northern part of syria. this isil video is said to show life in the city of palmyra. the group controls huge areas stretching from mosul to anbar in iraq villages in aleppo in northern syria. the former u.s. general in charge of coordinating global efforts to defeat isil knowing that taking on isil or daesh as it is known in the arab world isn't easy. >> daesh is not an iraqi problem. it is not a syrian problem. daesh is a regional problem that is trending towards global implications. >> reporter: the international alliance was formed after isil fighters swept through the city of mosul last year. any coalition launched air strikes against isil in iraq and syria, but it's ultimate goal is to help iraqi security forces stop isil prevent foreign fighters from crossing into syria and iraq undermine isil's propaganda machine. in iraq isil took advantage of the growing frustration of sunni muslims with the shia-lead government to recruit more fighters. >> we have to ask ourselves people will not supported but they accepted isil because they were suffering during years and years from a very sectarian government of al-maliki. >> for the time b

in northern iraq it is ethnic. arabs on wmp one one side, kurds on the other, 1,000 kilometer border. he says iraq no longer exists and it should be formally subdivided into sunni shia and kurdish states. speaking to him we hear evidence of the mistrust. >> translator: they are between the majority of them, they are i.s.i.s. fighter member. they are i.s.i.s. fighter. they -- we have to say the reality, they i.s.i.s not came from sky. >> iraq has been at war with itself for years. one that threatsens this country's unity. zeina khodr, al jazeera northern are iraq. >> zena bangura visited iraq in april, she said girls are being sold for as little as a pack of cigarette. >>> to other news now a report on countries that harm children e-children has proven controversial. israel was removed from the report despite killing over 500 children in last year annals gaza conflict. james bays reports. >> the outcome is be overwhelming. recorded on video. in total the u.n. said 540 children were killed. yet u.n. gefnl ban ki-moon

as for iraq it is marred in divisions and dana reports from northern iraq. >> reporter: she grieves forusband and oldest son, it has been a year since they were killed by the islamic state of iraq and the levante in mosul but time has done little to ease her pain. she is among the millions of iraqis who have been displaced over the years. she says she is tired. she like others here have been displaced from mosul and many feel the government is not serious about recapturing their city from i.s.i.l. >> translator: there is a conspiracy against mosul and a conspiracy against the sunnis, the baghdad government is not helping us get back our city they won't give us arms to fight. >> reporter: iraq sunnis say they are unfairly treated, looked upon as supporters of i.s.i.l. not just by the shia government but even here by many kurds in the north. >> this is a check point in the capitol irbill in northern iraq and sunni arabs need a guarantor and face restrictions with the capitol baghdad and authorities here and the iraq capital are justified for security reasons but the people feel they are s

zeina khodr went to meet some sunni trials in northern iraq and found men on who didn't want to be left of the fight with isil. >> reporter: these men once helped the iraqi government and u.s. troops fight al qaeda in iraq. sunni tribal fighters part of the so-called awakening councils. but last year when the islamic state of iraq and the levant arrived in their city they didn't have the arms to fight back. they were forced to leave. and are now displaced and jobless. they blame the government for not formally integrating them in to the security forces. and providing them with the arms needed to prevent isil's take over. >> there were sleeper cells waiting for the right time to emerge. so when isil came from syria between five to 6,000 men joined the group. [ inaudible ] many of the people were once locked up in jails and opposed the government. >> reporter: while some did join isil, he was among those who chose to leave instead. he hides his identities because his daughters are still there. he is a map who couldn't accept isil's brutality but also against the government which he says i

there are many front lines in iraq and the divide is not only sectarian and northern iraq it's ethnic on one side and kurds on the other and peshmerga forces share 1,000 kilometer front line with islamic state of iraq and levante and he was once a speaker of the kurdish parliament and he says iraq no longer exists and it should formally be divided into sunni, shia and kurdish states. he believes this new border should become permanent, speaking to him we hear evidence of the miss trust. >> translator: my duty to them they are i.s.i.s. fighter member and not came from the sky. >> reporter: iraq has been at war with itself for many years. now there is a de defacto partition on the ground and one separates communities and one separates the community, al jazeera, northern iraq. >>> now iraq does need u.s. help in fighting i.s.i.l. in iraq and as we mentioned earlier the prime minister abd rabbuh mansur hadi met with the president barack obama on the sidelines of g 7 summit. what he achieved is unclear but video has emerged after what can only be described as an awkward moment and a body i

