isil did what isil was capable of doing then, because according to mr. carter today they are not as capable of doing that right now. they went away, regrouped and then took the dam at mosul. if you are just joining us, let's have a recap of what mr. carter has been saying. >> we have systemically eliminating isil's cabinet. indeed the u.s. military killed several key isil terrorists this week, including we believe, hoji imon, who was serving as a finance minister s who is responsible for external and internal plots. he was in al-qaeda in iraq. the removal of this isil leader will hamper the organization's ability to conduct operations both inside and outside of iraq and syria. this is the second senior isil leader we have successfully targeted this month. after confirming the death of isil's so-called minister of war a short time ago. >> live now to washington and my colleague allen fisher following that news conference for him. they are calling him the second in command. how significant was he? >> reporter: i think we have to be clear here. ash carter s

david, secretary has talked a lot about physically isolating isil. other words, isolating raqqa, isolating mosul, keeping the lines of communication between they severed, dividing iraq and syria up, making life difficult for the -- for isil. i think conceptually that's exactly the same thing we're trying to do in the cyber war. trying to both physically and virtually isolate isil, limit their ability to conduct command and control and the ability to communicate and to conduct operations locally and tactically, but i'll be one of the first ones arguing that's all we should talk about. most importantly, we don't want the enemy to know when, where and how we're conducting cyber operations. we don't want them to have information to allow them to adapt over time wimp want them to be surprised when we conduct cyber operations and they'll experience some friction associated with us and some friction just associated if with the normal course of events in dealing in the information age, and frankly we don't want them to know the difference. so, i think it's t

military killed several key isil terrorists this week, including, we believe, the isil senior leadererving as a finance minister, and who is also responsible for some external affairs and plots. he was a well-known terrorist within isil's ranks, dating back to its earliest it ration as al-qaeda in iraq. the removal of this isil leader will hamper the organization's ability to conduct operations both inside and outside of iraq and syria. this is the second senior isil leader we have successfully targeted this month. after confirming the death of isil's so-called minister of war a short time ago. a few months ago, when i said we were going to go after isil's financial infrastructure, we started with the storage sites where it holds its cash, and now we have taken out the leader who oversees all of the funding for isil's operations. hurting their ability to pay fighters and hire recruits. as i have said our campaign plan is first and foremost to collapse isil's parent tumor in iraq and syria, focusing on its power centers in raqqa and mosul. in syria, motivated local forces that we supp

in the counter isil campaign and particularly in syria, to interrupt, disrupt isil's command and control, to cause them to lose confidence in their networks, to overload their networks so that they can't function and do all of these things that will interrupt their ability to command and control forces there, control the population and the economy. so this is something that's new in this war, not something you would have seen back in the gulf war. but it's an important new capability. and it is an important use of our cyber command and the reason the cyber xhcommand was established. >> mr. secretary said we would have an increase in quality and quanti quantity. the operation of mosul bigger than ramadi. the training of the forces has started. we're working with them. i think back to the theme of lessons learned like afghanistan, we look at are a in ramadi. there's a couple things we want to do. we want to position ourselves to most effectively support combined arms for the iraqis as they conduct operations. in the second piece is we want to make sure that we have flow of logistic support

isil in a town. isil still has large forces in the town. the conflict and syrian army had to launch a large scale operation like mounted in palmyra right now, they would have to reallocate forces undermining these front lines. we have seen russian are your veils equipment that allowed the syrian army to interfere and tap into isil communications. i think this is the first battle with such a large amount of bodies, 380 bodies, which is a very high number for isil to lose in one battle. >>> eight suspected numbers of al-qaeda were killed in yemen saturday night. two missiles hit fighters gathering in a courtyard. al-qaeda and the arabian peninsula has taken advantage of a war pitting the houthis against forces loyal total exiled president. australia has a tough policy to deter refugees arriving by boat but some of them are making a valuable contribution to the country. we have a report now from mobile park near melbourne. >> every summer, parts of australia go up in flames. in hot windy conditions, wil

military killed several key isil terrorists this week, including we believe hodgegy iman who was an isilleader serving as a finance minister, and who also is responsible for some external affairs and plots. he was a well-known terrorist within isil's ranks, dating back to its earliest it ration as al-qaeda in iraq. when he worked undar czar roy question in his operations. the removal of this leader will hamper the organization's ability to conduct operations inside and outside of iraq and syria. this is the second senior isil leader we have successfully targeted this month. after confirming the death of isil's so-called minister of war a short time ago. >> live to alan fisher in washington, d.c. what more can you tell us about this isil-leading figure who has died? >> reporter: well, we know he was part of al-qaeda in iraq and was jailed by the iraqis, but freed back in 2012 and at that point he decided to switch his allegiance to isil. the iraqis claimed they killed him in an air strike in may last year, but the americans at the time said they had no information to guarantee that. so we

