so all of those people, now more than 400,000 yazidi s. 90% of the yazidi s, the situation is now--you cannot describe it in short sentences. we are in the 21st century still the given as a gift, the woman, she is $100 for the islamic fighter, and more than 2,500 women and children now they are in the west , one of the peshmerga, army and isis. there are 600,000 in iraq, and more than 3,000 people are being kidnapped, it mean that more than a thousand of families are in tragedy of situations. >> thank you for joining us. yazidi journalist currently with joining us from iraq. now our guests: >> and andrew, let me start with you. is there something different about the objectives, the aims of the islamic state that makes the assignment more than just capturing and holding land? why spend so much time trying to wipe out a small and not very numerous, not very influence group of people who don't share your religion? >> thanks for having me, and your first guest told a compelling story, and it's what prompted president obama in august to decide basically, you know, enough is enough. we got t

before this issue, the yazidi. i think a little people hearing about the yazidi. after this i.s.i.s. attack, i think most of the people in the people here about the genocide. i think when we go back to home. it's a complex issue, because - the problem, it's not only with i.s.i.s. this group of i.s.i.s. are coming from outside. it is smaller group, maybe 200, 300, but the big problem, big issue is that those villages, arab sunni villages surrounding the sinjar are helping them to attack the yazidi. our problem is with our neighbour and friend. this is the big problem. how can we go back to live in sinjar with those neighbours. >> because you used to live in towns with many sunnis, and they ended up helping i.s.i.l., and that is a problem. and you have that in the future, as to where the yazidi will be able to live. i wish you the best in your efforts. it's a horrible tragedy that's fawn upon your people. i hope that something is down to help you. >> thank you. >> thank you >>> >>> "consider this" will be right back. at us... emmy award winning investigative series.

>> i think that it may be before the yazidis. i think after this isis attack, i think most of the people, i think when i go back home that it's a very complex issue because it's not a problem only with isis. those who grew up with isis are coming from outside. it is a small group. maybe two or three hundred. but the big problem, the big issue is that orvilleages ar other villages, our problem for our neighbor, for our friends, how can we go back to live in sinjar with those neighbors? >> because you still live in towns that had many sunnies, and those sunnies ended up helping isil. that was one of the problems, and of course you have that in the future, where will the yazidis be able to live. i wish you the best in your efforts. it is a horrible tragedy that has fallen on your people, and i do hope that something is done to help. thank you. >> thank you. >> "consider this" will be right back. investigative series... fault lines no refuge: children at the border only on al jazeera america >> it's that time of year when hopeful hig

hear about the yazidi. i think when we go back to the home, it's a complex issue, because our problem is not only with i.s.i.s., that group of i.s.i.s. are coming from outside iraq. it is a small group. 200 or 300. the big problem or issue is that those villages, arab villages. arab sunni villages sounding the sin ya is helping i.s.i.s. to attack. the problem is with the neighbour and our friend. this is the big prop. how can we go back to live in sinjar with the neighbours. because you used to live in towns, and those sunnis helped i.s.i.l., that's a problem and you have that in the future as to where yazidi lie, and i wish you the best in your efforts. it's a horrible trend that has fawn upon your people, and i hope that something is done to help you. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> coming up, we will journey to some of the holy sites on earth for a special look at religious pilgrimages. first, google this - the most searched terms of the year show there's more common ground between the u.s. and the rest o

manager of the displaced yazidis. he says they're traumatized. >> some of the women here were raped and tortured. these people watched as their loved one were killed or taken away. huge crimes were committed against them. >> reporter: tired of a life of persecution they say they have no desire to go home even if their towns have been taken from isil. al jazeera. >> 38 people have been killed in a suicide-bombing in southern baghdad. 13 iraqi soldiers are among the dead. >>> a sued bomber detonated his explosives outside of the military base while soldiers were cueing up to receive their salaries. more than 50 people were injured in the attack. >> a man was been killed by israeli fire in gaza. the area came under attack from snipers. th >> we certainly hope that the situation will return and be calm. but unfortunately what we have seen over the recent weeks is increased rocket launching into the sea, which shows that hamas are trying to replenish their long-range capabilities. we've seen a rocket earlier this week fire

