forces, centered around the city of tikrit. as you mentioned they are attacking from three sides, the east, west and south. they'd like to attack from the north. there's a well-mined path between that and the city of tikrit. what we have heard is that there are iraqi forces according to the iraqi government inside tikrit, but it's a big city that does not mean in the center. it sounds like there has been a significant amount of push back, as part of the operation, trying to push the islamic state fighters southward. they are still in a stronghold a little further north, in the city of mosul. that is where leaflets have been groped. it is speculated that might be by american forces telling people to get out of town, which is usually what happens before air strikes and a ground campaign occurs. we don't know if that's iraqi, american air force or a combination. two, there is come warning of an impending operation in mosul after the operation in tikrit. it's unlikely they'll go on. the focus is on tikrit. >> the fact that they are

tikrit is a city that they have tried to take back twice before. it's a stronghold, the islamic state group, the home town of sus sane, and -- saddam hussein. it's not like amerli, where they were waiting to be rescued by security forces. this is extremely complicated. calls for revenge, sunni, shia tensions and an iraqi military not tested at the best of times. >> where you are, baghdad, they are discussing the best ways to tackle the islamic state group. what kind of conversation are they having. well, the conversation on all fronts, everyone recognising this is not a military strike. this country has been petitioned and fractured. the area has been cut off due to protests and military intervention. there's an effort going on to reconcile, and put together a new government, and to clamp down on the anger. relatives of what is believed to be more than 1,000 young me. they were in parliament. the acting defence minister was telling them, if there were tribal members, do not blame the tribes. this has the potential to make a horrific situation worse

also - the battle for tikrit and mosul. the islamic army ready to take on islamic state in these two cities. >>> a second journalist beheaded by the islamic state group. >>> problems facing somalia's army as it gains more territory from al-shabab fighters. >>> the ukranian president's petro porashenko's office says he has reached a deal with his russian opposite number vladimir putin, on a permanent ceasefire in the don bask region, it's been disputed saying russia is not a party to the matter, so there's no deal. the don bass region is a large wealthy part, where there has been a lot of fighting including donetsk and luhansk. what is doing on here. d don. >> i think a lot of people here are asking questions. the donetsk people's republic - we called them, they hadn't heard of it, and they were as confused as everyone else. what the president's office, president petro porashenko's office - he spoke to vladimir putin early on wednesday, and the two of them reached mutual agreement on a lasting ceasefire, and recognising the

jet fighters and iraqi air strikes to come in and soften up tikrit. it is impossible to push until they get help from the air. obviously the artillery is in there. the snipers is large. tlt a hold back. there are clashes to the north of the city, in the university area, but, yes, there's a waiting game. this is what we have seen in the tactics from further east, that they have to rely on the help. this is why when you talk to the peshmerga, they say we cannot be there in any shape or form. >> waiting, sue, tell me if i'm right or wrong - they don't have the weaponry they were promised. >> they are tearing their hair out. i spoke to the kurdish prime minister saying all the goodwill from the various countries that pledged support, they know the weapons are going into baghdad, but they are not seeing them come up to erbil. they are pleading with baghdad and gave a suggestion - instead of flying them into baghdad and stuck with red tape, maybe, on purpose - maybe not on purpose, who knows - fly them in to erbil, but send up representatives from baghdad t

sot tikrit is further down the lines after clearing villages like amerli. they are advancing towards tikrit. it won't be the first time they have tried to retake it. they have attempted twice. tikrit is saddam hussein's home town and the stronghold. they will not give it up easily. fighting is going op on several fronts. there's tikrit and mosul, where the islamic state fighters moved in in june. the u.s. military hance been dropping leaflets, warning people to stay out of areas where the islamic state group has bases within the city, with the implication that air strikes at least are imminent. >> you mentioned amerli, a town that has been retaken. i know we've had our people in there. tell us about the story. residents of this town. that was fascinating. the u.n. warned while the town was under siege, that there could be an impending massacre. that's because the 1200 residents are turkman, the third biggest ethnic minor city, and the shia a minority within that. they are vouched by arab villages, but the iraqi military broke the siege with the help of the

the iraqi security forces have twiced before to take back tikr tikrit. we're hearing reports that they are retreating in some places in tikrit and in the city of mosul as well, but still it is expected to be a very fierce battle and take some days at least. >> we have seen that, haven't we, with all of these missing soldiers from that area of tikrit. what are you hearing in parliament today about their cases? >> reporter: well, it was a rare appearance by officials from the ministry of defense, and iraqi army generals who painted a bit of a picture of what happened when somewhere between 800 and thousands, as the acting defense minister says, of iraqi soldiers, many recruits were killed by the islamic state group three months ago. they essentially told the relatives sitting in parliament as well as parliamentaryians, but that they were still investigating. and whoever was responsible would be held accountable, possibly even by execution. another is new details emerging of the mass cure of a small religious minority that has been a target for quite a whil

