dozens of iraqi peshmerga are on the way to the syrian town of kobane. they are massing over the border in turkey. >>> syrian government barrel bomb attack has killed 60 people in a refugee camp in the north of the country. it hit the refugee camp near idlib province. >>> zambian vice president has been named interim leader ahead of fresh elections. he temporarily replacing the president who died in in hospital from an undisclosed illness. >>> the ebola death toll has now exceeded 5,000, but getting accurate data coming from these areas, the figure could be much higher. let's look at how the outbreak is unfolding. >> i virus is found in the animal's bodily equations. if you come in contact with it you become infected. >> we sent it to two different laboratories, but it came back ebola. >> our families are going to go hungry. >> certain members of the family escaped our control, and through their movement increased the number of infections in certain areas. >> these boulders, we need to be prepared. >> we don't have to wait for a confirmation. >> everfor

an iraqi peshmerga convoy reached the border on thursday. so far, at least ten peshmerga fighters are joining in the battle against cypress, and dozens more are attempting to cross the border later. more from the border area between turkey and syria. >> the iraqi peshmerga fighters have spent the night in the town near the border. earlier thursday p. about ten of them went in and advanced on something of iraqi before the bulk of the fighters and the fighters make their way in. the belief is they will make their way before the cover of darkness. and the suggestion they will go into the west of the city, an area that remains under kurdish control. the city behind me, up to the line of trees there, we think most of it is under the control of isil fighters, and we saw thursday morning some of them moving around, moving around in fact in an area that had been targeted by u.s. airstrikes, only on wednesday. it's from that area that a lot of the shelling of the border position is coming from the shelling as isil fighters the control of that bored.

and the iraqi peshmerga are professionally trained fighters. they'll have the weaponry and artillery. they'll be using that on this eastern front to take on the isil fighters and push them back from there while the fsa and the kurds concentrate on the south and west. nthere was an indication or feeling that the peshmerga will not go into kobane into dusk or in the evenings, and they have the help of the cover of darkness. all the while the syrian kurds reminding us that in kobane the fighting is continuing they have those heavy weapons that they believe will help push isil forces out of kobane. >> turning east why government forces are advancing against isil's strongholds they've taken swaths of territory from the. >> this is what most of the fighting against isil looks like. street to street, deserted neighborhoods. isil fighters are just up the road. it's also than 20 dil 20 kilometers south in an isil command center. defense has lasted two weeks so far. this special unit has made gains and the commander says he's confident. >> as we advance

. >>> kurds in turkey cheer as iraqi peshmerga fighters join the battle to keep the city of kobani out of the hands of islamic state. >>> and chinese government officials are stepping up pressure on the student protesters in hong kong. more than a month after the umbrella revolution began. >>> bank of japan policymakers took investors by surprise and sent tokyo shares soaring. they announced they're going to crank up their monetary stimulus program to hit the inflation target of 2%. ron madison from our business desk joins us now with more details. >> that's right, miki. it was quite a surprise. in fact it's the first time that boj officials have expanded their stimulus since they launched it in april of last year. they say they're worried they won't be able to reverse japan's inflationary mind-set unless they take action. the policymakers voted in favor of the move by 5-4 after a board meeting. they say they'll ramp up their purchase of japanese government bonds. they want to expand the monetary base is the an annual pace of about 80 trillion yen, roughly $730 billion u.s. dollars. th

damascus has condemned the arrival of a first iraqi peshmerga contingent in kobane. for over a month now, the battle has raged for control of the key syrian border town. the u.s. coalition airstrikes backing the effort. >> they came loaded with machine guns and heavy weapons, a convoy of iraqi kurdish peshmerga is prepared for battle, just across the border from kobane. >> we have been waiting for them a long time. all kurds should unite. otherwise, we will be killed one after another. >> the peshmerga's received a hero's welcome. ankara reluctantly let the past room it territory to go and help -- let them through its territory to go and help. turkey has been fighting a decades long insurgency itself and fears the peshmerga will encourage the separatists. peshmerga accuses ankara of violating syria's sovereignty. >> turkey is continuing in its role of aggression against syria. it is very dangerous for the region. >> the turkish government officials dismissed the accusations, saying president assad's regime has lost its legitimacy. ankara has been supporting the separ

iraqi peshmerga forces had for kobane. joining their kurdish car mats against the islamic state organization. those are the headlines here on france 24. a developing story out of burkina faso. protesters have clashed through a police barricade outside the parliament in the capital. according to our correspondent fires are ablaze around the building. france 24 has been monitoring events in ouagadougou as clashes were field as the political opposition call for blockade of parliament. the legislature was such a consider a constitutional reform that would allow long serving president blaise compaore to extend his rule. no word on whether or not those talks will go through. as the situation remains tense. the president's bid to stay on for a fifth term has sparked two days of protests. blaise compaore has served as president since 1987 after a military coup. we will bring you more on the situation out of burkina faso. now to the latest in the fight against ebola. the world health organization says the rate of infection appears