so it will take quite a lot more than this i think to end the refugee crisis of the yazidis.quite an effort. >> you mentioned that you were there in august. the point at which it was brought to our attention, what sort of fate awaited them potentially. of course, now it seems that things are changing. would you be confident enough to suggest that this signifies any change in the general direction of the conflict even? >> well, it does seem as though isis has been unable to hold out against the peshmerga assault. and it may indicate that they have run out of manpower to defend all the places which they've taken. we know that they have invested a lot of effort in holding or taking kobane in syria, and it's possible that that has bled them dry of manpower to the point where they're unable now to hold these towns near mosul. but i think that this is, as you say, just the beginning of quite a long campaign, and although it's very good news, very good news for the yazidis who are on the mountain, there are many, many other towns to be taken, and mosul itself is going to be a much d

christians, jews, and yazidi women can all be captured, it says.the document also says a fighter can sleep with a pre-puhpre-pew pubescent girl if he so chooses. it is a depraved and depressing document. these are the victims of slavery in the 21st century. the yazidis wait for those they left behind. knowing there is little chance they will be rescued. paul wood, bbc news, northern iraq. >> we have more for you on our website about the tragic consequences of islamic state's takeover of parts of iraq. there's a diary there for you, diary entries from mosul. iraq's second-biggest city, but people there are really suffering. many don't have fuel let alone basics like clean water and food. that's at bbc.com/news. >>> after kick starting the arab spring of tlech, tunisia has taken its first steps into full democracy after the first free vote in the country since it gained independence in france in 1956. his rival has as yet refused to admit defeat. let's take you to tunisia. mr. essebsi claiming victory, but what do the exit polls say and when can we e

as many as 10,000 yazidi people. jam eel and his family escaped, but they feared for those left behind. >> translation: our people need clothes because they are freezing, and food because 1,000 families are trapped. this is urgent. we need planes to get people off because the whether is freezing. >> reporter: with the weather good, the helicopters load up again. these iraqi fighters are making as many flights a day as possible, weather permitting to take as much aid as possible on to the sinjar mountains, and evacuate many yazidi off the mountain. they say it would be quicker if they had larger transport planes to take many more off before winter sets in. without coalition help, there's little chance that the yazidi can escape the cold. the iraqi air force are doing what they can. many of these people will be left to fend for themselves once winter starts to bite >>> sunni lead ners iraq are accusing the iraqi army of pushing out sunni populations on the pretext of fighting i.s.i.l. an association told al jazeera he

airlifted to safety by peshmerga forces, yazidis are not relatively safe. fighting continues in the region. taking us through how the peshmerga went about breaking the siege on the mountain. >> the leader of iraq's kurds relishes the moment. he's reached the top of mt. sinjar. the site had been under siege for months. >> what the peshmerga have achieved this historic. never expected to win all these battles. >> the sinjar offensive was launched last wednesday, coalition forces carried out assault on targets to allow fighters of kurdistan to move in. on the ground, the battle was fierce. as shown on footage filmed by the soldiers. this kurdish man was among the injured. at the foot of mount sinjar the town is where most of the fighting took place. >> we were fighting in the town, there were snipers everywhere. i had a machine gun and rpg r ockets were targeting us. i got shot by a bullet in the leg. >>the yazidi stronghold of sinjar was seized by is jihadists on august 3, leading members of the religious minardi to flee homes. those who stay behind or subjec

bbc news. >> the faces of the yazidis still trapped.uicide bomber has targeted one of afghanistan's most prestigious secondary schools during the performance of a play. officials say several people were killed, at least 15 injured in the attack on the french-run school. taliban militants claimed responsibility, describing the play as an insult to islamic values. the funeral of a palestinian government minister who died after confrontation with israeli troops is being held in ramallah. thousands of people joined the procession from the presidential headquarters to a nearby cemetery. he was taking part in a tree-planting protest in the occupied west bank when he collapsed. of a potential people of vaccine are being temporarily suspended in geneva are beingaccine temporarily suspended in geneva. health officials from the three worst affected countries met at the headquarters of the w.h.o. to discuss where to rebuild their health care systems once this epidemic is over. >> the potential vaccine arrived in geneva a few weeks ago. testing beg

