the united states has a small initial opening for people fleeing syrian. al jazeera's adam may have been talking about the horrors back home. >> we are disappointed, really. >> zawir has given up on the u.s. government. we first met this syrian american in 2013, trying to find solace in his ohio garden between frustrating calls to the united states state department. >> this is zahir al watr. i'm an american citizen originally from syria, i'd like to get my brother and his family here. i really appreciate your help i really need your help so please give me call back, thank you very much. >> reporter: now two years later after failing to debt any help from the federal government, his sister is among the dead refugees. trying to escape syria with her two children like thousands of others she paid a smuggler to help them across the sea hoping to reach sweden. >> once they got to the first island, my sister was getting really sick. and once they hit the land, and they called and ambulance or something, on the way to the hospital she passed away. >> reporter: sh

. >> after five years of war millions of syrians are permanently out of their homes. some have gone to neighboring countries, some have gone to europe with dangerous sea journeys. promising taking in 10,000 people, is it a major world power coming late to the game, who is my neighbor, it's the "inside story." welcome to "inside story." i'm ray suarez. before the civil war began, syria had more than 22 million residents. today, something approaching half those residents have been driven from their homes. civilians have been killed by the hundreds of thousands during the fighting and major cities have become simply unlivable. so millions have fled, men and women young and old crossing borders into jordan, turkey and lebanon and as you've seen on tv for weeks, many have been crossing the eastern mediterranean in boats trying to get to europe. united states has not been part of the debate, meant to dislodge syrian president bashar al-assad from power and defeating i.s.i.l, overwhelmed by the human flow from the middle east, hungary has confined and sealed off its borders,

and the syrian americans are ready to help them. >> syrians and syrian americans in the united states are very well organized and active. take us behind the scenes. are there a lot of conversations with the members of congress, members of the senate, the executive branch, and the state department? what's going on that we don't see day-to-day? >> we are well organized and we try to talk to everybody, and when we talk to them, it's definitely a topic that we need to discuss. but we need to change the government and the regime in syria is overweighing every other effort that we would like to achieve. we would like to see it how it is. no matter who is in charge, syrians should talk to each other with the help of the international community and stop making it a political issue. you've seen your report with zahir that said that he would go back only if the dictator leaves. this is the problem. what we're doing with the humanitarian issue. it's a humanitarian issue. we don't have to take out a president before things can be better for people. let's talk about it, loyalist, and opposite part

by the syrian army by russian support as well as the u.s.oalition, and thirdly it basically opens the door to de facto cooperation between syria and the united states, so i think this potentially is a game-changer. >> anna, how do you cooperate with a country that wants an eventually outcome that's totally different than the one you want? >> that's a great question. first let me start with this. during the cold war, no matter who was in the white house, we always talked to the russians. the question is how? the president is president vladimir putin has perceived weakness from the obama administration from the very beginning and when he perceives weakness he steps in, he steps into a vacuum. we've seen that throughout the middle east, and parts of the former soviet union. the question is not to speak to the russians but how to speak to the russians. >> the perception of weakness, i've heard that from john mccain. what does that fit when americans look at that part of the world? when the syrian civil war really started to take root and the uni

controls syrian airspace.at is more perplexing, with that control, they have allowed the al-assad regime to utilize helicopters and air force to bombard and kill tens of thousands of syrians from the sky. it begs the question not about no-fly zone, but why the u.s., which is the overwhelming broker of power in the sky over syria, is allowing some and he syrians to die? juan: there's been so much emphasis now on europe having to contend with this huge refugee crisis, but yet there are countries in the middle east now that have been dealing with this for years at a much bigger level. i'm thinking of lebanon, jordan, turkey, which have hundreds of thousands -- what's millions -- into millions that escaped their countries. you talk about the relative lack of attention to those? >> literally half of syria's population is displaced. million have fled and about 8 million as of the country. even as refugees we see on the boasted a, they are fleeing for the second and third time in their lives. the picture we saw suppo