this is iraqi peshmerga on their way to do battle in syria. they're allowing 150 fighters to transit it's territory after the pressure to do more to stop the town falling to isil. isil has been in conflict with turkey kurdish, and see syrian kurds as no different but iraqi iturkey are allowing them through. peshmerga will enter syria, and it has been a place of repeated assaults from isil fighters. >> the united states decided to arm more people and train more people, and this will only prolong the war, and it will be more heavy than it is now. >> peshmerga are bringing in heavy artillery. there are reinforcements from the free syrian army. added to the peshmerga it means around 200 men. but this is a battle where both sides have thousands of fighters, and isil seems to be able to easily and rapidly replenish it's ranks. >> a syrian government bombing has killed 60 people in a refugee camp in the northern province of idlib. two barrel bombs hit the camp, which houses people who have escaped from fighting in a nearby province. stephanie dekker

these are iraqi peshmerga. turkish government is allowing around 150 fighters to transit its territory after pressure from the u.s. to do more to stop kobani falling to isil. >>> turkey has been in conflict with kurdish separatists for more than 30 years, but says the syrian kurds are no different, but turkey doesn't see iraqi kurds as a threat, so it's letting them through. as the convoy made its way, the u.s.-lead coalition launched more air strikes focused on the border crossing. it's there where the peshmerga fight enter syria, and so is a place that has been a focus of repeated assaults from isil fighters. >> instead of finding a way to reconcile between the different parties, the united states now decided to arm more people and to train more people and this will only prolong the war more, and it will be more heavy than it is now. >> reporter: the peshmerga are bringing heavy weapons with them, it's this hardware that the kurds in kobani say they desperately need. they have held their own with just small a

it comes several hours as the group of iraqi peshmerga troops arrive in route to to syria.group fly from iraq airport. another group are traveling separately over land to turkey. the battle on the border has so far lasted six weeks. 800 are believed to have been killed. the fighting has toforced 200,0 to flee across the border. >> peshmerga are on the way. some of them heavy heading for kobani. the convoy part of an agreement reached ten days ago by the turkish government. chaotic scenes as the peshmerga crossed in last night. these have their hands tell defending the territory in iraq. now with the blessing, they're off to face the same enemy in kobani. turkish kurds kept out of the fight by their own government are grateful. >> this is a nice gesture. no one did what the army is doing now. he extended his hand for our brothers trapped there. we are all supporting him. there was violence too. police firing tear gas and live rounds to disperse kurds angry at being sidelined. the kobani crisis has stirred similar tensions inside turkey where the government and kurds fought t

let's talk about the iraqi peshmerga joining the fight. because considering that turkey has its own internal issues with the kurdish population there, could this complicate the matter. or are the boots on the ground, is this what is needed to fight isis? >> well, i think it helps fight isis, anything that we can bring to the fight is a good thing. boots on the ground, always a good thing. and hopefully these iraqi/kurds will have some u.s. training and be better able to coordinate the air strikes. what is frightening to me is the turks are allowing them to work with them. they are going to provide arr t artillery support, will they allow the kurds to bring weapons across their territory? very surprising they will allow this. but if you look at it from their point of view they have taken such public pressure because they have not joined the fight themselves. this is one way they can say well, we're allowing boots on the ground. so i think the peshmerga will certainly add a dimension to the fight on the ground. will it be enough? isis has pu

so by the iraqi peshmerga concentrating there, they are giving some relief to exhausted kurdish fightersd the peshmerga are professionally trained fighters. they will also have the heavy weaponry, the equipment the kurds say they desperately need. they will be using to try to push the isil fighters back while the fsa and the kurds concentrated on the south and west. no indication yet of when the peshmerga will go into kobani. they remained stations on turkish territory about two kilometers or so away. there's an indication or feeling that the peshmerga will not go into kobani until dusk or in this evening so they have the help of the cover of darkness. all the while the syrian kurds reminding us in kobani the fighting is continuing, and they desperately need those reinforcements, but again what they say they really need are those heavy weapons which together with the air strikes, they believe will help them push isil forces out of kobani. >>> we're getting reports out of ber key that fas sew that the president there has been ousted. these are according to some reports we're getting from

iraqi peshmerga forces had for kobane. kurdish car mats against the islamic state organization.those are the headlines here on france 24