tikrit is one of the strong holds of the islamic state group. it was the hometown of saadam husse hussein, and also where thousands of young men were slaughtered by islamic state fighters when they took over the city three months ago. in parliament today relatives of some of those men -- gained access to demand defense ministry officials and generals what had happened to their relatives, and why they couldn't get any information. they were told there could be a full investigation, that it was still unclear, but clearly something had gone wrong, and those responsible would be held accountable. human rights watch says looking at satellite imagery, shows more mass graves near tikrit, and says up to 800 men may have been killed, but defense ministries here say that number could be up to the thousands. in mosul, americans dropping leaflets, telling residents to stay away from islamic state fighters in preparation for an assault on that city. but still american officials are saying this could make many months to resolve. >>> the u.s. has confirmed tha

>>> the battle for tikrit and mosul - the iraqi government ready to take on islamic state fighters in two important cities. >>> hello, it's me, david foster, you are watching al jazeera life frve from doha. in the next 30 minutes, a video by the islamic state group appears to show the beheading of another american journalist. >> in pakistan - parliament reconvenes amid protest demanding the prime minister's resignation. >> winning the trust. we look at problems facing somalia's army, as it gains more territory from al-shabab fighters. . >> hello there. iraqi government officials are getting ready, they say to, launch an offensive on islamic state group fighters in two important cities, trying to reclaim tikrit and mosul using ground and air power. the is groups occupied the two cities since june of this year. iraqi government forces recaptured the town of amerli. we'll have a report in a few minutes. now live to baghdad, jane arraf joining us from there. we have the iraqi force, the kurdish forces backed up by the american air strikes. strategically, if the town is retaken, it would b

to give you the latest on the car bomb, a truck filled with explosives, north of tikrit. the latest example of a very bloody war going on here. >> and from syria to iraq, the biggest challenge t. in the largest ever mission. nato wants to hand over responsibility to the security forces by the end of this year, but are the afghans ready? >> every day, they hone their skills, on high alert. and the forces say they were almost overrun by 300 taliban fighters, trying to capture the 16 soldiers manning it. >> the rocket-propelled again aid was over this, and another soldier and i were sleeping, and they hit us and they tried to attack, but we opened fire. >> this is the valley, when the mountainous terrain works against the afghan forces and for the taliban fighters. it's easier to see when particular planes overhead. >> they didn't run away, and they didn't go far. people called us with their phones to tell us that the taliban were still around. >> the local commander learns that the taliban are trying to take control of the major road. if 24 artillery isn't enough to hold ba

. >> still ahead, the battle for tikrit. the iraqi government forces fight to retake the strategic town is islamic state fighters. >> three aljazeera journalists have been held in an egyptian prison for 250 days now. >> a rivalry renewed at the u.s. open. >> to all muslims in the world and the founding of a new branch. this is to help raise the flag and return to islamic rule. >> a trained surgeon from egypt, he founded the jihad in the late 1970's and went to afghanistan to resist the soviet union's occupation. this is where he met osama bin laden and joined forces with al-qaeda in 1998. he tops the most wanted f.b.i. list. he has been indicted for his alleged role in the u.s. embassy bombings in kenya and tanzania. he is believed to be hiding in tribal areas bordering afghanistan and pakistan. >> what do you make offal zawahiri's announcement? is this al-qaeda trying to raise its profile with the rise of islamic state in iraq an syria? >> yeah, i think fundamentally it is, i thinkal zawahiri feels threatened. i.s. have now

tikrit was captured by i.s. fighters in june. now iraqi forces reportedly trying to retake the home of former leader saadam hussein by attacking by three sides. these pictures were apparently shot in tikrit on tuesday. they claim it's an aftermath of an attack on government soldiers. >>> a truckloaded with explosives was blown up at the base of an iraqi army base. meanwhile the iraqi air force has launched air strikes on i.s. positions in the city of mosul. john hendry has more. >> reporter: the air strikes are effective in blocking troops from moving from one area to another. they can keep troops contained essentially, which is what those air strikes are trying to do around the area of mosul here in northern iraq, trying to cut the islamic state off from their supply lines in syria. but what air strikes cannot do is fight the kind of urban battle you have in tikrit. we have seen leaflets warning people to leave, that is likely before air strikes and a possible larger ground strike, but you cannot do that strictly with air strike