more syrians today suffering unimaginably. >> i want to get your take on the syrian-russian militaryuildup and how are the local people receiving the news that russia does have boots on the ground and putin is backing agency add. a good thing for syrians or bad. >> it's going to depend on who you ask. a lot of syrians are hoping, maybe with all of this activity, i mean not just with russia having boots on the ground, and increasing their military presence there, but also with a flurry of diplomatic activity recently between saudi arabia and turkey and what not, some are hoping that something will happen, and maybe something will break, and maybe someone will take the lead on bringing some sort of resolution, but a lot of people are very pessimistic with the development with russian boots. >> and rasha, i want to get your take on this before we go. isil targeting many of syria's antiquities, and it puts a lot of people on an emotional level. how is that playing out on the ground inside of syria? imagine if you will, italians having to deal with the coliseum being blown up in italy? >>

home to a long established syrian american community. >> if you are here for syrian refugees say yes! >> yes! >> a syrian american activist spoke out for solidarity in new york city. >> when everything around you has been destroyed, when all of your family have been dispersed, when you have lost all economic means to support yourself, when safety and security, human being's number 1 priority is gone, there's nothing to live for anymore. >> reporter: many people i spoke with are too afraid to go on camera. even though they're here in the u.s. they fear the assad regime will retaliate against their family still stuck in the war. >> 82-year-old mohammed is to fearful to use her name. >> i have my family and sisters there, i just have my children here. >> reporter: she praise that nothing would happen to them. abu her 50-year-old son, knows people who are fighting to topple the assad regime. >> the ones that are fighting for justice for their own honor and families and for god, those kind of people will not stop fighting ever. >> they were killing everybody in the street. i was so upset.

yes, the syrian periscope channel? no, i am saying -- >> if their parents go -- yes, i would care more. >> i am honored to be on your show. >> larry: thank you. >> i am a fan of your show. >> larry: it is mutual. >> i -- your show woke me up today. i am 0 i 0 going to be completey honest. i haven't given this a thought, and i am not being funny. >> larry: don't you laugh. >> i was being one of those ignorant americans. i was worried about myself and what i was doing and i really had heard flashes of it and there are so many particles floating around in the air with the news and all so horrible. >> larry: right. >> that i had just heard flashes of it and when i found out after talking to your producers what we would be talking about, i started reading and i was crushed and i got to that place where i will say i am alert now but i don't know what i am going to do. >> larry: yes. >> i don't know what i am going to do. >> larry: i am so glad. that was very -- [ applause ]. >> i think americans, americans, we are like thoma

in syria, the northern part of the country, syrian kurds, arabs have h syrian successful pushed them along the turkish border. they want to degrade and defeat isil and he emphasized it would multi-year campaign. secretary carter was here, the nine strategies. need to dry up isil's finances and stop them. humanitarian assistance in areas we are taking back from more nd find a way to affectively counter isil's very campaign. messages as secretary carter said to the believe in july, they we have the right strategy in place. on implementing the strategy. interagency effort, across all of the departments that are involved. secretary carter and secretary kerry have been meeting together with their senior staff to in tor and identify issues the campaign and they're meeting foreign to focus on fighters. they are responsible for two of effort inside the strategy, denying isil safe i would like to speak the ly to those areas. coalition has removed some of its key leaders in iraq and syria. regained of them and partners have taken the key border town, which of isil's key lines of communication

i think it is important to take them from syrian refugee camps. i want to send the message out is that the best way to get a new life is not to make this perilous journey, not to set out from the turkish coast or not to trail across continent and purr your lives at risk. >> the u.k. is providing an extra 100 million pounds in humanitarian to syria. the total amount of aid now stands at one billion pounds in britain's largest response to a humanitarian crisis. the response drew mixed reactions. >> i think it is really too small. we should be looking to take in 100,000 people. >> it had good for them to continue that. >> according to the u.n.'s high commission for refugees, britain is expected to take in 4,000 extra migrants, in addition to 5,000 sirnls who have already -- syrians given status over the years. it is far less than the number the e.u. is calling for. germany is expected to take in 800,000 refugees this season. >> the european union has few rules on how my grants should be handled. that is why some countries are accusing others of not d

