they're peshmerga. >> oh, yes, yes, i see what you're talking about... what is that smoke that is going up there? >> it's our artillery. as you guys see we have tanks, artillery, (heavy machine guns), and if we see any activity, we just shoot them. >> what do you see? >> we see their humvees and heavy weapons moving. they are taking advantage of these armored trucks >> are all these guys pesh merga? >> yes. all of them are pesh merga but some of them get paid from pesh merga but others are like volunteers that are coming to fight because they think we are fighting for land, not just for money. >> so like this gentlemean is... like this guy. he was injured twice just in this battle. >>wow >> and he just keep fighting >> he's a volunteer? >> yes he's a volunteer >> why is he doing it? >> he thinks this land belongs to kurdistan, and we should take it back. >> if the pesh takes back jawlawla, will they keep it as part of kurdistan? >> they will keep it for kurdistan, and they will not kick any people out.. >> does it seem unrealistic to maintain a policy of

the peshmerga now number up to 200,000. they've played a key role in repelling islamic state in northern iraq, and have expanded their territory. >> they are for the kurds, those who face death. >> reporter: this analyst says the islamic state advance has unified kurds. and cast the peshmerga as the defenders of kurdistan. the word used to describe kurdish areas in the region. >> it's a question of survival. so they have to go and help each other. yes, they can. >> reporter: by giving the peshmerga access to their territory, turkish leaders are fulfilling their pledge to join the global campaign against islamic state without committing, for example, ground troops. now the fight for kobani isn't the only major battle under way in the region. the u.s.-led coalition has been bombing raqa in syria, considered a stronghold of islamic state. fighter jets have also been hitting targets around mosul in northern iraq and the iraqi army is locked in combat with i.s. militants on the fringes of baghdad and in the western province of a

but turkey agreed to 150 peshmerga to go there. but today, the kurdish regional government president barzani said this number, it was based on the demand of the fighters inside the city, because they have told that they don't need foot on the ground, they need weapons and advanced weapons. that's why they just send 150 peshmerga. but other sources -- we talked to other people. they say no, that was the restriction turkey imposed on kurdish government and told them they just allow that number, which was 150 peshmerga. >> just briefly, are the u.s.-led coalition air strikes still taking place on i.s. positions in kobane? >> reporter: yes, it is. just an hour ago, there was a massive explosion, but again, we are not close to the border today, because turkish security forces has sealed off all the roads leading to the kobane border. but from this position, we could hear explosions. the fight is continuing, and seems american and coalition jets are intensifying their activity in the sky of kobane, possibly offering some cover for kurdis

added to the peshmerga, it means around 200 men. but this is a battle where both sides have thousands of fighters. and where isil particularly seems to be able to easily and rapidly replenish it's ranks. bernard smith, al jazeera, on the turkish-syrian border. >> the u.s. envoy coordinating the coalition. he spoke to us about turkey's role in the conflict, and what it would take to knock isil back. >> it's not going to be a short period of time. it's going to take the cooperation of many of the members of the coalition over a period. we're going to combine our efforts in a number of ways. to accomplish ultimately the objective of degrading isil and ultimately defeating him. neglect of the operational requirements of the military forces. frankly, sectarian policies, which replaced key leaders within the iraqi security forces, and i think what we're seeing now, what we're hearing now is that the iraqi forces of the future will be the iraqi security forces of all the people. three training centers they'll be trained and equipped, and r

the peshmerga is here. in reasonable term of the number of the battle behind me and later today and the cover of night, they have gone through turkey with throngs of crowds welcoming them through. the question is how quickly can they start changing the battle in kobani. >> will it be street by street fighting? if you have the cover the coalition air strikes, do they need to go street by street here? >> reporter: effectively to regain entire control of kobani, they will have to go street by street and clear it out. the issue is in the past few weeks that isis positions in the past have been defined. the places they fire mortars from. yes, isis do have the define the position. it is up to them to find the peshmerga side. the ground forces to clear the territory and hold it. the question is, christine, what fight does isis have in it for kobani? >> nick, thanks for that. interesting how that has evolved in the last couple of weeks. not being a critical spot to save for the coalition to now clearly going all ou

where peshmerga fighters are battle. the the peshmerga say they are still out gunned and much of the long promised u.s. weaponry has yet to a i have room. joining us now from washington, d.c. is the director with the kurdistan regional government's representation to the united states. good to have you back on the show. as you know the coalition air strikes continue across much of iraq, there have been continuous strikes in recent days in fallujah, ramadi, mosul. what is the current situation as we have been so focused on syria syria, what is the current situation in iraq? >> good to be back, antonio thank you for having me. as mentioned we are focused on syria but there is a lot of action in iraq. isis as an organization or army has the capability to mobilize quickly and rapidly differen ben different companying are yous and ring us, there is active fighting in the north, peshmerga forces have been carrying the fight to isis. recently we captured the city or the town which is a strategic town on the border of iraq and sy