in northern iraq it's ethnic. arabs one side kurds the other. kurdish peshmerga forces share a 1,000km front line. the former speaker of the kurdish parliament says iraq no longer exists and should be divided into sunni, shia and kurdish states and believes the border should be permanent. speaking to him we hear evidence of mistrust. >> the majority are i.s.i.s. fighters. i.s.i.s. not came from the sky. >> iraq has been at war with itself for many years. now there's a de facto partition on the ground one separating communities, and one that threatens this country's unity. >> the u.n. envoy on sexual violence said teenage girls abducted by boko haram are sold in slavery markets. it's been alleged the girls are sold for as little as a pack of secrets. we spoke to women and girls would escaped from captivity. to other news and a new report that proved controversial. israel was removed from the report even after killing over 5,000 children in gaza last year. >> the evidence is overwhelming. the aftermath of destruction and deaths of children in suler

we have more from northern iraq. >> beyond the bridge is isil territory. some 2 million people are breeze to still live there cut off from the rest of the country. >> the people who want to leave but they have to pay isil huge amounts of money that they don't have. they have 20 provide guarantee to prove they plan to come back. they live in a prison. >> these people are born and raised in mosul. they fled to the north when isil took over. journalists have contacts inside who secretly film. they explain how isil uses every opportunity to brain watch the people of mosul. they even breach in malls. according to these journalists isil hides its weapons in civilian neighborhoods so people will turn against the u.s.-led coalition when they target the area. but else has some sport. support. some in the community have long felt argentina targeted by the government and by militias. many prefer isil over the kurds who they believe want their land. >> they have managed to hold the lines with the airstrikes but for now they don't plan to move towards the sunni. their

mosul, the biggest urban center in northern iraq. some 2 million people are pleased believed to still live there. >> there are people who want to leave, but they have to pay isil a huge amount of money that they don't have. they have to provide guarantees like their house to prove that they plan to come back. they live in a prison. >> these people are born and raised in mosul. they fled to the kurdish controlled north last year when isil took over. al jazeera does not have access to the city, but these journalists have contacts inside who secretly film. they explain how isil use every opportunity to brainwash the people of mosul. they even breach in mosques. according to these journalists isil hides its weapons in civilian neighborhoods so people will turn against the u.s. air coalition when it targets the area. but isil does have some support. it is able to exploit sunni grievances. many in the community have long felt targeted by the government and iranian backed militias. >> the majority may not support isil but we cannot deny tha

mosul the biggest urban center in northern iraq.o many people are believed to zillion live there, cut off from the rest of the country. the people who want to leave but they have to pay isil a huge amount of money which they don't have, they have to provide guarantee like their house to prove their plan to combat they live in a prison. >> these people are born and raised in mosul, they fled to therd cannish controlled north last year, when isil took over. al jazeera doesn't have access to the city, but these journalists have contacts inside who secretly film. they explain how isil uses every opportunity to brainwash the people, they even preach in malls. according to these journalists isil hinds it's weapons in civilian neighborhoods so that people will turn against the coalition when it targets the area. but isil does have some support. it is able to exploit sunni grievances many have long felt targeted by the militias. and majority may not support but we can't deny there are those that do. they exploit the long history of oppressi

there are many front lines in iraq the divide is not only second tear vinnie, in northern iraq it's ethnicab on his one side. kurds on the other. kurdish peshmerga forces share a 1,000-kilometer frontline with the ice lamb i can state of iraq and the levant of he was once the speaker of the kurdistan parliament. he says iraq no longer exists. and it should formally be divided in to sunni shia, and kurdish states. he believes this new border should become permanent speaking for him we hear evidence of the mistrust. [ inaudible ] fighter member. they are isis fighter. we have. [ inaudible ] isis not came from the sky. >> reporter: iraq has been at war with itself for many years now there is a defecator partition on the ground. one that separates communities and one that threatens this country's unity. well really this is a long-running problem. the deep mistrust and the danger is when communities start to see each other as the enemy so reconciliation is needed. in fact, isil, it's main source of strength, one of its main sources of strength is exploiting the lack of reconciliation in this co

in northern iraq the kurds are largely hostile to the islamic state and mostly able to beat back theirin anbar where you have sunni tribes that are often choosing that's not a very good choice they will choose sometimes the islamic state. we would like for them to support the iraqi government because the iraqi government with our assistance can provide security to them. >>> if the iraqi military doesn't show a will to fight as ash carter recently suggested, should the u.s. simply pack up its bags and leave? >> no, unfortunately we can't. if we were to do that the islamic state would continue its ramp answer might even conger baghdad and raise the flag -- and that would produce them more to u89ly attack america right here at home. we have to win this fight again the islamic state. that's the president's stated goal to he's simply not providing the resources need to do achieve that goal. >> you went to harvard law school you graduated, a lot of lucrative career opportunities ahead of you, but you decided to join the united states army. you have deploy to do iraq in a combat role. i guess

