mohammed jamjoom has the story.ng i'm left with no other options but go out and fight corruption. >> reporter: the medical student and activist like so many other members of his generation says he tired of feeling despair and decided to do something about it. >> reporter: we created groups to help our friends and families because they are all in need of important services that aren't being provided. the most basic ones are electricity, clean water, and jobs. >> reporter: now he meets regularly with a growing group of like minded activists discussing and debating strategy they use every tool at their disposal to plan demonstrations. social media has become as important as physical publications and spreading the word. >> all these protests are peaceful in nature. >> but it's not just violence he wants to avoid. he wants to keep politics out of the protests, too. so far it's been working. later in the day as thousands gather in tahrir square, the feeling is a jubilant one. rallies like this one, the crowd feels empower

mohammed jamjoom, al jazeera, baghdad. >> lots more to come here on al jazeera. can he pull it off? have i lahave isri lanka's presa come back. more, stay with us >> welcome back. the top stories here on al jazeera. the ceremonies to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of world war ii. the prime minister as well as the emperor and empress attended the deat event. >>> fears of toxic contamination in chinese explosion in tienjin. and turkey has undergone a strike from the pkk. >>> u.s. and cuba have celebrated the opening of the u.s. embassy in havana. our latin american editor lucia newman has more. >> it took more than half ocentury but the three former u.s. marines who 54 years ago took down the american flag to close down the u.s. embassy in havana lived to see it restored to the flag pole. a ceremony as moving as it was historic. >> for more than half a century u.s. cuban relations have been suspended in the amber of cold war politics. >> reporter: outside the gates, hundreds watched the ceremony. like catalonia. i felt so much emotion it did not fit inside me. i give thanks tha

let's go to mohammed jamjoom who joins us from baghdad. mohammed this is a big story. what is the latest you're hearing on this? >> shiulie, military officers, anybody who is military grade or above, must now be court martialed. what's not exactly clear is when those court mart yals have marte on behind could closed doors. it was also previously recommended that those who abandoned their posts should be court martialed. shiulie. >> it's been soundly criticized for how it has crit handled or not handled i.s.i.l. >> that the correct. the iraqi government is making great gains against i.s.i.l, those claims treated as propaganda. don't think they are making that much headway against the islamic state of iraq and the levant. now we should mention that this move today by the prime minister was very much expected, in fact this is part and parcel of the sweeping reform measures that prime minister abadi has been introducing and has been met with agreement. to bolster the capacity of the military, it is unacceptable for officer grade or above military l members abandon their po

as mohammed jamjoom reports from baghdad, analysts are skeptical about how well the battle is going. >> reporter: on the front lines, iraqi security forces battle i.s.i.l, one shot at a time. despite the government's promises to reoccur ramadi quickly, the battle -- to recapture ramadi quickly the battle has so far been slow. while the defens defense ministy insists things are going well and moving on to phase 2, some analysts are skeptical. >> i believe the government forces are weak and the i.s.i.l. is still strong. in the 70 days since the start of the anbar offensive. >> the defense ministry says its security forces are fighting as effectively as possible. but scenes like this in which a shoulder mounted rocket propelled launcher is held incorrectly seem to underscore questions regarding how well trained these men are. still no matter how competent they are at warfare, the intensity of this struggle would leave most fighters out. these days, iraq's government faces a convergence of crises. one on the battlefield, the other in the court of public opinion. as tens of thousands of f

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mohammed jamjoom, al jazeera, baghdad. >> in the latest fighting nine people are reportedly dead afterl night shelling between government and rebel troops. sonia gall ego has the story. >> it took just 20 minutes to reduce this street to rubble. this ukrainian military said two people were killed as russian backed rebels shelled the village. >> a man 30 years old and a woman of 22 were killed. six others were wounded. the most serious injuries were those sustained by a mother with a child. >> reporter: yet the separatists are blaming ukrainians for the shelling. there continues to be sporadic fighting, ceasefire has been more or less in place since february. as the attacks increase moscow is publicly blaming the ukrainian military against pro-russian separatists. >> we're worried about the latest developments. it was like that last august when the ukrainian soldiers received the order to attack. when that attack failed they then agreed to start the talks. this past january there was another attempt to resolve the situation by using force. that also failed and the ukrainian side agreed