the peshmerga are expedsitionary force. however, there is a loyalty. there is a professionalism in doing this. and certainly loyalty. they are determined to taking back this land. they are determined to putting these people back to the residents of these towns. yet, what's going to happen is because the pesh is not an expeditionary force, they will do the fight. they will take the fight to isis. they will take back the cities. unfortunately, what's going to happen is you will have a lot of casualties as a result of this offensive. >> now, how about the change in the iraqi government's leadership? as you know, of course, the peshmerga were not getting armed by the iraqi government because of sectarianism there, malaki was using the armed forces basically as an extension of his own power and really became a mostly shiia organization so the kurds were being ignored. have things improved when it comes to cooperation between the iraqi government, iraqi army forces and the peshmerga? >> you are absolutely right on that, antonio, malaki hijacked the process,

chaotic scenes as the peshmerga crossed in last night. these have their hands tell defending the territory in iraq. now with the blessing, they're off to face the same enemy in kobani. turkish kurds kept out of the fight by their own government are grateful. >> this is a nice gesture. no one did what the army is doing now. he extended his hand for our brothers trapped there. we are all supporting him. there was violence too. police firing tear gas and live rounds to disperse kurds angry at being sidelined. the kobani crisis has stirred similar tensions inside turkey where the government and kurds fought the bloody civil war. at kobani this morning, another huge explosion, possibly an air strike close to the crossing where the peshmerga will enter. the situation inside the town remains finely balanced. weeks of air strikes have not driven so called islamic state fighters out. it's thought some members of the free syrian army have cross into kobani this morning. i.s. seems determined to take the town whatever the cost. the turkish military

. >>> we begin with develop in iraq where kurdish peshmerga fighters say they will soon deploy to help syrian kurds in the town of kobani. iraq's kurdish capitol, erbil is only 600 kilometers away from kobani. that's about 8 hour's drive by road. but isil controls much of northwest and central iraq, along with territory stretching well into syria. that's where forces will be air lifted through turkey air space to enter on the syrian side of the border. >> reporter: we have spoken to peshmerga spokes people here today, and they have indeed confirmed that there will be a continent of peshmerga and weapons being sent to kobani today. we have been told previously the weapons they will be taking would be described as heavy weapons. we have also heard from the peshmerga that they say these will not initially be front-line forces. they say if necessary they will push up to the front line, but initially no indication they will be front line forces. we have just come back from the airport where we hear reports that the plane is due to take f off. we did see a military plane in the air, but we h

damascus has condemned the arrival of a first iraqi peshmerga contingent in kobane. for over a month now, the battle has raged for control of the key syrian border town. the u.s. coalition airstrikes backing the effort. >> they came loaded with machine guns and heavy weapons, a convoy of iraqi kurdish peshmerga is prepared for battle, just across the border from kobane. >> we have been waiting for them a long time. all kurds should unite. otherwise, we will be killed one after another. >> the peshmerga's received a hero's welcome. ankara reluctantly let the past room it territory to go and help -- let them through its territory to go and help. turkey has been fighting a decades long insurgency itself and fears the peshmerga will encourage the separatists. peshmerga accuses ankara of violating syria's sovereignty. >> turkey is continuing in its role of aggression against syria. it is very dangerous for the region. >> the turkish government officials dismissed the accusations, saying president assad's regime has lost its legitimacy. ankara has been supporting the separ

where peshmerga fighters are battle. the the peshmerga say they are still out gunned and much of the long promised u.s. weaponry has yet to a i have room. joining us now from washington, d.c. is the director with the kurdistan regional government's representation to the united states. good to have you back on the show. as you know the coalition air strikes continue across much of iraq, there have been continuous strikes in recent days in fallujah, ramadi, mosul. what is the current situation as we have been so focused on syria syria, what is the current situation in iraq? >> good to be back, antonio thank you for having me . as mentioned we are focused on syria but there is a lot of action in iraq. isis as an organization or army has the capability to mobilize quickly and rapidly differen between different companying are yous and ring us, there is active fighting in the north, peshmerga forces have been carrying the fight to isis. recently we captured the city or the town which is a strategic town on the border of iraq a