because there are so many syrian refugees. what we need to do to fix the syrian refugee cries sis to have a political solution in syria. settlinsettling the refugee isss never going to settle the issue in iran. >>> throughout the day on al jazeera we'll have a discussion of the syrian refugees crisis, 12:00 gmt here on al jazeera. >>> ruling party for 50 years, won 83 out of 89 seats in shanghai, opposition candidates taking the other 6. more from rob mcbryde in singapore. >> this has been a big result for rule pap party, also a sense of relief after the excitement of having to face battles across each constituency in singapore which they haven't had to before. they have presented themselves as the party of experience, when put up with the wealth of inexperience has been very telling i think with the voters. for their part, the opposition can argue that this is part of their long term strategy of changing the political landscape here. they made big gains in parliament back in 2011. largely over unpopular policies that were in

dead bodies and torture in syrian prison. the prosecution comes as france remains firm in its demands that evenr al-assad step down as other western allies are opening up to the possibility of dealing with the syrian leader. laura: to talk more about that inquiry, i'm joined by geraldine from human rights watch. thanks for being with us on "france 24." why has it taken so long for anyone to go after the syrian regime? why is it happening via the french initiative and not via the hague? >> that's a good question. crimesre very serious committed by the assad regime. gue cannot takeha the case is because syria is not a state party. it would have to be referred to the criminal court. that should have happened years ago, but unfortunately, rock that is -- unfortunately, russia is blocking that move. that leaves us with not a lot of options. 14 syria aren't doing anything about what's going on there -- doing in syria aren't anything about what's going on there. courts of other countries can investigate crimes that shock the conscie

he was on the run from the syrian secret police. with his restaurant, he was able to make a new start, and to offer the growing tide of young syrian refugees an opportunity to build their own future. >> we didn't want to leave them in streets. this is what we want, exactly. they want to work in some good places, like a human. this is what we want. because we suffered before them, and we didn't want them to suffer like us. now bitar has six more restaurants in the center of istanbul. and his are not the only businesses on the bosphorus owned by syrians. increasing numbers of refugees are arriving in the turkish metropolis to escape the camps in the border region. the turkish government tolerates that. but not all of the syrian refugees are able to build a new life in turkey. 10-year-old khadijah tries to remember the letters she once learned. she was only able to attend school in her hometown of aleppo for one year before the war started. >> i can write a few words, and compose a simple letter. but i want to learn to read and write p

syrian refugees are now walking toward the austrian border. they have left the train station in budapest and are moving on foot. the eu is increasingly divided on how to deal with the crisis. the eu vice president will ask why no solution is in sight. also, the syrian toddler whose final photo made headlines around the world is laid to rest. we will hear from the father of aylan kurdi about his last moments, and the last moments of his brother and mother. call it raiders of the lost train. polish workers launch a search for a train said to be laden with gold and valuables. i am brent goff. it is good to have you with us. at this hour, syrian refugees in hungary are using the only thing they can, their feet, to get out of hungry and into austria. after days of being stranded at the main train station, refugees said they could not wait any longer. unwed -- there is unrest at refugee camps as well as clashes with riot police at the syrian border. at the camp near the capital, one migrant reportedly died in a chaotic situation that is only getting

david cameron says thousands more syrian refugees will be taken in. morocco holds its first regional vote since arab spring concessions. ther turnout, a key part of transition. molly: we begin in syria, where the family of refugees who drowned trying to reach turkey have been buried. the funeral was held in the town of kobane. images of three-year-old aylan shenu's lifeless body have drawn a emotional response around the world. his five-year-old brother and mother also died. they are where -- they were among 12 people, including other children, who lost her lives when two boats capsized while trying reach the greek island of kos. the father survived the tragedy. children andp my my wife to help them breathe, but there was nothing i could do . nothing. ghaleb died first, then aylan, then their mother. there you go. that is my story. perhaps the world will learn something from it. i hope these people will be helped, that these massacres are stopped. we are human beings just like westerners. why are we trying to get to europe when our country is so beaut

wars hit the syrian television industry hard. actors and directors fled, decamping for lebanon, egypt and the gulf states. >> now on what syrian television looks like today and what it produces under circumstances. it's a tv solution playing out around the world. in arabic - they have two series vying for attention. both were adaptations of the hollywood mafia field. >> a copyright version of the food was produced by a tv company, part of the broadcaster in 2012. the cabinet tar has an office, conducting most of the work outside the country. >> it actually focuses on very specific moment, which is 2005, when newly forms initiated by bashar al-assad. linked to a creation. they benefit from private investors, banking and even for reforms. leading to a creation against home, and the people raised in march 2011. >> the home minister - the only drama that has impacts has a drama respecting it. to the extent that the identity of the company and people tell the story. we have plenty of stories to tale. >>> in a media landscape dominated