. >>> iraq's army is in control of tikrit and mosul. >>> washington has confirmed the islamic state group has beheaded a second american journalist. >> we will not be intimidated. >> reporter: and el salvador's worst drought in decades, why people think the government is just as much to blame as the weather it's a. ♪ >> well, hope is growing that the conflict in ukraine could soon be brought to an end. the russian president, vladimir putin says an agreement between ukraine and russian-backed separatists could be reached by the 5th of september, while the two men spoke on the phone, vladimir putin says he and mr. poroshenko have very similar views on how to end the fighting, which has claimed the lives of at least 3,000 people. we'll have some analysis from moscow. but first let's go to harry fawcett in mariupol. there has been reference to thefts. do we know what those are? >> reporter: there has been a great deal of back and forth between the two governments so far on wednesday. it started with the announcement from the president's office in ukraine and kiev saying that they agreement

tikrit is one of the strongholds of the islamic state group. it was the hometown of saddam hussein, and it's where thousands young men, most of them soldiers, most of them young recruits were slaughtered by islamic state fighters when they took over the city three months ago. in parliament relatives of some of those men were gained access to demand of defense ministry officials and generals what had happened to their relatives? why they couldn't get any information. they were told that there would be a full investigation, that it was still unclear, but that clearly something had gone wrong. and those who were responsible would be held accountable. huhansk rights watches says that looking at satellite imagery shows more mass graves on those sites near tikrit and up to 800 men might have been killed. but defense ministry officials here in baghdad say that number could be up in the thousands. in my soul american planes drover dropping leaflets telling residents they should stay away from areas frequented by islamic state fighters expected to be in

military base north of baghdad, as you mentioned near tikrit. what we know is, in june, when isis made those advances and it took over the city of tikrit after it took over moos you will, the next day it claimed it had executed 1,000 shiite recruits, who were based at camp spiker. it released images afterwards showing extreme -- hundreds of young men in civilian clothing who were led by gunmen in those areas, and then other images that came up showing them in some of them -- said to be these recruits, lying in trenches with their hands bound. now, there's been no official figures of how many have been captured or killed in that attack. how many -- and we've heard from human rights watch earlier around that time saying, it estimated 170 to 190. but more an more evidence is coming to surface as you mentioned, new satellite imagery of the areas where they believe these masquerades are, revealed the number could be up to 7670 and human rights watches cautioning this could be a much higher figure. i've heard here from a senior health official who say

tikrit is gearing up. there are attacks on three sides of tikrit. it is operating slowly. the operation in mosul is ongoing. we have action in different areas, but what you don't have is one intensive battle in one place. it seems like what the iraqi forces are doing is sparing firepower, and mosul at another. it's unlikely that the major battles will be going on at one time. we have a number of slow-moving operations. nevertheless significant pushback to islamic state positions has happened in recent weeks. a lot of people credit that with the american air strikes. there are iraqi forces on the ground that have done much to push back the islamic state. and they'll continue to do ta in the coming weeks. >> john hendren there from erbil. thank you for that. >>> devastating floods are inundating large parts of pakistan. the numbers killed in indian kashmir climbed to 160. 450 villages have been submerged. rescuers are continuing efforts to reach thousands of stranded people. floods killed 160 people in punjab province. thanks the area that has been hardest hit. that's the ar

tikrit is one of the strongholds of the islamic state group. it was the hometown of saddam hussein and also where up to thousands of young men most of them soldiers, many of them young recruits were slaughtered by islamic state fighters when they took over the city three months ago. in parliament today relatives of some of those men were gained access to demand of defense ministry officials and generals. what had happened to their relatives, and why they couldn't get any information. they were told that there would be a full investigation, that it was still unclear, but that clearly something had gone wrong, and those who were responsible would be held accountable. human rights watch says that looking at satellite imagery shows more mass graves on those sites near tikrit and says up to 800 men might have been killed. officials here in baghdad say that that number could be up in the thousands. in mosul american planes dropping leaflets telling residents that they should stay away from islamic state fighters. still american officials are saying t

also kurdish and iraqi forces press forward in tikrit. plus -- >> i'm phil lavelle at the venice film festival, where there is a

there are fights in tikrit and to the north around mosul, peshmerga forces say they have closed in on the eased, closing in from two different sides, but they captured high ground around mt zartec. allowing them to see into the valley below, where there are a number of fighters, including in a christian town. mosul is the strong hold of the islamic state and iraq, and that would be a battle to take a long time. we don't expect that to happen in the city of mosul for days or weeks. the focus is on haed eetha, and whether the -- haditha and whether the air strikes will continue. the u.s. says they were requested by iraqi forces. >>> i wanteder what the reaction is to the president's announcement that he'll unveil a plan for wider military engagement in iraq. >> there's a lot of skepticism about the u.s. role. i read a number of comments from people in iraq saying the u.s. should not get credit for the air strikes, they are largely done by iraqi forces. the air force is engaging in the air strikes, i think there's little doubt that the u.s. popes helped to push the islamic state line bac