dozens of iraqi kurdish peshmerga are now on their way to the town. and a contingent of syrian rebel fighters have also arrived to join the fight. >> reporter: for turks it's an unprecedented sight. a armed kurdish fighters being escorted through turkey. the turkish government is allowing around 150 fighters to transit its territory after pressure from the u.s. to do more to stop kobani from falling to isil. turkey is been in conflict with kurdish separatists for more than 30 years, but they don't see iraqi kurds as a threat, so it is letting them through. as the convoy made its way, the u.s.-lead coalition launched more air strikes apparently focused on the border crossing. it's there where the peshmerga might enter syria, and so has been a place that has been the focus of repeated assaults by isil fighters. >> instead of finding a way to reconcile between the different parties the united states now decided to arm more people and train more people, and this will only long prolong the war and it will be more heavy than it is now. >> reporter: the pesh

these are iraqi peshmerga. the turkish government is allowing around 150 fighters to transit its territory after pressure from the u.s. to do more to stop kobani falling to isil. >>> turkey has been in conflict with kurdish separatists for more than 30 years, but says the syrian kurds are no different, but turkey doesn't see iraqi kurds as a threat, so it's letting them through. as the convoy made its way, the u.s.-lead coalition launched more air strikes focused on the border crossing. it's there where the peshmerga fight enter syria, and so is a place that has been a focus of repeated assaults from isil fighters. >> instead of finding a way to reconcile between the different parties, the united states now decided to arm more people and to train more people and this will only prolong the war more, and it will be more heavy than it is now. >> reporter: the peshmerga are bringing heavy weapons with them, it's this hardware that the kurds in kobani say they desperately need. they have held their own with just sma

we cannot confirm the peshmerga forces are, in fact, on their way to kolbane or whether peshmerga forces will be sent at all. the president of the kgrb said he would be ready to send forces to help the kurds, but at the time, he was under a lot of pressure, a lot of pressure to help the kurdish brethren in neighboring syria. at the end of the day, we have to remember something the peshmerga are also at work with isil. and they are finding a lot of difficulties with holding the ground. they share a 1,000 kilometer border. we understand from peshmerga forces they lost even more territory today in the east of the country. so this is going to be a very difficult move. there are forces stretched thing. is this -- is this turkey trying to show the world that it is trying to compromise? it has been under a lot of pressure to do something proposing this thing which sundaying peshmerga forces when it knows it's almost near impossible because we have been speaking to commanders on the ground. they are very upset. they believe the krg decides to send peshmerga forces across the border, their forces

let's talk about the iraqi peshmerga joining the fight. because considering that turkey has its own internal issues with the kurdish population there, could this complicate the matter. or are the boots on the ground, is this what is needed to fight isis? >> well, i think it helps fight isis, anything that we can bring to the fight is a good thing. boots on the ground, always a good thing. and hopefully these iraqi/kurds will have some u.s. training and be better able to coordinate the air strikes. what is frightening to me is the turks are allowing them to work with them. they are going to provide arr t artillery support, will they allow the kurds to bring weapons across their territory? very surprising they will allow this. but if you look at it from their point of view they have taken such public pressure because they have not joined the fight themselves. this is one way they can say well, we're allowing boots on the ground. so i think the peshmerga will certainly add a dimension to the fight on the ground. will it be enough? isis has pu

. >>> kurdish peshmerga fighters are on their way to iraq to help defend kobane against isil. a convoy of heavy weapons is already on its way to the northern syrian border town. a 600-kilometer journey by road. peshmerga fighters traveling by air are expected to land in kirby in the next identify hours. few hours, charles stratford joins us live. give us an idea of what happened when they left. >> reporter: well, it was about three hours ago now that a convoy from erbil here start today move north. it was around about 60 vehicles, including four-wheel-drives, pickup trucks with heavy machine guns, personnel carrier and even buses carrying kurdish fighters. these kurdish fighters were wearing the traditional kurdish dress, carrying weapons. it's difficult to estimate how many men were in the convoy. we hear now that they are in and around the area, which is as i say around about three hours from here. we are also hearing from peshmerga sources that the plane that is here at the erbil air party that will be flying to turkey has yet to leave. but we hear that that plane will be c

added to the peshmerga it means around 200 men. but this is a battle where both sides have thousands of fighters, and isil seems to be able to easily and rapidly replenish it's ranks. >> a syrian government bombing has killed 60 people in a refugee camp in the northern province of idlib. two barrel bombs hit the camp, which houses people who have escaped from fighting in a nearby province. stephanie dekker has more. >> reporter: the man filming this has just arrived on the scene. this is what is left after the syrian regime dropped a barrel bomb on a camp of people forced out of their homes. a lot of what has been filmed is too gruesome to show. a dead child is picked up, and there are mai many more dead. >> shame on you, where is your conference conscience, this man screams. have you forgotten who the enemy is, he asks? there has been fighting between those two groups around the idlib province. this video appears to show of taking control of the village in the area. al jazeera cannot confirm it's authenticity. >> there is a lot of

