parts of iraqi territory. many soldiers abandoned their spot and left munitions. >>> who explo

imran khan reporting from baghdad >>> we are taking you to nigeria, where we hear that the army says it has retaken the town of chibok from boko haram, where nearly 200 schoolgirls were kidnapped in april. we'll cross to mohammed, who will tell us about the statement made by the army, about taking bag the town of chibok. >> exactly. i spoke to local officials in that area, who said - who confirmed to me that action in chibok was liberated, and i was able to get in touch with one of the vigilantes who participated. at the moment the fighters are out of up to , but they don't think it's safe for people to come back. they don't know what is happening next. for the time being, boko haram has left town. >> we know when boko haram targeted chibok, a lot of people left the town. why has this town been the tart of boko haram obvious the -- target of bok or over the past couple of months. >> chibok in particular lies close to the border where the base of boko haram is. basically when they - when the fighters from the group lead from this side of borno to another to attack. that is where they

imran khan is in baghdad joining us from there. is this a win for iraqi troops. >> it is seen as a victory of sorts. i.s.i.l. fighters have taken over part of diyala province since june, there has been fears clashes, but this is an operation that is seen as being crucial basically because of cooperation between the shia militia and the kurdish forces much the iraqi army is coming up into sardia, and kurdish peshawar forces are coming down from the north. they are squeezing i.s.i.l. fighters. they are fleeing into neighbouring provinces. this comes off the back of successes for the iraqi force, down in jav ra in the south, and in the key town of beigy. it is seen as a -- baiji. it is seen as a success. it is something we are looking at. we have a couple of victories, does this mean that we are winning this fight. >> is that what it means, the fight is tough, and not going as smoothly in other parts of iraq. >> iraqi forces are taking on fighters, in some way the easiest places, it is the further south, and the weakest point, the bud

imran khan in baghdad. thank you very much >>> now, the french government has confirmed two of its citizens appeared in the latest execution video posted by i.s.i.l. it comes as the u.n. security council is meeting to discuss how to stop the flow of foreign fighters. these are live pictures from new york. bringing the diplomatic editor james bays. what are the french saying about the two citizens in the video, and how does it relate to what is being discussed at the u.n. security council? >> the u.n. security council meeting starting now. julie bishop just introducing the meeting - australia the current president of the security council, trying to build on the security council meeting back in september, which was chaired by the u.s. president, president obama. as they meet the work goes on with the intelligence agencies and capital. they are talking here in the security council about foreign fighters. the intelligence agencies are trying to identify the foreign fighters, the french telling us that they know

imran khan, al jazeera, baghdad.oters in tunisia have been voting for their first directly elected president. the polls closed about an hour ago. they won't have a result for a couple of days. there were 22 candidates to choose from but 2 have emerged as fronts runners. in tunnis with more... >> most of the people at this polling station are old enough to remember life in a state where political opposition or freedom of speech were not tolerated. >> that's why for some, this is the first time they have ever voted in a presidential election. >> how are you feeling right now? >> very excited. very excited and highly optimistic about our country's future. >> this is a man who has a good chance of winning. he has spent years in politics about, but he has managed to distance himself from the country's author torian past. >> me? i believe in the tun ea tunisia people. >> last month, his party won in parliament. there are fears if he takes the presidency, there will be a concentration of power in the hands of one man. ♪ >>

imran khan, al jazeera, baghdad. >> around egypt, people in especially students continue to defy the government despite laws intended to curtail the rallies. natasha guinane explains. >> reporter: three egyptian cities, as president abdel fatah al-sisi, a few days ago police arrested a 21-year-old student at cairo university who was carrying a copy of george orwell's story 1984. it was a story about a totalitarian society. a day after this happened, in a village, moments after he was shot and killed. others ran to escape the bullets and the haze of tear gas. this province is 122 kilometers south of cairo. one man was killed and a number injured and arrested. police came to this village to arrest suspects when a band of muslim brotherhood began shooting ashooting and police sd killed him. support of president mohamed morsi. protesting without permission and allegedly joining what it calls a terrorist group. the people al jazeera spoke to say despite the police crack down they won't be silenced and they'll continue to protest. natasha guinane, al jazeera. >> monday is the deadline for

imran khan has the latest. >> the aftermath of u.s. led strikes targeting i.s.i.l. fighters in the central seat of hit. they have been pushing hard into nearby ramadi. it is controlled most of anbar province since last union genuine. iraq's prime minister, haider al-abadi. >> the airplane doesn't come here to this area. >> the kurdish fighters are not getting the support they need. they even accuse the u.s. having a certain tolerance to i.s.i.l.'s advance. >> this area is near the border of iran. it might be in the interest of the coalition forces, the reason the coalition forces did not attack i.s.i.l. here. >> it now says it's planning to spend millions of dollars arming sunni tribes with ak 47s mortar rounds. in a pending document to congress it says it will do it with by and through iraq's government but iraq's prime minister is hesitant. >> the government is in doubt about the weapons given to the tribes. it is feared that thieves weapons will reach the hands of i.s.i.l. fighters. >> the u.s. and the coalition are constantly reassessing their options but the u.