peshmerga fighters open up a humanitarian corridor to thousands of yazidi citizens trapped on the mountain and claim a significant strategic victory. >>> australia reacts with shock to the discovery of eight dead children and a woman with stab wounds in a family home in the northern city of cairns. >>> and the murky world of online sex and blackmail. we have a special report from the philippines on a digital brand of organized crime. >>> jamie's here with all the business, including a look at the fallout from the falling oil price for the wider industry. >> exactly, stephen. as oil prices fall, so investment falls. workers are being laid off. first in the oil industry, and then in connected industries. and oil revenues fall for governments as well. they rein in spending and the fragile politics of many oil producing nations will start to fracture. we'll be looking at the countries already in danger. >>> a very warm welcome to "gmt." it is 7:00 a.m. in washington. noon here in london. 3:00 p.m. in the iraqi kurdish regional capital of erbil, where kurdish leaders are claiming a significant

. >> we head to the top of the mountains with the man in charge of the yazidi volunteer force. this is their fight, this is their land. he brought weapons and ammunition, but it's far from enough to hold back isil fighters who launch attacks daily in an effort to control the strategic mountain range. to get to his own village, we pass yazidi towns and villages, homes that the volunteer force are determined to take back. >> we feel we need to take revenge because of what thief done to our people. we want to fight them to defeat them. >> this is two kilometers from the isil front line and home to one of the most sacred temples. a truck had driven up to the edge of the village packed with explosives. >> they drove a big truck with other fighters providing covering fire to keep us occupied. we fought well against them and they didn't get into the village. i fired an r.p.g. >> he had left the mountain to reach the kurdish president, who promised more weapons and revealed the push on the mountains was eminent. >> i just came back from meeting the president. he he said we would get we

fighters. >> this man is the manager of the yazidi. he says that they are traumatised. >> some of the women here were raped and tortured. these people watched as their loved ones were killed or taken away. huge crimes could have been committed against them. >> reporter: tired of a life of persecution, most say they have no desire to go home, each if their towns are taken from i.s.i.l. >> reporter: let's move on to other news, and at least 50 people have been killed by gunmen in nearby india. they attacked two villages. it comes after indian security launched a campaign last month. some are dragged out of their homes and shocked. police blame the democratic front, which has been fighting for independence from india since 1998. let's go to the founder of money for women, guns, survivor network, and she joins us from new delhi. good to have you with us. firstly, what are you hearing, what can you tell us about the attack and what happened? >> today it's a very black christmas eve for many of us. it's more than 50 people, including women a

fighters and kurdish fighters are protecting as many as 10,000 yazidi people. jam eel and his family escaped. they fear for those left behind. >> translation: our people need clothes, because they are freezing, and food because 1,000 families need it. this is urgent. we need planes to get people off. the weather is freezing. >> with the weather still good, the helicopters load up again. >> reporter: they are making as many flights as possible, to take as much aid as possible on to the sinjar mountains. and some off the mountains. it will be quicker if they had larger transport planes to take many more people off before winter sets in. >> without coalition help, there's little chance all the yazidi can escape the cold and the fighting. the peshawar and the iraqi air force are doing what they can. many of the people will be left to fend for themselves once winter starts >>> security is tight across iraq where thousands of shia pilgrims are gathering for the festival. it's a celebration at the end of a 40 day mourning period marking the death of prophet mohammed's

sinjar whereas you say that thousands of yazidi, ethnic yazidi people are stranded and there has been on them by isil fighters. contemporary to reports that we have been getting late yesterday and overnight that the town of sinjar had been taken over by kurdish peshmerga fighters, we are now hearing with confirmations from peshmerga commanders that there is heavy fighting and isil is putting up a very stiff resistence, the commanders say that the coalition aircraft strikes on the towns where positions with e the ice it's fighters are has not softened the resistence, and they are saying the fight is going on for this town. the fighters are keen to take this town because it's where a big. [ inaudible ] happened more than 2,000 ethnic yazidi women were taken away by isil for enslavement as sources say. and it's also very important because this is where most of the people who are stranded up on the mountain have fled. and people really want to come back because the weather is getting really cold. >> all right, and i wonder, mo happening he had, what is happening to the people who have bee