. >>> the first iraqi kurdish peshmerga fighters are allowed to cross from turkey to the town of kobane under siege from islamic state militants. >>> demonstrators in burkina set the parole building under fire. as thousands of would-be migrants try to reach the united kingdom, we hear the story of one teenager who's made the perilous journey. >>> hello. the palestinian president mahmoud abbas has described israel's decision to close the mosque compound, the third holiest sight for muslims, as tantamount to a declaration of war. israeli police sealed off the site, which is known to jews as temple mount. a our correspondent in jerusalem quentin sommerville gave us an update a little earlier on what had happened. >> reporter: the great danger, the tensions here in jerusalem, which had been simmering for months, even before the war in gaza, may boil over. now, the site in east jerusalem, he's accused of being the shooter of mr. glick where he was killed this morning in east jerusalem. and all morning long, there's been rocks thrown, tiles been set alight in that neighborhood. security force

because they believe if reenforcements come from the kurds, those reenforcements whether they be iraqi peshmerga or others, the reenforcements will come through border which is what i.s.i.l. wants it. the black smoke that you can see behind me from tires, both sides set fires on fire to create a smoke screen as they move around the streets. air strikes again on sunday night helped the kurdish fighters to keep control of the border crossing. they were essential and almost too late the kurds telling us, an indication on how much they rely on those air strikes but an indication of how much they need more reenforcements. the fighter jets flying overhead, they have to fly longest, often from the gulf, jordan or cypress before they reach this area, they have to fly back and refuel. so there can be large gaps between sorties. large gaps when the air above kobani is empty. that's when i.s.i.l. makes its move. >> the al qaeda linked el nusra front is making a coordinated attack on the town of idlib. follows a coordinated attack on the city early on monday led by fighters from the al qaeda affiliated el n

. >>> a group of kur desh iraqi peshmerga fighters have entered a syrian border town to try to help push back islamic state militants. officials made the decision to dispatch 150 security troops to the town of kobani. many kurds are living there. a ten-member contingent arrived on thursday at a turkish border town. they're equipped with artillery and machine guns and plan to support syrian kurdish fighters. a group says more than 800 people have been killed. islamic state militants have been trying to take control of the town. they've been intensifying their offensive despite repeated air attacks by a u.s.-led coalition. >>> the israelis have been criticized for closing a holy site. tension between palestinians and jews has been mounting after a rumor spread that right-wing members of israel's parliament are planning to divide the holy site. palestinians repeatedly clash with israeli security forces and a far-right jewish activist was wounded by gunfire on wednesday. the gunmen closed the site, citing security reasons. benjamin netanyahu daept spokesperson says they are calling for the s

dozens of iraqi kurdish peshmerga are now on their way to the town. contingent of syrian rebel fighters have also arrived to join the fight. >> reporter: for turks it's an unprecedented sight. a armed kurdish fighters being escorted through turkey. the turkish government is allowing around 150 fighters to transit its territory after pressure from the u.s. to do more to stop kobani from falling to isil. turkey is been in conflict with kurdish separatists for more than 30 years, but they don't see iraqi kurds as a threat, so it is letting them through. as the convoy made its way, the u.s.-lead coalition launched more air strikes apparently focused on the border crossing. it's there where the peshmerga might enter syria, and so has been a place that has been the focus of repeated assaults by isil fighters. >> instead of finding a way to reconcile between the different parties the united states now decided to arm more people and train more people, and this will only long prolong the war and it will be more heavy than it is now. >> reporter: the peshmerga

. >> reporter: the iraqi peshmerga fighters have spent the night at a town near turkey's border withearlier this morning, thursday, about 10 of them went in advance essentially on something of iraqi before the bulk of the fighters and the heavy weapons make their way in. the belief is they will wait for the cover of darkness before that go in, and the suggestion is they will go in an area in the west. the trees behind me is under the control of isil fighters. we saw some of them moving around in an area targeted by u.s. air strikes only on wednesday, and it was from that area that a lot of the shelling was coming from. that shelling because the isil fighters want control of that border. so an indication that isil is still moving around. they still remain a threat, and there is still somebody of a territory stalemate. the syrian kurdish fighter s hope now with the heavy artillery they get, will help them break that stalemate. >>> the assistant secretary general for humanitarian affairs has been giving an update on the worsening situation in syria. she says isil and other groups are co

iraqi peshmerga fighters arrived at the border. the admission by the 150 fighters came as ankara allowed them to pass into syria from turkey. it underscores the serious political tensions in the region. alex trumbull is near the border and reports. >> for the moment, none of the peshmerga units have actually crossed the border into syria. those who landed yesterday evening about half a mile or -- half an hour north of the border are in the buffer zone, which is in a check zone. they're waiting for the other half of the convoy. there are 40 lawyers -- lorries or so that are packed with machine guns and other supplies. when they are reunited, then they will proceed to go through the checkpoint and jordan with the syrian kurds who are fighting there. -- and joined with the theory kurds were fighting there. and we've also heard that the free syrian army as enter the city. about 200 soldiers from kobani are fighting with the kurds. this comes as good news as they are hoping to reconcile all the different factions that are fighting the i