officials say the answers like most of the bodies in mass graves lie in tikrit. a city isis rules and they cannot reach. fatima says she doesn't trust their government and wants an international investigation by the united nations. 22-year-old ahmed, like many others in this poor farming town south of baghdad, joined the military because it's the only job he could find. his wife cannot speak, nor stop crying. the anguish visible in his father's face. fatima shows me the last time she saw her son alive. in a video clip of a daptured recruits. this one he looks at the camera. it's a message for us to tell us i'm here. ahmed the family is overwhelmed by grief. they don't know whether to mourn or to wait. this is just one story out of 1700, if not many, many more. >> terrible situation there. we appreciate your reporting live in baghdad. >>> the u.s. president barack obama has decided to wait until after november's congressional elections to take on the contentious issue of immigration. that decision to delay executive action has angered many groups on both sides of

>> it's an interesting scenario to the south of tikrit, east of tamala where an i.s. state fighter was attacking an area where tribesman were based, and they joined with the iraqi army to fight against the i.s.i.s. you could see this as an interesting development, that sunni arabs are fighting against the islamic state, i would not read too much into this, we are seeing places like amerli, amerli and tikrit, where they were pushed back from the pro government forces. we are seeing many religions harbouring the islamic state fighters, which are coming to areas and launch attacks in the area. insurgent attacks and mortar and artillery attacks. i was with the az eedy refugee camp to the -- yazidi refugee camp, and they are saying they want to leave iraq because of the sunni arabs. they thought they had a rm relationship with the sunni arab neighbours, but believe they have sold them out. a mixed picture with regards to the sunni arabs rights in this part of the world. >> the united states and britain are sending medical equipment to military personality to help contain t

the iraqi government has tried to take back tikrit twice before. it's extremely important, because it's a strong hold of the islamic state fighters, it's sadaam who sane's hometown and the site of one of the worse atrocities so far. many young men were executed at short range by the islamic state fighters three months ago when they took over tikrit, so it's a very important fight but hasn't quite begun yet. >> why has there been this shift in momentum for the iraqi government? they've had a collapse in the north of the country and now had bit of a victory. they managed to take amerli. what comes next is tougher, because they're venturing into sunni territory. they have help, the united states, other countries and they're not in this alone anymore. >> has there been any reaction in baghdad to the killing of american journalist steven sotloff? >> those images are so horrific, you think there would have been, but there was surprisingly little. i think a lot of it has to do with the fact that things are so grim that beheadings here in iraq are not that

or iraqi air strikes in the city of tikrit last night. we understand that 23 isil fighters were killed in those air strikes, which is a large number when we're only hearing of handful of fighters killed usually in these air strikes. but it seems there has been some sort of retaliation if it was linked indeed in tikrit, we have reports that the citadel has been blown up by isil fighters in the center of tikrit, we're not sure at the moment as to how large that explosion was and how much damage it has done. there was a truck suicide bomb that has blown up on the bridge into the center of ramadi, we understand four were killed and quite a number were injured and many cars are on fire. >> now as each day we also get like a trickle of information or some details about what sort of international support might come to the aid of the anti-isil fighters there. how do group like the peshmerga feel about the support they are getting? >> reporter: firstly, they are very concerned that even though there is so much talk about weapons coming their way,

and some in response there has been an explosion in a citadel in the north of tikrit. one other incident that has happen west of bagdad, we are hearing there has been a truck exploding on a bridge by a check point, four people have been killed there. >> all right. thanks for that, sue. >>> qatar has deenied accusations that his country is financing terrorists. >> translator: qatar will certainly not support terrorists or extremist organizations be it in syria or iraq. what is happening in syria and iraq is extremism. but qatar has never supported and will never support terrorist organizations, which are involved in killing civils. >>> still to come early results in fiji's elections. >>> and we'll find out why these indian students are learning to speak chinese. and in sport, while adrian peterson has been suspended for a second time by his club. jo will have the details. ♪ >>> liberia's president has called on the international community to help in the battle against ebola in west africa, and says all countries have a stake in ending the crisis. he welcomed the $500

officials say that the answers like most of the bodies in mass graves lie in tikrit a city isis rules and they cannot reach. they want an international investigation by the united nations. her son and many others joined the army because it was the only job they could find. the anguish is visible in his father's face. she shows me the last time she saw her son alive, in the video clip of the captured recruits. this one, this one, she says, he looks at the camera. it's a message for us to tell us i'm here. his family is overwhelmed by grief. they don't know whether to mourn or to wait. >> reporter: this is one out of 1700 stories not anymore. >> poignantly sad, tragic story. it's so terribly sad to see. they can see their son there and not know what happened. >> thank you, jaman ha for us there in baghdad. >>> a fragile cease-fire has been rattled by shelling in two separate fronts. shelling hit a pet troll station outside the city of mariopol. shelling and explosions can be heard near the airport. it's not clear at this point who's responsible. it's blaming the other for violating the

