raqqa is targeted by the islamic state of iraq and levant. in fact, syrian government air strikes on raqqa increased since u.s. forces started attacking i.s.i.l. positions in september. >> what we see today is striking in raqqa province to give the impression that he is working in coordination with the international coalition, something that leaves the syrian people thinking they are alone against a dictator, that doesn't seem to do anything to stop him. and i.s.i.l., which is another foreign entity that has come and devastated the syrian people. >> the people living in raqqa, the situation is getting desperate. one resident tweeted: according to syrian observatory for human rights, the bashar al-assad regime launched 1500 air strikes across syria, in raqqa they collect the bodies of the dead >>> a court in the libyan cabinet issued an arrest wonder for khalifa haftar. it's part of a power struggle. it comes hours after air strikes hit tripoli's only functioning airport. the group says it was forced to hit the airport because it had fallen un

nhk has obtained exclusive footage of raqqa which is designated self-proclaimed area of syria. >> they continue to expand the area they control in syria and iraq. the group flags fly over the center square. armed militants are seen searching cars on major roads. women cover their bodies entirely in black veils. islamic law is strictly enforced throughout the city. black vehicles marked with the words on them from the area now controlled by islamic state. this man describes how any attempt to resist islamic state. >> those caught smoking are are flogged. those that resist are killed. every morning a severed head is displayed in the head. >> cruel punishment and strict supervision are one side of islamic state. at the same time the extremist group is trying to establish itself as a full fledged government. this man whom we also interviewed in turkey describes himself as a former communications engineer for islamic state. >> translator: they're setting up a governing structure and cabinet with ministries for defense, health, electricity and so on. >> he says that foreigners require high l

the bombing targeted the city of raqqa, the main stronghold of i.s.i.l. activists say many of the victims were civilians. >> reporter: this is what it looks like inside raqqa after the northern syrian city was hit by a series of air strikes. cars set alike, buildings destroyed. as people pick through the charred remains of their homes, they must be wandering where it will end. they targeted busy markets. other public buildings, including the museum and the mosque were hit. activists say many of the victims were women and children. it has been targeted by the u.s.-led coalition, and forces loyal to bashar al-assad's regime. syrian government air strikes have increased since u.s. forces started attacking i.s.i.l. positions in september. >> what we see was the impression that he is working in coordination with the international coalition, which is something that leaves the syrian people thinking that they are alone with a dictator, against the russian coalition, it doesn't do anything to stop him, and i.s.i.l., which is another foreign entity that came and d

in raqqa, volunteers collect bodies and brace themselves for more attacks. this is the reality of life in raqqa. >> more than 12 million syrians desperately need help. aid is getting in from turkey and jordan, but that's not enough. three quarters of syrians are living in poverty, school attendance dropping 50%. >> in libya, airstrikes hit a military air base. it's the last functioning airport in tripoli and still operating. the airstrikes came shortly after the prime minister of the self declared government said they are at war. >> afghanistan's president launching a review of its military, asking top advisors to come up with a new manual for military operations as troops prepare for a new mission after next month. under the guidelines, u.s. troops will be allowed to go after taliban fighters, not just members of al-qaeda. >> more clashes in hong kong, scuffles broke out when riot police arrested dozens of protestors including two student leaders at the heart of the pro democracy movement. protestors fought back and police had to us ba tons and pepper spray

it's not easy to find out what's going on inside raqqa. bbc managed to get through to an activists there who has asked to remain anonymous. >> fighter jets intensified bombing today carrying out nine air strikes. the riots killed over 115 civilians and wounded over 100 others. the number maybe increased because there's a lot of civilians injured. hospitals are in a bad situation. >> who do you think was the target of this air raids? >> syrian regime. they hit all civilians. all the places that targeted by this air strike and areas, neighborhoods. there's no headquarters for isis. >> how do you identify that it was syrian army planes? >> we can recognize the syrians just from the airlines because there's a big difference in the sounds and explosion and clear shot of the targets. >> how did people react to this air strike? >> people are very angry from these air strikes and very afraid. all markets in the city close after strikes. there's nobody walking in the streets. it's just like a zombie. there's no anyone walking in the streets. they a