this happened in northern iraq. most of the dead are reported to be civilians. that's the information that we're getting. we will of course give you more as we get it. >> meanwhile in syria, 20 people are reported killed and several others injured in barrel bomb attacks by government forces outside aleppo. the bombings on the town destroyed many buildings. a number of people also killed in shelling by the syrian regime. >> the yarmouk refugee camp has reportedly been hit by six-barrel bombs leaving many injured. the camp is home to many palestinian refugees and has faced frequent attacks by syrian government forces and isil fighters. >> airstrikes are again targeting yemen's capitol sanna. bombers from the coalition led by saws rain reportedly targeted a military factory and troops loyal to the deposed president ali abdullah saleh. civilians are reported to be escaping. in southern yemen attempts by houthi rebels to seize suburbs of aden has been repelled by forces loyal to president adou rabbo mansour hadi. several neighborhoods north of the city have been atta

in northern iraq it is ethnic. airbus on one side, kurds tond other. urdish peshmerga share a 1,000 mile border. he says iraq no longer exists and should be formally subdivided into sunni shia and kurdish states. he believes the border should become permanent speaking to him we see evidence of the mistrust. >> they are from the atakook region. they are i.s.i.s. fighters, we have to say the reality. they are i.s.i.s. not came from sky. >> reporter: iraq has been at war with itself for many years. now there is a defacto partition on the ground, one that threatens this country's unity. zeina khodr, al jazeera northern iraq. >> and in the u.s. a grand jury has now indicted a former south carolina police officer on a murder charge for shooting dead an unarmed man as he ran away. michael slater was charged facing a sentence ranging from 30 years to life in prison if convicted. >>> mexico's rulings party is close to retaining a slim margin, be winning over 40% of the vote, after corruption gang violence and economic reforms. let's go live to dpoorm what is ada

mosul, the biggest urban center in northern iraq. some 2 million people are believed to still live there cut off from the rest of the country. be. >> translator: the people who want to leave but they have to pay i.s.i.l. a huge amount of money which they don't have. they have to provide guarantee like their house to prove their plan to come back. they live in a prison. >> reporter: these people are born and raised in mosul they fled to the kurdish controlled north last year when i.s.i.l. took over. al jazeera doesn't have access to the city but have contact with the journalists who film. they even preach in malls. according to these journalists i.s.i.l. hides its women's in civilian neighborhoods so that people will turn against the u.s. led coalition when it targets the area but i.s.i.l. does have some support. it is able to exploit sunni grievances. many in the community have long felt targeted 50 shia led government and the iranian led publishes. >> i.s.i.l. has an ideology and exploit the long suppression against the sunnis. the

zeina khodr be northern iraq. >> mike lyons is al jazeera security contributor. sounds like boots on the ground. >> it's not. they're there to train give the iraqis the confidence in their equipment. whether they're recruits remains to be seen but they're going to try to train the sunni tribes men right there. >> let me push back. jamie said maybe most of them are going to provide security. >> these are the american green berberets. that's the elite of the elite. >>> align them economically do something because until these two groups decide especially in anbar to fight together, ramadi remains in the hands of i.s.i.s. >> it strikes me that ever since the united states got involved in iraq in the first gulf war that we have been talking about this. how do sunni and shia get together? and the united states still hasn't found a way. >> no. you know maybe it's economics. tie their interest together outside of religion into something. we tried to export democracy there, you saw rumsfeld say that was a failed mission to begin with. we tried to import democracy maybe it

in northern iraq, it is ethnic. arabs on one side, kurds on the other. kurdish forces share a 1,000-kilometer front line with the islamic state of iraq and the levant. this man was once the speaker of the kurdish parliament. he said iraq no longer exists and should formally be divided into as soon as possible, shia and kurdish states. he believes this new border should become permanent. speaking to him we hear evidence of the mistrust. >> they are between them. majority of them are isis fighters. iraq has been at war with itself for many years. now there is a de facto partition on the ground that separates communities and one that threat thats this countries unity. al jazeera northern iraq. >> director of the center joins us. it's been a year since isil took over mosul. it continued its spread and strength. why does the u.s. and obama adding still not have a strategy to deal with it. >> because the u.s. is really entering this war against isis hair hardly and they know very well that the only way to eradicate isis properly is to engage in a strategy that