the united states and the rest of the coalition against isil for allowing the passage of that iraqi peshmerga across its territory. >> well, this seems to be the principle gesture, as he has labeled the resistance in kobane, with the peshmerga party. against turkey. and he has done this about face, saying okay, i'll allow some peshmerga to help relieve the siege. but up until now, there are not a lot of peshmerga across the border. they may come back, and it's not as if there's a wholesale relief army of peshmerga coming into kobane. i think we're expecting 200 to 150 fighters to help with the siege. >> okay, andrew finkel, also of turkey with what everyone needs to know. thank you very much indeed, live istanbul. >> well, the iraqi army says that it's now making important gains in the fight against isle there on the border. capturing large parts of territory in the northern and central parts of the territory, but government forces have been advanced toward the city of baiji, a isle command center in the of baghdad. and it's vital to both sides to have control of the baiji refinery. >> this i

those reinforcements whether they come from iraqi peshmerga o or allied to the syrian army. they push back without airstrikes the syrian kurds would have found it difficult to give control given the sustained assault there was on it. after all the airstrikes with the fighting continuing, yes territorially there is still something of a stalemate. you get these assaults by isil on areas of kobane, and now they are pushed back by sir-kurdish fighters with the help of airstrikes. the syrian kurds have not been able to push isil out of kobane down and isil has not been able to take over the town. >> and for all parties involved in kobane, bernard, isil, the kurdish fighters, the coalition leading those airstrikes. a lot at stake for each one of them when it comes to kobane. >> well, gentlemen, i mean, this has become essentially a test bed of the u.s. policy for pushing back isil in iraq and syria. that relies on airstrikes, and on poorly trained and not very equipped groups on the ground. the u.s. in full view of international media needs to try and make kobane work because this

because they want to stop any potential reinforcements coming through, whether that would be iraqi peshmergacements or reinforcements from fighters allied to the free syrian arm i nevertheless, kurdish fighters were able to repel that attack. they came at them apparently from three different angles armed the town to try to take that border. but it was the air strikes that in the end made the difference and it was the air strikes that helped the -- that has kept that border area in the control of the kurdish fighters. an indication really of how totally realigned they are on the air strikes. in fact, they were worried that the air strikes came in quite late and they were worried that they weren't going come in in enough time. they did. and for the most this morning that area still remains in kurdish control. >> bernard, talk that kurdish fighters may be crossing in to iraq from turkey to join in the fight, turkey was reluctant to let fighters or goods in through its borders. why is it allowing it now? and even if it does, will the peshmerga actually send fighters in? >> reporter: well, these

heavier weapons the kurds need reinforcements but there is no indication yesterday of when the iraqi peshmergat arrive. there was heavy fighting on kobane's eastern front on thursday but neither side apparently making much headway. bernard smith, al jazerra, on the turkey-syria border. >>> police in tunisia have conducted a series of counter terrorism measures ahead of elections on thursday. three people were cured. al qaedaer sleeper cells have been plan ago tacks to stop the vote going ahead. ahead of the election the leader of the powerful party has claimed that tunisia is setting an example in thousand defeat groups like isil. he said: >>> to south asia now where sunday's elections have raised concerns about political interference in tunisia's media. there is freedom of speech but journalist fear this resurrection may be at risk. now more from tunisia. >> reporter: this is how most tunisians get their news, mosaic has a million lynnsers a day. one of its presenters used to work in state television. he says political interference got him sacked. >> political parties, presidents who own medi

thank you very much for joining >> ready to enter the fight, iraqi peshmerga forces gather just across turkish border as they prepared to join the battle against the islamic state group in the besieged syrian town of kobani. unity to fight the ebola epidemic, the u.s. ambassador to the united nations of bows to help west african -- vows to help west african countries with the outbreak and trace the care workers in the countries. and an unmanned rocket explodes just after takeoff, it was loaded with supplies to the international space station. those of the headlines on

this entrance to the area is one of two that could potentially be used by the iraqi peshmerga when andf they come to kobane. you can see how close we are. just hearing the gunfire and the artillery in the distance. the other border crossing right in the center of kobane is where isil forces have been shelling with mortars because they want to stop. they want to take control of that border crossing to present the passing of the peshmerga so they can control access to kobane there. this is why this border might be the .1 that is used in stead because here, the turkitch military are in control on this side. just on the other side, that, for the time being, remains in control of syrian kurdish fighte fighters. iraq's counter part is visiting about how to stop the advance of is isil. the recaptured town about 60 kilometers south of baghdad. the town has been the site of intention fighting between government-backed forces and isil. now, to parliamentae e leingsz in tunisia, the country that sparked revolution across the middle east and north africa. the leaders of the two largest parties hav