to tackle isil fighters.more talk, speculation about whether there might be more american forces on the ground in iraq. >> it was interesting the way that was phrased as well. there has been tensions between the house and the pentagon, and how many troops are sent, where they are sent. this was the pentagon showing their hand, saying we would like to see more troops on the ground in iraq as the iraqi army gears to retake mosul. we're told that that operation may happen sometime in the next few weeks and the next couple of months, so by suggesting that this was a recommendation, they were putting to the president and also addressing that issue as they were announcing that they have completed what they see as a significant victory against isil. they are putting pressure on the president to about, essentially saying we can continue these advan advances, but we need the white house to sign off on these extra people. they are saying it is still up to the president to make that decision, but it's clear where the pe

like isil. care for the refugees and refugee camps close to their home land for example, turkey, lebanon children so they can stay close to the homeland. you see what i'm telling you. it's a complex story and wedecie who really need asylum because the top but clear for them. >> rose: to pay a political price. >> let's a lot of skepticism in germany whether this will work. at the beginning people were on one hand overwhelmingly helpful concerning the refugees. but on the other hand worried how many of them are going to come. now step boy -- step by step as the population are seeing we are trying to fill these domestic problems with immigration, trying to work on the external border of europe, working with turkey to reduce the flow of migrants and fighting isil with others in the coalition against terror, that there is a difficult but a path that is worth to go. because it's -- >> rose: also led to the rise of parties in europe. are they on the increase including germany. >> to a certain extent, y

it fell to isil in may. the armed group is not part of the cessation of hostilities, palmyra is apparent not only because of its history, but because of its location. the city is on the highway linking the capital with isil healed deir az zor near the boarder. the capture means the government can stop isil fighters moving to and from iraq. joining us live from near the turkish syrian boarder. let's clarify what happened. some groups are saying that there's fighting in the east of palmyra. how certain is it that the entire city has fallen? >> it's not certain 100%. i would say it's more than 90%. the group that you mentioned is the syrian observatory for human rights for human rights, and they are one of the most credible groups that are monitoring the fight inside syria. they are staying in the east of the city. you can hear explosions and fighting. and i was watching video from the state media, a number of state media. two chinas, or one china, and they were showing the reporter inside an area near the city

isil says that it was to blame. bernard smith has that story. >> the end of a friday football game and it's time to present the trophies. [ explosion ] from among the crowd a suicide-bomber. the explosion killed dozens of people and injured more than a hundred. it happened 50 kilometers south of baghdad. isil has claimed responsibility for the attack identifying a 17-year-old local as the bomber. the iraqi government officials believe it could be isil's losses on the battlefield that may be provoking an increase in attacks like these. less than 24 hours after the bombing the u.n. secretary general arrived in baghdad, ban ki-moon said that isil is exploiting sectarian divisions. again, he called on iraq's government to encourage reconciliation between sunni and shia communities. in northern iraq the army said that it started clearing villages surrounding the isil-held city of mosul. it's a offensive to retake the city sometimes this year. mosul is already cut off on three sides by kurdish peshmerga forces. the u.s. d

, he says the actions of isil fully are warranted by the actions of isil, pardon me, the actions undertaken by the coalition are fully warranted by the actions of isil. he was talking about genocide, ethnic cleansing. he was saying there is a lock of access, which means they can't get a complete record. that lock of access idea did you have tailing with what diplomatic editor james bays is telling us. these are people getting into different areas from a humanitarian perspective in northern syria, particularly. he went on to say how isil has killed tens of thousands have yazidi's, there were rescue efforts, many have saved, isil has killed christians, and raped women in front of their own families. he made the point that isil sees yazidis as devil worshipers, people who believe in the shia muslim faith as disbelievers and people are told to abandon your faith or you will be killed. he said the reality of genocide means that the international community must work together. we must destroy isil by military force, but there are other ways to pursue that end game. he went on to talk about how the

isil will not allow convoys in.hort time ago, we were hearing from the humanitarian advisor to stephane demistura, the special envoy, and explained more about trying to air drop aid to the area. he then explained that they had to do these high altitude air drops because of the danger the aircraft faced and then i think he raised a very interesting prospect, and very worrying prospect. he said he had been advised that they couldn't go any lower than the height that they were trying to operate these air drops from because of the threat of surface to air missiles in the hands of isil. this is the first time any u.n. official has ever talked about this possibility. he said i'm not a military man. i'm not telling you that isil have surface to air missiles, i'm being told we need to prepare for that threat. so certainly a worrying development if it is true coming from the humanitarian advisor. he did reveal there has been a further delivery of aid to four towns that have been besieged by the opposition, but he said there