mosul, the biggest urban center in northern iraq. some 2 million people are believed to still live there cut off from the rest of the country. >> the people who want to leave but have to pay isil huge amounts of money that they don't have. they have to provide guarantee like the house to prove they try to come back. they live in a prison. >> these people were born and raised in mosuled. they fled last year when isil took over. journalists are not able to go into the city but these journalists have contacts inside the city who film. they say that they use every opportunity to brainwash in mosul, they even breach in preach in malls. isil hides weapons in residential areas so that people will be angry when u.s.-led forces bomb the areas. >> the majority may not support isil but we cannot deny those who do. isil has an ideology and exploit the oppression against sunnies. many prefer isil over the kurds when they believe want their land. >>> they managed to hold the lines with the airstrikes. but for now they have no plan to move towards

he lives in the most popular city in northern iraq with the christian community founded in the first ing the iraq war he saw muslims attack christians. his brothers fled to america but he refused to be forced out. in fact, he bought a home in mosul for 300,000 dollars early last year. bad timing. just 10 days later, isis took over. he and his wife were given a choice. >> either we become muslims or pay the tax money they want or they kill us. >> when he saw the mayor getting out of town he knew his time there was up. >> i he told my wife takepack the bags and leave. >> not a moment too soon. >> i was told that isis took my house. my house became a military headquarters for isis. i have photos to prove it. here it says isis property with the letter n. >> the n stands for nazarene. they took over the property of christians across mosul and bombed their churches. >> we left all of our belongings but we took with us our christianity. >> mukhtar does not expect to return to mosul but hopes to some day join his brothers who presently reside near detroit, michigan. two other refugees in mosu

. >> kim vanel reports from camp in northern iraq. >> the main street of kalagosksk refugee camp is lined with life. young gamers play night next door older does the say. several basher shops mean there's close competition for the shave. all signs of developing micro-economy but not all who call this camp home are convinced things are looking up. heaven is 30 years old and has four children. her tent is a playground, dining room and a family meeting place. >> you see this child she became very sick but when i took her to the hospital they just gave us something to clean it with and then sent us home. that's because they don't have enough medicine. >> there is just the one health center for 10,000, mostly kurdish people who live here. these tents have been homes since this camp was set up in august of 2013. but there used to be many many more. the camp used to stretch pretty much as far as you can see here. the u.n. and the kurdistan regional government started moving people on, building them more permanent accommodation in other part of the compound flp we met mohamed their home has a kit

s takeover of eastern syria and northern iraq in 2013 consumed much of american efforts. in nigeria boko haram continued its attacks on the government and civilians kid notwithstanding 300 school girls from chibok, the girls are still missing. the report notes the much more difficult problem of so-called lone wolves. people inspired by these groups who then attack civilians. the shootings in ottawa and quebec and the hostage crisis at a coffee shob in sydney are two of the more prominent is incidents. that doesn't tell the whole story. but that has some critics asking whether the u.s. is aggravating the situation by being in these place he in the first place. one analyst says it's really a balancing act. >> we are articulating this idea that americans need to be engaged but understand that we don't hold the key to the solution, that it's others who hold the keys to the solution and help empower them to help sort out this problem. that hasn't been so fully understood. >> they also say it's going to take a lot of time to knew centralize these threats and they admit some thr

the fighters of the self proclaimed islamic state scooped up wide swaths of northern iraq, claiming territories far beyond, tens of thousands of nearly helpless yazidi people left starving and stranded in their home land, mount sinjar. you may recall the u.s. decision to step in with air support. but cushz kurdish fighters from correspondent carson stormer. >> my name is carson stormer i'm a german freelance journalist and i've been covering the war in iraq and syria since the rise of i.s.i.l. left a trail of death in the wake, massacring thousands of the yazidi, leaving others in the mountains to die. credited with breaking the siege and saving the yazidi. but recently i spent a week with another group of fighters who deserve just as much credit for halting and preventing the further slaughter. they are the fighters from the pkk. the kurdish workers party considered a terrorist organization by the united states and most european countries. they may be sinjar's best hope for defeating i.s.i.l. jacko is the commander of the pkk forces in sinjar. >> i.s.i.l. is on the offensive. we have built up