mohammed jamjoom in baghdad. joining us live, what else can you tell us that i haven't mentioned so far about these attacks? >> just to the south of baquba, two car bombs, suicide car bombs. the bottoms were in densely populated areas. these are predominantly shia populated towns. it seems like there's a sectarian element to this violence tonight. one thing to note, there were shall attacks that happened killing over 100 civilians in those attacks. many people here in iraq are telling us they believe that eventually it will be declared that i.s.i.l. was behind this, that this the hallmark of an i.s.i.l. style attack. they aren't claiming responsibility but the last such attack i just described to you in july i.s.i.l. did claim responsibility for that situation. how tense the situation seems in iraq. you have so many cries eas criso many places, the anbar offensive which they launched just a couple of weeks ago. and mounting pressure, tired of not having basic services like air conditioning like leverage, theelect

mohammed jamjoom reports. >> prime minister and council of ministers would seek to cancel the positions of some of its top leadership. a decree garnering strong reaction on the streets of the capital. >> translator: this is a real test to the political blocks in parliament. if they refuse the prime minister's proposal, that means they will be the enemy of the iraqi people, singled out and held accountable. >> reporter: prime minister haidehaider al-abadi's proposal cancels the position he of three vice presidents and three prime ministers. in order to cut wasteful spending. at a time of growing national protests abadi has been and you tack, accused of not providing his citizens with the basic of services. demanding electricity, air conditioning, clean water and most importantly, an end to corruption in parliament. by sunday, just hours after abadi's announcement that sentiment had only grown stronger. >> translator: i like to present a gift to our politicians. those who don't understand the essence of policy. those who have been so corrupt over the past 13 years, just like you've been p

al jazeera mohammed jamjoom, first of all, give us a little more detail about what you know about these attacks. >> devastating attacks felicity. both attacks happened in predominantly shia towndz. blew up the in a residential town, that's where you said five killed ten injured. another attack, another parked car bomb attack. which is just north of waquba city. this is second deadly attack since one that was also quite devastating that happened in late july. that one killed around 100 civilians. now this death toll we have so far according to police and medical sources, 44 killed, 82 injured, nobody as you mentioned has taken responsibility for these attacks but the last happened as i mentioned in july that one i.s.i.l. claimed responsibility for. all of those underscoring how the security situation, how dangerous things remain here, at the time a grim social upheaval as well, protestors are having across the country. citizens are demanding, a record heat wave is going on, all of this is going to show how much is going upon. >> mohammed, the political situation and political reforms, th

mohammed jamjoom has the story. >> two killed and two wounded in deadly attacks close to the city of baquba. attacks happened on predominantly shia populationed areas. i.s.i.l. also took responsibility for a similar attack that happened close to the same area also in baqubba in which, medical personnel told us this is a devastating attack one in the town of canaan and one, a desert are rating security situation, iraqi security forces stretched very thin, trying to fight i.s.i.l, especially the anbar offensive that began just a couple of weeks back. much needed reforms to try restore basic services like electricity like clean water like air conditioning. this is a blazingly hot summer that is going on in iraq right now. many people, thousands of people have been taking to the streets several times the ba in the pas. mobilizing, marching, telling the government they must get their act together and fight corruption. it is expected on tuesday parliament will meet, they may pass the directions that were given by the prime minister here, haider al-abadi, to fight corruption but much needs

mohammed jamjoom reports. >> handbooks don't distract from the heat.se internally displaced iraqi students are doing their best to learn. >> we used to live in our own neighborhoods and it was like heaven. we used to go to clean schools and these schools would have proper room, but now we are studying here. >> while the boys here worry the world has forsake.them, they're determined not to give up on their education. according to unicef there are approximately 850,000 internally displaced school aged children here in iraq. of that number 650,000 have met at leasmissed a total of 300 cl. he's one of the students forced to miss months of school. >> translator: if we were back home i would wear a proper uniform to school. i wouldn't dress like this and we wouldn't be living now in tents. >> reporter: or studying in them either. teachers yalal says the situation is even worse than it looks at the alteccia camp. >> we have 90 students in three different classes and only three textbooks were eve30textbooks p. >> as his wife teaches english to another group of

