iran doesn't have any reason why not to be there because if the iraqi cities fall like the holy studiecities we have tens of ths visiting those cities every month, iran will be there iran will continue to be there and iran will continue to support the iraqi government, the iraqi army and the volunteer forces. we should only be surprised if iran doesn't do that. >> just very briefly anbar, you keep referring to indirect involvement with the united states. can you clarify what exactly that means? >> well as i just said, iranian forces are -- iranian military commanders are there and they don't want to be a sitting duck. they have to let the others know that they are there and present on the ground. so they don't want to become a target. they want to make sure that you know there is no such a thing as collateral damage so they will let them know they are there. they are there. americans know that and they don't want to confront each other but they are helping each other indirectly to fight i.s.i.l. so i mean no doubt about it. >> as anbar nazari thank you very much for joining us from iran. >>

. >>> in the iraqi city of kirkuk i.s.i.l. and peshmerga forces continue to battle for control over the oil relinquish area. mohamed abe adow reports. >> contact between kurdish peshmerga forces and the islamic state of iraq and the levant, use a fair amount of incoming fire here. a short distance away, i.s.i.l. positions display their trademark black flag. >> the distance between us is very small. in some places we are just 700 meters apart. they are always trying to push forward. >> reporter: so far the peshmerga lines have held, but i.s.i.l. forces have been relenting to take oil relinquish kirkuk. fighting around kirkuk has come with its own humanitarian impact impact this is the road that connects kirkuk. protect themselves from i.s.i.l. bombing. >> translator: we've lost.mem lost many men to i.s.i.l. car bombs. we have no intention to reopen this board. >> reporter: on the other side of the i.s.i.l. blockade, all they care is that i.s.i.l. does not return to kirkuk. as far as they are concerned it now belongs to them. co

oil rich iraqi city. first, living under the shadow of gang violence, we lose one

oil rich iraqi city. plus. >> i'm lidy dutt. i'll be taking a look at the city facing architectural history. >> we begin this newshour on the latest development on qz8501, airasia, qz8501. debris and bodies have been recovered in the java sea off indonesia. so far dozens of bodies have been seen and be on that their way back to surabaya for identification. qz8501 went down in the java sea on sunday. was carrying 162 passengers and crew on board. few hours ago there were scenes of despair as the family came to grips with the fate of their loved ones. let's now go to scott heidler who i believe can join us from surabaya. so scott we know that the operation to try to recover the wreck and and the bodies are ongoing now. how long do you think that's going to take? sphwhrits a >> reporter: well, it's a 24 hour operation. it's about a thousand kilometers from the airport where the aircraft took off and about 10 kilometers where it dropped off communication with the tower. they are able to focus on that. we know there are two indonesia

islamic state extremists captured the iraqi city of mosul and strengthen their hold over other cities and towns and seized territory in syria. estimates suggest they may have 35,000 jihadists fighting for them but there is an outrage of the brutality and the hostages being held and beheaded. david cameron explained why he wanted to u.k. to join airstrikes against the militants in iraq. >> isis is a terrorist organization unlike those we have dealt with the four. the brutality -- four. the brutality is unlike what we have incredible. it is not just the brutality, it is backed by billions of dollars and has captured an arsenal of the most modern weapons. in the space of a few months, isil has taken control of territory greater than the size of britain and has made millions selling oil. some will say that any action will further radicalize young people. i have to say that this is a counsel of despair. the threat of radicalization is already here. young people have left the country to fight for these extremists. we must take action at home but we must also have a comprehensive strategy to

militants take control of key iraqi cities. in august u.s.hter jets start bombing isis positions in iraq part of targeted air strikes authorized by president obama. >> we intend to stay vigilant and take action if these terrorist forces threaten our personnel or facilities anywhere in iraq. >> the strikes also aimed at protecting minority groups like the refugees left stranded and starving on a mountain top. all the while, the extent of the barbarism by isis becomes more apparent. the group posts a youtube video showing beheading of james foley and another video shows the decapitation of steven sotloff. and then british aid workers david haynes and alan henning. america's top general has not ruled out the return of u.s. ground troops to iraq three years after the last troops pulled out. anderson cooper cnn, new york. >> here's a late add to the list of monumental new year's story. cuba. perhaps some day soon they may end that long embargo. not everyone thinks this is a good thing with debate and thaw thawing, will be one of the biggest storie