but up until now, there are not a lot of peshmerga across the border. they may come back, and it's not as if there's a wholesale relief army of peshmerga coming into kobane. i think we're expecting 200 to 150 fighters to help with the siege. >> okay, andrew finkel, also of turkey with what everyone needs to know. thank you very much indeed, live istanbul. >> well, the iraqi army says that it's now making important gains in the fight against isle there on the border. capturing large parts of territory in the northern and central parts of the territory, but government forces have been advanced toward the city of baiji, a isle command center in the of baghdad. and it's vital to both sides to have control of the baiji refinery. >> this is what most of the fighting in isil now looks like. street to street, in deserted neighborhoods. isil fighters are just a few hundred meters of the road. this is less than 20 kilometers south of one of iraq's largest oil refineries in the city of beiji, an isil command center. the defensive to take beiji has lasted two weeks

perhaps everyone trying to prepare the ground for the peshmerga move. time is not on the side of the kurds and isis has a lot of time to prepare for the peshmerga arrival. now many people are wondering if the peshmerga can get in and the important task of reinforcing kobani. >> nick paton walsh on the border. thank you so much. >>> the former navy s.e.a.l. who wrote a book about the raid of osama bin laden is under criminal investigation. in the book, "no easy day" he said he was one of the section members who shot osama bin laden. the investigation is focused on revelations in the book, but the feds are more interested in the information he is sharing in paid speeches. >>> ferguson's police chief refusing to step down. reports his department is disbanding following the shooting of michael brown. we have the report next. so w people the power of the review. and now angie's list is revolutionizing local service again. you can easily buy and schedule services from top-rated providers. conveniently stay up to date on progress. and effortlessly turn your ph

and seemed the peshmerga wanted to supply the weapons rather than fight. but they are going in to fight in turkey. >> we just lost that signal. always incredible when you here the call to prayer at 6:00 in the evening where nick is. i want to thank both nick and also ben wedeman for their terrific reporting on this story. we also have another story that we've been following and that is the washington shooting. we're now learning chilling new details about a school shooting there. we'll tell you what the shooter sent in text messages to the victims before he showed up in the cafeteria with a loaded gun. and a grandfather's emotional reaction to the shooting of two of his family members. [ male announcer ] are you so stuffed up, you feel like you're underwater? try zyrtec-d® to powerfully clear your blocked nose and relieve your other allergy symptoms... so you can breathe easier all day. zyrtec-d®. find it at the pharmacy counter. when you think aarp, then you don't know "aarp." life reimagined gives you tools and support to get the career you'll love. fi

the syrian kurds looking to peshmerga and the weapons they bring with them. and still the sound of clashes pretty intense over kobani today. >> so kurdish forces are providing the air force. and they include a strong contingent of females. >> reporter: meet america's new de facto de facto a lillieallies. these are kurdish forces from the ypg. within the last week, the u.s. began dropping assistance to ypg fighters defending the syrian town, the border town of kobani against isis militants. and the u.s. air power has also been striking isis militants that have been laying siege to that town to support this faction. now the ypg, if you look at their iconography, if you look at their sem bolls, they seem very similar to another kurdish faction here in the middle east known as the pkk. and here's where it gets complicated. the pkk is considered a terrorist organization by america's nato ally, turkey, because it's been fighting a guerilla war for some 30 years. and less than five years ago, the u.s. was helping turkey bomb pkk fighters in the mountains of northern

the question now john is when do the peshmerga arrive. the iraqi kurdish fighters have expected to travel from northern iraq to turkey and northern kobani. the syrian kurds need heavy weapons and hope the peshmerga will bring with them. a lot of confusion now. the turkish president saying he was not sure the syrian kurds wanted the peshmerga fighters to join them. confusion if they wanted that victory for kurds. now suggestions and media reports from the kurdish side that mission may be diluted. we don't have the peshmerga in sight. we are still waiting for isis to pull back. instead, they seem to advance to the center again. and yesterday, sound of clashes is intense over kobani. john. >> no reinforcements, nick and confusion reins. thank you, nick. >>> breaking overnight. a 14-year-old girl wounded in the washington high school shooting has died. gia soriano was critical with head injuries and succumbed to the injuries. her family is devastated by the senseless tragedy. another girl, zoe galasso died at the scene. >> tell me about her.