yazidi are considered her etics by i.s.i.l. with towns and villages in battlefields lives in camps like this is a reality for members of the yazidi community. every family here is struggling to cope with a loss of relatives who are in captivity or killed by the i.s.i.l. fighters. >> this man is the manager for displaced yazidi, and says they are traumatized. >> translation: some of the women here were raped and tortured. they say people watched as loved ones were killed or taken away. huge crimes have been committed against them. >> tired of a life of prosecution, most of the yazidi in the camps have no desire to go home, even if their towns are retaken from i.s.i.l. >>> in neighbouring syria i.s.i.l. says it shot down a fighter jet from the jewish led coalition. it has reportedly taken place near the stronghold of raqqa. the pilot has been fraftener. 38 people have been killed in a suicide bombing in southern baghdad. 13 soldiers are among the dead. a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a military base and town. soldiers ar

it's now an escape route for the thousands of yazidi trapped on the mountains.ost of all houses were destroyed in the fighting say the man. i.s.i.l. left behind providing explosive devices like this in most villages and towns they lost. one more thing stopping people returning to their homes. >>> and the father of the jordanian air force pilot captured by i.s.i.l. called on a group to treat him well. he is is the first man to be taken by the group, i.s.i.l. said it shot down his fighter jet. the united states says the plane crashed. >> translation: i do not want to describe him as a hostage. i call him a guest. he is a guest among brothers of hours in syria's islamic state. i ask them in the name of god, and with the dignity of the prophet mohammed, peace be with him, to receive him as a guest and treat him well. >> a firebomb attack in the west bank left an 11-year-old badly burnt. her father was i'm jurd in the attack. the confrontation along the gaza strip on wednesday, in which a hamas member was shot dead and a shoulder badly injured. into police in israel

i mean, some years ago the prince of the yazidis argued for an enclave just for the yazidis.ou know, that feeling has been there for some time. they feel unprotected more so now of course. >> you pose such an important question. and it's worth, perhaps, just reflecting on what part of the world we're dealing with. mesopotamia, the land between two rivers, as it's called. this is the fertile crescent. this is the birthplace of so many religions that have actually lived in relative peace for thousands of years. whether christians or a whole variety of religions stem from this corner of the world, alloites, turkmen, they have lived in peace, they have and they can do again, but we shouldn't overestimate how vulnerable they will now feel. and when i visited a number of the refugee camps, this is exactly what they were concerned about. this is why the iraqi government must be inclusive in ensuring they are represented politically but also protected physically using the correct makeup of national guard. >> do you think those -- like the yazidis and many of whom were rescued from mt

it's where at least 1,000 families from the yazidis community have taken refuge.here is a corridor that has been opened through which the yazidis can escape. >> this hand under the auspices of the president himself to move all the way to mount sinjar, to liberate a vast area, and also to be able to rescue those yazidis people that are trapped on mount sinjar. >> reporter: kurdish forces have gaped nearly 700 square kilometers. this opens the way for families to leave but they have to navigate through land mines planted by isil fighters. about 50 kilometers away is this village. burn-out houses and bullet ridden walls are evidence of the fierce fighting. kurdish forces are now said to be marching towards isil's main military base. they have also retaken ground from isil near the west of mosul, but they say they can only do so much alone. >> we do not want peshmerga to be the only one goes into areas to have political ramifications. liberation of mosul will require our forces and the iraqi government military. >> reporter: at least 8,000 peshmerga fighters were invo

a fire fight delayed the evacuation of the last yazidi trapped there. i.s.i.l. took control of the towns at the foothills of the mountains in august. >> reporter: kurdish forces are on the offensive, determined to secure the significant gains made against i.s.i.l. in the sinjar mountains. it's where at least 1,000 families from the yazidi communities have taken refuge. the kurdish forces victory allowed a corridor to be open through which the yazidi can escape. this is an operation that happened under the auspices of the president himself, to move all the way to mt sinjar, to liberate a vast area, and to be able to rescue those yazidi people that are trapped on mt sinjar. >> reporter: kurdish forces gained nearly 700 square kilometres of i.s.i.l.-held territory along the route. it opened the way for stranded families to leave, but they have to navigate through landmines planted by fighters. 50km from sinjar is the village of coban. burnt-out houses and bullet ridden walls are evidence of the fighting. >> kurdish forces are marching to the i.s.i.l. area. they hav