the teenager had left her home city back in february and traveled to the isil stronghold city of raqqa. we'll take this to the center for the direction of terrorism and counter terrorism live there in the hague. this is an extraordinary story. how did this girl's mother find her and then actually get her out? >> well, she first tried without much information in october. she went to the border with syria, but no contact, no -- she failed, she went back and then she got a what's app message from her daughter, desperate message asking her to help her out, telling her that she was in the city of raqqa and needed help to get out. she went and apparently she managed to get her daughter out, back to turkey, then she was without documents and then with the help of the foreign ministry she arrived in the netherlands very recently that that's an adventure in itself. what happens now to the girl. >> well, the girl is formally a suspect, allegedly joined is state and islamist jihadist group on the list have designated terrorist organizations of the e.u., but that has to be proven and i think the a

raqqa is in the north of syria, and controlled by the islamic state of iraq and levant. iran's supreme leader said western powers have not and will not bring iran to its knees in nuclear talks. ayatollah khamenei's comments were in relation to discussions continuing for 11 months. he said if the talks fail, iran will have to stand alone. >> translation: we approve of the effort the honourable administration and officials are making. it's an important task and experience, and a valuable course of action. they can do this, if they achieve results so much the better. if they do not. it means the country must stand on its own feet to solve its problems >>> the former british ambassador to iran, sir richard dore son was in tehran for four years. he's an associate fellow at the royal institute of international affairs in london and is hopeful sa deal could be reached. >> i don't believe talks will collapse. there's a chance of a partial deal, but i believe there's a good chance of a comprehensive plan of action. in other words, a full agreement. meanwhile, the negotiators and

it's one of the deadliest attacks to hit raqqa in years. in southwestern pakistan, gunmen have killed three female pakistani polio workers and their driver. militants have targeted health workers in such attacks after it was revealed the cia used a fake vaccination program to help locate osama bin laden. meanwhile, a u.s. drone strike killed seven people in the region of north waziristan. officials said the dead were suspected militants. in yemen, u.s. commandoes have conducted a raid alongside yemeni troops to rescue eight hostages held in a cave by an al qaeda affiliate. the united states reportedly intervened at the behest of yemen's president to rescue the hostages, who included yemeni citizens, a saudi and an ethiopian. at least seven militants were reportedly killed in the raid. in nigeria, a double suicide bombing has killed more than 40 people in the northeastern city of maiduguri. the bombers were two teenage girls who entered a bustling marketplace before blowing themselves up. suspicion has centered on the militant group boko har

in the isil-controlled city of raqqa, daily strikes have killed 100 people in the past five days alone. aid agencies estimate more than three years of civil war have killed more than 200,000 people. many more have been wounded or driven from their homes. much of the infrastructure of syria is in ruins. this is in idlib province, one home to 30,000 people, but not now. al jazeera. >> nigeria's president has vowed to bring to justice those responsible for friday's mosque attack. 100 were killed, and many more were injured. >> witnesses say that the scene after the explosions was one of absolute pandemonium. bodies were strewn across the area. people ran in different directions. one witness said that there was a stampede as people tried to escape the scene, and it's believed that that caused more fatalities. angry young men went to the streets to vent their frustration of what they say is the inability of the government to stop boko haram. there weren't enough emergency workers to deal with so many victims. at one hospital seriously injured patients were being treated on any available sur

while in the isil-controlled city of raqqa daily government strikes have killed 100 people in the past five days alone. aid agencies estimate more than three years of civil war has killed more than 200,000 people. many more have been wounded or driven from their homes. as here in homs. much of the infrastructure of syria is in ruins. this is in the idlib province once home to 30,000 people, but not now. age. >> the arab league will present a draft resolution to the u.n. security council setting a time frame to create a palestinian state. a committee will set up including kuwait, mauratania and jordan. mahmood abbas held discussions with arab league secretary general in cairo. well, still ahead on al jazeera, keen for a comeback. the former french president nicolas sarkozy will you win back the keys to the country. and we look at taiwanese election. >> now a reminder of the top stories in al jazeera. an egyptian judge has dismissed all the charges against president hosni mubarak. a group of sunni politicians in iraq has accused shia militias of revenge attacks. they say sunni muslims an