bbc news, northern iraq. y: i spoke a short time ago with doug oliver, the director for iraq policy at the national security council during the george w. bush an obama administration. he is now with the new american administration. you hear people say we have the right strategy in iraq. at what point do you revisit the strategy because the execution is so difficult? oliver: you have to make sure the exit fusion -- sure the execution is working. we are finding now that the first shipment of weapons from this new equipment fun -- this equipment fund is showing up now. it is slow and takes time. i do not think the strategy is fully in place. if you look at the military side, we are trying to train, equip, share intelligence, and provide airpower. a lot of people think these could all be done better. there are serious problems with the equipment. the iraqi army did not have the antitank guns that they need. we have senior airman saying that this is not the way you do an air campaign. we can do this on a lot grande

in iraq and the levant has killed 11 iraqi troops and their shia militia allies in al hajaj in northern iraq. >> the funeral has been held in jordan for iraq's former minister tariq aziz. jordan agreed to take the body for burial at the ask of aziz's family. he died from a heart attack in prison. he was a top aid of saddam hussein. >>> there would be discussion about the outbreak of the middle east respiratory syndrome or mers. >> at this market in seoul, they brought out the big guns in the fight against mers. the government has repeatedly calls for calm, but as fear of contamination spreads few are listening. shop keepers say that many are simply staying away. >> sales have dropped by 40% to 50%. not many people are walking around and kids are hiding at home these days. >> the number of people have gone down significantly. i hope the mers situation is solved soon so business can improve again. >> on friday the south korean president visited parts of the mers operation. >> the outbreak has been large around is complex. more cases should be anticipated. and because of this the government sho

contributing factor into why we see some of the successes we've seen along the -- in the kurdish areas of northern iraqisil regions in northern syria. i think you've heard the way the terrain is oriented, particularly in peshmerga areas in northern iraq there is a well-defined forward line of troops which simplifies the targeting process. down in central iraq, the battle space is much more complex much more mixed. disaggregated forces et cetera which complicated our targeting efforts. >> sir that concludes our time here today. we really appreciate you taking the time to explain current operations in your area. with that, we'll sign off from here. thanks. keep your head down over there. >> thank you, steve. thank you everybody. >> okay, press corps, good afternoon. thanks. >>> police in charleston, south carolina, say the shooter is charged with nine counts of murder and a weapons charge. a bond hearing for dylann roof is scheduled for this afternoon. south carolina congressman james cliburn said if we stay silent they win. this picture shows parts of the speech representative clybrn gave at the charles

fighters killed 11 iraqi soldiers and shia militia allies in northern iraq. four suicide bombers drove vehicles through checkpoints at the military headquarters. the world kurdish fighters seized the town from i.s.i.l. and surrounded i.s.i.l.-held town on the boarder, and it is important to i.s.i.l. as it's the only route to link turkey. the israeli army will investigate reports, after a group of soldiers bashed a palestinian man. a soldiers finished a rifle before more soldiers joined the scuffle. it happened on friday where dozens of palestinians took part. a delegation has met with the cuban vice president to discuss the process of diplomatic ties. last september they agreed to normalize relations. the u.s. removed cuba from a terror black lift and announced plans to reopen the embassy in havana. it is expected to be finalised next month. many places are anticipating a flood of travellers including the bay of pigs. a symbol of a failed bid to overthrow fidel castro. nick clark reports. >> reporter: there are beaches like this across the caribbean, here on

we have this report from northern iraq >>> these men once helped the iraqi government and u.s. troops fight al qaeda in iraq. sunni troops part of the awakening councils. last year when the islamic state of iraq and levant arrived in their city they didn't have the arms to fight back. they were forced to leave. and are now displaced and jobless, and blame the government for not formally integrating them into the security forces and providing them with arms needed to prevent the takeover. >> they were people waiting for the right time to emerge. when i.s.i.l. came from syria, between 5,000 to 6,000 men joined the group. many people were once locked up in gaol, opposing the government. >> reporter: some joined i.s.i.l. this man was among those that chose to leave. he hides his identity because his daughter are still there. he is a man that couldn't accept i.s.i.l.'s brutality, but is different to the government who he says are no different from the new rulers. >> reporter: in the beginning people are happy to be liberated from the iraqi authorities. today there is no government. i