imran khan has our exclusive report. >> has nowhere to go and incorporate to stay. when shelter indiscriminately destroying her house. the men in her family tried to fight back but without backup they were overrun. >> i.s.i.l. attacks us in the early hours of the morning. they swept the houses in the village and looked for those who resisted them. they stormed the house and executed them. i managed to escape in an underground hole. after two days i got out with my grandchildren only to see our houshouse was burned down. >> what happened next. >> translator: we have lost 22 men from our family. we have been displaced for more than three months. our family has been scattered. some to the north of iraq others to the south. the rest just outside of kirkuk. after the village was libertied, some of us came bac lib liberat. >> in september, iraq's army came in to fight i.s.i.l, more shelling and pitch street battles scared the town further. with so much focus placed on winning the war against i.s.i.l. very little thought has been given to what happens next. now iraqi army

imran khan al jazeera baghdad. >> still to come on this al jazeera news hour. the battle for donetsk airport. we have rare access to the conflict on both sides. plus, talking business, the egyptian leader, abdel fattah al-sisi is on his first visit as president. >>> the catch described as one of the best in nfl history. ukraine says the lithuanian government has agreed to provide military aid as it continues to battle russian backed separatists in the country. at the airport north of the city of donetsk there's been constant fighting. harry fawcett gained access to both sides of the battle lines. >> this is a village of 2,000 people on the edge of the donetsk airport. now, a battle for a strip of runway. in the village of pishke, we have been told it's been quiet, small arms fire and heavy outgoing artillery as well. the guns are placed throughout the village. the men from volunteer battalions say they switch locations regularly. and keep vigil for any sign of attack. talk is rife in this region of any sign of rebel attack. >> at the moment the russians are com

imran khan has more from bag dad for us this morning. what more do we know? well, we know that the video was release the through social media accounts that have released videos in the past of this nature that have been verified. we know that it wasn't just peter kassig that was allegedly beheaded. there were 12 syrians, i.s.i.l. say they were syrian soldiers. they say he was beheaded because he was (a) an american that came to muslim land to fight with muslims - referring to his iraq war past, and in retribution to u.s.-led air strikes tonne i.s.i.l. held territory. it's a brutal video and brutal way of releasing the video, because the family would be finding out about the same time as we did when the news broke a few hours ago. the family released a statement on facebook saying that they are working with authorities to verify the video. we have seen this tactic time and time again from i.s.i.l. we released this without notice. this was shot in aleppo. it's a brutal video, designed to send a brutal message. >> speaking of the brutal message, you mentioned thi

activity. >> imran khan in baghdad. vice president joe biden pledged additional humanitarian aid to syrian refugees. since the beginning of the war, it 1 million syrians sought protection in turkey. speaking from istanbul, they continued support. >> because of what turkey has been doing, we are able to devote a little over $3 billion to the evidence, including $200 million to turkey, which is not nearly the cost they are incurring. collectively we are working to deal with humanitarian crisis in turkey, the largest burden thrust upon the turkish people. >> hundreds of demonstrators rallied. the protest was organised by a youth association to turkey, the same group responsible for harassing three u.s. soldiers. bernard smith has the latest from istanbul. >> despite four hours of talks between the u.s. vice president vice president joe biden, and turkish president recep tayyip erdogan, the u.s. seams to have made little headway in attempts to persuade them to take a more active role in the fight against i.s.i.l. there's no

imran khan, the battle for the mosul dam quite intense. what are you hearing about what is happening? >> what we have been told in the last few moments from a kurdish military source from the peshawar, that this was a major attack on the dam. beginning around 11:00pm, where two i.s.i.l. bombers attacked the craig berube forces and i.s.i.l. fighters moving in closer to the dam. there are varying figures on how i.s.i.l. fighters are involved, anything between 240 i.s.i.l. fighters. they moved in to the dam. the kurdish peshawar forces fought back, and 40 minutes into the fight coalition air strikes came in hitting i.s.i.l. position, beating i.s.i.l. back. and that is the sum of what had happened. that took five or six hours at least with the news coming to us in the morning when first light broke. mosul dam is crucial. where iraq's life line effectively is. if you control them, you control the waters into much of iraq. it's important. it was taken over by i.s.i.l. when it swept through iraq, kurdish forces took it back from i.s.i.l. around a