the peshmerga is also at war with i.s.i.l. and they lost territory in the east of the country today, and what we understand from reports on the ground is that there was a suicide truck bombing that targeted one of their checkpoints close to mosul dam. they have been appealing for more weapons and they too are appealing for more u.s. air strikes to protect the kurdish point in the northwest. he was under a lot of pressure from the streets, kurds were wondering why leaders were not helping their brethren in syria but at the same time, while this will be a very difficult addition for krg to make, there are those that feel that this is just a symbolic measure from the kurds, what we understand from the pyd which is really the force fighting i.s.i.l. in kobani, what they don't need is men, fighters, what they need is weapons, and so far turkey is not allowing weapons to reach them. >> zena hoder in erbil. >>> 48 people were wounded when devices went off in aneighborhoods, baghdad, subpoena people were killed when a suicide bomb are

let's look at equipment the peshmerga forces here have. you can see very old rifles, rocket launchers, and rifles. the kind of thing really that's no match for the sophisticated weaponry that a lot of islamic state has. the commander of this camp here is general ramada. every now and again we hear small arms fire off in the distance. >> translator: they are shooting. we are getting down. >> looks like it's heading our way. that's i.s. fighters and peshmerga firing off rounds. how are air strikes used in this area by americans? are they conducting air strikes in the area to help the peshmerga? [ inaudible ] >> all of us know isis have advanced. even their weapon are more advanced than ours. we have old weapon. they have very new weapon. without air strike, we couldn't stand against them for sure. >> the weapons issue is a thorny one. the peshmerga made it clear, if they're going to take the fight to the islamic state, they need update in weaponry, much more sophisticated so they can take on the militants. the fact is, most want to arm the p

they said, well, let's send the peshmerga in. because they consider those iraqi kurds familiar to their political goals. they also said let's send syrian rebels in. they want to make sure whoever wins there doesn't feel they control the city outright. they don't want to have their independence who easily recognized. it's gotten messy, but finally reinforcements have arrived. >> reinforcements may be the key. nick, thanks so much. >>> in hawaii, a slow motion natural disaster on the big island. as many as 50 homes in the town of pahoa directly in the path of the lava flow from the erupting kilauea volcano. residents are beginning to evacuate, but officials say if they wish they can say to witness the destruction. >> there will be an opportunity for them to remain onsite, as long as it's safe to do so to photograph. it's a mean of them possibly recovering some of their dispenses or recovering from this event. it's also closure because it's a very traumatic experience to go through. it's been drawn out over months. >> over months. s

and in the hours or association those peshmerga are going to have to enter. it's going to be tricky, there are those overhead and we're heard air strikes this morning. there is an intense battlefield there. maybe they want to continue to clear the area behind the official crossing or it could be because isis are pushing back. but certainly volatile hours here near kobani, christine. >> nick, the american government recently had been saying, you know, the fall of kobani was not a critical item for -- you know, for what their goal was in fighting isis. but it looks as though there is a real effort under way here to try to keep that -- keep that city out of the hands of isis. >> reporter: well, certainly. i mean, kobani is not in itself a strategic city. aleppo, the largest city in syria is potential lehr about to be besieged by the regime. the city behind me is visible from turkey and it's become for all sides, a psychological token in some ways. the coalition want to show their air power can push isis back. isis wants to show, with john cantlie's report, that

we need to arm the peshmerga and we do need to have more -- not u.s. battalions of troops, not a group marching in, but more of those advisers and more of those people who can tell the air assaults where they should go. what about that role for america? >> it's a problem for the international community. and you asked me a moment ago why aren't other countries more deeply involved. i will tell you why. >> okay. >> because they believe that the american taxpayers are going to do it and american soldiers ultimately will do it. as long as that signal is out there, that is what's going to happen. i want the saudi arabian government to be actively involved. i want their troops to be on the ground. i don't want them to believe that we're going to do it for them. so, yes, i think we have to play a very strong and supportive role with the u.k., with france, with canada, with other countries. it cannot and should not be the united states alone. >> and as far as the role so far that the u.s. is playing, is that too far for you or just about right? we're leading t

as i say, a significant victory to the peshmerga. it remains to be seen whether they can maintain control of it. >> the kurdish town of kolbane fight continues. a boarder crossing again on saturday, with one mortar landing on the turkish side. street battles continue in the south and east of the town in northern syria. >>> much attention has been focused on the attack against isil in kolbane. activists believe their fight against bashar al assad has been forgotten. >> the syrian region has always controlled the air here, but as the eyes of the world and the u.s.-led coalition fire power continue to focus on kolbane, there has been a significant increase in airstrikes on rebel positions by syrian president bash arrest al assad's air fo e force. >> he is busy and has priorities to achieve military success. it's his first private priority is damascus, the second, the city, of course and the roads between damascus and that place. he is now taking advantage. this time to intensive his military operations. >> since monday, it is reported t

an iraqi peshmerga convoy reached the border on thursday. so far, at least ten peshmerga fighters are joining in the battle against cypress, and dozens more are attempting to cross the border later. more from the border area between turkey and syria. >> the iraqi peshmerga fighters have spent the night in the town near the border. earlier thursday p. about ten of them went in and advanced on something of iraqi before the bulk of the fighters and the fighters make their way in. the belief is they will make their way before the cover of darkness. and the suggestion they will go into the west of the city, an area that remains under kurdish control. the city behind me, up to the line of trees there, we think most of it is under the control of isil fighters, and we saw thursday morning some of them moving around, moving around in fact in an area that had been targeted by u.s. airstrikes, only on wednesday. it's from that area that a lot of the shelling of the border position is coming from the shelling as isil fighters the control of that bored.