. >> reporter: sergeant eddie wright was wounded in fallujah, an iraqi city u.s.n control there. just as president obama tried to end the war in iraq, so troops are now being pulled out of afghanistan. but for many, the mission isn't accomplished. suddenly the troops are told to take cover. the taliban are attacking. reluctantly, the vets agree to move into an armored vehicle for protection. we've just heard an emergency warning that there are mass casualties coming into bagram airfield. the two soldiers and marines are being put on this heavily armored vehicle to be taken safely back to a more secure base. it's an illustration that even now, as u.s. combat troops are pulling out of afghanistan, the dangers are very real. later, we learned that two taliban rockets had hit the prison on the base. 40 inmates were injured, some seriously. for the vets, it's a stark reminder of what it's like to be back on the front line and that america's wars are not over. >> with iraq basically handed over to isis, the progress that we made there. i left my hands over there. you kn

and kurdish fighters control isis strong holds in the syria and iraqi city of mosul.are cutting off the supply routes for the militants and this is an prnt development in the fight against isis. it is a part of the long- term strategy. there is air support for ground fighters and part of the problem, aside from the kurdish fighters who are pro american and strong warriors, the iraqi forces and forces in syria don't have the reputation and the air strikes are not doing much to help defeat isis. it is part of the problem with the overall strategy, jon. the kurds are effective because there is a ground force on the the ground. and in syria and in iraqi troops that are disorganized and under resourced, there is not that effectiveness on the ground. and while we are seeing success in the kurdish areas isis controls huge amounts of territory in iraq and syria. >> conner powell joins us live from the middle east news bureau. thank you. >> another fox news alert. singer joe cocher is dead at the age of 70. he is dead. we don't know the cause of but we are getting word of that

will be a long-fought battle. >> reporter: he and other iraqi leaders aware strikes and an army won't be enough. reclaiming iraq's third biggest cityn persuading sunni tribes and others who have so far been on the sidelines to fight as well. now the iraqi government is struggling with a serious financial crisis at the very time it needs money most. iraq's new finance minister says with the falling world oil prices, the government will have to make some tough decisions on cutting spending, while being able to continue this fight. >>> there has been fighting between israeli security forces and hamas supporters during a demonstration in the occupied west bank. palestinian activists say israeli police stormed the rally and fired tear gas and accuse officers of destroying a stage set up for hamas supporters working the organization'sing founding. >>> the palestinian's president says he supports the crackdown on illegal tunnels. egypt accuses hamas of using the tunnels to smuggle in weapons. >>> and egypt's military says it has killed 12 fighters as the offensive continues. according to state media, 70 people have been arrested during ra

militants take control of key iraqi cities. in august, u.s.hter jets start bombing isis positions in iraq part of targeted air strikes authorized by president obama. >> we intend to stay vigilant and take action if these terror forces threaten our personnel or facilities anywhere in iraq. >> strikes aimed at protecting minority groups like those left stranded and starving on a mountain top. the extent of the barbarism by isis becomes more apparent showing the beheading of american james foley and decapitation of another. america's top general has not ruled out the return of ground troops to iraq three years after the last troops pulled out. anderson cooper, cnn, new york. >> we're tracking another international news story right now. santa on radar provided by norad. rudolph at the lead you see there. he's off and just off the coast of east africa over the indian ocean now. he was over the middle east a moment ago. and thanks to our friends at norad we can track his moments where he's dropping off his gifts. we understand 2.5 million this year

iraqi economy. jane reports from bagdad. >> reporter: when isil swept in june it captured territory and seized over half a billion dollars from several cities is believed to be the richest-such organization in the world. a lot of that wealth comes from iraqi oil fields. it smuggles oil to turkey or sends it to refineries it has taken over in syria. >> air campaign target those those facilitiesing to deprive them of this revenue, but they have enormous financial resources. they are paying recruits or their soldiers, or their fighters good salaries, better than what we can afford to -- to pay ours. >> reporter: that's partly because iraq has a serious financial crisis. the economy is expected to shrink this year because of lower oil output due to the war and unchecked government spending including other militias propping up iraq security forces. but it's apparently planning to push on with an attack on mosul to recapture the city taken by isil in june. >> the iraqi go has set up for the liberation of mosul, and this can only be done in concert and in coordination with the coalition, of course, not separately. but i believe it's doable. and co

and for them, they have more fear that the iraqi army come back to the city than isis stay. i mean, they know that if the iraqi army come back, it will be slaughtering to the people. it will be a lot of mass killing. really for the moment they are not really for that, of course. so right now, to take back mosul will take time and i think the solution is a political solution. we have to negotiate. >> thank you. gilles, you wanted to intervene? >> no, that's okay. >>> all right, we have time for one last question and then i'll give two minutes to the panelists to conclude. yes, madame, please. >> thank you. i have a really simple question. the u.s. is retaining some combat troops in afghanistan and also increasing training forces in iraq. does this signify some changes in national security? thank you. >> well, i don't know who wants to answer that. >> what was the question? >> is there a change in national security -- i mean, that's the decision to maintain troops in iraq and afghanistan signify a change in the u.s. strategy of those two countries? >> well, i could speak for ir