imran khan, al jazeera, baghdad.(f) summit today in iran, the organizer of the event said the top priority is to identify what ideas drive i.s.i.l. fighters. >> translator: it's a duty for all of us to closingly examine the motives of the stray group and identify the roots of ideas that have driven them towards this dangerous path which leads to hell. we should try to eliminate those roots. >> the two day conference on how to fight i.s.i.l. is expected to end on monday. >>> syrian government forces continue to bombard rebel held areas around damascus and for the people drapped inside the situation is -- trapped inside the situation is growing more desperate. >> the water has been cut off for more than a year. so abu ahmed gets water from a well near his house. the system is simple but effective. >> we had no choice but to act. we have no water, no generator and no electricity, so we do it all manually. >> this is a poor suburb four kilometers south of the capital damascus. it is regularly targeted by syrian army shel

imran khan has more. >> the video shows - it's gruesome - showing 12 soldiers, and peter kassig himself. i.s.i.l. say in the video that he was beheaded because he was an iraqi war veteran who came to iraq during the war to kill muslims. he, himself, had converted to islam during his captivity. now, this is, again, as i say, a brutal video. it's the type of propaganda that i.s.i.l. want out there. they want people to see the video, and what they are capable of doing, the message to the americans is one that you can't bomb us without impunity, that you will be affected. there are other western hostages. this is not just about western hostages. i.s.i.l. killed 17 iraqis, 20 syrian journalists, there are 80 people that have been kidnapped. journalists in iraq and syria, whose whereabouts we don't know. i.s.i.l. says they are holding a number of iraqi journalists and aid workers and beheading soldiers from iraq and syria, it's a tactic they use. the west concentrates on the names, the westerners, but it cuts across iraq and syria. >> imran khan reporting there. mike viqueira has more from wa

imran khan has more in this exclusive report. >> reporter: just a day ago, isil was said to be firmlyntrol. today the gra feetive tells the sfor story. the flag has been covered in iraqi security force slogan as the army takes large parts of the town from isil fighters. the taking of the town and the nearby oil refinery was an early victory for isil as they swept through in june. once again this victory is being seen as a triumph for the iraqi army and those fighting with him. >> translator: let all the young men come here and join arms with their brothers to defend the country and expel isil. if we don't act now, isil will sweep us. so we have to give big support to the youth to join the fight against isil, especially in the province as it is considered the breaking point of isil advance towards bagdad. >> reporter: very early on isil established the town as a command and control center for all of the territory it controlled inside iraq. but it wasn't just ago military strategy. it was always about business acum acum acumen. the forces used helicopters to push isil fighters from the

imran khan, al jazeera, baghdad. >> growing at a unprecedented rate, 15,000 fighters have now joined i.s.i.l, up from 7,000 just seven months ago. most from the mid east or north africa. 2,000 are european including 500 from britain. the report says i.s.i.l. recruits a thousand every month, has over 31,000 in all. mike lyons, welcome. is there any way to stop these fighters from joining i.s.i.l? >> very difficult john. they are motivated by coming and joining this caliphate that they have. they have roots and attraction to do it. they are disenfranchised from their own countries. >> rare strikes don't seem to matter. >> they are not deterring or deferg them from coming. -they are overcome, to establish this caliphate, to establish it and possibly even fight americans. >> according to the washington post, tunisia has a high percentage of people fighting with i.s.i.l. why? >> this is the birth place of the arab spring. those who lost inside tunisia, they make their way across the sahara desert. >> how can you stop westerners? how can western governments stop westerners from joining i.s

imran khan, al jazeera, baghdad. >> egypt continues, in the sinai peninsula, after attacks killed 31 soldiers a week ago. but soldiers say they're the ones under siege. al jazeera's natasha donain reports. >> with apache air crafts on the air and vehicles ton ground, combating terrorism, sources say air raids destroyed stock piles of weapons, killed two fighters and injured three south of raf . coordinated attacks killed 31 soldiers in sinai last month but the military's mission to create a border zone and destroy the network of tunnels have left hunhundreds homeless. >> it is a massacre of memories, it is a genocide. >> reporter: neighborhoods too close to the border now look like a war zone. a handful of people appear to be left after bulldozers reduced block after block to rubble. but the scene on egypt say television shown here was very different. smoke from destruction of homes filled the screen with no buildings or people visible. al marzuki says the government is block access to journalists making it impossible to know what's going on. >> no one is allowed to speak of what's g