. >> at least 70 people have been killed in an airstrike in northern iraq. the attack targeted what is believed to be isil region. >> airstrikes took place in against an isil stronghold allegedly in the town of hawija. 70 people are said to have been injure: it is an area where isil has been pushing to take that town. the kurdish peshmerga has been able to repel them. we don't know who took part in these airstrikes whether it was coalition or iraqi air force but we do know that if this was an isil target that's confirmed. it will be a blow against isil. they've been using hawija as a communications base. >> meanwhile in syria 20 people have reportedly been killed, and several others injured in barrel bomb attacks by government forces outside of aleppo. the bombings on the town also destroyed many buildings. fierce shelling in the area added to the destruction of the town. well coalition airstrikes have once again been targeting yemen's capital of sanaa. aircraft led by the coalition of saudi arabia are said to have struck a factory. while in yemen houthi hav

march isil used the bulldozer to destroy a 3,000-year-old syrian city near the city of mosul in northern iraq. isil also smashing artifacts in the city's museum. its is not just destroying monuments. precious antic antiquities are being sold. >> this is especially true in the east. and in palmyra where isil stole many artifacts. >> isil fighters are the only ones targeting ancient sites. the syrian museum was hit by barrel bombs and walls once covered in mosaic panels are now in rubble. so many of the historical treasures are long gone. it's not clear what the international community can do to protect whatever remains. >> coming up on al jazeera america the greek prime minister meets international creditors in brussels. the pressure on both sides may leave alexis tsipras without a lifeline. >>> good but not good enough. the economy has rebounded since 2008 but many small businesses are staying cautious. >> greece's prime minister is meeting in brussels working out a deal days before athens owes a huge payment to the imf. >> i think frankly if you look on the face of it, it looks like greece's

also coming up reports from around the world including in northern iraq, we meet the sunnis ready to fight isil but say they need weapons now. >>> taking action, pope francis sets up a panel to hear cases against bishops accused of covering up child abuse. >>> pollution getting in to the named of a genius, albert

this sector is controlled by the patriotic union of kurdistan one of two kurdish parties in northern iraq. the volunteers are not welcomed on iraqi front lines. the iraqi government does not want foreign boots on the ground. this does not concern these men. they say what they do are not concerned with politics. >> they say that isil is a danger to the world not just iraq. >> they have ruled out combat forces to defeat the group. the americans who are on the ground don't represent their government, but they say their preference is a message that troops are needed if this war is to be won. al jazeera southern kirkuk. >> a funeral has been held in jordan for iraq's former foreign minister tariq aziz. jordan agreed to take the body for burial following a request from aziz's family, many of whom live there. he was a top aid of saddam hussein and spent time in prison after hand and himself over to force in 2003. >> the "world health organization" said they're holding an emergency meeting on tuesday to discuss the middle east respiratory outbreak or mers. >> at this market in seoul they brought

in northern iraq we meet the sunnis ready to fight isil but say they need weapons now.eing action, pope fran since sets up a panel to hear cases against bishops accused of covering up child abuse. >>> plus, getting in to the mind of a

in march isil used a bulldozer to destroy a 3,000 year old assyrian city in northern iraq after alsoing artifacts in the museum. they are not just destroying monuments, precious antiques are also being sold. >> translator: isil is just like the syrian regime it is destroying history and syria's civilizations, this is especially true in the east and in palmyra, that isil stole many artifacts. >> reporter: isil fighters aren't the only ones targeting ancient sites in syria. its best known mosaic city was hit by barrel bombs earlier this month. the museum is in an ottoman compound also housing an historic mosque which was also hit. so many treasures in syria and iraq are long gone. it is not clear what the international community can do to protect what remains. >> army forces loyal to yemen's exiled president have seized a border crossing into this saudi arabia, but fighting is intensifying around aden and doll la. >> reporter: this marketplace is getting busy yemenese are able to leave their homes. the town was under siege of houthi fighters and their allies, now fighters who were defe

one of the two kurdish parties in northern iraq. the american volunteers are not welcome on other front lines much the iraqi government doesn't want foreign groups on the ground. this doesn't concern the men. for these volunteers, they say it's not a job, a duty. they say the islamic state of iraq and levant is a danger to the world, not just iraq. the u.s. has been bombing i.s.i.l. from the skies, and has ruled out deploying combat forces as part of a strategy to defeat the group. the americans who are on the ground don't represent the government, but say their presence is a message that troops are needed if the war is to be won. ja you can get the latest details on the website on all the stories, updated on a minute by minute basis. aljazeera.com. >> this week on "talk to al jazeera": international piano superstar lang lang. >> the art, you know, it's about, you know... the distance and in and out, big picture, precision. >> billions of people around the world have seen him perform. at the beijing olympics... the world cup in rio.