. >>> a syrian opposition group says the government is continuing its air assault on the steve raqqa. it says the latest strike from this video you can see here killed at least seven people including three men and a child. raqqa is the self-declared capital of isis militants. >>> now, investigators in india say two teenage girls who were found hanging from a tree died from suicide, not murder. the video we're about to show you is very graphic. it shows you the scene right after the girls were found. >> you can imagine the reaction to their conclusion that these girls hung themselves. a brother of one of the girls says the new report is completely wrong. sanima udas in new delhi where a lot of other people share that opinion. >> reporter: two girls hanging from a mango tree, swaying in the wind for some 15 hours, reigniting outrage over crimes against women in india. six months on the country's top investigating agency, the central bureau of investigation, says based on some 40 forensic reports the two girls were not gang-raped or murdered as claimed by local authorities. the investiga

the government seized raqqa in august. in nigeria, two female suicide bombers were behind tuesday's blast in a market area that left at least 44 dead. no group has claimed the attacks of far, but female bombers are becoming a growing tactic of the islamic militant grupo boko haram. a cease-fire failed to take effect. let's go now to ferguson missouri, the site of a second night of protests in the wake of that grand jury decision not to indict officer darren wilson. he of course is the white policeman who shot dead unarmed black teenager michael brown in august. 44 people were arrested overnight in ferguson, but officials say it was kolmar them a night before. -- calmer than the night before. >> police to clear the streets of ferguson, saying anyone who did not leave would be arrested. 44 people were to hand overall on tuesday night, mostly for refusing to disperse. some through molotov cocktails and frozen water bottles at police, who responded with tear gas, but the clashes when on the same scale as monday night. >> gener

iraqi military can launch an offensive against mosul, until we can really stabilize kobani, until raqqa is really able to give up its isis fighters, until we're able to stop seeing this proliferation of jihadi owannabes, i'm very reluctant to declare victory. >> ayman, what's your take here? how are we doing at combating the ideology, not just the fighters? >> i'm with ambassador ginsberg on this one. no doubt about it, i don't necessarily think that the operation has -- the military operation against isis has begun to tilt the balance entirely in the favor of the coalition. there's a few reasons why i think that. one, isis as a group is fighting on multiple fronts. they might not have overtaken kobani but still making advances in baghdad, and still capable of fighting. the leader of the group has come out adamantly with a recording to suggest he's still very much alive. the fact is that his accounts of what is happening suggest he's very much in control. he's made references of things that have happened within days. not the kind of recording that was recorded several months ago and peo

coalition forces reportedly targeted isis militants around their de facto capital in raqqa. activists say at least 50 isis militants were killed in both the airstrikes and in clashes with kurds on the ground. at the same time, another human rights group reported that syrian warplanes targeted the southern province of daraa, killing at least a dozen people, including women and children. in egypt, protests erupted overnight with demonstrators condemning yesterday's court decision to drop criminal charges against ousted president hosni mubarak. two people were reportedly killed and at least nine others injured when security forces started firing tear gas, water cannons and birdshot into the crowds around cairo. police are blocking access to tahrir square, the site of egypt's arab spring uprising in 2011. in afghanistan, taliban insurgents have intensified attacks in the capital city of kabul targeting foreigners. this as kabul's police chief, general mohammed zahir, abruptly resigned amid the increasing violence. authorities say a south african aid worker and his two children w

nigerian town are choosing government soldiers of failing to defend the area following a boca huh raqqak. ♪ ♪ >>> back with the top stories on al jazerra. a video has been posted appearing to show the killing of u.s. aid worker peter kassig and at least 12 other syrians as well. this 26 yearly american was captured last year while in syria on a mission to help wound the refugees. >>> g20 leaders in australia have growed a 2 trillion-dollar plan which could create $2 million globally. a bomb has killed at threat three people. a suicide bomber was trying kill a leading advocate of women's rights, she was injured in the attack. >>> syria's opposition has called on international donors to help prevent a food crisis because of the years of conflict and drought, families are facing another winter without enough food. in fact the u.n. predicts this year's wheat hearest could be 50% below average, nicole johnston has more. >> reporter: he is suffering. he is weak, and thin. like thousands of children in syria, he's malnourished. >> translator: we have been days without food. we only eat apricot

they were killed in isil's syrian strong hold raqqa.ictims had all been captured earlier this month. this follows the release of a graphic video by isil which appears to show the mass beheading of 12 syrian soldiers as well as the american aid worker peter kassig. the 26-year-old was a former u.s. army ranger and muslim convert captured just over a year ago while providing medical aid to syrians who were fleeing the war. he is the fifth western hostage that the group has beheaded in recent months. american journalists james foley and steven sotloff were the first to be killed. followed by the british aid worker david haines as well as allen henning. isil is also known to be holding british journalist john. also killed thousands of iraq and i sear kwr*er vinnie soldiers in its campaign to establish an islamic state. zeina report now from beirut. >> reporter: he helped assist lives of syrians wounded in the war. that is what peter kassig was doing in lebanon for about a year before he decided to help those living inside syria. he left in