imran khan, al jazeera, bagdad. >>> in other worlds news a palestinian man has been shot dead by israeliurity forces in the occupied west bank. soldiers used live ammunition to try to clear protesters. tensions are continuing to grow between the two. >> reporter: a new victim of the simmering tensions in the occupied west bank and israel. a palestinian man was killed by a live round from israeli security forces as they broke up a protest. that lead to other demonstrations in the west bank, with israeli soldiers firing tear gas at demonstrators. not all protests have been violent. these palestinians are students at the hebrew university in occupied east jerusalem. they organized this rally against what they see is increasing mistreatment by the israeli authorities. tensions ran high when a group of far-right israeli students staged their own counter protest. >> we are always oppressed. we are not allowed to do anything in this university that -- that gives us a freedom of expression. >> reporter: this feeling of oppression and unequal treatment appears to be spreading. since sunday there

let's go live to imran khan in bagdad. >> reporter: the latest offensive took them 20 days to get fromikrit where isil fighters still have a position into the town of beiji itself. beiji is the command and control center, and 15 kilometers away from the oil refinery, partly in control of isil fighters, and partly in control by the iraqi army. it has been monitored quite heavily because it shows new tactics being used by the iraqi army using weaponry they have received from the americans and an operation mounted by special forces and police. it has been successful. the iraqi army now control at least 80% of the surrounding area of beiji. they control the town itself. but there are fighters in the neighboring countryside. right now with all of the day's event, i'll bring you up to date. it might not look like much, but this small act of iraqi pride sends out a loud message. this is the town council building that isil captured and used as a base. in some ways this military operation has been a blueprint of future battles with enhanced cooperation between iraqi fighting units. >> translato

imran khan joining us from baghdad. it hit the i.s.i.l. leadership on the border between iraq and syria. >> that's right. it shows you that the border crossing is hope and in use by i.s.i.l. and controlled by i.s.i.l. that will be a blow to iraqi efforts to defeat the group. they hope the border crossing would have been closed by now. we are hearing from local police saurss that abu was not hit in the attack. but senior i.s.i.l. commanders were hit, and they are hoping it will be a big blow to the group. pro i.s.i.l. sites have been pushing hard. their leader was not in the convoy. that he is alive and well. they won't say whether he's in iraq or syria, but he is alive and well. the alcame crossi qaim crossing crossing. the fact that i.s.i.l. can use it to cross to their territory is a concern. >> imran khan reporting from baghdad, iraq >>> there has been a leaked report about it bolagize tan people in afghanistan saying i.s.i.l. recruited thousands. it shows the group's name on groups in quetta, the capital of bolagize stan, and the repor

let's go straight to imran khan. he's joining us from baghdad. what more details do you know at this point about that blast. >> well, the attack happened over an hour ago. a driver in a car bomb drove up to the gates of the erbil governor, tried to smash through the gates. killed two police men and two civilians, and also nearly blowing himself up in the process. so this is a key governor building, is one of the biggest civil servant buildings in erbil. it's not a busy marketplace. we normally see this in marketplaces. this was remote, high secure, it has to be said. the question is of the timing of this bomb. this comes 24 hours after the taking of beigy oil refinery. i.s.i.l. said erbil, the capital of the kurdish region is a factoring for them. it has to be said that we do have kurdish fighters who are fighting on the side of i.s.i.l. they are able to get in now that erbil region easily, and building a car bomb of this nature is easy to do. the questions are how did they get into this secure area to be able to mountain attack like this. this i

from baghdad, imran khan has our exclusive report. >> reporter: just a day ak, i.s.i.l. was said to be firmly in control. today, the graffiti tells the story. the flag used by the group has been covered in iraqi security force slogan as the army takes large part of begi town from i.s.i.l. fighters. the taking of begi and the oil refiner ris was an early victory for i.s.i.l. as they swept through in june. most likely also, let all the young men join the armed forces whether the arrangementy or popular mobilization forces. if we don't act now then i.s.i.l. will sweep us so we have to give big support to the youth to join the fight against i.s.i.l. especially in salahadeen province as it is considered the breaking point in i.s.i.l.'s advance to the town >> it wasn't just about military strategy, it was also about business aaccumulat acumen. netted them millions of dollars. iraqi security forces used helicopters to push i.s.i.l. fighters from the center of the town when they entered from the south and the west. the oil refinery is now the next big target. located about 15 ki