this is the manager of the camp for displaced yazidis.says they are traumatized. >> translator: some of the women here were raped and tortured. these people watched as their loved ones were killed or taken away. huge crimes have been committed against them. >> reporter: most of the yazidis in these kemps say they have no desire to go home. even if their towns are retaken from isil. >>> 38 people have been killed in a suicide bombing in southern bagdad. 13 iky soldiers are among the dead. a suicide bomber blew himself up when seouleders were queueing up to receive their salaries. more than 50 people were injured in the attack. >>> israeli forces have killed a palestinian man along the gaza border. the israeli army says their guards came under fire by snipers. >>> the u.n. special envoy to libya says warring factions have agreed to hold a new round of peace talks next year. meanwhile fighting is continuing. >> reporter: running battles in libya's second city of benghazi are intensifying. between forces loyal to renegade renegade general and

sinjar has been where isil halls committed some of the worst atrocities against ethnic yazi yazidis. >> thanks to god we've opened and control all the roads and broken the siege on sinjar mountain. today we've liberated the whole area. the liberation was not part of our plans, but we've been able to take control of a large portion of it. our brave peshmerga are ready to teach a listen to anyone who dare attack our people. >> reporter: jets belonging to the u.s.-led coalition are cutting out airstrikes against isil positions in and around the town isil fighters took the town of sin air in august. forcing many to escape to the mountain. they've been trapped there ever since. they began fighting early this week but they sustained heavy casualties. peshmerga troops and allies travel in vehicles with bright colors to avoid being bombed by coalition aircraft. >> it means that now more aid can preach the yazidi in the mountain. al jazeera al jazeera, erbil. >> at least 11 people were killed and medical sources say that dozens more were injured in a residential area of the city. there has be

to some yazidi families the help came too plate. they say that isil fighters captured women and girls earlier this year. we have reports that the families fear that their loved one have been sold as sex slaves. >> reporter: whenever the family comes together, the conversation is dominated by the missing gi girl she was kidnapped four months ago. the pain is unbearable for her family. >> our village was the first to be attacked by isil. we defended ourselves until we ran out of ammunition. they entered the village and started killing people. we fled. my daughter was one of those taken. >> reporter: he says that he fears his young daughter has been sexual abused by isil fighters. in another tent we met with another family. their daughter was abducted by isil together with her four children. in all, they have had nine members kidnapped by isil. >> we don't want anything else from the kurdish government, united nations or the international coalition. all we ask from them is to return our kidnaps relatives. >> reporter: the yazidis are c

a lifeline for yazidis, forced to flee months of fighting. these helicopters are the first, the only way they can escape and receive supplies. a mad scramble for safety. this man and his family, from a lack of water and food, have fled again and again as i.s. attack village after village. separated from her family, nadia cradles a 10-day-old baby. she's worried about her daughter's future. those who have stayed behind form a rag tag army of old men and farmers. fear is everywhere. islamic state's positions are less than a mile away. after living in these lands for several centuries, this is the first time yazidis have had to take up arms to protect their families. this is a gentle and shy 14-year-old. his life has changed completely. >> translator: i want to go to school, but right now, i must learn how to use a gun to protect our land. >> reporter: we spent a night in the camp as villagers told us what happened to them. this man and his family help others, but then their home was also attacked. now she says she is still afraid. >> translator

front line, home to one of the yazidis sacred temple. a truck had driven up to the edge of the village, packed with explosives. >> translation: they drove a big truck with other fighters providing covering fire. we fought well. they didn't get into the village. i fired an rpg, and it was on target. >> his commander said he had left the mountain to meet the kurdish president who promised more weapons. the push was imminent. >> translation: i came back from meeting the president. he gave his word that he'd get them as soon as possible. i am sure if we got the weapons, he'd drive i.s.i.l. out of the whole area. not today, we are under attack with five mortars falling within 30 meters of his home. the push on i.s.i.l. positions surrounding the mountain cannot come soon enough. we are advised to leave, but with i.s.i.l. on three sides, we have no choice but to climb up the mountain, a 5km uphill hike. >> we are walking up the mountain. there's too much hassle. i can see plumes of smoke, aiming at the church we were filming at. >> kurdish forc