and then, the largest iraqi city currently held under control of isis. now, according to u.s. officials, this is a serious but probably only temporary setback to the isis ability, command and control leadership vacancies, vacuums. but they cautious that those positions will probably be filled in very short order. because there's plenty of isis wannabes, potential isis leaders willing to step in and take their place. nevertheless, score one for the good guys. according to people here in the building. and it's really the first indication that the u.s. has had the ability to track and then take out some of the very important isis leadership, joy. >> big news. thanks very much, thank you. >>> all right. a range of options. that's what the white house press secretary josh earnest said the national security council is now considering for north korea. over the sony hacking. speaking in today's press briefing, ernest went on to say the hack is being treated as a serious national security matter. sony has canceled the planned christmas day release of "the interview." the james franco c

militants take control of key iraqi cities. in august, u.s.ter jets start bombing isis positions in iraq part of targeted air strikes authorized by president obama. >> we intend to stay vigilant and take action if these terrorist forces threaten our personnel or facilities anywhere in iraq. >> the strikes also aimed at protecting minority groups like yazidi refugees stranded on a mountain top. the group show the beheading of american journalist james foley and decapitation of steven sotloff and then british aid worker david haynes and alan henning. america's top general has not ruled out a return of u.s. ground troops to iraq three years after the last troops pulled out. anderson cooper, cnn, new york. >> what a year. great piece there. you can catch the top ten of 2014 special on cnn sunday evening at 6:30 eastern time with brooke baldwin right here on cnn. >>> and coming up on this christmas day, a big part of the country could get hit with some major winter weather in the next few days so where you can expect the most snow. we'll tell you r

the islamic state's seat of power, and then, to the iraqi city of mosul.y were tightly supervised, but allowed to shoot interviews with islamic state fighters and even prisoners. >> what did they tell you? what will happen to you? will you be free one day? >> ( translated ): they said, they said, your government, and you are prisoners of the islamic state and that's what they said. they didn't say we will kill you or slaughter you. >> ifill: the writer also reported seeing low-flying u.s. aircraft. he left islamic state territory a few days ago and is now back in germany. i spoke to juergen todenhofer earlier today. mr. todden hover, thank you for joining us. i want to start by asking you why you decided to go behind the lines with islamic state forces? >> because i started to write a book about isis at the beginning of the year. and after some months i realized that there was no real authentic information. and usually when i write a book about afghanistan i go to karzai, the president karzai and i went to the taliban, the leaders of the taliban. and i wen

city. the iraqi army denies that isil fighters are in control of the city.he refinery was taken back by government forces just a few weeks ago. >>> hundreds of protesters have been taking part in demonstrations in egypt. people came out into the streets in several towns and districts after friday prayers to protest against the coup which ousted president morsi. and tensions are particularly high after the acquittal of former president mubarak. >>> al jazeera continues to demand the release of its three journalists who were jailed over false allegations that they helped the out lawed muslim brotherhood. they are appealing against their convictions. mohammed fahmy and peter greste were sentenced to seven years. baher mohamed received an extra three because he had a spent bullet casing in his possession which he picked up at a protest. >>> president obama has nominated ashton carter to become his new defense secretary, replacing chuck hagel who resigned 11 days ago. he made the announcement at a white house news conference. carter still needs approval from the

irbil looks much much nicer and different city compared to other iraqi cities. again that is partly due to readership, more consolidation of power. and also a unity that my mentioned that does not exist in other areas of the country. however, iraqi federalism is still personal and political, ander than institutional legal. we have a constitution, again it depends on who reads it, you know, oil federal imis at the heart of iraq's federalism. still not clear. we have had many political aals, iraq still lacks national hydrocarbons law that should regulate the management iraq's hydrocarbon resources, the sharing of those, the right to sign oil contracts, the right to sell oil. these are completely unclear. there's a situation, such as baghdad needs some there's arom k.r.g., political deal, for example i'm talking about 2007. there was a political deal, baghdad allowed them to sell oil, there was some progress. oil went up, price of oil was enough to cover iraqi running on the decisions. two years later, three years deal. there was another and then this time the k.r.