mohammed jamjoom. baghdad. >> no matter what changes are made, there are some iraqis who say they will never trust the government again. among them are thousands of christians who were forced to leave their homes by the islamic state of iraq in the levant. they are taking refuge in jordan. it's been a year since iraq's first group of christian refugees esc aimed to jordan. they were expelled by isil when it took control of mosul. a special prayer was held in their honor northwest of the capitol. habib and their disabled daughter mayno never see iraq again. they say the price they are willing to pay to keep their faith because they no longer trust their government. >> how can we be expelled from our homes and towns where we grew up just like that and without any rights? we served our army and our homeland. >> christian leaders and diplomatic missions attended the ceremony as did an envoy of pope francis. in a letter read by archbishop nuncio galinti in. o appeals to the international community to take a

mohammed jamjoom is in baghdad, from there he sent this report. >> iraq's government shocked the country with its announcement, that the prime minister and council of ministers would seek to cancel the positions of some of its top leadership. a decree garnering strong concerns on the street of the capital. >> translator: this is a real test for the blocks of parliament. if they refuse the prime minister's decree they will be singled out and will be held accountable. >> reporter: prime minister haider al-abadi's proposal cancels the positions of three vice presidents and three deputy prime ministers just one of the proposals he's putting forward to cancel the wasteful spending. abadi, is answering the protests of his citizens. demanding electricity, air conditioning, clean water and most importantly an end to corruption in parliament. by sunday just hours after abadi's announcement that sentiment had only grown stronger. >> i like to preent gift to ouro our politicians, those who have been so corrupt over the past 13 years just like they've been playing with us like puppets these past 13

mohammed jamjoom, al jazeera, baghdad. >>> egyptian police have used tear gas to disperse thousands ofonstrators in cairo. the crowds were marking the second anniversary of the break-up of protest camps by security forces. hundreds of people were killed in august, 2013, when police raided the camps a lot two city squares where supporters of the post president mohammed morsi had gathered. >>> turk irwin army says at least three soldiers have been killed in fighting in southeastern turkey. the military says the troops were attacked by fighters from the outlawed kurdistan workers' party or pkk. the turkey launched an operation against the pkk and isil last month. migrants mostly from the middle east and africa are continuing to board rafts from turkey hoping to get to greece. some fought for a place on a dingy leaving a beach on the peninsula at night. the greek island of kos where the raft is the attempted to reach an entry way to europe. >> that's why greece is planning for more migrants. jonah hull reports. >> reporter: more than half of all my grant to the european union travel the sh

. >> mohammed jamjoom is in baghdad and sent this update. >> reporter: discussing decisions by the prime minister haider al-abadi, in baghdad we have spoken to many people who say they support the prime minister's decisions, that really the government must implement these reforms and yet there's a lot of si cynicism abt how long it should take to debate these issues. when it comes to political issues the ugly sectarian issue of secular politics has raised its head. nonetheless, parliamentarians under immense pressure to get these programs passed, air conditioning, clean water, and energy, massive protest planned once again for this upcoming friday. that despite the fact that parliament is expected to take up the issue on tuesday. we are hearing that thousands upon thousands of people will be coming out on the street across the city. >> police say was an exchange of gun fire with officers in ferguson. the violence on sunday happened at the end of a day of peaceful demonstrations. brown was unarmed when he was shot by a white police officer. now, there were fist fights reports of fraud and

mohammed jamjoom has more. >> reporter: ill really underscores how tenuous the security situation remainsot just throughout the country but also in the capitol. pint we were talking about this last hour, there has been confusion on how this attack happened this morning. we had been told that it was a suicide bomber who drove into the crowd this morning, when in fact we're now told it was a parked truck that the bomb went off in the truck as crowds were gathering at a crowded and popular vegetable market in a very densely populated area. this is according to all accounts, people we have spoken to who witnessed some of dhef station a horrific attack, and it was really does go to show how much of a fight iraqi security forces have on their hands when it comes to battling isil which seems to be targeting shia dominated areas. this is the third attack in as many days. there were two shia dominated neighborhoods, there that were targeted in which dozens were killed and wounded by car bombs. today we're hearing from government officials here, that the second phase of the anbar offensive has laun