directed her isil inspired. destroying isil starts with going after isil a broad and is her second pillar recognizes we cannot do it alone. the united states has built a broad coalition and 66 international powers. we are sharing vital intelligence training equipping and empowering partners on the ground in syria and iraq and together with our partners we are working to the political process to diminish the terrible violence in syria the current cessation of hostilities an opportunity to move that process forward even as we continue to isolate and hammer eiselt and we are hammering isil on the ground through direct action. in iraq and syria coalition forces have conducted almost 11,000 precision airstrikes. today these terrorists have lost about 40% of the territory that they once controlled in iraq and 20% in syria. our operations are keeping isil guessing from zero capture a feeling the full weight of the mightiest military on earth. we estimate that our coalition is taking out one to two key isil leaders ever

marines on the ground to help coalition forces fight isil.ne saloomey has more now on this from watch watch. d.c. >> reporter: we know that the united states is sending a detachment from the 26th marine expeditionary unit. this goes a joint ground-air combat unit. and they will be supporting the operation inherent resolve and the international coalition's ground operations in iraq. now, we don't know how many marines this detachment will consist of, a full unit would be 2200. and it's quite possible these troops are simply replacing others on the ground. but the fact that they are an air-ground combat unit certainly raises some questions. we know that the forces, the coalition forces have been talking about helping iraq to retake mosul from isil forces. this would be an iraq-led venture. the united states and the coalition's involvement so far there has primarily been in air support, air campaign against isil. we also know that the united states lost its second service member in iraq on friday. so is this announcement somehow in response to t

on isil and to the north to try to cut that route for isil toward raqqa north of palmyra. pal meyer radio itself connects the rest of the syria. it's location is very, very important. >> a very strategic location. omar, thank you for that, reporting for us. >>> let's give you a bit of background on how the forces actually got there. isil's destruction of ancient architecture last year made headlines around the world, but it's world heritage status is not the only reason it's important. the syrian government kept a prison where prisoners having toureddured. isil blew up the prison in a symbolic move last may. the recapture drinks forces closer to raqqa. it's an important gain for the government. we have more. >> a significant advance against isil in syria. according to state media government forces backed by russian air power. they have recaptured the ancient area of isil after days of intense fighting. while there has been no independent confirmation, the bulk of isil forces had retreated. >> following a series of large scale operations, our units operating on the countrys

. >>> we are systematically eliminated isil's cabinet. >> u.s. special forces take out isil's second in command in syria. >>> and a new law in north carolina that critics call the most an by lbgt legislation in the country. ♪ >>> this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm richelle carey. major raids in belgium today and numerous arrests by police. prosecutors say three people were detained in connection to the arrests of a french man in paris, suspected of platting a new attack. the family of two siblings from new york city, confirmed they died in the bombings. the dutch nationals were on the phone with a relative at the airport when the phone went dead. john kerry has been showing solidarity today. >> we will not be intimidated. we will not be deterred. and we will come back with greater resolve, with greater strength, and we will not rest until we have eliminated your beliefs and cowardous from the face of this earth. >> paul brennan is live in brussels this morning. paul what is the latest on the raids? >> reporter: yes, even as j

isil has claimed responsibility for the attack. iraqi government officials believe that it could be isil's losses on the battlefield that may be provoking an increase in attacks like these. less than 24 hours after the bombing, the u.s. secretary general arrived in baghdad. ban ki-moon said that isil is exploiting sectarian divisions. again he called on iraq's government to encourage reconciliation between sunni and shia communities. in northern iraq it started clearing the city in mosul in preparation for an offensive to retake the city sometime this year. mosul is already cut off on three sides by kurdish peshmerga forces. the u.s. defense department said that it's looking to increase the number of american troops in iraq to support the country's ground fight against isil. bernard smith, al jazeera. >> belgium prosecutors have charged three suspects arrested in connection with the attacks in brussels. thousands of people have continued to lay tribute in the heart of belgium's capital. but one belgium minister has called for the s

isil-inspired. our first directive is going after isil. we cannot do it alone. the u.s. has built a broad: of 56 international partners. we -- broad coalition of 56 international partners. working through a political process to diminish the terrible violence in syria, -- current cessation of us of hostilities is an opportunity to move that forward, even as we continue to isolate and hammer isil. and we are hammering isil on the ground through direct action. in iraq and syria, coalition forces have conducted almost 11,000 precision airstrikes. today, these terrorists have lost about 40% of the territory that they once controlled in iraq and 20% in syria. our operations are keeping isil guessing, for fear of capture or feeling the full weight of the mightiest military on earth. we estimate that our coalition is taking out one to two key including -- leaders, their second in command, the finance chief, and mohamed m was a, also known as jihadi john who really has murdered americans and others. isil can