while in the northern city, iraqi war planes ever carried out strikes, killing 15 suspected fighters. pilgrims are gathering for rituals culminating in the holy day. security it tight ahead of saturday, police and soldiers have been deployed to protect till gripples and their sites of worship. the sunni armed groups have threatened attacks as shia's end that you are 40 day mourning of the grandson of the prophet. >> fighting isil is draining iraq's economy. the city of mosul is the key to defeating the armed group about that we have a report from baghdad. >> when isil swept northern iraq in june, it seized assets, property, gold and cash from citizens, business people and banks. iraq's finance minister said over half a billion dollars was stolen from banks in mosul, tikrit and other cities. isil is believed to be the richest such organization in the world. a lot of that revenue comes from iraqi oil fields. the group retained control of major oil fields in the north of iraq. from there, it smuggles oil to turkey or sends it to refineries in syria. >> i have targeted them in order to de

iraqi and peshmerga forces. let's take a closer look at their gains. isil is still in control of 70% of anbar province. most of ramadi city is held by iraqi forces backed by tribal gunmen. iraqi and kurdish forces are also making gains around sinjar mountains. they've managed to open a second corridor there. tikrit is still under isil while the city of tirkuk is held by the peshmerga fighters. >> the time to secure the campaigns and success they've made. the latest victory is the retaking of a town at the foot of the sinjar mountains. it's where at least 1,000 families from the yazidi community are taking refuge. they have been under siege for more than two months. the retaking of the town by the kurdish fighters means they can now return to their homes. but isil fighters dispute the peshmerga claim. they insist that they're still in sinjar. kurdish forces also claim nearly 700 square kilometers as isil-held territory along the route to sinjar mountains. >> to move all the way to sinjar, to liberate and to rescue those yazidi people who are trapped on mount sinjar. >> kurdish forces say they've gained nearly 700 square ki

its official died during a battle against those terrorists in iraq while he was helping iraqi troops defend a citynear baghdad. the commander's funeral is set for monday. >>> a ceremonial end to the longest war in american history. u.s. and nato leaders returning security responsibilities in afghanistan back to its people. and trying to reassure the world that the troubled nation will have continuous support from the west. the majority of u.s. combat troops currently deployed in afghanistan are scheduled to withdraw in just a few days and that is raising serious concerns about the country's ability to fend for itself against increasing terror attacks. dan springer live from honolulu, hawaii with more. we have a bit of a satellite freeze if you will. we'll try to get back to dan as soon as we can. meantime our coverage of the breaking news of that missing airasia jetliner continues. daylight approaching in indonesia and teams hoping to resume search-and-rescue operations in just a matter of hours. >>> as of this time they are lost. speculation saying they found the plane. as of this time it's not t

it's the outskirts of balad, a city near baghdad, near an air base. iraqi federal police fighting with shia militias built the barricades after i.s.i.l. rolled into northern iraq in june. police are firing back at i.s.i.l. gunmen in the fields and orchards. u.s. air strikes weakened i.s.i.l.'s ability to launch the attacks it did in the summer. here the group is using snipers and explosives to keep iraqi forces off balance. security officials told the city's 150,000 residents to stock up on food and fuel while the battle rages. >> translation: there is no work or jobs in balad now. life has almost stopped here all because of i.s.i.l. i'm baking bread to earn a living. >> reporter: sadr would rely on her two sons, a barber and a taxi drive. both are out of work. surrounded by fighting, with one way out of the city, most stayed in balad, but they are left with no jobs or money. this person took to fixing kerosene heaters to make a living. >> translation: the city has been under siege for more than five months already. there are no jobs, there is hardly electr

iraqi security forces have been forced to retreat from the city of baiji. fighters from the islamic state of iraq and levant took control of the city after an intense battle with iraqi forces. and kurdish forces battle to recapture the town of sinjar from i.s.i.l. it is more than 100km west of mosul, which i.s.i.l. captured in june. >> u.s. president obama condemned the murder of two new york city police officers who were shot while they were on patrol in brooklyn. let's go to john terrett, live from new york city. what happened? >> good morning. from the bedside distribute of brooklyn in new york city, where yesterday, saturday at 2:45 in the afternoon, local time. 19:45 g.m.t. two police officers were sitting in their marked police cruiser at a place called tomorrow kip houses, which is what the americans called the projects, or council houses they were looking after the area known to have been violent when suddenly in cold blood and without warning they were gunned down in the front seats of their car. their boss, the police commissioner of new york call

it's planning to push on with an attack on mosul to recapture the city taken by isil in june. >> iraqi government has set up an operation for liberation of mosul and this can only be done in concert and coordination with the coalition, not separately. i believe it's doable and contrary to what many believe or think, i don't think it would be a long-fought battle. >> he and other iraqi leaders say airstrikes and an army won't be enough. reclaiming iraq's third biggest city will rely on persuading sunni tribes and others on the sidelines to fight isil, as well. >> money has always been one of iraq's biggest weapons, but now the government is struggling with a serious financial crisis at the very time it needs money most. iraq's new finance minister said with the falling word oil prices, the government will have to make tougher decisions on cutting spending, while being able to continue this fight. al jazeera, baghdad. >> violence has broken out between israeli security forces and palestinian protestors at demonstrationles across the occupied west bank. six palestinians were injured when