one of the yazidi women said, i basically want to die. those men raped our bodies and souls.o the experiences mark women forever? >> of course, they mark women forever, and they mark their whole societies. women are attributed a certain role in society just as men are, but men are supposed to protect these women, especially in more traditional societies. this is why they are used as objects of war rather than subjects. as a consequence, this affects people society because the victors will have claims that the men could not protect their women. i would like to point out one thing. i think we need to be careful when we talk about the dignity having been destroyed. in my opinion, it is the rapist who has the lack of dignity. i think we need to reinforce that image. it is the rapist's fault. >> certainly, that would seem to , butterly correct subjectively of course, there are deep scars. the who says that violence against women is a major public health problem. >> it is a major public health problem. it affects not only the women. it affects women physically. it affects women psy

it's where at least 1,000 families from the yazidi communities have taken refuge. >> this has happened under the auspices of the president himself. to liberate a vast area of kurdistan, and also to be able to rescue those yazidi people who are trapped on mount sinjar. >> this was isil-held territory along the route of zumar and mount sinjar. this opens a way for stranded families to leave, but they have to navigate through land mines planted by isil fighters. this is the village of kobane. evidence of the fierce fighting that took place here, kurdish forces say they're now marching to isil's main military base, but they say there is a limit of what they can achieve on their own. >> we do not want peshmergas to be the only one going in to the areas to have some political ramifications. liberation of mosul require participation, especially the iraqi government, military. >> many say that more than 8,000 peshmerga fighters were involved to break the siege of the sinjar mountains, but knowing how fast isil can change its tactic notice battlefield, it could be far from over. on the other fr

isil and the suffering of the yazidis. that's "inside story." >> hello, i'm ray suarez.

courage and -- kurdish and yazidi fighters trying to retake the town.oping to break the line between mosul and syria. let's bring in a journalist in baghdad. the iraqi prime minister has said this victory for the peshmerga, the kurdish fighters, is a victory for all of iraq. that is a different take than deprive mr.'s predecessor. tell us about that. >> the incoming of prime minister abadi changed the battlefield with is. also the current situation on both front lines, mount sinjar and the town of tel afaar the data fields are close to each other. there will be cooperation on the political and military level. you mentioned cooperation on the military level, could there be cooperation from the iraqi army and peshmerga to take mosul? >> definitely cooperation will increase. especially the close distance between both battlefields, mount sinjar is controlled and operated by kurdish peshmerga and the yazidi, tal afar is controlled by iraqi fighters and paramilitary troops. >> thank you for that reporting from baghdad. france has been hit by a second attack i

. >> in iraq, the corridor for thousands of yazidi to escape is gaining momentum. i.s.i.l. captured thousands. the group appears to be pulling --. we have this where were from a village taken by the forces. >> reporter: kurdish forces take the flag. they want to make clear who is here. they took back swathes of land from i.s.i.l. here is the man leading them. the general assess the offensive has been a success. >> we have gotten strategic territory back from i.s.i.l. we seized loads. whoever controls the areas has the upper hand. >> up to s and villages he covered are deserted. most of the resident live in champ or have crossed the nearby syrian border. >> this newly re taken town rebuilt is number of tactics used on air strikes. there have been tyres to create a smoke stream. i left a network of tunnels that they used around town. they used doors of abandoned houses to cover the tunnels. and as the fighting reached the up to , so did the air strikes. here the base lies in ruins, it was hit by the collision yetts, supporting the peshmerga objective. >> translation: air stri

has committed some of the worst atrocities against ethnic yazidis. the president of the region, masud barzani visited troops on the front line. he also visited displaced families. >> thank god we've opened and controlled all the roads and broken the siege on sinjar mountain. liberation of the center of sinjar town was not part of our plans but we have managed to take control of a large area of it. we will not leave any member of the terrorist on any area which our brave peshmerga who dare to attack our people. >> peshmerga fighters are supported in their effort to take sinjar by ethnic yazidi fighters. cutting out air strikes against i.s.i.l. position he in and around the town. i.s.i.l. fighters captured the towns of sinjar and zumar in early august, escaping to the mountain, they have been trapped there evere since. peshmerga fighters managed to carve out an area of the mountain but treating many survivors. travel in a convoy of vehicles with bright colors. it's to avoid being bombed by coalition aircraft. have. >> and that was al jazeera's mohamed