-trained syrian fighters in this fight, so what are we doing to support the syrian kurds if they are effectively pushing back isil on the ground? general austin: we are providing them a tremendous amount of air support which is what they wanted most. as you will recall, ma'am, this is the element -- a portion of this element where the folks that hung on at could he banny valiantly -- kobani valiantly. there was question if they could survive and continue on. they increased their size and activity and they made a significant difference in the northeast part of the country. and so what they asked from us over time is sustained airpower, sustained strikes and they have benefited from those strikes. because of their aggressiveness, they made a tremendous difference in the northeast. senator ayotte: so just to be clear, they haven't asked for arms? and how does turkey -- how is turkey acting on the ground -- in terms of obviously first, i want to know what have the syrian kurds asked for that we haven't given them? i understand air support. how do you view turkey's role in all of this? be

has to be a syrian government. and syrian people. >> is it more difficult now because the russians are having a more embedded presence in syria and, providing more supplies in support of assad so it is now more difficult to get rid of assad? >> that may not be the case if you consider as i do that the reason the russians put those resources in was because they felt assad was on the brink of falling. >> a week ago in an interview -- >> excellent, very, very clear interview to get that much time with putin and to put those questions was very valuable. >> we'll bring you charlie's interview with putin when the overnight news continues. well, did you know that playing cards with kenny rogers gets old pretty fast? you got to know when to hold'em. know when to fold 'em. know when to walk away. know when to run. you never count your money, when you're sitting at the ta... what? you get it? i get the gist, yeah. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. so how ya doing? enough pressure

has to be a syrian government.yrian people. >> is it more difficult now because the russians are having a more embedded presence in syria and, providing more supplies in support of assad so it is now more difficult to get rid of assad? >> that may not be the case if you consider as i do that the reason the russians put those resources in was because they felt assad was on the brink of falling. >> a week ago in an interview -- >> excellent, very, very clear interview to get that much time with putin and to put those questions was very valuable. can this much love be cleanedrlin' by a little bit of dawn ultra? oh yeah. one bottle has the grease cleaning power of two bottles of this bargain brand. a drop of dawn and grease is gone. it destroys limescale in seconds without scrubbing. tough hard water buildup - gone! no scrubbing. turbo power destroys it. for lime, calcium and rust, lime-a-way is a must! >>> russian president putin addressed the u.n. general assembly insisting the regime of bashar al assad is legitimate

the syrian side of the ledger. one of the things we didn't envision one year ago was the partnership, if you will, that we have with our airpower and the syrian kurds and the syrian coalition that are operating with them. that won't be a enough but we are continuing to look for opportunities like that. >> i really think you need to rethink a strategy about a safe zone, no-fly zone, some protection from assad's barrel bombs. i hate it when the chairman's right but he's been talking about this for two years and in retrospect, i think, i think he was right. we've allowed this atrocity to go on too long. it's impacting us us and the rest of europe and i think there should be a rethinking of the non-intervention strategy. not in terms of troops, but troops, but in terms of airpower in order to level the playing field and bring pressure on assad and the russians so we can negotiate an agreement because it doesn't seem to be in prospect now. thank you very, very much mr. chairman. >> thank you, in your opening statement,

a syrian not anyone can take me and lift me in syrian or in hungary or anything. >> reporter: after a long wait in the rain the police led the syrians they had detained across the no man's land on the bridge and into germany. now they too are on secure ground. the border checks here which germany says are only temporary are another sign that the european union's policy of open borders between member states may be slipping away. >> u.s. state department says it appears moscow is continue to support syrian president bashar al-assad. air field at the center of a military buildup. pentagon officials say, syria's ambassador to moscow has denied reports of russian troop buildup there. tell us what they've been saying about this business? >> well, what the u.s. government is saying is this is a situation that does raise concerns especially because there isn't any idea really why the russians are building up their military presence this western syria. the situation is this, the u.s. says if the russians are trying to support the government of president bashar al-assad, the u.s. is very much