. >> reporter: now, we mentioned to you yesterday that 10 fighters were from the iraqi peshmerga had to kobane on a bit of. [ inaudible ] they have now come out and been holding meetings with fellow fight ores their strategy. and we understand that the peshmerga, when they go in, they will look after the fighting in the east of kobane, that's where it's been at its most intense. while the syrian kurds and the free syrian army fighters will look after the south and the west. that makes sense because most of the fighting has been on the east, the peshmerga are trained fighters, it will give some break as well to exhausted syrian-kurdish fighters and the per mega will be able to use that heavy artillery that they have brought with them. the heavy weapons against isil in the east. the syrian kurds long saying, david that, they believe with the heavy weaponry they are push isil out of there. >> good to hear from you, bernard smith there on the syria-turkey border. >>> u.n. security council held a briefing on the humanitarian cries let syria. the new peace envoy introduced the idea of so-c

iraqi peshmerga fighters, the kurds, are closing in on the city as well. they're coming in through turkey by land and by air. our senior international correspondent nick paton walsh is at the turkish-syrian border overlooking kobani. he filed this report just a short time ago. >> reporter: nightfall has begun to fall here. we have seen a b-1 bomber making circling runs over kobani. the turkish military filling up down on the access roads towards the official crossing from turkey into syria into kobani. we know that the iraqi kurdish peshmerga, 30-plus vehicles, 150-plus individuals with heavy weapons on them are hours away. they may cross in tonight. they may wait till dawn. but a surprise this morning was the first reinforcements to arrive were syrian rebels, possibly 30 to 50, according to those inside. the man leading those syrian rebels claimed he had 200 with him. once they entered in small groups, heavy clashes heard behind me. a surprise, frankly, for those syrian kurds in the city. this was turkey's idea sending troops in from turkey. that will pro

today in turkey, the convoy of iraqi peshmerga, fighters, made it way to the syrian border amid cheeringrowds, bringing vehicles, weapons, heavy are drily and other mush-needed supplies. a reported ten peshmerga fighters crossed into i syria. not many but the first with a of 150 troops heading in. they're moving in small groups because isis targeted the border this. of the troops are expected to cross into syria tomorrow. they'll have help from u.s. are led coalition airstrikes there were ten airstrikes between yesterday and today near kobani where it's been, as we have been reporting, bloody tug of war, as the battle rages on tonight, and a battle which has lasted now more than a month and a half, and as another big showdown is about to begin. >> fox news learned usual officials suspect dozens of former guantanamo bay prisoners have joined the islamic state. it's believed a third of the detainees may be returning to the battle feed. jennifer griffin is at the pentagon right now. >> sources in the u.s. intelligence and defense communities suspect as many as 20 to 30 form guantanamo detai

these are iraqi peshmerga on their way to join the battle for kobane in syria. the turkish government are allowing 150 fighters to transit it's territory after pressure from the u.s. to do more to stop kobane from falling to isil. turkey has been in conflict for kurdish separatist for 30 years and said the syrian kurds are no different, but turkey does not see iraqi kurds as a threat, so it's letting them through. as the convoy made it's way, the u.s.-led coalition launched more airstrikes apparently focused on the border crossing. it is there that peshmerga will aid syria. >> instead of finding a way to reconcile between the different parties the united states now decided to arm more people, and to train more people. this will only prolong the war, and this will be more heavy than it is now. >> the peshmerga are bringing with them heavy weapons such as artillery and mortars. it is this hardware that courtsides in kobane desperately need for more than a month they held their ground as well as the airstrikes. there are reinforcements from the free syrian army. ad

they now have the iraqi peshmerga, they can break that, and regain some of the territory bernard schmidt reporting here is a look at today's air strikes. u. and coalition planes air strikes also hit seven buildings and seven isil fighting positions aircraft have attacks hundreds of targets. attorneyny, we heard from the defense secretary, and the joint chief of staff, martin dempsey. now secretary hagel gave a progress report on how the forces are doing. their initial progress is encouraging, but these are first steps in what we have said will be a long and difficult multiyear effort. by the local forces on the ground, support from the u.s. as well as coalition partners. >> training them is a critical component, and the chairman did address that, he did say there is a control that has been set up, coalition members are providing trainers, but here is the key, no training has actually happened yet. that's still to come. >> so libby, secretary hagel was asked today about a memo he wrote to national security about the strategy, what do you have to say? first what did he write? two weeks ago

this coming as turkey will allow iraqi peshmerga fighters to cross into syria and fight i.s.'s no timetable on when that will be. >>> for the latest, go to the city of urfa. our correspondent is there. i'd like to start on the video we've seen of this one consignment. whether true or not, it's an embarrassme embarrassment. does it make much difference do you think? >> can i start by a quick correction. i'm not in urfa. i've just moved here on this hill about a kilometer from kobani overlooking the city. the people behind me are refugees and others from kobani who come and watch what's going on in the town behind me. going back to your question, it is an embarrassment. i suppose this is inevitable and this kind of operation for some of these drops to be landing on the wrong side if you like. don't forget, what happened was that there were three c 1-30 transport planes flying low this the early hours of sunday -- monday sorry. they dropped 27 bundles. one of them has gone a stray and landed on the wrong side. the video, islamic state has put on the internet one bundle attached