imran khan r iraqi forces making gains.us where the fight stands this morning. >> reporter: in diallah prove incident, there have been fierce clashes since isil took over parts of that prove incident. fighting from the south, come from baghdad, the iraqi army and shia militias took a town. they took the town, raised the flag there and fanned out into countryside to try to clear the little towns and villages that remained there from the north, the iraqi kurdish peshmerga forces took the town of jellola and they pushed out isil fighters. this is being seen as a success. the operation is not over but it is already burlington northern being seen as a success. also, del, this might be a blueprint for future fights because this was iraqi airstrikes in cooperation with the kurdish peshmerga forces, shia militia and the raek army. >> may be a blueprint for fights they face in other parts as well. >> the pentagon asking congress for about $13,000,000,000 to provide more weapons to the iraqi government. with these new reports coming

imran khan reports now from baghdad. >> reporter: fire crews on site after a car was driven into theate of the governor's compound. it happened in erbil in the northern region. security officers fired and it exploded, sending schrapnel and a thick black cloud of smoke into the air. the governor was in his office at the time of the attack and says that isil are a force they need to deal with. >> we will continue to fight. f intelligence agencies are working very hard. they can protect and find these people. >> stacks like these are rare in this part of iraq. there have been two since 2013. already, questions are being asked: how could a vehicle like this full of explosives get so close to a government sfwhling how could an attack like this happen? particularly when the islamic state of iraq in the lavant made threats against the kurdish region and in particular, the capital city saying that they would send a volley of car bombs and suicide bombers to erbil. imran khan, baghdad. >>> france says it has identified a secondference national who appeared unmasked in an isil video on sunday.

imran khan is in baghdad and sent us this update. >> it's been seen as a victory of sorts. i.s.i.l. has taken over parts of the province since june. there has been clashes in the intervening period. as an operation seen as crucial. just to give you the geeingography, the iraqi army are coming up from the south. and the kurdish pesh merger are coming down from the north. this is off the back of successes for the iraqi forces and in the town of beiji, it's something people have been looking at saying we have a couple of victories, we have them on the back foot. dud it mean we are winning the fight >>> a suicide bomber killed 49 spectators at a volleyball game in afghanistan. more than 50 were injured in a remote part of the province s there's no claim of responsibility so far. the explosion followed the afghan department's approval of two deals with the united states and n.a.t.o. charles stratford is in kabul. this attack is widely condemned. what details are emerging, has anyone claimed responsibility yet? >> as you say. no claim of specty. there has been a lot of wounded brought to

imran khan has this exclusive report from bagdad. [ explosion ] >> reporter: when isil fights back, thiswhat happens. a humvee is turned into a car bomb. 12 soldiers are severely injured. iraqi solders say the bat ll be decisive. >> translator: we are now at the central neighborhoods of the city. these parts of the city are adjacent to the check point which is considered to be valuable because it controls the supporting lifeline of isil. today we have managed to cut isil's supporting lifeline. >> reporter: but that confidence is in stark contrast to how deadly isil fighters can be. this is the reality of the fight. iraqi forces and isil fighters are not at a stalemate, but it's close. isil are using increasingly desperate tactics, including suicide bombers, car bombs, and snipers. we have seen these type of tactics before. isil fighters rarely if ever surrender, for them it's a fight to the death. the city strategically very important because the -- it's a territory they are going to want to hold on. and another area they give up easily, because it was on the border of the territories th

. >> baghdad several attacks, imran khan what else have you got? >> now i can tell you, that's although not unusual, quite rare for this to happen. this happened in various different shia neighborhoods where people were gathering to celebrate the night of ashor. why have had two improvised explosive devices, sneer the residential compound killing two people. also, a car bomb, we've seen this after a past problem or suicide bomber killing six people and jirk 13. to the very peak when just occasion here for them. it will last throughout the night. i saw threats against the shias and particularly this commemoration lust accreditation iraq. so it looks like this may well be realization of that threat. more as we have it, as i said at least ten people killed in central iraq across the city? >> what has this been affecting over the last few weeks? >> come from the type that answer the islamic state of iraq and the levant has made its threat against the shia, it's ambiguous to them, they see the shia here as being one of their key enemies and being an ene