. >> fighters from the islamic state sees the biggest oil refinery in the city of baiji, and it was a defeat for the iraqis from the islamic state seized the biggest oil refinery in the city of baiji. one of the first journalists to report.iji sent us this >> the destruction is enormous, --baiji,in livvix there is the fight to take back the islamic state. the country's biggest oil refinery has been surrounded by nowor months and only liberated, thanks to foreign help. he told me when the new commander came, he moved us forward, but we did not have any planes, only helicopters. they started their airstrikes, clearing the road of bombs and giving us cover to move in to take the refinery. toare the first journalists make it here since it was liberated. the fighting has been fierce, and it is not over quite yet. place. a huge, strategic the iraqi army has largely only no defeat and surrender -- only known defeat and surrender. the iraqi army tells us they have cleared most of the is fighters in this area, but not all of them. this gun battle was all the more extraordinary because we were traveling with iraq's

drawn from sunni tribes it was hastily put together by the iraqi central government to defend this citythe islamic state of iraq and the levant. to many the government's move represents a new dawn. shia and sunni tribes fighting side by side. >> translator: we can't [ inaudible ] the city and we're closer to the [ inaudible ] fighters from [ inaudible ] group. we are happy with the help they have given us together with we shall hit isil's fighters and we shall defend them. >> reporter: officials say the militia has more than 650 members so far. and more volunteers are troining. >> translator: we are proud to be joined by fighters from many cities. we promise to be their eyes in the city. >> reporter: [ inaudible ] police uniforms the sunni fighters patrol the city streets setting up check points. in the wasteland out at [ inaudible ] face up with isil fighters. >> translator: we will never surrender until the last moment. we don't care about what they say about us in the media. what we need is meaningful help from the government. we need more heavy and light weapons. >> reporter: [ inau

would be a long fought battle. >> reporter: he and other iraqi leaders aware strikes and an army won't be enough. reclaiming iraq's third-biggest cityill rely on persuading sunni tribes and others who have so far been on the sidelines to fight isil as well. money has always been one of iraq's biggest weapons, but now the iraqi government is struggling with a serious financial crisis at the very time it needs money most. the finance minister says with the falling world oil prices the government will have to make some tough decisions on cutting spending while being able to continue this fight. >>> and oil prices continue to tumble after the international energy agency cut its forecast for global oil demand for next year. prices are at a five-year low, and they warn a further decline could raise the risk of social unrest in oil-producing countries. oil is currently trading around $60 a gallon. it may come to the aid of opec's weaker members, like nigeria which was forced to decrease its economic. for the consumers the oil slump has its benefits. in the united states petrol is at its lowest price in five years. airline profits are set t

iraqi forces have been forced to retreat from beigi they have taken control of a city after an intention battle with the iraqi army. the united arab emirates has blamed non-opec members for the drop in pricing. nearly 50% since june. in syria, there has been heavy shelling in an area of the damascus countryside. the attack carried out by government forces on the neighborhood in duma. several were killed, dozens injured. duma is home to a large number of opposition fighters. in other developments sir, syrian airstrikes have killed less than in raqqa. dozens more were injured. raqqa is the capitol of isil's self-proclaimed caliphate. countries that border syria are under pressure to take in more refugees but resettlement is a lengthy and difficult process. many refugees think they will have a better chance by leaving the region and going to europe. this from the lebanese capitol, beirut. >> reporter: preparing to start a new life, a refugee from syria moved to lebanon with her family two years ago. her husband has a heart problem and cannot work. >> puts the family in the most vulnerable c