nick. >> reporter: john, we understand the peshmerga are currently looking for the best places. when they come in larger numbers to put in heavy weapons and best route for them to take. a lot of heavyi fighting in the past 24 hours. large air strikes yesterday over the hills there. it looks like the fighting near the official crossing. speculation that the peshmerga may be looking for another way in other than the key border crossing. john, hearing you talk then about chuck hagel's comments, it is remarkable after so long, the u.s. intervening purely against isis here where many in fact say the reason isis is allowed a space to create is because of the brutality of the assad regime. so many are allied with the syrian rebels. isis became the people who had the military might and fire power to move into areas and hold and control. i think if chuck hagel is making that case within the u.s. administration, they need to address the assad regime as well. this is turkey who has long said it may be causing people thinking about broadening the u.s. agenda here in syria. john. >> it shows

. >> still no confirmation as to how many peshmerga will be crossing. can the peshmerga be spared where there is such a long front line here with the kurdish region in northern iraq that needs defense. can those peshmerga forces be freed up to go and defend and fight isil in kobane without in any way jeopardizing their defense here. a 1,050-kilometer line, a front line that is fluctuating, that changes every day, that was fighting last night in the mosul dam. we heard peshmerga sources here that there away number of isil fighters killed, including an isil commander. that was with backup from coalition airstrikes, u.s. airstrikes here. there was more fighting in and around the mountains, peshmerga backed up with yazidi militia, so an example of just how fluid the situation is here and big questions as to whether sending these peshmerga in any way will cause problems in defending that front line. >> we've got a lot more to come here, including the latest statistics from the w.h.o. which show a big jump in the number of new cases of ebola in liberia. >> fo

. >> waiting for the peshmerga. people in turkey greet the kurdish fighters heading south. their final destination is kobani. >> we have been waiting for them for a long time. we want them to come. our soul is waiting for their arrival. all kurds shall unite. otherwise, we will be killed one after another. if we unite, the whole world cannot wipe us out. >> the peshmerga were given a hero's welcome as they traveled through largely kurdish areas of turkey. residents watched in frustration as fellow kurds across the border were overpowered by islamic state. turkish authorities have rejected all appeals to intervene. this is where the kurdish reinforcements are going --kobani. for weeks, it has been the focal point of a fierce struggle between islam and state militants and kurdish defenders. the situation is so confused, it's not even clear who launched this attack. the entire region is in chaos. these images show a u.s. airstrike on an i.s. logistics base. as ever more civilians are fleeing and dying, here in syria , government helicopters reportedly dropped barrel bombs on m

there the peshmerga might end ter syria. the peshmerga are bringing with heavy weapons. it's this hardware the kurds in kobani say they desperately need. for more than a month they have held their ground with small arms and grenades. >> bernard you were talking about the heavy weaponry that is going to go into kobani, and it's really -- that is what the kurdish peshmerga have been saying all along that they really need. >> yes, it is. because when you think about it, both sides in this fight, the syrian kurds and isil boast thousands of arms fighters, so the actual numbers being added as reinforcements to the kurds, just about 200 in total doesn't seem very much, but what might make the difference are these heavy weapons. the mortars, the artillery, that is what they say will help them push isil forces out of kobani. at the moment there really still is something of a territorial stalemate. isil control about 40% of the city to the east and the south, and the syrian kurds have the rest of it. the air strikes have help them holding ground. without them they would have been

the question really, i think, being for the kurds when do they see these iraqi peshmerga arrive. the 120, 200 fighters that would arrive, what they really want is the weapons they bring with them, anti-tank, anti-armor weapons to allow them to resist any proper isis counter attack. the suggestions we're hearing from fighters is those peshmerga may move in through turkish materiality from northern iraq, kurdistan, tonight, saturday night or according to kurdish media maybe sunday and of course the ministry says it's a military secret and won't talk about it. confused signals but the suggestion we feel having been moved away from the hill we normally stand on is that something is perhaps being prepared at the moment and may be in the hours ahead they move in from the city to peshmerga, that is the fighting still reasonably intense to the east and the south. a lot of talk about will there be syrian rebels coming to the assistance of the syrian kurds fighting inside the city? that's a lot of noise made by some syrian factions about that. they seem to back up whether or not they can g