bear in mind, ash leigh, we're seeing these peshmerga leaving northern iraq now. the iraqi kurdish fighter, friendlier with turkey. so turkey is happy to let them go through their territory to go to the aid of syrian kurdish fighters not friendly with turkey at all. it's symbolic because turkey, iraqi kurds and syrian kurds are working together finally. but there's a lot of firepower going in. they're going in very openly. and isis has had quite a bit of time to prepare. so it's going to be messy when they potentially reach the crossing border in the early hours potentially dawn tomorrow morning. >> i want to take that conversation to ben who is in iraq. it would seem there's no shortage of fighting for the iraqi peshmerga to deal with the isis forces who are in that country. and yet they are on the move and they're headed to syria. are they going to be able to keep this battle alive on both fronts? >> reporter: certainly we're only talking about 160 men. so it's not a huge force. and of course the peshmerga have thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of fighters at their dis

believe that if reenforcements come from the kurds in kobani those reenforcements whether they be iraqi peshmerga or allied to the free syrian army which is why i.s.i.l. wants it. the black smoke that you can see rising behind me probably from tires both sides light fires, set tires on fire to create a smoke screen as they move around the streets. air strikes again on sunday night helped the kurdish fighters keep control of the border crossing. they're essential and they were almost too late the kurds are telling us an indication of how much they rierl on those air strikes put an indication of -- they rely on those air strikes but an indication of how much they need them. the air flights have to fly so far before they reach this field of operation, and then fly back. large gaps when the air above kobani is empty and this allows the i.s.i.l. forces to make their move. >> that's bernard smith reporting. nicholas kristof and his wife cheryl wu don are both authors. i spoke to them about the book and we'll bring you part of that conversation later this week but first we talked about issues that many

syrian kurds are hoping iraqi peshmerga fighters will arrive soon, but the kurds are barely holding on reporter: isil forces have on monday again tried to take control of the border controlling in to turkey. they have beening sending mortars in the area. we have heard gunfire all day. and that follows one of the heavy nights of fighting so far. isil forces want control of the border because they believe that if reinforcements come for the kurds in kobani, those reinforcements whether they be peshmerga, or allies for the syrian army, they will come. the black smoke you can see rising behind me, probably from fires. both sides set tires on fire to create a smoke screen as they move through the streets. air strikes again on sunday night helped the kurdish fighters keep control of the border, and they were almost too late. ancation of how much they rely on on those air strikes. the fighter jets flying over head they have to fly a long distance before they reach this ar ar area of operation. there can be large gaps when the air above kobani is empty of jets, and this allows the isil forces

believe that if reenforcements come from the kurds in kobani, those reenforcements whether they be iraqi peshmergar allies to the free syrian army, they will concentrate the force he, that's why i.s.i.l. wants it. black smoke, both sierdz set tires on fire to create -- sides set tires on fire to create a smoke screen. helped the kurdish fighters keep control of the border crossing. they're essential and they were almost too late, the kurds are telling us, an indication of how much they rely on the air strikes but an indication of how much more they need reenforcements. the fighters have to fly long distance ofl from the gulf jordan or cypress before they reach this area of separation, they have to fly back to refuel. there could be large gaps from when the air over kobani is free from air strikes. >> according to the united nations i.s.i.l.'s operations and syria's civil war have forced more than 5 million people from their homes. the refugees have gone from turkey, lebanon egypt and iran. the al qaeda linked group the nusra group led its own attack today. targets on idlib, still held by the assad

this entrance to the area is one of two that could potentially be used by the iraqi peshmerga when and if they come to kobani. you can see how close we are. just hearing the gun fire and the artillery in the distance. the other border crossing, right in the center of kobani, is where i.s.i.l. forces have been shelling with mortars. because they want to stop. they want to take control of that border crossing to prevent the passing of the peshmerga so they can control access to kobani there. that is why this border might be the one that is used instead because here the turkish military are on control on this side and just on the other side that for the time being remains in control of syrian kurdish fighters. >> bernard smith on the turkey-syria border. coming up, flags are lowered at two bases in afghanistan as the military mission of america comes to an end. >>> eight months after the deadly uprising ukraine holds parliamentary elections. tonight we will take an in depth look at our sunday segment, coming up at the bottom of the hour. >> after 13 years british and u.s. combat operation

still fighting that the kurds have that resupply and know that potentially in the days ahead iraqi kurdish peshmergaere to support them. and we're hearing from some media reports that if the kurdish, iraqi kurdish peshmerga fighters arrive, they may well bring them badly needed help weaponry to bolster the offense over kobani. >> resupplied to be soon reinforced. i think that's the important source. our nick paton walsh monitoring the situation. thanks so much. >>> other news, homegrown terror concerns on several fronts this morning. three high school girls from denver, back home now, after leaving the u.s. to join isis fighters in syria. the teens were stopped in germany before they could board a flight from turkey. from turkey they presume eibll would have gone to syria. agents are now combing through e-mails who if anyone, recruited these girls, their ages, 15, 16 and 17. they allegedly stole money from their parents to finance this trip. >>> in canada, police shot and killed a 25-year-old man who ran over two soldiers in his car. one of those soldiers is dead. authority hads say the suspect may