>> the wane focus now is on tikrit. iraqi army and shiite militia forces are approaching from three sides, every side from the north. they would like to attack from the north, as well, but there is a well-mined path in between. the iraqi army are attempting to attack that town from all sides. we are told they have been pushed back in some instance wide receivers are not in the center of town. that is an islamic state strong hold. the main focus now is there. what we can expect is probably significant urban combat to come there in tikrit, the hometown of sadaam hussein, an islamic state strong hold. iraqi army or peshmerga forces with the iraqi army have seized the mosul dam. that is between syria and the strategic town of mosul. we've had u.s. airstrikes in that area. there have been iraqi strikes, but mosul remains very much an islamic state strong hold. leaflets have been dropped warning citizens to get out of that area. that usually happens before a major attack, an air attack or an air and ground attack at the same

families say as isis advanced in tikrit, the recruits received orders to move out of their base with no weapons or security. they ended up in the hands of sunni extremists. the military denies issuing any orders and said they deserted. many relatives are holding on to the hope that some of the recruits may still be captive. >> officials say the answers, like most of the bodies in mass graves, lie in tikrit. a city isis rules and they cannot reach. she doesn't trust the government and she wants an international investigation by the united nations. the 22-year-old, like many others in this poor town, joined the military because it's the only job he could find. his wife cannot speak nor stop crying, the anguish, visible in his father's face. she shows me the last time she saw her son alive, in a video of the recruits. this one, she says, he looks at the camera. it's a message for us, to tell us, i'm here. his family is overwhelmed by grief. they don't know whether to mourn or to wait. >> this is one story out of 1,700, and officials are saying the figures might be much, much higher than

their relatives three months ago when the islamic state group overran spiker base near the city of tikrit. they have been demonstrating for three months but this is the biggest and most disstricttive demonstration we have seen. >> so it is just the fact that the islamic state group is such a difficult enemy and getting information surrounding them is hard? >> reporter: part of the problem is it's just tragic whatever way you look at it, because a lot of these families discovered that there had been executions at spiker camp not through anyone notifying them the way they would in other countries. they discovered it on the internet through videos posted by the islamic state group. really gruesome videos. so now they want to know how did that happen? how was it that there was no secure? and they really want to know how they can get the bodies back. families in the street held up photographs of their relatives. they have taken those photographs everywhere. they are just trying to find the bodies to bury and they haven't been able to do that even. >> terrible. jane, thank you. >>> amnesty inte

been able to push islamic forces back from tikrit. al jazeera's josh rushing joins us from iraq with the latest on what's happening both with islamic state and this band of groups disparate groups on the side of the line that you're on, josh. >> that's right, ali. the islamic state ripped across northern iraq and created this enormous threat that every has responded to, and since the airstrikes started two weeks ago they've been able to push them back almost with the same speed towards syria. i think it's quite surprising how influential the u.s. airstrikes have been. still major battles to mosul will be a significant battle. that's a huge city that they have to go house to house so far it seems when the islamic state knows the forces are coming they've been retreating and heading back towards syria. the next questions becomes what happens once the islamic state leaves. a lot of same conditions that created it , the vacuum, will remain. we're seeing politics or war is politics by another means, you're seeing all these groups on the gr

and also tikrit is an really emotional point in iraq right now. this is where the islamic state said they killed 1700 shia officers earlier this summer. we've yet to confirm that, but they had confirmed that hundreds have been killed. just today in iraq we heard a special session of parliament here from some of the survivors of that. there have been protests here released in baghdad. from the families of those victims. they want their bodies released from the central morgue in baghdad, they want to know how this could happen. i visited that base a few years ago as the u.s. was pulling out, and it was the flight school that the u.s. had helped iraqi air force and army set up there. so these were cade cadets going through training. it's hard to imagine how a base that size with 1700 soldiers could fall to quickly to the islamic state. but the fate of those soldiers is becoming an emotional point in iraq that will drive this battle to come. >> josh, help me with this one. there is word that an islamic state group a has been killed in a battle of isla