mohammed jamjoom reports with more. >> reporter: an extraordinary day in parliament.y met and unanimously approved sweeping reforms to cut wasteful spending in this country. this comes at a time of mounting pressure on thousands for the governments to stop rampant corruption, and have basic services return. now what is interesting about all of this is even though this happened much faster than initially expected after the prime minister announced his plans to reform the government, the fact of the matter is, now is when parliament must deal with the very hard questions that come next. they will take this issue up again and figure out how to implement the reforms and how to dispiss the posts. these are serious constitutional questions. that is the time that analysts fear that arguments could break out in parliament; that it could get much more contentious, yet here in baghdad many are very supportive of the prime minister's efforts. they hope the prime minister and many more in the leadership go even further. >>> russia says draft ideas are being discussed on how to un

mohammed jamjoom reports. >> reporter: in the blink of an eye, the scene turned from mundane to murderousas a truck plaqued with explosives blew up in a crowded market. the prom dominantly shia muslim neighborhood is one of the capitol's most densely populated. as some searched for survivors, others found the dead. amid displays of the cruelty that had been committed. because the early-morning attack was apparently planned to maximize civilian casualties, many knew this would be the work ochl isil. it was the third attack in as many days. on tuesday, isil attacked two other areas where many shia muslims live. dozens were killed and dozens more injured. attempts to deepen sectarian lines at a time when increasing numbers of iraqis are demanding their government work together. fed up at the lack of basic services such as electricity and clean water, tens of thousands have been demonstrating against corruption. a call that has alarmed iraqi leaders who quickly passed sweeping reform proposals. it's unclear how the attack in the city may affect the turnout of protests, especially here in bagh

as mohammed jamjoom reports, the health system is collapsing. >> reporter: at baghdad's hospital, thisr doles out medical care and dispenses hard truths. >> living in a city with violence -- daily violence, a city with -- living in a city with low infrastructures, and trying your best to give the best to those patients is not easy. >> reporter: while this government-run facility is cleaner and better stocked that many other hospitals and clinics in iraq's capitol, it is certainly not immune to the healthcare crisis spreading. the shortage of supplies and well-trained staff is nothing new in iraq, but things are getting worse. even storing medicines at the right temperature is difficult. the medications stored inside here must stay constantly refrigerated, that's why these cooling units have to keep working. and during this record heat wave at a time when there are so many power cuts, this hospital and others are relying on backup generators. even on a relatively slow day, wait times are long. >> translator: if i needed immediate surgery, i would have to wait a month to get my turn, and

mohammed jamjoom has more. >> reporter: it really underscores how tenuous the security situation remainsot just throughout the country, but also in the capitol. one thing i would like to clarify for our viewers. there has been confusion on how exactly this attack happened this morning. we had been sold that it was a suicide bomber who drove into the crowd this morning, and now we're told it was a parked crowd, that the bomb went off in the truck as crowds were gathering at a popular and crowded vegetable market in a densely populated neighborhood, which is one of the most densely populated shia neighborhoods in the city. this according to all accounts a horrific attack. and it really does go to show just how much of a fight iraqi security forces have on their hands when it comes to battling isil. which more and more seems to be targeting shia dominated areas. just two days ago there were two shia-dominated neighborhoods that were targeted in which dozens were killed and wounded by car bombs. today we're hearing from government officials, min try of defense officials that the second phase

al jazeera's mohammed jamjoom reports. >> reporter: a rare show of unity in a chamber notorious for bittere and long delays. it took less than an hour to unanimously approve the prime minister's reform proposals aimed at fighting corruption and spending. the session was televised and once the announcement was made parliamentarians even applauded. some felt it was a big step forward. >> translator: we hope this is a good omen for the iraqi people and we hope with this step all of those corrupt people will be held accountable for their previous re -- actions. >> reporter: in the past week the number of protesters has only increased in various cities nationwide. huge rallies where demonstrators called for the return of electricity, air conditioning, and clean water. now with citizens embole enned furthermore demonstrations are being called for. >> translator: we have to start fresh and serve once and for all the iraqi people. a government that doesn't enjoy the support of its people is a zero government. >> reporter: not everyone is satisfied. some politicians say despite the extraordinary ac