and even if it does, will the peshmerga actually send fighters in? >> reporter: well, these are all -- it's very much up in the air at the gnome. no clear callings at all when and if the iraqi peshmerge will arrive. the kurds inside kobane saying the turks having given permission for them to come through are now making it a bit harder, they are asking for a lot of background information on the iraqi peshmerge, they were to make sure none of them belong to the kurdistan workers party. a lot of things going on there it seems delaying the potential arrival of the peshmerga. turkey originally agreed to allow them through after the u.s. dropped weapons on kobane to reinforce the kurds and then turkey sort of gave in to some pressure from the u.s. and said we'll allow the peshmerga through, but we won't arm the kurds in kobane so many a bit of a compromise from turkey, but as i say no, indication yet of when they are going to arrive. but as you mentioned before, the kurds say we need reinforcements now. they haven't had any reinforce. >> and the pressure i

obviously we've advocated and discussed the importance of allowing the peshmerga across the border and the facilitation of that. >> it comes as the u.s. launches more airstrikes near kobane, destroying a small isil unit and four fighting positions. despite those air attacks, isil has continued its advance due to a part of lock of coordination on the ground. >> this is one component, certainly one we felt would be impactful and important to have a partner on the ground to work with. >> in iraq, cent com released this video of aid drops over heavily contested anbar province, delivering 7,000 meals to be distributed by iraq security forces to a tribe forced to leave their village by isil. >> this is just another example of our resolve to assist the people of iraq and deny isil safe haven as well as our commitment to assist forces opposing isil. >> the aid comes at the u.s. and partner nations conducted another nine airstrikes, bringing the total cost of the campaign there to $580 million, and rising. >> considerations for adding funding are going to have to be part of the calculus going f

he says the peshmerga will cross the border and enter kobane. some 200,000 syrians are leaving kobane and entering turkey to escape isil. we report on the challenges they face on the turkey-syria border. >> we believe that most of the people who were living in kobane and it's envirans fled about a month or so ago. there are a few hundred people left. the problem is refugees come over, they bring only what they can carry. they are not allowed to bring cars, cattle, which is why a lot of people were reluctant to come in the first place until the threat from isil became more apparent, so when they come, they have nothing. the turkish authorities provide accommodations to those who want it in terms of tents and they feed them and try and provide education. of course, it's all supposed to be temporary, but the worry for the people who can watch what's happening is seeing what happened to other refer gees who fled in the last couple years and fear that it will become more permanent than they hold. >> coming up, we'll talk about the isil fights and whe

this is according to the peshmerga forces. obviously they're helping. first, isis command yeared a local military trick struck then hit a checkpoint near a dam illing six security forces and injuring others, and at the same time isis militants launched an attack on a valley near the dam. so up to 15 almost simultaneous attacks from isis forces, islamic state forces, against the kurdish peshmerga. we are not involved, with the peshmerga on the ground, but just today the united states dropped supplies in for the peshmerga, the kurdish forces in the north of iraq, in hopes they would be able to withstand an isis onslaught. 15 attacks. count on further updates throughout the afternoon. >> turkey is apparently shifting its policy when it comes to the battle against the islamic state just across the border in kobani. turkey's foreign minister said the country is helping kurdish fighters from iraq cross into syria to join the fight. pentagon officials say several airstrikes pounded targets in kobani and also say the united states has started dropping supplies,

. >> reporter: what seems to be quite a victory in peshmerga forces. we have spoken to a field commander in the area that says his forces have taken controlled of around five villages around the town. zumar as well as the town itself. special units are going through the area swing through looking for i.e.d.s. it's worth note that go al jazerra and our team were there a month ago and the pe peshmerga were certainly struggle struggl, struggle to go take control back of that town and were complaining of being under armed and the town itself has fallen under control of isil and per merlinpeshmerga had swapped sida number of occasion, but it's significant because it's a supply route from syria for isil forces and it's close to the sinjar mountains where we have zeina the love fighting between the peshmerga and isil trying to regain control there and protect the yazidi community in there. so as i say, a significant victory for the peshmerga but it remains to be seen too fast whether they can retain control of it. >>> iraqi security forces say they have retak