it's where 1,000 families from the yazidi communities have been taking refuge. they have been under siege for two months. the taking over the town by the kurdish fighters means that they can now go back to their homes. but isil fighters insist they're still in sinjar. peshmerga claim to have taken areas held by the isil. >> to move all the way to mount sinjar, to liberate and rescue those yazidi. people trapped on mount sinjar. >> they claim they have taken what was once isil-held territory. this offensive force families to leave but they have to navigate landmines planted by isil fighters. houses and bullet-riddled walls are everywhere, evidence of fierce fighting that took place here. kurdish forces say they're marching towards isil's main military base, but they say there is a limit to what they can achieve on their own. >> we do not want peshmergas to be the only ones going into the areas to have political ramifications. liberation o require participation of iraqi government and military. >> more than 8,000 peshmerga fighters were involved in the oppression-

it's where at least 1,000 families from the yazidi community are taking refuge. they have been under siege for more than two months. the retaking of the town by the kurdish fighters means they can now return to their homes. but isil fighters dispute the peshmerga claim. they insist that they're still in sinjar. kurdish forces also claim nearly 700 square kilometers as isil-held territory along the route to sinjar mountains. >> to move all the way to sinjar, to liberate and to rescue those yazidi people who are trapped on mount sinjar. >> kurdish forces say they've gained nearly 700 square kilometers of what was isil-held territory along the route to mount sinjar. this offer as way for stranded families to leave, but they have to navigate through landmines planted by isil fighters. this is a village about 50 kilometers from sinjar. burned out houses and bullet-riddled walls are everywhere. evidence of fierce fighting that took place peer. but they say that there is a limit to what they can achieve on their own. >> we do not want peshmerga to be the only ones going

they claim to have made significant gains after battles to free the minority, yazidis.a, according to the fighters remains dangerous. >>> one of the main suspects in the mumbai attacks of 2008 has once again detained. 24 hours earlier, zaki ur rehman lakhvi was released on bail, infuriated india. >>> there have been rallies across pakistan to remember the 141 people killed by the taliban on tuesday. most of the victims were children. >>> shia houthi rebels have been targeted in a series of attacks in yemen on thursday. the worst took place in a town north of the capitol where 16 houthi fighters were killed. >> reporter: just north of the capitol sana'a, three improvised explosive devices hit houthi fighters. dozens were killed and many others were injured. there has been arrests in the town over the last weeks when houthi rebels stormed the homes of tribal leaders and destroyed a number of schools. in the western sea port a suicide bomb attacked was carried out against a headquarter for houthi rebels. several people were killed including the attackers. also a military c

there are 20 yazidis girls that escaped from isis captivity. torteur and rape and sexual violence suffered by girls of the yazidis minority and the group called the islamic state highlights the savagery of is sis rule. 300 u.s. troops arrived in the base and brought with them tanks and armorred vehicles and rocket launchers. the pentagon said the u.s. troops from the 82 air-borne will not be engaged in combat. >> but they have the combat material it would seem. >> a reminder to all of our forces that are serving overseas how far away from home. and thank you for all of you for what you do. we got word in sony pictures have given the go ahead to show the movie "the interview" it will be screened in a now hundred independent theaters. and one movie tweeted hash tag victory. the interview is a comedy about two journalist hired to assassinate north korea leader kim jong-un. and the nation's largest movie chains decided not to show the movie. and sony confirming that it will allow the release of that movie in independent theaters. that is good news.

workers are the rights group interviewed more than 40 yazi yazidis. they say militants abducted hundreds, possibly thousands, of women and girls. many of the victims were taken to iraq's second largest city mosul. and they say some of the girls were so traumatized they took their own lives. amnesty officials are calling on members of the international community to take action to support the victims. >>> u.s. authorities have indicted five men for smuggling dozens of guns on commercial flights. prosecutors say the group includes a delta airlines baggage handler and a former delta employee. the prosecutors say the five men are aged between 24 and 54. they say from may through december the former delta employee took 17 delta flights from atlanta, georgia, to new york. they accuse him of smuggling 153 assault weapons in carry-on bags. the prosecutors say the delta baggage handler set the process in motion by first getting the guns past security at atlanta airport. he allegedly dropped bags containing the firearms at a rest room near the departure lobby. t