bashar al-assad is to continue providing syrian people support.when explaining his army was tired, and lacked fuel. that is why government looked -- [inaudible] last june i was in -- and people were really afraid. the evening -- we can hear the rocket noise and cheering -- [inaudible] at the east of latakia, and i think look at latakia -- in june, people -- [inaudible] -- because latakia not exactly stronghold. the city is divided between -- and sunni. 2010, about 60%, 40% sunni and the other christians. the city between latakia on the turkish border, the population is sunni, and also it was -- many religions speaking turnyear -- turkish in the area, and of course this syrian issue are -- [inaudible] the men are fighting against the syrian armies. moreover you have 300,000 refugees in the lat -- latakia province. [inaudible] -- province 800,000 people. so 300,000 refugees, -- [inaudible] is sunni and we know that there is families, the men are fighting and the families out in latakia, and latakia, very huge threat, huge fear of those, does it mean

, rendering humanitarian systems to the syrian people. we proceed from the u.n. charter which means from the fundamental principles of international law under which any existence, including military, can and should be rendered exclusively to a legitimate government of the country with their consent or at their request or upon the decision of the u.n. security council. in this case we're dealing with a request from the syrian government to render them military and technical assistance which we're doing in the framework of lawful international contract. >> rose: secretary of state john kerry said the united states welcomes your assistance in the battle against isis. others have taken note of the fact that these are plane, anti-aircraft systems. and those are for use against the conventional army, not extremists. >> there is only one legitimate conventional army and that is the army of the president syria, assad and he's facing according to the interpretation some of our international partners the opposition. but in fact really bashar assad

supporters of the syrian army. wondering if the obama will ever offer substantial military support to help them take back and rebuild the homeland. >> what does a free syrian government look like. >> hopefully we'll get a good government. of course, everything needs to be built slowly and but surely. >> do you think you'll ever go back to syria. >> once we get the dictator out, yes. >> you want to go back? >> i will go back to help. >> hoping more of his family cunt day waiting. >> "america tonight" adam may joins us in the studio. now that president obama said he will create opportunities, is folks? >> it's a small step forward. we are talking 10,000. these would be granted refugee status. they really want expedited provisions for those that are living in the middle of this conflict, and that have brother or sisters living in the u.s. to safety. >> is it the sense that they want to move to the united states permanently. >> for some of them, yes. the doctor has established roots, he's happy living in america. they

providing military assistance to the syrian people. terrorism is a threat for many states in the world. a large number of people suffer from their criminal activities. hundreds of thousands, millions suffer. we are tasked with joining efforts to overcome this common evil. in regards to our presence in syria, today it is expressed in the form of supplying weapons to the syrian government, rendering humanitarian assistance to the syrian people. we proceed from the u.n. charter which means from the fundamental principles of international law under which any assistance, including military can and should be rendered exclusively to a legitimate government of a country with their consent or at their request. on the decision of the un security council. we are dealing with a request from the syrian government to render the military and technical assistance which we are doing within lawful contracts. charlie: secretary of state john kerry said the united states welcomes your assistance in the battle against isis. others have taken note of the fa

it was the death of a syrian boy. we have more on the impact of that one picture which changed everything. images have a long-held ability to change our thinking. they are more confronting than words, more real. so was this image of 3-year-old syrian boy, which became the latest to prick the world's conscience. his death happened at the time of social media where images are shared, and this time the impact was greater. but should the mainstream media publish it. many didn't. some opted for an alternative image. but the reality was millions around the world had seen the image online. there was no ignoring it. by next morning, look at the newspaper front pages, these are from the u.k. there is absolutely no ignoring the boy or the refugees crisis as a whole. any longer. >> and the socially connected world. perhaps the most prominent of locations where people were invited to remember him. there was a sponsorship page linked to the website. it ha raised £53,000 or 80,000 for a charity which benefitted syrian children. the