iraqi helicopter. the attack happened on the outskirts of shite holy city. a major worry now is they also have weapons to shoot down planes, which is why airlines are avoiding iraqi air space. >>> a rare saturday session for the u.s. senate as it tries to wrap up work on a $1.1 trillion spending bill. it would avoid a government shutdown like last year's. a bipartisan agreement was reached last week, but conservatives delayed the final approval on that. procedural vote on the funding bill is expected early tomorrow morning. if that passes, a final vote would take place on monday. >>> on the eve of the second anniversary of the sandy hook school shooting, global organizations turned grief into activism with a gun buyback program today. people receive between $100 and $200 in gift cards for weapons to turn in. police check each weapon to see if it is lost or stolen. all other firearms will be destroyed. >> the impact is there's one less gun in the community, and that's one less gun that can do harm both inside the home in terms of an accidental shooting, a suic

this group emerged out of city the many of them are iraqis but essentially emerged out of city. it's the syrian a civil war of that hotbed from which much of this violence is coming. the situation there is much more complicated because the sunnis are in majority there, not a minority. the government represents the small ethnic minority. that conflict is complicated by a great deal of international involvement on both sides with the russians and the iranians on one side, all the of the sunni governments on the other side. i think the one -- >> and trying to stay out. unless we are trying to -- >> we are doing both. we are bombing in the series it. we are arming will be considered moderate factions of the syrians. we are seeking eventually to overthrow assad but not now. so it's a question of sequencing. these regional conflagrations really do eventually burned themselves out, but the question is how much damage they do. the quicker you can accelerate that, the better. the one factor that may change this dynamic is if we succeed in getting an agreement with iran on their nuclear d

a mainly shia city north of baghdad, and near one of iraq's biggest air bases. iraqi federal police fighting with shia militias built these sand barricades here after isil rolled in to northern iraq in june. police here are firing back at isil gunmen in the fields and orchards. u.s. airstrikes have weakened isil's ability to launch the huge attacks in the summer. here the group is using snipers and explosives to keep iraqi forces off balance. security officials have told the city's 150,000 residents to stock up on food and fuel while the battle rages. >> there is no work or jobs now. it has all stopped here all because of isil. they attack us and leave us in chaos. i'm baking bread for 11. >> reporter: she would normally rely on her two sons, a barber and taxi driver. but both of them are out of work. surrounded by fighting with only one way out of the city most people have stayed in balad. they're left here with no jobs and no money. they have taken the kerosene heaters to make a living. >> the city has been under siege for more than five months already. there are no

iraqi forces have managed to cut isil supply lines to the farms on the outskirts of the town. they want to retake more areas north of the city fighting continues more iraqi civilians become victims and moorehouses become vacant. al jazerra. >>> one of iran's senior commanders happen been killed in iraq. they say the general was killed north of baghdad. where he was advising iraqi troops and shia volunteers. >>> we are approaching a grim anniversary, in just a few hours, three al jazerra journalists will have been in prison in egypt for a fuel her our colleagues were arrested on december 29th, 2013, they were falsely accused of aiding the outlawed muslim brotherhood and damaging egypt's reputation abroad, they say they were just doing their jobs as journalist >>> a presidential election as taken place in a midst a deep economic slump. the role is mostly ceremonial. and the incumbent is expected to earn a second term. but if not there will be a run-off election. >>> heavy snowfall has left about 15,000 people stranded in the french alps a storm dumped massive snow on mountain roads just as holdiday makers were heading to and f

in june, after the iraqi army melted away in this region, kurdish forces moved in to secure the city and the oil fields and there they've stayed. in the past few days the peshmerga have reinforced fighters, sending more to the shifting front line. as long as they live and breathe, i.s.i.l. won't seize kirkuk and its oil. coalition forces have taken back a lot of territory seized by i.s.i.l. in june. but i.s.i.l. is picking its battles, it needs infrastructure, the group is expected to continue suicide attacks to try to retake key oil installations across northern and central iraq. jane arraf, al jazeera, baghdad. >> there's been an explosion in the lebanese town of afsan near the border with syria. at least one person has been wounded in the blast. meantime, qatar says it won't continue mediation efforts. jean ferguson has more from beirut. >> reporter: now the lebanese government have held security meetings emergency meetings over the weekend to try find out how they can move forward with these mediation efforts. sunni religious leaders have volunteered a proposal that they could go

iraqi government believes that five months of airstrikes and more effective ground force "o" forces have put isil on the defensive. it's apparently planning to push on with an attack on mosul to recapture the city taken by isil in june. >> the iraqi government has set up operational forces and this can only be done in concept, but i believe it is doable. contrary to what people believe or think, wrong it will. >> he said airstrikes and an army won't be enough, reclaiming iraq's third biggest city will rely on persuading sunni tribes and others who have been on sidelines to fight isil as well. money has always been one of iraq's biggest weapons. but now the iraqi government is struggling with the serious financial crisis. at the very time it needs money most. iraq's new finance minister said that iraq will have to make tough decisions on cutting spending while being able to continue this fight. al jazeera, baghdad. >> in the west bank israeli forces stormed a gathering of hamas supporters. in nearby regions a palestinian man tried to ram his car into an israeli checkpoint, and another man attacked an israeli family. tensions have been rising since wednesday when a palestinian minister died in co