this earlier killing of the reputed number 2 of isil is just the latest of senior-level isil leadershat have been killed. earlier the pentagon confirmed that they killed a man who was considered to be equivalent to the secretary of war. they also captured a man believed to be the head of their chemical weapons and they were getting intelligence from them. and today at this news conference, secretary of defense ash carter simply indicated that the success they are having, whittling down isil's leadership confirms that the momentum is shifting. >> these leaders are senior. they are experienced, and so eliminating them is an important objective, and achieves an important result, but they will be replaced and will continue to go after their leadership and other aspects of their capability. so i would say it's necessary, not sufficient, but important. >> reporter: secretary carter said this man was particularly key because he had been around a long time. in fact he was a former lieutenant of -- of the al-qaeda leader, back when al-qaeda in iraq was a big force there, and was seen as quite

in eastern homs, isil seized five checkpoints near an oil field while isil took a town near aleppo. >>> greece has begun sending refugees back to turkey. even as the operation begins to remove some people, more are arriving. >> this was supposed to have stopped, bullet boats keep coming in. europe's refugee crisis is far from over. the latest arrivals are refugees from syria. many of them are from the war-torn city of aleppo. they are still making the jane russ journey across the aegean sea to reach the greek islands. the european union hoped that a recent agreement with turkey would discourage asylum seekers, but people who managed to reach europe shores are still hopeful they won't be turned back. >> we are asking for asylum on human grounds. not only is there war in our country, but the situation in turkey is bad for us. >> these people want to make their way to mainland europe in search of a better life. others want to be reunited to family members who made the journey before them. >> the situation is very bad in aleppo. we endured four years of war, bombardment, attacks. i don't

it was taken back from isil fighters in december. iraqi officials said that an armed grown spearheaded it. >>> germany's criminal police said that they have files containing personal information about isil fighters and they believe them to be authentic. they give names, telephone numbers, and even those who recruited them. dominic cane has this update from berlin. >> reporter: the developments regarding these documents that apparently refer to one of theas pir ant members of the isil, since then e. we have had confirmation from the interior ministry, and they're working on the assumption that they are genuine and they refer to individuals acquired by the islamic state. they give personal identification dates, and their reasons for joining the organization. clearly, the officials in the intelligence services and police services in germany are very keen to make whatever use they can of this information, because it's understood that news sources say that individuals from 50 countries are imp kateed from the documents. and clearly f. the

destroying isil starts with going after isil abroad.and as our second pillar recognizes, we cannot do it alone. the united states built a broad coalition of 66 international partners, we're sharing vital intelligence, training, equipping and empowering partners on partners in syria ad iraq and together with our partners we're working through a political process to diminish the terrible violence in syria. the current cessation of hostilities is an opportunity to move that process forward even as we continue to isolate and hammer isil. and we are hammering isil on the ground through direct action or third pillar. in iraq and syria, coalition forces have conducted almost 11,000 precision air strikes. today, these terrorists have lost about 40% of the territory that they once controlled in iraq and 20% in syria. our operations are keeping isil guessing for fear of capture or feeling the full weight of the mightiest military on earth. we estimate that our coalition is taking out key, one to two key isil leaders every day and that includes is

raqqa is an isil strong hold.u have a road between palmyra and raqqa and that is key for isil, and that's why the government wants to cut that road off. and to the east, you have deir ez-zor, most of that province is under isil control. so again, there is a road from palmyra to deir ez-zor, so that is a supply route for isil, and that's why i think the government wants to cut that off. not only the government, but i think their allies the russians. because remember, russia when it entered this war -- or started this military campaign, it declared its target was to target terrorism in syria. this is what they say, of course. >> and we are nominally in a cessation of hostilities period. paint us a picture of what is going on in syria under this umbrella of cessation of hostilities. >> reporter: well, the cessation of hostilities has surprising to everyone, contrary to their expectations has largely held. there are serious violations, but when you compare them to the level of violence prior to this cessation of hosti

there is an isil, mostly an isil stronghold. >> palmiera is more than 200 kilometers to damascus.t used to be home to 50,000 syrians before isil took control in may of last year. it is a victory for assad due to cultural and strategic value. here are more details. >> reporter: a significant advance against isil in syria. according to state media, government forces backed by russian air power have recaptured the ancient city from isil after days of intention fighting. while there has been no independent confirmation, the syrian observatory for human rights said that by sunday morning, the bulk of is isil's forces had retreated. >> following a series of large-scale practices, our units operating on the eastern country side of homms fulfilled their mission successfully in the from the city of palmiera. they gained control over the surrounding mountains and ridgized and destroyed bunkers and military gear. >> isil took over palmiera, also a unesco world heritage site last may and began destroying ancients sites and staging mass executions. known as the bride of the desert, it used to