. >>> turkey's government giving the green light for hundreds of iraqi peshmerga fighters to cross territory syria. helping to defend kobani in the battle against isis. president obama will meet with the national security council to discuss isis strategy. >>> arrest warrants now out for the former mayor of iguala, a city in mexico and his wife. they're being called probable masterminds of last month's kidnapping of 43 students. mexico's attorney general says they gave orders to prevent students from protesting after learning they might disrupt one of the first lady's events. well-known priest and activist says the students were taken to a remote location and shot. while others were burned alive. >>> the issue surrounding ebola center stage in a new hampshire senate debate moderated by our own wolf blitzer. the republican challenger scott brown blasted the obama administration's response to ebola and reiterated calls for a travel ban. but the incumbent democrat jean shaheen says brown was fear-mongering since neither is a medical expert. she pushed for faith in the public health system. >>> t

. >> and now to the middle east, a handful of iraqi peshmerga fighters are now in syria to help fellowurds break the isis siege of that city. and hundreds more are waiting to enter from neighboring turkey. at the same time, coalition air strikes continue to pound isis positions in kobani. our nick payton walsh is watching from the border. >> reporter: just before noon today, an advanced group of peshmerga fighters crossed into kobani, we understand, from witnesses inside. they traveled over land through southern turkey. some of them flew in and met up to prepare themselves in a police complex. we have explosions in the city. an enormous. climbing up one of the telecom towers inside the city. heavy weaponry in a war zone like that. isis has had a lot of warning. rebels have been there inside about 24 hours now, but the peshmerga must take their time to make sure when they do go in, they don't hurt other people in the process. >> and there is new criticism of america's policy towards syria from the u.s. defense chief. chuck hagel wrote a private memo to the u.s. national security adviser

a handful of iraqi peshmerga fighters are in kobani, syria to break an isis siege there. >> weeks of.-led coalition air strikes failed to accomplish that goal. but more than 100 other peshmerga soldiers are preparing to enter kobani from turkey as isis continue to shell the only border crossing. >> next door in iraq, isis militants have slaughtered hundreds of fellow sunnis. >> it's happened again. jim sciutto has more on the massacre and the questions it is raising in washington. >> reporter: when they took up arms against isis earlier this month, the tribe celebrated with gunfire and a parade. they are essential to the u.s.-led war. moderate sunnis challenging the extremist sunnis of isis. much as the sunni awakening fought against al qaeda back during the iraq war. but now, just two weeks later, this. in the last 48 hours, tribal leaders tell cnn isis has massacred 400 tribesmen. 45 iraqi men executed on camera on wednesday. and today, hundreds more found in a mass grave. today, pentagon leaders acknowledge that u.s. trained iraqi forces could not be relied on to help. >> the iraq

we'll take stock of the brutal effects of chlorine gas as iraqi peshmerga fighters gather on the boardert isis. and quarantine battle. maine now saying they will pursue legal action against nurse kaci hickox if she violate hearse quarantine. are politics and not science driving these quarantine orders? let's talk, live in the cnn newsroom. >>> good morning, i'm carol costello. thank youmu

stalemate, of course, the syrian kurdish fighters that hope have the artillery, they now have the iraqi peshmergaey can break that and regain the territory that isil has taken from them. >> bernard smith, in turkey this morning. also, chuck hagel has asked today about his criticism of the strategy, more on that now from congressional correspondent, hagel's comments were in a memo to national security advisor, so fill us in on what he wrote and his reaction today? >> jonathan, it was a private memo, and this was first reported by the new york times. in this personal memo, secretary hagel voiced some concerns and criticism over syria, specifically the strategy or lack thereof of what to do over leader bashar al asaad. now, some analyst fear that hurting isil may unintentionally help asaad in the long run. secretary hagel wouldn't get into the nitty-gritty of differences of opinion, but here is what he did have to say. >> we are constantly arecessing, and reassessing, and adapting, to the realities of what is the best approach. how we can be most effective. that's a responsibility of any leader, and