haram if the parliament approves it, it will be the third extension in the emergency law, but boca huh raqqacontinued despite the measure, this week alone the group was accused of carrying out bombings at two schools a market and a petrol station. boko haram's campaign has continued for five years killing several hundred people. al jazerra has more there the nigerian capital a pwaoupbl a. >> reporter: when tremendous goodluck jonathan introduced the state of emergency in may 2013 he explained to the nation at the time that the government needed to take those, quote, unquote, sports measures in the face of what he described as a declaration of war by boko haram and their deliberate attempt to undermine the authority of the nigerian state. what the state of emergency means is that essentially those three states become -- or continue to be active areas of military operations. it a allows them to have the total upper happen in the area and allows them to carry out searches, to arrest and detain suspects and to lockdown these areas whenever they see fit. what critics have been saying over the pas

iraq and the levants, isil, has released a new video showing of killing of at least 13 syrian men in raqqae. the victims had been kidnapped earlier this month. they were accused of collaborating with the syrian regime. this follows the lease of another video posted online that appears to show the beheading of another group of isil hostages including at least 12 syrian soldiers and the american aid worker pete i go kassig. 26-year-old kassig was captured last year while in syria on a mission to help refugees. imran kahn sent us the latest from baghdad. >> reporter: the video was released on sunday morning from the same types of social media platform that his have released videos like this before. the same account have been verified and authenticated. intelligence agencies will be looking at this video to see if it is authentic. the americans have already reacted saying that they are looking in to the authenticity of the video. peter kassig's family have also said they are looking in to the a 10 these at this of the video. they hope people will remember him for being a humanitarian aid worke

-led coalition airstrikes as we reported have targeted isis positions in and around raqqa. but these latest airstrikes by syria's government were particularly intense. you can see heavy, heavy cass tiewlt rates as we have been reporting. we are waiting to find out exactly the number of civilians compared to isis fighters. these could be among some of the worst airstrikes in possibly three years. heather: could the airstrikes help the u.s.-led coalition? >> reporter: if they took out isis coalition, yes. they are fighting on several fronts. not only isis. but the u.s.-backed forces trying to overthrow the bashar al-assad government. we are waiting to find out how many isis fighters were killed and how many civilians. we are hearing as many as 52. if any members of those u.s. rebel forces were also among the dead. bill: they tell us it's the busiest travel day of the year. thanks to a nor'easter this could make a monumental mess. more from that interview with officer darren wilson including his thoughts on what michael brown's family is living through now. bill: there is a ma

onin raqqa daily government strikes have killed 100 people in the past five days alone. aid agencies estimate more than three years of civil war has killed nearly 200,000 people. many more have been wounded or driven from their homes as here in homs. much of the infrastructure of syria is in ruins. this is in idlib province, once home to 30,000 people, but not now. al jazeera. >> in iraq a croup of sunni politicians has accused shia militias of revenge attacks. they say they're being attacked in the province. >> this was supposed to be an operation that showcased iraqi unity against isil. the iraqi army, air force and peshmerga forces work together. but some sunni members of parliament in baghdad have accused the shia militia units working along iraq's armies of revenge attacks of sunnies. >> what is taking place over the last few days could be considered crimes againste admicommitte militias. they had demolished homes just for revenge. >> human rights group released this video early november documenting eyewitness accounts from one mosque that was attacked in august. it

were captured are being accused of collaborating with the syrian government. 13 more people killed in raqqa, the isil stronghold in syria, this comes after the group released a video showing an american and syrian troops being murdered. >> g-20 lourdes have ended their summit in australia, agreeing to boost the world economy. vladimir putin left early after being cornered by leaders over the fighting in eastern ukraine. >> we can talk to a professor of international relations the london school of economics in london. thank you for talking with us. it seems very much as though the trademark of isil are these brutal acts which are videoing and up loading onto the intern internet. >> well, first of all i'm not surprised. i don't think anyone that i know is surprised by this brutal act of the killing of the american aid worker. it was a matter of when as opposed to if. it's an act of desperation and violates deeply held briefs of islam. and the killing of an islam is highly serious offense. this is an act of desperation and speaks volumes about the mindset of isis. it's all-out war, and the rea