is took both mosul and tikrit. but now they're pushing to the senator of tikrit. a number of i.s. fighters have moved ahead of that battle. josh, good to see you. what more can you tell us about this ground offensive? >> it's good to see you, too, tony. since u.s. airstrikes started a couple of weeks ago. the momentum on the ground has shifted. it's town after town that the iraqi forces and person measure go are taking. you can imagine the house to house fighting there. but so far the ground forces have found real success. >> josh, you know, there is word that the hi islamic state leader was killed in a battle with iraqi forces. is there anything that you can add to the reporting on this? >> well, yes the iraqi army has announced they killed a local leader as well as in addition to that they secured a major oil field. this oil field that is by mosul. we're visiting up there earlier this week reporting for fault lines when we saw the black smoke come up on the horizon. the islamic state had set the oil field on fire before they recrui athleted--retreated from that area. they're doi

there are now reports coming out of tikrit that the citadel in the city center has been blown up. that's unconfirmed, and that is - a number of sources are hear that from. as we get more confirmation from that, we can give details. >> you spent time with kurdish forces and you've travelled with them. what are they telling you. we went out to the west, right on the syrian border. one that commands mosul and the syrian border. he is concerned about the fact that the - they are looking at the air strikes, the strategy, as how to take on i.s.i.l. it's their dominant force. he says they are limited as to what they can achieve, and it can take two hours for when they cornered a strike on the ground for the jet or the drone to launch the missiles. >> reporter: military hardware heading west. forces shoring up the defenses. the convoy of recycled russian artillery and tanks it not enough to hold the line for longer. in a bunker on the front line, we talked to the field commander, the area of restoration from mosul to the syrian boarder. the general is worried. this peshmerga forward posit

>> it happened six or eight years ago when the islamic state took tikrit. they killed as we are learning hundreds of cadets, persons going through army training. they have not been released to the families nor have the families gotten the details of their deaths or what happened. so it's a very emotional issue here in iraq and there have been demonstrations from the families in baghdad, wanting more information and wanting the bodies so that they can bury them. >> from al jazeera's fault lines program correspondent josh rushing, from erbil, thanks so much. >> thank you joie. >> and to consider the power and reach of i.s, al jazeera contractorror lindsay moran. they wanted to limit i.s.'s reach so they wouldn't be able to reach in the region and even to america. is it true that i.s. could have the reach, the force to come into the united states? >> i think it's a grave concern now. there has been some talk about are there i.s. sleeper sells in the united states. i kind of balk when i hear that term because i think it overstates the danger and kind of oversim

been able to push islamic forces back from tikrit. al jazeera's josh rushing joins us from iraq with the latest on what's happening both with islamic state and this band of groups disparate groups on the side of the line that you're on, josh. >> that's right, ali. the islamic state ripped across northern iraq and created this enormous threat that every has responded to, and since the airstrikes started two weeks ago they've been able to push them back almost with the same speed towards syria. i think it's quite surprising how influential the u.s. airstrikes have been. still major battles to mosul will be a significant battle. that's a huge city that they have to go house to house so far it seems when the islamic state knows the forces are coming they've been retreating and heading back towards syria. the next questions becomes what happens once the islamic state leaves. a lot of same conditions that created it, the vacuum, will remain. we're seeing politics or war is politics by another means, you're seeing all these groups on the gro

also kurdish and iraqi forces press forward in tikrit. plus -- >> i'm phil lavelle at the venice film festival, where there is a syrian wedding taking place. but it's not quite what it seems. find out why, shortly. ♪ >>> the ukrainian government has announced a preliminary ceasefire with pro-russian rebels in the country's east. the ukrainian president has ordered his army to stop firing within an hour, but our reporter in ukraine says the fighting is still going on for now. let's check in with harry fawcett who joins us from mariupol. it is in about an hour that that's fire is supposed to take effect. so what is happening there now, harry? are you still seeing signs of fighting? >> reporter: we haven't seen any signs for the last half hour or 40 minutes, apart from one crack of small arms fire. but just about an hour ago there was an extremely heavy volume of artillery, and rockets coming into our position about 2 kilometers away. we think it might have been targeting a small infantry group that moved off in that direction. one to five

we've got fights going on right now in tikrit, and then the strong hold of the islamic state, that's in the northern city of mosul and the peshmerga tell us their closing in on that right now. >> live in erbil this morning, thanks very much. >> a new video released by the islamic state group show high tech measures used to capture a northern air base, using surveillance drones to help plan the attack. in previous operations, the islamic state group has used google earth to pinpoint other rebel groups. >> president obama in addition to dealing with the is state lawmakers has only a week to reach a deal to keep the government funded. mike viqueira will have more on that coming up in the next half injure there is a rare virus sweeping through the midwest, hundreds of children in the hospital, 1500 cases of what is called the enterovirus have been reported in 10 states. the c.d.c. warns there could be more. diane h is live in chicago. very similar to the common cold. how can a parent tell if it is something more serious. >> that's the problem with this virus. it mimics a cold. the sympto