committed some of the worst atrocities against ethnic yazidi. the president of the kurdistan region of government visited troops on the sinjar frontline. he addressed the displaced families. >> translation: thanks to god we have opened and controlled all the road and broken the siege imposed on sinjar mountain. we have liberated the whole area. liberation on the center of town was not part of the plans. we have managed to take control of a large area of it. we'll not need any member of the terrorists in any area. we are ready to teach a lesson to anyone who dare to attack our people. >> peshmerga fighters are supported in the effort to take sinjar. jets belonging to the u.s.-led coalition are carrying out air strikes against i.s.i.l. positions in and around the town. i.s.i.l. fighters captured the towns of sinjar in early august, prompting tens of thousands from the yazidi minority to escape to the mountains. fighters managed to open a corridor for the mountain, but they sustained cas uties. they are treating the wounded at a base on top of the

last week they opened a corridor to help thousands from the minority yazidis community escape. for some help came too late. as mohammed reports, the families fear some of their loved ones have been sold as sex slaves. >> reporter: whenever this family comes together, their discussion is dominated by their missing daughter. the 17-year-old was kidnapped by isil fighters when they attacked the village mere the sinjar mountains four months ago. the pain of loving her is unbearable for her family. >> translator: our village was the first to be attacked by isil, we defended ourselves until we ran out of ammunition. they then entered the village and started killing people. we fled. my daughter was one of those taken. >> reporter: he fears his young daughter has been sexually abused by isil fighters. in another tent, we met this family. their daughter was abducted by isil together with her four children. in all the extended family has had nine members kidnapped by isil. >> translator: we don't want anything else from the kurdish government, united nations or the international coalitio

without coalition help there's little chance that the yazidi can escape the cold and the fighting. the peshawar and the iraqi air force are doing what they can. many will be left to fend for themselves. sue turton. al jazeera on the iraq border. >> there are as many as 2 million people living in camp in iraq >>> big protests over grand jury decisions in the eric garner and michael brown cases. protesters took to the streets in new york city, houston and even hollywood. most protests were peaceful. the demonstrations says more were to come. ross shimabuku is here with more on that. what is happening. four days of protests. it appears that they are not letting up. >> exactly right. people are not letting up. from one end of the country to the other. the cases of michael brown and eric garner struck a nerve not seen in some time. >> reporter: in new york city heavy rain did not stop the protesters from hitting the streets. >> please stop, i cannot breathe. >> reporter: at grand central station protesters simulated a chokehold in the light of a grand jury decision not to indict officer

and entered neighborhoods on the outskirts of town lifting the blockade for thousands of trapped yazidisd two bomb go ahead in northern nigeria have killed 27 people and injured more than was in a bourque and one in the a bus indications. >>> results are expected soon in elections in indian-administer kashmir. no party is poise today get a majority in the disputed region which is routinely hit by violence and separatist boycotts. >> reporter: they came out in droves. defying calls for a boycott bicep tests. and despite recent flood waters, voting in indian-administered kashmir came to have their voices heard. many were angered by the election so soon after the flooding, a large number of people still ended up voting. she is a candidate for the hindu national assists b.j. p. a party hopeful the of its chances in the muslim majority area. people in the state have had enough and want politicians to do more. >> translator: the changes for the development, we could not see any developments since decades, we have the same roads, we have sim hospitals with. [ inaudible ] facilities silts, nothi

got involved in iraq, under the pretense of helping the yazidis who were facing genocide at the handsn mount sinjar, five months the pentagon confirmed that some yazidis are still trapped on mount sinjar facing certain death from isis. u.s. planes have not been able to protect the i can't seed differents and they have not been able to rescue them. they are telling the girls to cover themselves from head to toe and in areas they control, they are eliminating any women from public life, bill. >> going to be a big deal in the new year. jennifer griffin from the pentagon this morning. molly. >> new poll showing what our troops think of the commander-in-chief. the numbers not good for president obama. what he could do to turn around the record low approval numbers. bill: they're planning funerals for two murdered police officers as the mayor bill de blasio faces major fallout. some are calling for him to resign now. former new york governor george pataki joins us with more on that in a moment and this. >> you look at what's the rhetoric of the last few years from obama, holder, de blasio,