. >>> nearly a 100 have died in raqqa from governm

he said in the next few weeks, he will go to raqqa in syria and become a young jihadi soldier. when asked whether he thinks that britain, for example, should be attacked, he said yes, but we should kill only those who deserve it. if islamic state tells me to attack turkey and gives me a holy order, i will do it. it is very, very terrifying indeed. but as i left the house, i said to the mother who wants to be known as fatima, i said when your son was even younger than 13, what did he want to become? she smiled and simply said to me, a pilot. >> how things change. what's turkey able to do about this phenomenon of child recruitment? >> reporter: well, not a huge amount. turkey has welcomed in 1.6 million syrians. many of them are living here very peacefully. some in refugee camps. a huge number in istanbul. but there are tensions in the community. i was in the syrian neighborhood of istanbul. i saw a lot of tension, local turks feeling like the area has been taken over by syrians. but in some pockets of the country, there are more militant syrians who are building these jihadist d

aleppo, also some who have fled more recently from raqqa fleeing advance of islamic state militants.ryone you speak to is desperately worried about the future. one of the big concerns at the moment is winter is coming on. it's very hot in the daytime. at night, temperatures go below freezing. already there's heavy rainfall. what we're seeing in some of the cabins, aid agencies starting to put cement down on the floor giving out handouts of blankets and warm winter clothes the for people. >> can you just describe what people do in the ordinary day. you can't imagine having to spend so much time in small cabins. people must be fearful to have so little. >> reporter: well, first of all extended families have been put into neighboring cabins which helps kind of recreate the same sort of social circles that people might have had at home. what we've seen from the start of the day, everyone flooding to get their free handouts of bread coming back and making breakfast. at the moment, there's a shortage of gas. people are saving gas for cooking and using more bread instead of cooking rice. th

. >> syria hitting back after the latest round of airstrikes in raqqa province, denying they targetedivilians. they said washington should criticize militant activity instead. earlier this week, the state department said it was horrified by the syrian government and bombings in raqqa it claimed killed 90 civilians. the former assistant secretary of defense joins us. bashar al assad seems to be as strong as ever. does he now have the upper hand? >> basically, he's holding his own, and while he can certainly use his air power, he's having trouble recruiting new recruits into his military and a lot of the people are saying well, you know, when does this end, and so remember, he's been fighting for three years, even if he gets a temporary advantage, in the long term, it's not going to do him any good. trying to control the area, they are a threat to them. even though the united states and its allies are weakening isil, they're still able to take action against assad. >> another interesting development, russia, it's been a supporter of the assad regime and military. why did russia choose t

he said in raqqa many civilians - men pray on the street. women stay covered. and local commanders, amirs or princes kept the peace. they changed dramatically. >> translation: at first they brought in a thug, an alcoholic, a criminal. now they pushed them out. they appointed educated people who had a strong presence. >> reporter: the group is organised like a spider web. at the center, abu bakr al-baghdadi and his deputies. amirs and fighters are isolated. they receive orders, but have no communication with the leadership. >> they received orders, but the source is not know. the amirs within i.s.i.l. wouldn't know the source of the information. >> a complex and effective structure in connecting every aspect, the group's ruthlessness. >> they value spilling blood. they have no mercy. this is merciful. for them, people's lies are unchecked. >> through fear, promises of process, they fill their state. they control the area the size of belgium. the population equivalent to new york city. the war to remove i.s.i.l. will take years. >>> israel is trying to ease tensi

he he used to work for isil in raqqa, isil's headquarters. >> recruiting children, they are brainwashed at a young age become strong willed and believe they will find redemption when they are mar a martyred. for them, people's lives are cheap. >> isil controls an area the size of belgium, i didn't have lent to the number of people in new york city. >> back to the breaking news from the west bank, violent protests hitting demonstrators against israeli security forces right now. the israeli army is firing tear gas to busy speakers them. it comes hours after israel tried to deescalate tensions by lifting age restrictions at the mosque. things are quiet at the mosque. you have family in the west bank. have you spoken to them this morning? are they concerned about these rising tensions? >> i have talked to family over the course of the last few months and particularly sips the beginning of the gaza war. these tensions are nothing new. you're seeing the boiling over of a situation that existed if you trace it back to 1967, it's the israeli occupation that is causing the kinds of tensions that