. >> mosul is the biggest urban center in northern iraq. some 2 million people are believed to live there cut off from the rest of the of the country. >> people want to believe but have to pay isil a large amount of mine which they don't have. they live in a prison. >> these people are journalists from mosul from the kurdish controlled north, they are the voices of those who aren't allowed to speak. they hide their identity, so do their contacts inside the city, because filming could get them killed. they explain how isil uses every opportunity to brainwash the people which mosul. they even preach in malls. according to journalists isil hides weapons in civilian neighborhoods so that people will turn against the u.s. led coalition when it targets the area. isil then tries to win them over by providing compensation. isil's message is always the same people should fight what they call the shia regime in iraq and the crusader war against muslims. >> the majority may not support isil but there are those who do. they have an ideology and exploit

declare some cities as protected cities and try and push isis out of those couple of cities in the northern iraq and possibly in eastern syria. there should be much more concentrated effort on trying to contain the influence of isis. so that it duds not spill over in to neighboring countries such as jordan and that would require major intervention in terms of development opportunities, the so-called liberated areas in syria, some of the areas lick rated in iraq require desperate effort in terms of municipal support, governance, development opportunities and job creation and so on. all should be mechanisms -- talk. >> you can to materialize in the short-term at least when the focus just cements to be on a military quote unquote solution at this point. and even al badi before the meeting in paris is asking the international community to help iraq purchase weapons to fight isil. can it the be you want fat way he wants to militarily and is it a good idea to flood the country with more weapons? >> reporter: focus military action is very attractive. but we have tried it for a year and it has not worke

. >> they came to northern iraq to escape the fighting between iraqi security forces and islamic state of iraq and the levant. life under i.s.i.l. has left a deep psychological scar. >> translator: life was meaningless, senseless because of them. all basic services stopped. we had no water no electricity. i.s.i.l. oppressed us. wouldn't let us even smile. they even stopped our transportation so we couldn't even have it e-visit our visit our friends and family. >> fear of security forces that now rule tikrit is why they won't go back. >> translator: we wish we could go back to tikrit but there's nothing there. we're so afraid of the security. there's no local government. it just doesn't exist at all. who will are protect protect us? >> eight weeks ago shia militia captured, from i.s.i.l, in the aftermath the prime minister ordered the militia to the outskirts. even so, many from tikrit are afraid to go home. >> they are too afraid. what happened in the previous period they say own just individual acts and that will not happen and many of us right now watch all the people monday monopoli

. >> army major scott smiley was a platoon leader in northern iraq in the spring of 2005 when a roadsideounded and totally blind. >> why me. >> he was angry and depressed. >> how was i going to take care of my wife the woman that i love if i couldn't even take care of myself. >> scott's wife tiffany says the choice was clear. >> i could let my mind go that way. and say we're ruined and we're to the going to be able to do anything. or i could go the other way and be his biggest cheerleader. and i just took that on even if i didn't believe it myself. >> reporter: they would soon both believe. >> after extensive rehab smiley became the first blind active duty officer in the army. he earned an mba from duke is now the father of three children and he began to take on challenges climbing mount rainier and even surfing. >> you ready? >> yeah. >> but all that is nothing compared to the ultimate sport of endurance the ironman triathlon. >> for me it may not be a purpose other than i'm able to do something in which i and many others didn't think i could. >> reporter: he began just after dawn this

s takeover of eastern syria and northern iraq in 2013 be coousmed much of the world's attention. in nigeria nigeria, boko haram be kidnapped some 300 school girls from the town of chibok. the girls are still missing. the much more difficult problem of so-called lone wolves. >> be retaliation by afghanistan and iraq. >> who then attack civilians. the shootings in ottawa and quebec and the hostage crisis at a coffee shop in sydney are two of the more prominent incidents in the past year. the government says the numbers don't tell the entire story but that has some asking whether this is aggravating the situation by being in these countries in the first place. one analyst says it's really a balancing act. >> i think we're articulating this idea, understand that we don't hold the key to the solution. that others hold the key to the solution and we need to be engaged to help empower them in order to sort out this problem. that has not always been so fully understood. >> reporter: u.s. officials say that is a good model for confronting enemy groups, but they also say it is going to tak

iraq war streets. these are the men and their children who are the people who own northern and western iraq. isis is just al qaeda in iraq evolved. once in 2011, syria fell, that gave them a complete playground, gave them all of the lines of communications weapons, they could take and use it as a sanction wary to start carving out -- sanctuary to start carving out -- you cannot carve out an province and others withoutbar co-opting the communities that are in their who turned against them in 2007 during the iraq awakening campaign. it is just in 2011 they turned back to the people who are going to give them the autonomy they weren't getting with the all maliki government. yes, it is a young organization. i have thought disorganization. it has tried to kill me. i take it very personally. i see how they operate and i understand their blitz tactics are very effective against the iraqi army that really doesn't want to be where they are. but as they take these communities like mosul, the community of mosul are those who have always been there and have ruled iraq and there are allowing them to come