meanwhile the battle in tikrit is ongoing. tikrit also a islamic state strong hold. >> the islamic state group would like this in iraq to play out as a sunni very shia war. the bagdad administration being see ya -- shia, the sunnis not being treated particularly well by that administration. the groups fighting against the islamic state group are not breaking down shia shoe necessarily? >> they are and they aren't. i talked to a tribal leader, and about 40% of his tribe are shia, and the rest are sunni, so they can cross lines. but the politics are happening in bagdad. those same politics are playing out on the ground here. those shia political groups, they have shia militia hear fighting, the kurds are taking land that they have long wanted to be part of kurdistan, so we're seeing politics by another means. here in the statement from nato, shouldn't be too surprising, because it does border wart of a nato state, so nato's involvement here, you could see that coming down the line. >> right. and that's why nato has to keep its e

meanwhile the battle in tikrit is ongoing. tikrit also a islamic state strong hold. >> the islamic state group would like this in iraq to play out as a sunni very shia war. the bagdad administration being see ya -- shia, the sunnis not being treated particularly well by that administration. the groups fighting against the islamic state group are not breaking down shia shoe shoeny -- sunni lines necessarily? >> they are and they aren't. i talked to a tribal leader, and about 40% of his tribe are shia, and the rest are sunni, so they can cross lines. but the politics are happening in bagdad. those same politics are playing out on the ground here. those shia political groups, they have shia militia hear fighting, the kurds are taking land that they have long wanted to be part of kurdistan, so we're seeing politics by another means. here in the statement from nato, shouldn't be too surprising, because it does border wart of a nato state, so nato's involvement here, you could see that coming down the line. >> right. and that's why

over 20 isil fighters were killed in a bombing attack in tikrit city center. in retaliation we hear reports that the citadel has been blown up in the city center by isil fighters. one of the explosion west of ramadi, a suicide-bomber blew up a truck killing seven people. >> professor of middle east history at the university of michigan, thank you for joining us. let's talk about john allen, he has experience in leading iraqi tribes. how important is it to get them on side? >> well, it's symbolically important to not make this look like an attack on sunni arabs. they'll help with the image. frankly the most people in northern and western iraq are urban, and it's the urban leadership that needs to be brought over. >> what we're seeing is the u.s. taking the lead. how important is it for regional countries to be seen shouldering that burden? >> well, it's extremely important psychologically. this must not look like shia-ruled bag died is aligned foreign powers and kurds to attack sunni arabs in the north and west of iraq. it has to be seen as the sunni arab world

most of tikrit, fallujah and other smaller towns. government forces have taken over the damn near the city of mosul, and are in control of samara, ba cuba and some ardry. barr bill is a province that has seep a lot of fighting. it includes the ancient city of boba lon and is -- boba lon and is home to many people. >>> we have a report from northern iraq on the islamic state. >> reporter: the scars of battle. the islamic state group used houses as defense lines before it was forced to retreat towards the city of mosul. this man came home to find this. the group's fighters moved into the village in mid august. they did not only use the house as a base. they ate what they found and used their koths. they didn't give up without a fight. this is an organization that u.s. officials say is beyond anything they have seen. those engaged in combat say they faced well-trained fighters. >> they placed a few snipers in different houses and did all the way the roads could with tnt. >> reporter: the islamic state may have been pushed back from the

has taken control of iraq's second biggest city mosul and is in part the heavily covered cityit city tikrit. the u.s. justice department has announced tougher measures targeting americans traveling to iraq and syria to join i.s.i.l. >> i'm announcing that the department of homeland security and the national counterterrorism center and the department of justice will lowmp launch a new program. public safety officials religious leaders and the united states attorneys to improve local engagement to counter violent extremism and ultimately to build a broad network of community partnerships to keep our nation safe. few threats are more urgent than the threat posed by violent extremism and with the emergence of groups like i.s.i.l. and the knowledge that some americans are attempting to travel to cungs likcountries like syria a, to take part in conflict, the justice department is responding appropriately. >>> cutting off the supply of weapons to armed groups, fighting political turmoil in libya has been discussed at the u.n. security council meeting in new york. al jazeera's correspondent james b