they told us they come from stipulates all across syria from places like aleppo, also some from raqqap in the north where they fled advances of islamic state militants. understandably there's a huge amount of concern about what the future holds. people simply don't know when they're going to be able to go back. more widely in jordan, that worries ordinary people very much as well. you've seen now something like 600,000 syrians officially registered as refugees in jordan. it's been very overwhelming for local people. jordanians complain about rising rent in towns and cities. they would like to see more in the camps. 85% of syrians that live in jordans are in ordinary towns. it's pushing up rent. there's more competition for work as well. often that leads to resentment. that's why the jordanian government is one of those around the region sounding the alarm. it's saying it needs more help to deal with the sheer numbers of people coming. we introduce a lot more border restrictions making it hard aer for syrians. back to you. >> yolande speaking from the ref jew camp. syrians have fled al

head, yes, but then he has a deputy and underneath that he has an entire cabinet and strong hold of raqqafor example, we hear from various analysts that have information for how the organization is set up and they operate as smaller cells. it would be able to continue to carry out operations, acts of terror and even if the top-tier leadership has been taken out. while taking out baghdadi may be a major victory, it's not likely to bring about the demise of isis in and of itself. >> these are professional military officers who decided to bolt for whatever reason and go with isis. arwa, thanks very much. before i let you go, though, i want to congratulate you on a recent honor. as a lot of our viewers know, you've always been there right in the middle of the most dangerous places to bring us the news and with courage, bravery. with that in mind, you were recently honored at the courage in journalism award. there's the picture, arwa. well-deserved. one of the most courageous journalists in the world, doing amazing work for all of us. don't blush too much and just go back and do the job. we ca

in raqqa, activists say daily government strikes ever killed at least 100 people in the past five days alone. >> aid agencies estimate that more than three years of civil war have killed nearly 200,000 people. many more have been wounded or driven from their homes. much of the infrastructure of syria is in ruins. this was once home to more than 30,000 people, but not now. aljazeera. >> more than 100 people were killed when suicide bombers attacked. >> witnesses say the scene after the explosions was one of absolute pandemonium. bodies were across the area outside the mosque. people ran in different directions. one witness said there was a stampede as people tried to escape the scene and it's believe that had caused more fatalities. angry young men took to the streets to vent frustration over the ininability to stop boko haram's violence. they burned tires are and attacked police cars, but security forces ultimately contained them. there weren't enough emergency workers to deal with so many victims. at one hospital, seriously injured patients were treated on any table surface, even on t

do you think that raqqa is an exception there? how are they impacting the view of us, the coalition, and isis? >> i was speaking with a member of congress and saying one of the most frustrating things he has seen was the reaction of the supposed u.s. friends and allies in syria. parts of the free syrian army that were upset that they hit parts of this group that was in and around illepo. and those that they're calling alibis were upset by that, you're setting some of us. so the boundaries so so blurry between so many of these organizations right now that it is almost meaning less in some cases to try to draw lining around allies and adversaries. >> greg miller, thank you very much for that. up next, the cycle's chief meteorologist takes us to the weather forecast. ♪soft holiday music ]♪ can you help me up? [ snow intensifies ] [ sleighbells ring in the distance ] aleve. all day pain relief with just 2 pills. get back to being you. to map their manufacturings at process with sticky notes and string, yeah, they were a little bit ske

times" reported this as well last week that, unfortunately, even those who oppose isis in places like raqqa and syria, they don't necessarily support our air strikes either because they're so desperate for any form of stability, any form of social stability after years of being bombed by the syrian government that even isis seems like a palatable alternative. we have to change that opinion. it's not going to be easy and, unfortunately, there are still people who are being rallied by these beheading videos and there is no great groundswell in iraq against isis. there are individual trains that are turning, individual towns and villages, but there is no groundswell among the vast majority of sunnis in iraq if not mosul would no longer be in the hands of isis. >> okay. to most americans they have it figured down to this. there's a syrian government we've never liked, always anti-israeli. not a good guy, assad. the son of assad. basically it's a bad country that gets a the lot of publicity in magazine covers but they're no good. then again they're not the worst in the world. on the other hand w

this is the so-called islamic state's capital, raqqa. they've captured three regime soldiers. they're beaten to death. the defector said he watched a commander give a knife to his 8-year-old son. he made him cut off a prisoner's head, he told me. he said the son of an amir should learn early. there are other defectors in hiding here in turkey. people disgusted with the killing and cruelty of islamic state rule. the jihadis have their supporters, too, and perhaps more of them because of anger over american air strikes. the battle against isis is a battle for sunni public opinion, an opinion in the rebel held areas remains deeply divided. and a new generation of jihadis is being indoctrinated. the islamic state, he shouts. it shall endure, the children reply. some sunni muslims want strict shari'a, or islamic law. some support the jihadis, not despite the beheadings of westerners and others, but because of them. paul wood, bbc news. >>> now to a disturbing story from thailand, where police say that two americans have left the country after trying to smuggle out body parts. the m