we're going to root out and defeat isil. this year we removed one of their top leaders from the battlefield permanently. >> now to iraq where there have been two major attacks. one occurred at a baseball stadium where 30 people were killed, and another happened at the air base where 10 suicide-bombers stormed that base in anbar province. eight attackers were reportedly killed, and the other two blew themselves up. an assad air force base is located in anbar province 120 kilometers from ramadi. hundreds of u.s. military advisers and trainers use the base to support iraqi troops. however, the u.s. military said that there were no attacks near or in its side of the base. iraqi forces launched an offensive last week to retake anbar province up to 70% is controlled by isil. so as we said earlier, the attack comes after a blast at a football stadium and that happened in a town south of baghdad. at least 30 people were killed when a bomber blew himself up. isil said it was behind that attack. bernard smith reports. >> the end of a

ban ki-moon said that isil is exploiting sectarian divisions. again he called on iraq's government to encourage reconciliation between sunni and shia communities. in northern iraq the army said it started clearing villages surrounding the city of mosul. in preparation for the offensive to retake the city sometimes this year. mosul is already cut off on three sides by kurdish peshmerga forces. the u.s. defense department said that it's looking to increase the number of american troops in iraq to support the country's ground fight against isil. >> bernard smith, al jazeera. >> syrian state media said government forces have taken control of three areas inside the ancient city of palmyra. it is reported that the citadel area on the city's outskirts have been taken by isil fighters. state media shows areas formerly held by isil which still claim to old areas of palmyra. we have this update from th border. >> activists have told al jazeera that they have control of the ancient city of palmyra, but it is only one kilometer away from the city center. so

the city of me sell fell to isil forces in june of 2014. >>> well isil also losing ground in palmyra. tv says the army is now inside the ancient city and is shelling parts of isil-held drens -- residential areas. its recapturing would be a significant victory for the forces of president bashar al-assad. mohammed jamjoom with the latest. >> reporter: these pictures are said to show a significant advance. syrian government forces fighting to recapture the historic city of palmyra from isil. state media also showed planes and helicopters flying over head, as soldiers approached on the ground. the syrian observatory for human rights says many civilians fled palmyra after isil said the fighting was drawing near. this video it says shows its fighters driving around parts of the city as syrian government troops advance. some analysts believe the syrian government advance will be a morale booster. >> given all of the bad news coming out of europe, this focuses attention on isis has a military organization and as a state, and it is a failed state at this time. even in terms of the diplomatic c

isil is mostly in control this and alleges to the north toward raqqa, another stronghold for isil. they are keen to cut those supply roots for isil. >> thank you for that update. >>> let's give you a little bit more background on how we actually got here. isil's destruction of palmyra's ancient architecture made headlines around the world last year but it's world heritage status is not the only reason it is important. there was a prison in palmyra where political prisoners were toureddured. isil blew up the prison last may. it is an important gain for the government. we have more. >>> a significant advance against isil in syria. according to state media, government pores backed by russian air power have recaptured the ancient city of palmyra from isil after days of intense fighting. while there has been no independent confirmation, the syrian observatory for human rights said that by sunday morning, the bulk of isil forces in the city had retreated. >> following a series of large scale operations, our units operating on the eastern countryside of homs, backed by the syrian and russ

that operation into that city against isil continues. nothing really to report on operations against the moderate opposition. generally speaking, and of course there are exceptions, but have not been significant offensive against the opposition. >> we can look at the raw facts of what is going on on the ground, but what is the analysis from your end of it, from the intelligence? in taking a look at what the russians appear to be doing or not doing. is there any analysis on what the russians are up to here? >> we are working diligently to come up with that. it is difficult to tell. it's been been less than 48 our so far. the russians have said they plan a withdrawal of the ground forces. and other forces, there has been a relatively minor withdrawal of air combat power, there is been an equally minor withdrawal of ground forces or of troops that are not aircraft, but none of it , we have not seen a significant reduction in our combat power the air combat power slightly reduced but that is it, it's difficult to know what the russians we we

of isil.harlie: the image is gone. minister von der leyen: it is gone. charlie: as the caliphate has diminished, the invinsibility has gone. minister von der leyen: exactly. this was the thing to prove with the peshmerga, that you can fight back isil. charlie: so recruiting is much more difficult for isis. minister von der leyen: exactly, because this invincibility at the beginning was attractive. charlie: who else will participate? germany will provide arms and supplies, united states will have special forces on the ground and air. the american military. are saudis involved? minister von der leyen: there are many countries in the coalition against terror. charlie: but they are all involved in retaking mosul. minister von der leyen: most, but the coalition against terror -- there are more than 60 countries being involved of all different tasks that are necessary. for example, the emirates are involved with germany in the task of reconstruction of cities like ramadi that have been taken back fr