this sector is controlled by the kurdistan one of the two kurdish parties in northern iraq. the american volunteers are not welcome on other front lines. the iraqi government does not want foreign boots on the ground. this does not concern these men. they say their decision to come here has nothing to do with politics or money. for theme volunteers it is not a job. it is a duty. they say isil islamic state in iraq and the levant is a danger to the world not just iraq. >> the americans who are on the ground don't represent their government but they say their presence is a message that troops are needed if this war is to be won. >> a funeral has been held in jordan for iraq's former foreign minister tariq aziz. jordan agreed to bury aziz at the confident his family. he was a top aid for saddam hussein. the ceremony followed reports on thursday that his remains had been snatched at baghdad airport. >>> an egyptian court has sentenced 23 men to 14 years in jail without role for the deaths of shia muslims in 2014. the four shia muslims included a cleric. she had been angered by a

. >> reporter: scott smiley was a platoon leader in northern iraq in the spring of 2005 when a roadside bomb left him wound and totally blind. >> why me? how was i -- wounded, and totally blind. >> why me? >> scott's wife, tiffany says the white house was clear. >> i could say we are ruined -- the choice was clear. >> i could say we are ruined or i could be his biggest cheerleader. >> reporter: they would soon both believe. after extensive rehab, smiley became the first blind active duty officer in the army. he earned an mba from duke, is now the father of three children and began to take on challenges. climbing mount rainier, and even surfing. but all that is nothing, compared to the ultimate sport of endurance, the iron man triathlon. >> for me it may not be a purpose, other than i'm able to do something in which i and many others didn't think i could. >> reporter: he began, just after dawn this morning. a grueling 2.5-mile swim, smiley's brother-in-law acting as his guide. then a bike ride. more than 100 miles in 100- degree heat, followed by a full marathon. 26 miles. >> it doesn't

they destroyed a 3,000-year-old syrian city in northern iraq.nd also smashing artifacts in the museum. they're not just destroying monuments precious antiquities are also being sold. >> they're destroying syria and selling artifacts. >> isil fighters are the only one targeting ancient sites in syria. it's best known museum was hit by barrel bombs dropped by government helicopters earlier this month. the structure was seriously damaged. the walls once covered in panels are now republic. so many of the archeological treasures in syria and iraq are long gone. it is not clear what the international community can do to protect whatever remains. al jazeera. >> move to go colombia now where army officers were indicated to be involved in the killing of civilians to be brought back for justice. >> thethe current head of the armed forces pictured here and general jaime the army's top commander. >> false positive killings amount to one of the worst episodes of mass atrocity in the western hemisphere in recent year. there is mounting evidence that many seni

al jazeera, northern iraq. >> well, linda robinson is an international policy analyst at think tank rande has recently returned from a trip from iraq. she joins us from virginia. as i'm sure you're aware it has trained iraqi forces for years and support the sunni tribes in so-called awakening council. what is new that the u.s. has not tried before? >> they were not able to achieve what they wanted to, which is to turn back isil. they will increase the coordination among the forces fighting isil, and also as your report mentioned get more sunnies in the fight because there have not been that many sunnies on to date. you mentioned the sons of iraq program back in 2007-'08. there were sunnies armed and fighting at that time against al-qaeda in iraq. i don't know that you'll get numbers like that, but this latest move is really aimed at those two things. >> and since those days, of course there have been complaints from some of the ethic groups of ethnic groups of exclusion. there are complaints for things like the anti-terror laws still being used as an instrument for persecution. little ac

kim vanel, al jazeera northern iraq. >> be amnesty international had described the situation as grossly inadequate. report by the human rights group say 4 million refugees are be struggling to survive in turkey, jordan lebanon iraq and egypt. almost 2,000 have decide so far this year. and hundreds more have decide in southeast asia answer andeman sea. ae-mainly rohingyan muslims. global issues and research, amnesty international she said in the case of syria it's imperative that international help is made available. >> most of the refugees from are syria are currently living in just five countries neighboring syria and the international community has not provided resettlement places outside that region anywhere near the amount that need to be resettled according to the u.n. refusing agency. the refugee agencies isn't funding this either. the u.n. appeal was only 23% funded so you have countries like lebanon struggling to cope with more than 1 million syrian refugees but not getting support from the international community. that's what we're looking to change. >> still to come, a top com