. >>> coalition forces are pounding isis positions in their strongloeldz of raqqa, syria's sixth-largest city. up to 30 air strikes overnight also target an airbase that the militants seized early this year. this comes as a new pentagon report obtained by foxnews.com finds that since august 8, u.s. fighter planes and drones have conducted 819 strikes compared to 157 from the ten other countries in the coalition. that's 85% of all the missions conducted there. fox news military analyst lieutenant general tom mcinerney joins us now with his perspective. 819 strikes by the united states. what do you make of that? is it enough to do the job? >> it's piddly. it ought to be 15,000 a month. we've only done since 8 august to 28 november, day before yesterday, less than a thousand. that shows the lack of intensity we have. we know where the targets are. it is not quite as clear as it is sometimes, but because of our intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets and more that we could put in, doug, we could be much more effective and eliminate that threat if we would do it very aggressively

so, there in raqqa syria, that's where they are hawrkd. he knows that. that's where they are. i would send special forces into that place and i kill as many as i can, mary katharine. and i don't care what the polls say. i would go to congress and say i want a vote on military action across the board. you step up and say yes or no so the american people see your vote. i would do that. all right? but i would send them in wherever isis is, whether it's syria, lebanon, i wouldn't occupy, we are not occupying. we're going in, surgeonly, we are killing as can and coming out. mary katharine? >> i think you are both hitting something here which is yes, the american people are concerned about going in with troops on the ground. they have been burned in the past and they want to know what's going on here. you have to have a commander and chief willing to make that argument to people to take it to congress to be approved. >> that's right. >> here's the thing. you end up with the worst of poet worlds trooms on the ground and without a clear mission and seemingly different do what is neces

the syrian observatory for human rights says the raids hit raqqa, in the northeastern part of the country. other groups put the death toll higher. >> ifill: the supreme leader of iran gave tacit approval today to extending nuclear negotiations with the west for another seven months. ayatollah ali khamenei spoke publicly for the first time since iran and six major powers agreed yesterday on a new schedule of talks. but in a nationwide broadcast, he also sounded a note of defiance. >> ( translated ): as you saw on the nuclear issue, the united states and the european colonialist countries gathered and applied their entire force to bring the islamic republic to its knees, but they could not and they will not. >> ifill: iran wants sanctions against its economy lifted. the u.s. and five other powers want tehran to stop enriching uranium and scale back its nuclear program. >> woodruff: thousands of north koreans rallied today against u.n. criticism of their country's human rights record. the demonstrators filled a square in pyongyang, the capital, backing their communist leaders and denouncing

these killings took place in raqqa and syria. victims had all been kidnapped earlier this month. isil says they were killed for collaborating with the syrian regime. these killings follow the release of new video that was posted on line appearing to show the beheading of another group of isil hostages and these include at least 12 syrian soldiers and the american aid worker peter kassig. 26-year-old kassig was captured last year whilst in syria on a mission to help refugees. he convert today islam and also uses the name abdul. we can go live now to the united states and washington, d.c., and talk to our correspondent there, kimberly how connection. the white how was quite quick to react to this video that was circulate on this internet. >> reporter: indeed, we know president obama was briefed bice had i national security adviser susan rice weiss while he feels travel on route leaving the g20 summit australia on his way to hawaii and then will be traveling to the use. we know he was briefed we have a statement from bernadette the

aleppo, closer to the turk irborders while the previous executions purportedly likely took place in raqqa. there are a number of differences. you don't even see kassig or speaking or alive, you just see his head but you see the execution of over a dozen syrian regime soldiers and pilots. the focus of the message is that not only is islamic state expanding, but it is defending the syrian people, standing with the syrian people. you know, their execution might -- they see it as might be less controversial than -- >> is that less controversial because these are still muslims, these are syrian nationals and you're saying that you think isis believes they get a propaganda victory from showing the execution of fellow muslims? >> indeed. they don't acknowledge them as muslims. they identify them as infidels. they are actually carrying attack on the group itself, they don't see the syrian regime, or for that matter, any regime soldiers in any country in north africa as being legitimate mu muslims. >> abdul-rahman kassig sent a final letter home, he says, if i do die, at least you and i can seek r