has talked about isil having surface to air missiles.ow that they have great difficulty trying to do that air drop which they tried once in deir ez-zor which is a large community surrounded by isil. you can't get convoys in, because you would have to go through isil-controlled territory. but the idea that that is because isil have surface to air missiles is something new if it is correct. we pressed him on it at that news briefing, and he said i'm not a military man, but i have been warned of the possibility of a plane being brought down. i have since spoken to one western defense official who tells me they don't believe that isil has what most armies have what they call surface to air missiles. but they have ground missiles, and there is the possibility that you could take down a plane that was overhead, and that i think, from the information i'm getting is why those humanitarian flights are being told to fly so high, and why it is therefore so difficult to drop aid. it's not just that aid to deir ez-zor that is causing the problems. th

from my word you hear the lack of unity of those who were isil gave strength to eiffel -- isil.ow that we have the talks at a point about to have a cease-fire between those different groups. andexpect java under truck anoutra and isil to fight together. there is a huge access to this population, suffering to bring humanitarian aid. charlie: has that begun? minister von der leyen: it has begun. charlie: is it successful in getting in? minister von der leyen: it is. there was a glimpse of hope that we will turn to a better time with assembling forces to fight isil and finding a solution on how we could see the future of sharia. that is a transformation time passed assad. charlie: is nato playing a role? minister von der leyen: not at the moment. charlie: not at the moment? minister von der leyen: it is not involved. charlie: would you like to see a involved? minister von der leyen: many members are already nato members. i think it is never too good to speculate on these things before is anythingre there concrete. i don't want to speculate -- charlie: has russia played a positive r

and we have reports that isil still is in a number of areas. but we also know that the government forces are clearing a number of areas. the city of palmyra is quite big because it seconds to the strongholds to the north and to the east there is an mostly isil stronghold. >> the former yemeni president ali abdullah saleh has called for an end to the conflict in the country. he blamed the saudi-led coalition for the suffering of yemeni civilians. >> on this day in 2015 the assault on the yemeni people started killing innocent civilians, targeting our women and children, destroying civilian households, and closing down schools, universities, and factories. >> the survival rates of afghan soldiers have dropped sharply since u.s. forces scaled back their operation 18 months ago. last year the number of casualties rose 30%. now it's a fear that the taliban could hit the government forces even harder. we report now from northeastern afghanistan. >> when the americans were here this sprawling base in k unhar province was called camp bright. now it's j

how damaging is it for isil? >> i don't think it is damaging for isil as an entity as such.f the questions that it does seek to answer is how many individuals have signed up to be suicide bombers, or actual regular fighters versus risk takers. so if it is assumed to be authentic, it will be very, very relevant to understand what the nature of the types of threats that could arise from that. >> after the paris attacks and other attacks abroad, the assumption is isil wants to carry out those high-profile attacks in western countries. does this information that you have seen corroborate that? >> i don't think this information as such does corroborate that. but in the region, broadly speaking, isil has resorted to an increased number of suicide attacks. as opposed to convention war. and i think a lot of analysts are saying this is going to be the case further out. and it lists a number of individuals -- i think over 100 individuals who have signed up for suicide attacks. and there may be details of individuals who returned back to germany, back to britain, then i think there's s

-coalition fight against isil? >> reporter: probably not a whole lot, because the u.s.lready says it is doing everything it can, short of sending in its own troops. excuse me. secretary of defense carter and the joint chiefs chairman are up on the hill today testifying about the counter isil effort and what the u.s. is trying to do to accelerate it. but both the secretary and chairman have admitted that it is going to be sometime before isil's de facto capitol in raqqa can be lib -- liberated. so it increases the moral imperative. kerry also called for some further investigations, but in terms of the military action on the ground, it doesn't change a lot. >> okay. jamie mcintyre for us at the pentagon. jamie thank you. >>> newly released emails show hillary clinton was denied a government issued smartphone during her time as secretary of state. the emails date back to 2009. she canned for a secured blackberry device. at one point clinton and staffers met with the nsa, but was still denied a phone. after that she started using a primate email servers. >>> absentee ballot

of isil himself.aqi detention. so it is important that these are people who have experience. they're people who have shown dedication over the years. and that's why it's so important we eliminate them. >> does it give you pause about releasing prisoners from gitmo? >> as far as gitmo is concerned, that's the very reason why we need an alternative detention facility. to gitmo, because it's not safe to release everybody or transfer to the custody of another country everybody in gitmo. so that's the very point of that. >> general dunford, we have just heard this week there are actually