. >> we understand the peshmerga who went in to kobane. they went in, they went out and they've been having meetings to discuss strategies. the iraqi peshmerga will be concentrating their efforts on the east of kobane while free syrian army will concentrate on the east and south. the fighting has been at its most intensive. by the iraqi peshmerga, they're giving relief to exhausted kurdish fighters. and the iraqi peshmerga are professionally trained fighters. they'll have the weaponry and artillery. they'll be using that on this eastern front to take on the isil fighters and push them back from there while the fsa and the kurds concentrate on the south and west. nthere was an indication or feeling that the peshmerga will not go into kobane into dusk or in the evenings, and they have the help of the cover of darkness. all the while the syrian kurds reminding us that in kobane the fighting is continuing they have those heavy weapons that they believe will help push isil forces out of kobane. >> turning east why government forces are advancin

added to the peshmerga it means 200 men. this is a battle where both sides have thousands of fighters, and where isil particularly seems to be able to easily and rapidly replenish it's ranks. bernard smith. al jazeera, on the turkish-syrian border. >> the coalition against isil said that the fight will last a long time. the u.s. plans to set up three facilities to train syrian opposition fighters. those fighters will then take on isil and other syrian groups. >> we've clearly expect that the free syrian army elements will be built into a credible field force that will hold it's own and deal with daesh and also al nusra elements, and to be able to defend itself from the regime. we want the free syrian elements to be able to defend itself and defense the innocents, and that's the intent. we're building a free syrian army that can be supportive of the moderate syrian opposition, around as we talk about the political outcome in syria, which is what we seek, a political outcome that does not include bashar al-assad, the moderate

they finally made it, this morning, 10 of the peshmerga went into kobane. they crossed the border on a bit of a reci to check the lay of the land. they probably won't go in until nightfalls so they have the cover of darkness to protect them from any isil attack. >> we know you're getting used to things going on behind. you what exactly is that over your left shoulder. >> that is probably smoke from burning tires. what happens is both sides set tires on fire and the black smoke provides cover for them to move as they fight through the streets, the tires burn a long time. when you see black smoke, it's in variably tires, white smokes, gray smoke tends to be explosions. >> as always, thank you and stay safe. >> a tense meeting in mexico between the families of 43 missing students and the countries president. they told the president they were frustrated over the pace of the investigation. it's the first meeting between parents and the president since the students disappeared a month ago. investigators believe police handled the students over to a local drug car

the question today is when do the peshmerga enter. do they use the appalling weather to get in. will they wait until night? the key question afterwards, the three separate groups inside. syrian rebels and syrian kurds, how do they coalece together? john. >> what does isis have left if anything? nick, one of the most amazing pictures overnight is the throngs of people greeting the forces. nick, we will check back in to see if any progress has been made. >>> to hawaii where the people in the village of pahoa are bracing for the devastating lava flow from the kilaeau volcano. hawaii's civil defense officials say it is a force of nature. it could take decades to stop. >> it is not uncommon for pahoa to last up to 50 to 60 years. and there was a period where lava flows lasted for five centuries. if you are looking at the geologic record, it can last for another 30 years. >> the lava is flowing between 15 and 30 feet an hour. it is chest deep in some places. people on the ground, john, the report is so amazing. explodes trees and crackles all of the vegetation. methane explosions. >>

in a new development turkey opened up it's territory to 150 kurdish peshmerga fighters who began crossing into kobane with heavy weapons. they're being joined by 50 arab fighters from the free syrian army, the rebel group. while media attention is on kobane, forces continue to make gains hundreds of miles of iraq. what makes isil so successful is a question that many are asking. it has a bureaucracy that regulates trade and revenue in the territories its conquer. that poise as daunting challenge for the obama administration. >> it's a principal that sets isil apart from other armed militant groups. a void outside funding. >> it's been very resistant to receiving funding from foreign patrons by the states or private dinars, partly because it does not want to seed autonomy. >> reporter: a strategy patrick johnson said shields isil from targeted movement against illicit programs. it's biggest money spinner, oil siphoned from storage facilities and pipelines. >> isil makes between $1 million to $3 million a day from oil trade alone. >> thethe most heavily trafficked is turkey. says the counci

kurdish peshmerga fighters from northern iraq. after delays, turkey allowed the peshmerga to cross the boarder into syria, bringing artillery and fighting experience. >> the peshmerga are known for being excellent fighters. they are now fortified with heavy weaponry. that's what they're bringing to this game in addition to anti-tank artillery. >> reporter: looking at the numbers here, this air campaign really becoming one dominated by u.s. warplanes. 415 air strikes, 361 of them by u.s. warplanes. overall, it's about 6-1, u.s. versus all the coalition partners combined. but this is something that u.s. officials have not shied away from acknowledging. you'll remember the president said when trouble comes up anywhere in the world, they don't call beijing or moscow, they call us. >> i've got to say, i think you'll agree, jim, still impressive that the coalition partners in this air campaign against isis are participating. that's very encouraging that they're still with the u.s. in this war. thank you very much for that. let's go to t