tikrit has seen fierce clashes as fighters try to take over the army base. >>> the cia says the islamic state group has almost three times more fighters than earlier estimated. the group was responsible for the beheading of two u.s. journalists over the past couple of months. jamal takes a look at how the group is able to recruit so many fighters. >> reporter: rising to permanence after capturing several towns and cities across northern syria and iraq, but it's their brutality that has made thank notorious worldwide, and now america's central intelligence agency says the group known as the kale is -- islamic state is growing. the cia says that more than 30,000 men could be fighting under their banner. there appears to be little agreement or clarity as to how and why the i.s. group has grown so quickly. some experts say the failure of american foreign policy in the middle east is to blame. an cysts argue groups like i.s. and others did not exist in iraq prior to the u.s. invasion. >> that is really a failure with much of the west in how they have been fighting terrorism for the last 13 y

military base near tikrit and two hours north of baghdad. just 12 days later he was lying on a field surrounded by corpses awaiting a bullet to the head. "the new york times" verified ali's story using witness accounts, a human rights watch report, and videos of the massacre published online isis. >> incredible story. joining me now to talk about this story of survival a "new york times" senior video journalist adam elic, he's part of the team that wrote and told the story of the harrowing escape. adam, this is an incredible story. and one has to wonder if he worries about his own life even now after sharing his story. >> thanks for having me on. it's quite an improbable story that he shared with us. you know, it's hard to tell, i mean, everyone in this region worries about their safety to come degree, but right now ali lives in a large city. it's mostly shiite, he's a shiite, and isis does not have a pen presence in this region. he expressed to us that he's feeling comfortable and safe these days. >> and, adam, help us understand how he was

over 20 isil fighters were killed in the bombing attack in tikrit. we're hearing reports that the citadel has been blown up by isil fighters there. one other explosion west of ramadi, killing seven people. >> in madrid to find a solution to the political crisis in libya. right now there are two comple completed governments official invited a representative from only one of those governments. the one they backed. we also understand that the promise of that government has announced a new crisis cabinet. the united nations said lynn i can't is on the brink of a conflict and civil strife. >> those groups want to destroy legitimacy. they want the fighting and the bloodshed to continue. this painful situation is creating increasing desire for revenge increasing division instead of unity. >> referring to an agreement between the leadership in egypt, he had this to say. >> the agreement draft is a violation to the sovereignty of the libyan state. and it opens the way for foreign interference. sect, the so-called government has no power to conclude any politi

iraqis military is waging a fierce battle at the moment on the outskirts of tikrit, saddam hussein's former hometown. they are finding more evidence of mass graves. the latest uncovered just today in between baghdad and kirkuk, a farming community. it was liberated from islamic state fighters on monday, and recently, local people have been finding and today managed to uncover a grave on the side of the road with up to 30 bodies, believed to be truck drivers stopped at a islamic state checkpoint flee months ago, and killed at point-blank range. they have killed at least 17 people, the latest blast went off in a car bomb on a commercial street. at least 12 people were killed. and another blast at an outdoor market, they killed three people. >> kenya's president, she doesn't have enough to process. the president is accused of crimes against humanity. >>> tir an's nuclear program, they have made little progress. the latest efforts for allegations that they are working on atomic arms. iran has insisted that it never worked on such arms. only three of the steps have been taken. >>> india's

it's home to iraqi forces battling islamic state fighters in tikrit and has seen fierce clashes as the i.s. has tried to take control of the army base. >>> a united states spy agency, the cia says that the islamic state group has almost three times more fighters than earlier estimated. the group controls large areas of parts of iraq and syria. jamal takes a look at how the group has been able to recruit so many fighters. >> reporter: they are well armed and well financed, but it is their brutality that has made them notorious worldwide. initially their numbers were estimated at around 10,000, but now the cia says that more than 30,000 men could be fighting under their banner despite several governments identifying them as a immediate threat, there is question why and how they have growned so quickly. analysts argue groups like i.s. and others did not exist in iraq prior to the u.s. invasion. >> that is really a failure with much of a lesson on how they have been fighting terrorism for the last 13 years, and looking at the force on force. you do have to address those root causes, the di

they demand to know the fate of their relatives who died in the battle of tikrit in june. an aeye lance of iraq eye forces have pushed islamic state fighters out of another area. one military source says this effectively ends three months of islamic state group control in the area. >>> and a siege of the town of ameli was lifted recently. these pictures are of the town where people have been celebrating in the streets. here is our report from ameli. >> reporter: this town may have been freed from the i.s. fighters besieging it, but there is still a real fear that there could be a car bomb or insurgents trying to push back in. we with seeing helicopters overhead taking out what they believe to be targets, and the front line is only a matter of 10s of kilometers away. the people here are relaxing, feeling relief, but still not safe. >>> more than a million people have now didn't displaced by fighting in the ukraine. more than 800000 people have bled the border. and paul beban has more from the city of mariupol. >> reporter: the figures really are stark, but they may be chron