from baghdad, imran khan reports. >> already violence has shocked the capital. tents have been set up here to greet the muslims, who will arrive on monday night. >> two men got out of the mini van and came into the tents. they drank tea and ate biscuits before leaving to say they were shopping. the van exploded minutes later. >> the area is significant for shia muslims. in 2013, visitors to the holy city, the focus for the commemoration reached record levels, with some 15 million visiting, according to local authorities. across baghdad preparations were under way for the thousand on the streets. despite the danger from the attack. many are ready to brave what may come. >> those i.s.i.l. rats are trying to infest us. just like al qaeda did. he is not just for the shia, but a symbol of peace for humanity. >> his words are common, that nothing will stop him coming and showing his love. despite the defines, there are fears that there'll be attacks across iraq. ashura is commemorated from monday night into tuesday morning. the street will be packed full of the faith

imran khan has this. >> reporter: it might not look like much, but this small act of iraqi pride sends a loud message. this is the beiji town council building that isil captured and used as a base. in some ways this military operation has been a blueprint of future battles with enchanced cooperation. >> translator: we are proud of the collective effort and the perfect combination of security apparatus us, for this battle in particular, which include rapid deployment force, and federal police force and the rest of the army formations. >> reporter: with such team work newer and more sophisticated equipment has been put to use. a quick calculation, and isil positions in the north come under fire. [ explosion ] >> reporter: the iraqi army are still facing stiff resistance from isil fighters, and their confidence has been boosted by an audio recording released by their leader. in that audio recording he says that no amounts of american-made weaponry or coalition air strikes will be able to defeat the group. but those words ring hollow here as the iraqi patrols wind through the streets. in t

imran khan is in baghdad sending this update. local police forces told us that abu bakr al-baghdadi was not hit in the attack. senior i.s.i.l. commanders, pro-russian sites denied that abu bakr al-baghdadi was in the convoy. they are pushing hard that he is alive and well. the border crossing is a key point between iraq and syria much the fact that the border crossing is in the control of i.s.i.l. is a concern to many in iraq. they say the coalition air strikes should have closed the border crossing. despite that it is used, crucial. when the air strike happened against the gathering of i.s.i.l., leaders and fighters, what we are hearing reports say is that the injured were ferried from iraq into syria using the open border crossing that i.s.i.l. fighters control. whilst this happened, the americans announced they'd send 1500 advisors here to iraq. >> smoke rose from the border town of kobane, following a coalition air strike. that comes as a monitor group says more than 1,000 fighters have been killed. since the yate group launc

imran khan, al jazeera, bagdad. >>> the united nations envoy to syria has confirmed -- has proposed aited ceasefire agreement to bashar al-assad. if accepted the truce would be tested in aleppo. that may come as a reprieve to rebel fighter. >> reporter: this counter offensive is about recapturing supply lines. syria's rebels need to win this battle to hold on to the neighborhoods they control in aleppo. over recent weeks syrian government troops have closed in on the main roads that link the city to turkey. they have the rebel-held east of aleppo surrounded. >> translator: the regime is advancing. aleppo could be under siege and is about to fall. also the islamic state of iraq and the levant is on the other sight. >> reporter: this has been a battleground for more than two years, and in recent months the government has targeted opposition neighborhoods with nearly daily barrel bombs. estimates say around 300,000 people remain in rebel areas. the u.n. now has what it calls an action plan to ease the suffering. this man has been discussing the initiative in damascus, and he hopes the fi

imran khan, al jazeera, bagdad. >>> for the first time since the republicans sweeping victory in the u.s. midterm elections, pat has met with the congressional leaders. on the agenda, boosting the u.s. economy, job creation, and education. the house speaker john boehner has said republicans intend to repeal obama's healthcare law. patty culhane is in washington, d.c. is this the start of a new era of bipartisanship between the democrats and republicans? anything concrete out of this meeting? >> well, that's definitely the message both sides are trying to send. we're waiting to find out how it went. we'll see if they come out to awaiting cameras after lunch. the president spoke to reporters before the meeting, and it was all the talk about what we want to get accomplished. the president saying the vote was a reflection on the fact that the american people want congress to work. but all of this could just be talk depending on what happens with immigration reform. the president has said for months now that he is going to act on his own if congress doesn't. and that could include decreas

imran khan reports from bagdad. >> reporter: once this was a quiet suburb, but since june the southernt of the town has been taken over by isil. in recent days the iraqi army has mounted an offensive to try to retake the area. coalition air strikes have hit targets in the border areas of the city, and now it's time to retake the streets. the main fighting force is a counter terrorism unit nicknamed the golden squad. this is a unit with a mixed reputation amongst sunnis who have accused them in the past of human rights violations. accusations the head dismisses. >> translator: the golden squad is not bias to anyone. it is for the iraqi people. it includes and protects all, and is considered to protect all religions and seconds. i just want to set the record straight to everyone. >> reporter: the counter terrorism forces sweep houses they captured, but here booby traps and surprise isil attacks are common. t >> translator: we're still fighting them, and there are signs that they are all around us. >> reporter: the fight for these streets is key as they are strategically valuable. the acc