you say we're expecting iraqi peshmerga troops at least we understand traveling slowly towards turkdye and on the plane. those who entered this morning about 5:00 this morning, after which crews here have heard consistent heavy gunfire within the city. those who entered are in fact syrian rebels, we understand, from speaking to one official inside the city and the man who said he's leading that syrian/turkey group. it must have been a surprise to those syrian kurds in that city when at dawn this morning the first to cross were not peshmerga but in fact syrian rebels. that may be the reason why we've heard such consistent gunfire behind me in the past hour or so. and in the hours or association those peshmerga are going to have to enter. it's going to be tricky, there are those overhead and we're heard air strikes this morning. there is an intense battlefield there. maybe they want to continue to clear the area behind the official crossing or it could be because isis are pushing back. but certainly volatile hours here near kobani, christine. >> nick, the american government recently ha

about 160 iraqi peshmerga fighters are now in turkey and making their way to the syrian city of kobani will help syrian kurds defend the city from advancing isis militants. they're expected to reach kobani in the coming hours. u.s. president barack obama is set to meet later today with health workers returning from west africa, while repeating his opposition to ebola quarantines in u.s. states. mr. obama emphasized the positive impact of merps who are helping fight the disease in liberia, guinea and sierra leone. in major league baseball, the world series is tied 3-3. the kansas city royals escaped elimination by crushing the san francisco giants 10-0 on tuesday night. and it's been a long time for the royals, 29 year sense their last championship. while the giants are looking for their third title in five seasons. game seven is wednesday nigh. well, the rocket that blew up over virginia was valued at $200 million the explosion happened in just a matter of seconds. but the investigation will take weeks, maybe months. cnn's tom forman has more. >> reporter: the destruction of the rocket

. >>> about 160 iraqi peshmerga fighters are making their way to kobani. is new video of them crossing the border from turkey. the troops will help syrian kurds defend the city from advancing isis militants. the peshmerga are expected to reach kobani soon. >>> government officials say the police chief of ferguson, missouri, will step down as soon as next week, possibly. however, both the mayor and chief deny that. ferguson's been in turmoil since august when a white police officer fatally shot an unarmed black teenager. >>> let's go back to that rocket that blew up over virginia. it was actually valued at $200 million. the explosion happened in a matter of seconds. but the investigation will take weeks, perhaps months. cnn's john foreman has more. >> the destruction of this antares rocket took less than 20 seconds. at launch, everything looked fine, but within a matter of moments, it was clear something was going wrong. the company that built this said that they saw the vehicle stop, there was some disassembly of it and then it fell to earth, blowing to pi

he didn't say if there would be further air drops, nor when iraqi peshmerga fighters might arrive. >>ll: and margaret joins me now. margaret, the u.s. said it wasn't going to participate in these air drops. something changed, what was it? >> warner: absolutely this is a big turnaround. first of all this is the first time the u.s. has directly supplied lethal aid, as they call it, to any syrian rebel fighters. but secondly, as you may recall at the beginning of this operation, the department of defence thought this battle over kobane was a diversion. they didn't even like having to do air strikes. it's not really essential to the fight against islamic state. but the more the islamic state poured resources, men, material, heavy weapons in there, the more one they presented target, and the more they presented it as an important strategic victory as far as they were concerned. and the u.s. suddenly recognized that they could not afford to let cobaby-- kobane fall, even though they are warning kobane could fall, because it would add to this sense 6 power on isis. >> they decided kobane was

. >> a first group of iraqi kurdish peshmerga fighters has entered the syrian town of kobani to push out the islamic state. >> this battle has been going on for more than 40 days. >> it is a challenging mission. >> the iraqi fighters gathered on a compound on the turkish side of the border. to start correlating with the local kurdish fighters, they have been defending for bonnie for six weeks. -- kobani for six weeks. they've managed to hold onto much of the city. that is thanks in large part to airstrikes by the united states. the american military said it has launched 10 airstrikes against targets since wednesday. also joining the local fighters are several hundred members of the free syrian army, a loose coalition of rebel groups in the syrian civil war. at a press conference istanbul -- what they really needed was more sophisticated weaponry, not ground troops. on thursday morning, state fighters try to take control of the court or between kobani and the turkish-syrian border. the route into the city remains clear for now. >> i wanted to die a martyr, the words of 20-year-old -- t

we'll take stock of the brutal effects of chlorine gas as iraqi peshmerga fighters gather on the boarder to join the fight against isis. and quarantine battle. maine now saying they will pursue legal action against nurse kaci hickox if she violate hearse quarantine. are politics and not science driving these quarantine orders? let's talk, live in the cnn newsroom. >>> good morning, i'm carol costello. thank you so much for joining me. we begin this morning with $200 million gone in a ball of fire. take a look at this. >> engines at 108%. power nominate pal. . >> that is an unmanned rocket exploding six seconds after liftoff in virginia. that rocket was supposed to go to the international space station with thousands of pounds of supplies. now an investigation is under way to figure out why this happened. cnn's tom foreman joins with us more. good morning, tom. >> reporter: there's a lot of buzz about these refurbished russian rockets driving this. one of them failed during the test back in may so whether or not that has anything to do with this explosion, the space community is looking a