back in selafin iraqi armed force he have managed to cut supply lines want to retake more areas not of samara city. as the fighting continues more iraqi civilians become victims and more houses become availability. osama ben jari al jazeera. >> adriatic sea hundreds of passengers are being lifted from the vessel on fire. thank you for speaking with us. can you tell us the latest on the rescue operation and how many people the italian navy has helped bring to safety? >> good day. so far we have at least 131 people which have been rescued by the joint effort of both the italian navy efforts but also the greek authorities have intervened since very early this morning when the accident occurred. >> so how many more people are left stranded on the ferry sir? >> with the information that we have we have a total of 466 persons on board which means that we should have left on board 355 we have, as you can imagine, the counting is still ongoing so we're still double checking the data coming from both greece and italy. >> do you have any information on whether there are casualties on board? >> so far we hav

charles: i remember when they were taken down cities and iraqi soldiers taking up uniforms and runninglking oil, 150, 200, how did it come down this quickly? >> it used to be disturbances in the middle east made our gasoline prices go up, you cannot say things are very stable in the region now and our gas prices are very low. locally we have low cost of living, low gas taxes in general. you have a little bit of a price war going on in some intersections. all contributing to strea extrea low price right now. i cannot imagine it will hold forever. charles: maybe something like the keystone pipeline? if this had occurred this sort of shock, manipulation from the middle east or whatever, we were always at their mercy. now we can really go for complete american independence when it comes to our fuel. >> we ought to have a national policy that tries to wean us off of middle eastern oil for we have the resources to do it, the energy companies, expertise and technology heading that direction. many are headquartered right in oklahoma city. we just need a federal policy in place to move in that

isil fighters are attacking a city killing six people and eight iraqi soldiers died after a suicide bomber blew himself up near ramdy. coalition air strikes and iraqi security forces are backed by the tribesmen on the ground. leaders are calling for more weapons and ammunition to help in the battle. jane has more from baghdad. >> reporter: from suicide vehicle bombs to mortars and snipers, there's been intense fighting in al anbar. it started with a suicide bomber driving a humvee. one of the u.s.-made humvees used by the iraqi army and sooedzed seized by isil in june. they confiscated hundreds of vehicles and in the past month they have blown up more than a dozen of them using suicide bombs. this was on the road to syrian border from the provinceal capital of ramadi and it's nera maudedy where some of the fearest fights have taken place. it's less a kilometer away from the provinceal council building. there's fighting going on within a compound. now, in that compound there are iraqi security forces as well as government officials, but isil has also fought hard for areas including fallujah

iraqi army said it killed more than 100 i.s.i.l. fighters across anbar province in the last 24 hours. there's within intense fighting in the cities of ramadi, haditha and the border crossing. coalition air strikes and iraqi security forces are backed by tribesman on the crowned. anbar province has a sunni population against i.s.i.l. >> in the latest attack. i.s.i.l. detonated a humvee packed with explosives. on the road from the provincial capital ramadi. it's a form of attack by the group. they managed to seize hundreds of humvees. the u.s. made armoured vehicles sold or given to the army, seized by i.s.i.l., when it took over large parts of the country. >> iraqi officials and fighters say there's not much they can do. they do not have the weapons or the ammunition to fight attacks or armoured vehiclesment that's what they are calling for. in some towns taken over by i.s.i.l. officials said the police had to retreat because they do not have enough ammunition. they called for more arms, heavy weapons, ammunition and air strikes, more of everything, except for troops, they don't want to see large numbers of troops in the province,

willing to send ground troops back in there, i'm not willing to send my kids back in for cities that the iraqis unwilling to fight for. >> what are we seeing from around the globe, the lone wolf terror attack and to a woman being beheaded down in oklahoma, to what we see in jerusalem, israel, now sydney, australia, now pakistan school children, at a time when the president said the world is less violent than it's ever been. that could still be true, but is it? >> there's still evidence to indicate the president is wrong and just doesn't quite understand the situation. this is a long war. been going on a long time, a thousand years, between the sunnis and the shiites. civilized islam needs to up. >> is the president doing the right thing, telling them to stand up, speak out, encouraging them to do what you're saying. >> even george bush said somewhat of the same thing. he made a point to say we're not attacking islam. this is not a religious war against islam. there are a billion people who belong to the islamic faith and this is a small minority. unfortunately, 5% or 10 pr% of billion is still