. >> that was credit suisse managing director imran khan.he latest headlines at the top of the hour and all the time on bloomberg.com/technology. we will see you tomorrow with more "bloomberg west." ♪ ♪ >> here's johnny. >> from the moment he stepped on stage to the day he said goodbye -- the king of late night was johnny carson. >> he went right into the homes across america. >> mom, i am on tv.

imran khan live for us. the first part - u.s. planning to spend $24 million in arming sunni tribes. tell us more about that? >> this is a part of the u.s. policy when it comes to iraq, if you want to defeat i.s.i.l., you have to arm the sunni rebels. this has been - the sunni tribe, sorry, against the sunni rebels. the americans have experience in this. they did this? 2000... [ inaudible ] [ technical difficulties ] ..taliban fighters understand new guidelines approved by president obama. originally the role had been limbed to tackling al qaeda, and training afghan troops. lion. >> security deals will be a benefit to afghanistan. >> it was crucial for the parliament to approve this argument. not only with the united states, but also allowing the military support and financial support, and the afghan security budget is paid by the donor countries and afghanistan will not be able to pay in the future. it is important for the lawmakers to approve and allow financial support for the security forces for days to come. now it's good and it will help the afghan security forces, and will red

. >> that was imran khan.et the latest headlines at the top of the hour and all the time on bloomberg.com /technology. we will see you tomorrow with more "bloomberg west." ♪

. >> that was imran khan. gestures to control electronics, we've seen that.finding a way to make those gestures more correct. next. ♪ >> i'm cory johnson, this is "bloomberg west." we travel the world to get an exclusive look at the technology and innovations that are set to shape and disrupt our lives in 2015. imagine being able to control your computer and apps with just a flick of the wrist or wriggling your fingers. new technology is making it possible. this is the year ahead. wewhen you think about how interact with the rest of the world, we evolve to use our hands and interact with every thing around us. i think that intuition, to move and expect a result a happen in the virtual world is just the natural evolution of that. mouse as you move away from the desktop to the future? >> stephen leicht is the cofounder of a small tech company outside of toronto, that's preparing for a future where our interaction with technology will move beyond all of this pointing and clicking. solution is this armband, with gets its name from the greek word for muscle. armba

imran khan reports from bagdad. >> reporter: the death sentence given to this man could damage the government'snship with the very people it is trying to convince to fight isil. he is a member of parliament and a prominent sunni tribal heard. he was an outspoken critic of the government against the prime minister at the time maliki. then in december, government troops went to arrest him after maliki ordered the shutdown of the anti-government process, and he was eventually convicted of killing the two soldiers pictured here. his death sentence has divided public opinion. >> translator: the death sentence is improper. it was supposed to be suspended until after the war with isil is over, because it will weaken the sunni support needed to win against isil. >> translator: he has made grave mistakes against the iraqi people throughout the process, which aren't peaceful. his supporters said they were part of al-qaeda. >> reporter: the heard of the tribe was furious at a news conference held after the sentence was announced. >> translator: we has a tribe are in total shock, a tribe is considered the

let's cross live to imran khan. let's begin with the fight for kirkuk. who has the upper hand now. what is the latest there? >> at the moment what we are seeing, and this is typical of the tactics that we see from i.s.i.l., is when they are pushed out of an area, they take refuge in a country side, and that is problematic for iraqi forces. the fight at the moment is for the town. you take the major towns, you deny i.s.i.l. cover. they then go into the countryside and mount the hit and run tactics. we have seen this across iraq. baiji oil refinery was an example of that, and now in kirkuk. in terms of the upper hand, it's the iraqi army, controlling much of the area surrounding kirkuk with kurdish peshawar forces. the hit and run tactics are difficult for the iraqi army to stop. the only way is to send in troops to the areas, we are seeing more of that kind of thing happen. it's problematic. iraqis are learning and are trying to do as much as they can. what is a big problem is what happens to the towns when you take them back. a lot of devastation, a lot of damage. i.s.i.l. has been