mohammed jamjoom, baghdad. >>> 8,000 iraqi christians are seeking refuge in jordan.hey were 40s today leave their homes by isil. while they are being supported by churches and registered as refugees, many say they want to immigrate to europe and the u.s. a report from the town of souhe. . >> it's been a year since iraq's first group of christian refugees escaped to jordan expelled by the islamic state of iraq in the leaf ant. a special prayer was held in the latin church northwest of the capitol. has beeneed and their disabled daughter may never see iraq again. but they say that the price they are willing to pay to keep their faith because they no longer trust their government. >> how can we be expelled from our homes and towns where we grew just like that and without any rights? we served our army and our homeland. >> christian leaders and diplomatic missions attended the ceremony as did an envoy of pope francis. in a letter read by archbishop nuncio galantino, appeals to the international community to take action against the continuing persecution of christians. ir

mohammed jamjoom, al jazeera, baghdad. >>> a member of the iraqi parliament doesn't believe enough is being done to defeat isil. >>> from the beginning, we say that the air campaign is not enough to fight isil. and now, after one year, we find isil, they have more ground, more power, they get more cities in iraq and wir facing a criminalnal organization. there is no serious action from the central government or from the local people, the tribal people who are fighting isil on the ground. we fight more displaced people. we find more refugees, iraq refugees inside the country, and no one help them. we are facing' a mymanitarian crisis, no education, no future for children. the air campaign alone is not enough, and its useless. >> more on this. joining us from washington, d.c., douglas oliphant at the new america foundation. so you heard one view of the campaign and its effectiveness and lack thereof. what do you think needs to change to make it more effective? >> i can you certainly understand the frustration of the iraqi people. i think what we need to understand is that it takes a lon

mohammed jamjoom, al jazeera, baghdad. >> search for compensation after the huge city of tienjin's explosion. and why some areas of united states cannot get good nutrition. >> why organizers left this badminton champion embarrassed on the podium. >> they're slamming a technology that could be used to solve problems for people who desperately need it. >> they get exited about technology whether it's in their phone or in their car, so why is it so weird on their plate? >> something's going into food that shouldn't really be there. >> techknow investigates. >> you could not pay me to fake data. >> i've been asked to keep my voice down cause we are so close to the isil position >> who is in charge, and are they going to be held to accout? >> but know we're following the research team into the fire >> they're learning how to practice democracy... >> ...just seen tear gas being thrown... >> ...glad sombody care about us man... >> several human workers were kidnapped... >> this is what's left of the hospital >> is a crime that's under reported... >> what do you think... >> we're making history righ

mohammed jamjoom reports. >> reporter: a rare show of unity.look less than an hour for iraq's parliament to unanimously approve the reform proposals aimed at cutting corruption and spending. not only was the session televised. once the announce was made, they even applauded. tv pictures meant to showcase a spirit of optimism. which resinated with citizens in baghdad. some felt it was a big step forward. >> translator: we hope this is a good omen for the iraqi people, and we hope with this step the corrupt people will be held accountable. we hope there are even more reforms. >> reporter: in the past week the number of protesters has only increased in various cities. huge rallies where demonstrators called for a return of the most basic services, electricity, air conditioning, and clean water to name just a few. now with citizens emboldened further, even more demonstrations are being called for. >> translator: we have to start fresh and serve once and for all the iraqi people. a government that doesn't enjoy the support of its people is a zero go

mohammed jamjoom is in baghdad and has the latest?> dozens wounded in two car bomb attacks that happened late monday evening close to the city of bakuba. is ill has explained responsibility i see. one thing to note, i is isil took stabilityty for a similar attack in late julyresponsibili similar attack in late july. in which over 100 civilians were killed. police and medical officials telling us this was a devastating attack that happened one in the town of kanan and in herwavu. underscoring how tension the situation remains. a deteriorating security situation. iraqi security forces stretched very thin trying to fight isil on several fronts here, especially in the anbar offensive which began just a few weeks back. but, also, you have mounting pressure on the government to pass much needed what the civilians here are calling much needed reforms to try to restore basic services lie electricity, like clean water, like air conditioning. this is a blazingley hot summer, a record heat wave in iraq right now. thousands of people have been ta