. >> he's believed to have been based around raqqa, the isis headquarters town in syria. >> reporter:ed up the brutality in its latest video, showing multiple beheadings of syrian soldiers. but the video does not show peter kassig prior to his death. the video shoes isis may be wary of coalition air strikes. >> they're afraid of having multiple cameras out in the open could serve as a giveaway from people targeting them from the sky. >> reporter: u.s. officials and law enforcement say they want to bring this man to justice. one official said, whether that's on the battlefield or in a british or u.s. courtroom is to be determined. >> pamela brown, thank you. other isis killers appear in that grisly new video. this is what is different. they're unmasked. you can see their faces. it's a brazen move that has officials scrambling to put names with the faces. let's bring in jim sciutto. are they in wri on this, jim? >> there is a wealth of hints and there is interesting information. i'm just going to go through a few of them that the military and intelligence officials are looking at. one,

. >> i suspect the break up of raqqa, people who really know that country suspect a shiite area, baghdadfically, aligned with iran. a sunni aligned with states in the gulf and kurdistan, basically, being almost semi-autonomous. independent kurdistan will probably happen sooner rather than later. general zunni, thank you for being with us. >> good to be with you, wolf. >>> we're watching other dangerous developments. up next, caught on camera, russian military vehicles moving directly back into ukraine even though moscow says no such thing is happening. >>> we also have new details about a sting of plane problems. delayed a critical mission to north korea. >>> as fighting ranges between ukrainian forces and pro-russian separatists, russia is denying any incursion. let's get information from our chief national security correspondent jim sciutto. jim? >> nato officials say they have extensive intelligence, including satellite photos, that show russia is on the ground in eastern ukraine and even more forces moving in, publicly available information, like this video which appears to show russ

in some areas like in the stronghold of raqqa, they have ministries. it's established as an organization that could continue to function if its top-tier leadership has been removed. >> arwa damon on the scene for us, thanks very much. be careful over there. if the senior leader of isis was killed or incapacitated, who would replace him? our brian todd is joining us. what are you learning, brian? >> the top contenders to replace abu bakr al baghdadi have carved their own reputations for brutality in saddam hussein's military. they'd have the challenge of following a mythical figure who has a $10 million bounty on his head. he runs the terror group like a ceo, with spreadsheets on killings. he's cultivated a reputation for violence. he emerged from the shadows and flashing an expensive watch, exhorting his followers. >> translator: you should take of jihad to please got and fight in his name. >> reporter: tonight, u.s. officials can't confirm whether abu bakr al baghdadi was killed or wounded in coalition air strikes over the weekend. how much trouble wo

space in -- particularly in anbar province to push isil back from where they came from, which was from raqqa down the euphrates river. impb deed, it's because they were able to steal, they were able to push back you the and use the same kit and go up to kobani and so ford. so i think we need to recognize that we -- the air campaign that we're providing at the moment is providing that umbrella of support. the training that the americans are providing and the british as well, not just with istar but also counter variety and others. we are seeing successes, but it is indeed going to take time. the idp is an interesting aspect of it. i spoke about this with the american ambassador and with general allen. i posed the question, who do you have in mipd to be the mayor of mosul when, let's say, falluja, when these cities and towns are liberated? who's going to come in and be running the police? who's going to be the head teacher or run the water facilities and so forth? these are thoughts we need to start thinking about immediately. and i'm afraid nobody thought about them, or at least it seems that

small on the ground extortion they're doing on a daily rate, to businesses in mosul, to people in raqqae to pay for everything from smoking to shops, businesses that operate. so there's extortion, there's kidnapping, there's the oil, and there's antiquities. >> janine, thank you very much. >> they're very wealthy -- >> very wealthy, indeed. i want to get colonel francona's take on this. when you hear janine laying that out, there looks like a pretty impressive infrastructure in place to keep this machine financed. that is a problem, whether it be for the military strategy or even, really, the, you know, the pr strategy of the world trying to get together and trying to dismantle, trying to dissolve isis. it looks like it's going to be very difficult. >> it is. but looking at isis, they have got to feed, clothe, house their military. they've got to provide the fuel they require. they've got to move all the stuff around. all that requires oil and it also requires money. they've got to pay all these people. they've also got to provide the trappings of a state, that means goods and service t