the guard says their brigadier general was assisting iraqi troops and volunteers, defending a city northhome to a major shiite shrine, he was in fact the highest ranking officer known to have been killed outside iran since the country's war with iraq in the 1980s, iran has sent military advisors to assist syria and iraq in battling rebels and extremist groups. >>> and america's longest war comes to a formal end. a ceremony today to mark the end of combat operations. but your passengers smell this... el iminate odors you've gone noseblind to for up to 30 days with the febreze car vent clip. female passenger: wow. smells good in here. vo: so you and your passengers can breathe happy. when you run a business, you can't settle for slow. that's why i always choose the fastest intern. the fastest printer. the fastest lunch. turkey club. the fastest pencil sharpener. the fastest elevator. the fastest speed dial. the fastest office plant. so why wouldn't i choose the fastest wifi? i would. switch to comcast business and get the fastest wifi with the most coverage. comcast business. built for bus

iraqi armed forces cut the supply lines to the farm on the out skirts of the town. they want to retake more areas north of samarra city. as the fighting continues, more iraqi people become victims and houses vacant. >> a senior commander has been killed in a fight in iraq. the general was killed in samarra, north of baghdad where he advising troops and volunteers. >>> al jazeera is reflecting on this year through the eyes of four families affected by major events. in the second part jane arraf meets an iraqi family devastated by an incident at a checkpoint. they are now caught up in the latest fighting against i.s.i.l. >> reporter: this man has a family of chess players. one of his sons is in the u.s. his children from a second marriage are scene to learn. here in baghdad he has rebuilt his life trying to move forward from tragedy. 10 years ago his wife five daughters, a sop and nephew were killed when an american tank opened fire on them at a check point. the soldier said they thought they were insurgents. the youngest child was nine, the eldest 23. >> his youngest wrote of a peaceful world. >> that day he lost his f

it was also a city six months ago where the iraqi security forces ultimately begin to come began to come for another party they cannot afford not to win. as of the moment that it is joined as to be one that is very seriously considered and that the forces are raised on the right combination of forces in the right kind of support for the so that when it feels the weight of the counteroffensive that is something that it simply cannot resist. >> let me quote something to you something that you said it's too rather reduce the risk we talked about winning is winning the argument not just winning a connecticut fight. if we only get to the point where we will win the argument, your personal contribution or played a major role. >> it is an honor to be with you. ' we are moments away from the year-end news conference with president obama. it was set for 130 and he is running a little bit late. c-span will have live coverage when it begins and afterwards it is your chance to weigh in with phone calls and facebook questions. later tonight the president will leave with the family for their annual va

syrian jets are targetting the islamic state of iraq and levant in the city of al-bad >>> the iraqi army retaken the town for i.s.i.l. fighters. security forces of shia militias have been involved for two days. security forces have taken two more villages in the nearby town. meanwhile fighting is underway in another down 100 metres north of the capital. the army says some areas of the town live in fear of i.s.i.l. fighters, but they still have a large presence. >>> 2014 draws to a close, al jazeera is ley flecting on the -- reflecting on the year through the eyes of a family in the second part of the series. jane arraf meets a family in baghdad displaced by recent fighting after more than a decade of chaos in iraq. >> this person has a family of chess players. one of his two sons in the u.s. was an iraqi chess champion. his children from a second marriage are eager to learn. here they have rebuilt their life. he tried to move forward from almost unimagineable matters. 10 years ago his wife five daughters and a son were killed when an american tank opened fire on them at a check point. so

>>> the iraqi army says it's killed more than 100 fighters from the islamic state of iraq and the levant across anbar province in the last 24 hours. there has been intense fighting in the citiesand the border crossing. coalition air strikes and iraqi security forces have been backed by tribes men on the ground, anbar has a mostly sunni population who are against isil, leaders are now calling for more weapons and ammunition to help in the battle. indonesia's president has toured an area devastated by a massive landslide. he traveled to the area for meet survivors, rescue teams are now using heavy lifting equipment to clear the wall of mud and rock that's left at least 22 people dead. >>> villagers in banglades bange trying to cheap unan oi up an o. communities are trying to clean up. here is the story. >> reporter: picking up oil from water on the southern coast of bangladesh people who live off the land cannot escape this environment the disaster, villagers along the river use their hands to scoop out oil. this spill has taken its toll on sea life and communities too. >> translator: we are facing a lot of problems because of the oil spills. it's affecting our poultry business