syrian opposition leaders claimed that their forces and civilians were hit. kremlin rejected the deliberate distortion. is clear that they named a target nowhere near major is centers in the north. syria is being dangerously crowded with airstrikes. the u.s. coalition was bombarding is strongholds near a lego. two separate campaigns with a minimal coordination, increasing danger for all in an already volatile conflict. >> the result of this kind of action, it will, inevitably, simply be to inflame the civil war in syria. what is puzzling is how mr. putin thinks today's actions thed help him build international coalition he says he wants to drive i.s. from syria and iraq. possibly, he helps iran could join him. would it jeopardize its new relationship with the united states? other players like saudi arabia are dead set against the assault regime, so is turkey. a new russian adventure, and it is fraught with risks. if no one joins him, if it fails to work, or if taking on the syrian jihadist on their home turf is really his goal, the potential danger is that th

they're going to commit to taking a number of syrians every year so we're stepping up. the european union is going to meet next week and look at mandated quotas so that all the countries in the e.u. participate. i'm very proud of germany. they were really stood up to this they've taken 800,000 people so far. they're committed to 500,000 each year but the syrians in particular, these are middle class people. these are architects and doctors. these are people with skills that are fleeing and europe -- actually germany in particular, has a very low birthrate. they see the opportunity in accepting these immigrants and that there's opportunity in immigrants in america in europe, this is a country built on immigrants. john: what about isis infiltration of the refugees? tom: they're attempting do -- to do that in europe but the real problem is the failure of obama's foreign policy and the secondary point is alassad's continuing murder of his own people. we need to solve that. the failure going back to 2013, chemical weapons but the failure really to take on this sup feeds this

her fled here after another syrian capital fell to war. escaped with her husband and five youngest children. running.rted i saw them in my own eyes, they man andchering a playing with his head. i ran away with my children. they could not stop crying and had nightmares. >> at the military hospital, they judge the philosophy of the fighting by the number of syrian army casualties they receive. a huge number at the same time. among hundreds of thousands of wounded, one estimated that 18,000 syrian army soldiers had been killed, more than the regular fighting strength of the british army. this soldier did not want to be identified. he lost his arm. >> i am in pain. cannot see that. i do not want her to worry about that. when i get a new arm i will go and see her. >> in this village, everyone turned out after some were killed on the front line. the army's backbone from the as theligious sect persecutors. the syrian army attacks often crave more refugees, and so do advancing jihadists. war makes people flee for their lives. they reported back to

-trained syrian fighters in this fight, so what are we doing to support the syrian kurds as they are effectively pushing back isil on the ground? general austin: we are providing them a tremendous amount of air support which is what they wanted most. as you will recall, ma'am, this is the element -- a portion of this element where the folks that hung on at kobani valiantly. there was question if they could survive and continue on. they increased their size and activity and they made a significant difference in the northeast part of the country. and so what they asked from us over time is sustained airpower, sustained strikes and they have benefited from those strikes. because of their aggressiveness, they made a tremendous difference in the northeast. senator ayotte: so just to be clear, they haven't asked for arms? and how does turkey -- how is turkey acting on the ground here in terms of obviously -- first, i want to know what have the syrian kurds asked for that we haven't given them? i understand air support. how do you view turkey's role in all of this? because as i see it these

their presence is connected with weapon supplies for the syrian army. russian military presence is there to help syrians become familiar with this equipment. >> ifill: others are worried. israel's defense minister said the russians have dispatched an active force and are building an air base in western syria to launch strikes against islamic state targets. and in washington yesterday, secretary of state john kerry raised the issues in a phone call with lavrov. >> he reiterated our concern about these reports of russian military activities-- or buildup, if you will-- in syria and made very clear our view that if true, and if borne out, those reports could lead to greater violence and even more instability in syria. >> ifill: u.s. officials say russian air strikes could interfere with a year-old american air campaign against isis, which is also designed to help moderate syrian rebels. so, what are the russians up to in syria, and what's the impact on the ground? for some answers, we turn to: pavel baev, a russian military scholar and the research director