it had previously been held by isil. in eastern homs, isil seized five checkpoints near an oil field. the armed group has also taken an industrial town in northern aleppo. there's an operation on going against isil on the outskirts of central iraq. military sources say 24 iraqi soldiers have been killed by isil in two separate attacks there. a group of suicide bombers has killed eight iraqi soldiers. iraq's army has launched an operation to retake towns in the western anbar province. >> hundreds of people have been skilled in yemen's third largest city take his during fighting between shias and houthi rebels. hospitals are struggling to cope with the rising numbers of casualties. >> a shell hit near a group of people in taiz. fighting for control of yemen's third largest city has destroyed many areas and killed hundreds of people. the city is divided. the government controls districts in the south and east. houthi rebels and former president al saleh control the west and north. hospitals overwhelmed with the rising numbe

the area is an isil stronghold. the target of syrian government and russian attacks, activists say there were at least nine separate strikes in the area. isil isn't past the shaky limited truce, which took effect three weeks ago. >>> syrian government forces say they've retaken control of the mountain near the town in homs. it had previously been held by isil in eastern homs. isil seized five checkpoints near an oil field while the armed grouped has also taken an industrial down in northern aleppo. >>> greece has begun the process of sending refugees back to turkey. it's part of a deal struck between the european union and turkey, but even as the operation begins to remove some people, more refugees are arriving. from lesbos, al jazeera's zeina hodor reports. >> this was supposed to have stopped, but the boats keep coming in. europe's refugee crisis is far from over. the latest arrivals are refugees from syria, many of them from the war-torn city of aleppo. they are still making the dangerous journey across the aege

the city was taken back from isil in december. officials say a government-backed armed group spearheaded the fight. >>> the u.n.'s most senior human rights if i recall has accused europe of violating the fundamental principals of solidarity, human dignity, and human rights in what he called the race to repel refugees. he warned plans to return migrants to turkey may be illegal. >> among my concerns is the potential for collective and arbitrary expulses, which are illegal. border restrictions, which do not permit determination of the circumstances of each individual, violate international and european law. >> despite the balkans route being closed for refugees, more attempt the dangerous crossing from turkey to greece. at least five people, including a baby drowned when their boat capsized. the ever-increasing number making the crossing has lead to 13,000 being stuck at the border from where hoda abdel hamid sent this update. >> reporter: yesterday we were calling it appalling, today there is no word to describe it. it might look l

she can talk in great detail about isil and combating isil and what she would do as president of the united states. bernie sanders, less so. and john kasich probably has more experience as sitting member of congress, but the others not so much. they've got to speak out the best they can. >> colin, how worried are you that if there are more attacks like this, that american muslims will suffer? >> really worried. i'm a scholar who researches these areas and know them well. i'm a muslim american and come from the most concentrated area in the country. the expansion of policing. i'm very afraid because i can see on the ground how these communities are being impacted, the rhetoric from politician from trump is emboldening private violence from bigots on the ground. and the expansion of frightening islamphobeic programming like cruz has in mind. or again there is always fear of interment camps. that looms heavy in the minds of muslim americans. >> good to see both of you, thank you very much. >> thank you. >> the latest on the primary and caucuses in utah, arizona, and idaho. plus, more on

this is the news agency if you will for isil. if that's the case, i think it will play in what the turkish government is saying that it is indeed subjected to a terror campaign, quote unquote. because they say that isil as well as the pkk are united in their effort against turkey. this statement came after saturday's bombing in istanbul. and they will say that turkey is not supporting other foreign fighters going into syria or lesing them slip into syria and back, turkey is a victim of that group as well. >> all right. thanks very much omar. >>> isil has claimed responsibility for the attacks in brussels. since the paris attacks in november, belgium has been on high alert. 130 people were killed in november when gunmen attacked sites across the capitol. it was believed those attacks were planned in brussels. since then there have been a number of raids and arresting people believed to be involved. but last week they were able to capture the key suspect, salah abdeslam. belgian has the highest number of foreign fighters in syria p

supporting jordan for groups like isil existed long before the syrian conflict. the leader of al-qaeda and iraq was from jordan. the armed group attacked hotels in the kingdom in 2005. jordan has closed all by two of its border crossings with syria and it's only crossing with iraq. there are now almost 20,000 refugees amassed at its eastern border with syria. the government said it needs to make sure that isil fighters aren't among them. jordan until now has been relatively stable. but it's a small countries with volatile neighbors and pockets of support for isil. hundreds of young jordanians have gone to syria to fight for its armed group and afail yets. the risk of violence spreading here is one of jordan's biggest fears. al jazeera, amman. >> the syrian kurdish ypg said that more than 40 of its fighters have been killed while defending a town from an isil take over. isil fighters launched a three-day offensive on saturday, but the ypg said that it managed to keep control of the area. 23 civilians are said to have been killed in the battle. >>> macedonia has br