imran khan reports. >> reporter: iraqis hope this is not a sign of things to come. sunday, a parked minivan exploded on the street in baghdad. tents have been set up to greet muslims who arrived on monday night. two men got out of the mini van and came into the tent. they drank tea, and ate biscuits before leaving, saying they were going to do shopping. the van exploded moments after. >> reporter: assure area commemorates the death of the prophet mohammed's grandson. it is significant for shia muslims, and in 2013 visitors to kabula, the focus of the celebration, reached record levels, with 7 million visiting. across baghdad preparations are under way for the thousands that will be on the streets. despite the danger from the attack many are ready to brave whatever will come. >> translation: those i.s.i.l. rats are trying to infest us, just like al qaeda did. imam hussain is not just for the shia, but a symbol of peace for all humanity. >> reporter: his words are common. nothing will stop the people from coming or showing their love. despite the defines, there are fe

. >> imran khan in rahma tirvetion rvetion. >> since the beginning of the fight, biden expressed continued u.s. support. >> we have devoted, because of what turkey is doing, we have been able to devote roughly a little over $3 billion to this effort including $200 million to turkey which is not nearly the cost they are incurring but collectively we are working to deal with the humanitarian crisis in turkey, the largest better of that being thrust on the turkish people. >> hundreds of demonstrators rallied against biden's visit. the group thought to be responsible for harassing u.s. service members two weeks ago. >> reprecep tayyip erdogan, thee is still again no indication that the turkish authorities will allow the u.s. to use air bases in turkey to launch sort sorties against i.s.i.l. and iraq, that means u.s. and allied aircraft will continue to fly those long journeys from the gulf. turkey continues to see the regime of bashar al-assad as much as i.s.i.l, it wants the u.s. to take on assad as well, and a no fly zone in northern syria so that syrian refugees can be housed. the u.s. cont

. >> imran khan reporting there. we turn to our white house correspondent mike viqueira. what are we hearing from the white house as these tapes keep coming? >> well, the president put out a statement a few hours ago. he's returning. he's mid air, returning from the week-long trip to asia and australia. the statement confirms that the white house does, in fact, believe that peter kassig was killed in this latest murderous video. this unspeakable video from i.s.i.l. the president calls it an act of pure evil by a group that is bent on sewing death and destruction, and goes on later to say the following: the islamic state group, i.s.i.l. killed a number of journalists, this is the third american, not a journalist unlike the previous two. this was as individual as imran noted. converting to islam while in captivity. but was an aid workers. former u.s. army aid workers, trying to help syrians. >> as they say images are released. each more brutal than before, could it affect the strategy against i.s.i.l. >> i don't think so. the white house is cognisant of the purpose, as unsp

imran khan reports. >> reporter: iraqis hope this is not a sign of things to come. on sunday a parked minivan exploded on this street. tents have been set up to greet muslims that arrived from ashura. >> translation: two men got out of the min yi van and came into the tent. they drank tea,ate biscuits before leaving, saying they were going do shopping? a. the van exploded moments after. >> reporter: ashura commemorates the death of a pilgrim. visitors to kabula reached record levels with 7 million visiting over the period. across baghdad preparations are under way for the thousands on the streets. and despite the danger from attack, many are ready to brave whatever may come. >> translation: those i.s.i.l. rats are trying to infest us, invest us with hatred, like al qaeda. it is not for the shia, but a symbol of piece for humanity. despite that, there are fears of attacks. ashura is commemorated from monday night into tuesday morning. this street will be packed with the pa faithful. the religious and spiritual nature of the day is highlighted across baghdad. food and

imran khan reports. >> reporter: 72-hour long battle this town has been cleared of isil fighters. phase two of the operation begins. that means sweeping through the town as well as villages in the area to check for improvised explosive devices and booby trapped buildings. >> translator: this is the main entrance. you can see clearly the destroyed vehicle that isil used for their offensive on the town. they used humvees and other army vehicles, but we have swept them from the other side and managed to clear the main road that was entirely booby trapped. >> reporter: this was an depreciation carried out without coalition air strikes. instead a number of shia militias cooperated to drive isil fighters out of town. in iraq any battlefield victory in the town has been celebrated as the quickest defeat of isil so far. the prime minister visited here in the days after the operation, and the leader of the iranian force reportedly directed military operations itself. it's a crucial city because it's a gateway to the south and the key religious cities which are very important to shia muslim