to the north is raqqa, and that's an isil strong hold.the east another province in syria which is mostly controlled by isil and its neighbors iraq, so the road between them is very key to isil. >>> john kerry says he wants to see further reduction in violence and more humanitarian assistance flowing into syria. he is pressing sergei lavrov during a meeting in moscow. he is also expected to discuss the future of president assad during talks later with president putin. hoda abdel hamid is following the story there. how much can he press the russians when it comes to this political transition in syria? >> reporter: well, we still don't have any details about what happened during that meeting. if not for the words of the spokeswoman of the foreign ministry, and she just said it was a very long meeting that lasted about four hours. she said they went through details about a transitional goc government. details about a new constitution, but she did say in the end all of the details will emerge, once the two men, john kerry, and sergei lavrov wi

-led isil coalition.or more here is neve barker. >> reporter: the immediate shock after the attack. a haze of confusion and chaos. and a realisation of what just happened. once again the routine of journeys shattered.every day and an dash so escape the danger inside. >> i'm so scared. i feel like it's the end of the world. i hear an explosion, know the facility is going down. i go under the sink. the second explosion went and everything is dark. across the city, another attack in the maelbeck metro station, men, women and children escaped the carriage, as quickly as they could. the injured treated on the pavement, the army keeping guard. the shock felt everywhere. an urnt shut-done of the public transport system was ordered in brussels. further attack and immediate concern. a rescue organization appealing for people to stay where they were. the belgium prosecutor confirmed this is the image of three suspects, authorities say they are behind the deadly blast. >> the shock waves of this apparently coordinat

isil is losing ground in palmyra where syrian forces are coming into parts of the isil held areas. its recapture would be a significant victory for president assad's forces. palmyra is along a desert highway between damascus and the isil stronghold. government control of palmyra would help cut off an isil supply route. >> these pictures brought cast on syrian state television are said to show a significant advance. syrian government forces fighting to recapture the historic city of palmyra from isil. state media showed planes and helicopters flying overhead as soldiers approached on the ground. the syrian observatory for human rights said may be civilians fled after isil told them that the fighting was drawing near. isil is resisting claims its losing control of palmyra. moving quickly to release this video that it says shows its fighters driving around parts of the city as syrian government troops advance. some analysts belief the syrian government advance will be a morale booster. >> given all the bad news coming out of europe and the focus on isis as a terror organization, this

of isil himself. an iraqi detention. so it is important that these are people who have experience. they're people who have shown dedication over the years. and that's why it's so important we eliminate them. >> does it give you pause about releasing prisoners from gitmo? >> as far as gitmo is concerned, that's the very reason why we need an alternative detention facility. to gitmo, because it's not safe to release everybody or transfer to the custody of another country everybody in gitmo. so that's the very point of that. >> general dunford, we have just heard this week there are actually 5,000 u.s. troops on the ground in iraq. why is the pentagon and senior military leadership reluctant to say that it's more than 3800? >> we're not reluctant, jennifer. what we track is the number that are in our force management level, that's 3,800. this is nothing that's inconsistent with what's been going on for the last 15 years in terms of people in and out on temporary duty, people in direct support of the emba

isil has a very different vision. and thee brutality level of violence they will bring to every way of life that will break the will of the americans and others. warlie: are we winning the against isil? adm. rogers: this is a tough question. are we making gains in the ground? yes. are we comfortable that where we are is where we need to be? no. have we stopped their ability to generate attacks and threats on a global basis? no. charlie: just yesterday, they announced the capture of a --ncipal isil operative into in charge of chemical and gas warfare. >> we continue to have a measure of success but when you get to this idea of winning and losing, i am leery of -- i don't think that is the way to think about charlie: can you define winning? adm. rogers: we often ask what does victory look like? that helps you decide, what is the strategy. what is the end state you are trying to achieve. charlie: so what is the strategy and what is the end state? adm. rogers: the goal is to attempt to dismantle or attempt to destroy isil

syrian's forces say they have taken control of the ancient city from is isil.hipping away at clinton's lead, u.s. presidential hopeful bernie sanders sellsbrates a tripceleb victory. >> but we haver we begin with developing news out of pakistan where there are reports that 50 people have been killed in a bomb blast in the city of lahore. a suicide bomber attacked an area of christian families celebrating the easter holiday. al jazeera's kamil hyder is joining us from the capitol, islamabad. what's the latest we know about this attack? >> reporter: well, first of all, as you mentioned, the park situated in a residential area of lahore is a very popular area with children, families, and being a sunday today, also coinciding with easter, the park was jam-packed. according to the security forces, the bomber was able to come to drive himself up to the gate where he detonated his explosives. many families were waiting outside, buying tickets, and some were entering into the premises. they were the ones who were worst hit and, of course, for a while, because the area