aleppo could be under siege and about to fall. that would be catastrophic. the islamic state of iraq and levant is on the other side. aleppo has been an urban battle ground and the government has targeted opposition areas. people are complaining about the rise in the price of gasoline and other goods. around 300,000 people are in rebel areas. the u.n. has what it calls an action plan to ease the suffering. the initiative has been discussed in damascus. he hopes it can start in aleppo. >> it's good, because the resolutions are requesting the stoppage of certain activities, which related to the conflict. it could be a good example of how this could be implemented. >> reporter: aleppo threatened this, but it is seen as an opportunity. even though it would mean an unlikely alliance the government and aleppo fighting i.s.i.l. together. >> translation: the regime is advancing, aleppo could be under siege, about to fall. it could be catastrophic. the islamic state of iraq and levant is on the other side. >> reporter: i.s.i.l. controls the countryside in the north-e

and aleppo could be a good example of seeing how this can be implemented. >> reporter: aleppo is also threatened by the islamic state in iraq and the lo levants. he sees this as an opportunity. even though it would mean an unlikely alliance of the government and the recognizes fighting isil together. >> translator: the regime is advance being. aleppo could be under siege and is about to fall. and that would be catastrophe. also the islamic state in iraq and the levant is on the other side. >> reporter: isil controls the eastern country side in the northeastern entry points in to aleppo. the rebels have been losing ground. but not just to the military, to isil as well. and as of late, they have been facing a new challenge, syria's al qaeda branch nusra has recently overran their areas in the northwestern province of i.dihad lib. the rebels belong to go the opposition would lose their last strong hold in the opposition-controlled north. the government and the moderate rebels do have common enemies, isil and nusra, but it's not clear if they will look at the conflict this way. zeina, al

> how much suffering is there in aleppo now? >> every single people have been killed by shelling all with guns. blast cars, bombings, everything, everything. >> 21 of their colleagues have been killed. 50 have been injured. but sometime they perform miracles. in july they dug through a collapsed building. they discovered a baby alive. these are the moments that despite all the death, the white helmets live for. >> it was incredible moment, incredible. we all cried, actually, all cried because we save one life, a baby. >> and what happened to the boy's family? >> all of them have been killed. all of them. all of them. >> in kobani despite the u.s. support the city's defenders suffer heavy losses. five caskets in five freshly dug graves. these days, these men and women do this often. they erect head stones so quickly the names are written in paint. >> there will be burials funerals and blood. the blood will be knee-high. we need weapons. we need support. >> reporter: here, they still believe in the possibility of victory and it's

that that allows allows the government to the government to pound aleppo. pound aleppo. the violence is the violence is terrifying. terrifying. the syrian civil defense in the the syrian civil defense in the white hats are fearless. white hats are fearless. they rush to every bomb site, they rush to every bomb site, even before the war two of even before the war two of teachers. teachers. >> how much suffering is there >> how much suffering is there in aleppo in aleppo now? now? >> every single people have been >> every single people have been killed by shelling all with killed by shelling all with guns. guns. blast cars, bombings, blast cars, bombings, everything, everything. everything, everything. >> 21 of their colleagues have >> 21 of their colleagues have been killed. been killed. 50 have been 50 have been injured. injured. but sometime they perform but sometime they perform miracles. miracles. in july they dug through a in july they dug through a collapsed building. collapsed building. they discovered a baby alive. they discovered a baby alive. these are the momen

if accepted the truce would be tested in aleppo. that may come as a reprieve to rebel fighter. >> reporter: this counter offensive is about recapturing supply lines. syria's rebels need to win this battle to hold on to the neighborhoods they control in aleppo. over recent weeks syrian government troops have closed in on the main roads that link the city to turkey. they have the rebel-held east of aleppo surrounded. >> translator: the regime is advancing. aleppo could be under siege and is about to fall. also the islamic state of iraq and the levant is on the other sight. >> reporter: this has been a battleground for more than two years, and in recent months the government has targeted opposition neighborhoods with nearly daily barrel bombs. estimates say around 300,000 people remain in rebel areas. the u.n. now has what it calls an action plan to ease the suffering. this man has been discussing the initiative in damascus, and he hopes the fight willing stop starting in aleppo. >> the stoppage of certain activities related to the con

aleppo could be under siege and is about to fall. and islamic state of iraq and the levant is on the other side. >> reporter: aleppo has been a battleground for more than three years. and the government has targeted opposition neighborhoods with near daily darrell d -- barrel bombs. they have been discussing the initiative in damascus, and he hopes they are start in aleppo. >> the security council resolutions are requesting in fact the stoppage of certain activities which are related to the conflict, and aleppo could be a good example. >> reporter: aleppo is also threatened by islamic state of iraq and the levant. he sees this as an opportunity even though it would mean an unlikely alliance of the government and rebels fighting isil together. >> translator: the regime is advancing. aleppo is about to fall and that would be a catastrophe. >> reporter: al jazeera america controls the countryside. the rebels have been losing ground but not just to the military, to isil as well, and as of late they have been facing a new challenge. syr s

. >> how much suffering is there in aleppo right now? >> every single people in aleppo have been killed by shelling . bombings, everything, everything. >> at the turkish border correspondent nick schifrin with an on the ground view of the fight against i.s.i.l. and why there's so little hope for salvation. and in the home stretch of the race, to america votes 2014, they want your vote. your chance to say what you want from them. #dear congress, how you can be heard. good evening, thanks for joining us. i'm joie chen. we begin with a pull of something so hard for some of us to understand, how kids born and raised in the west, can be drawn to ideology that strikes terror in the world. a lone gunman taking his rampage into parliament buildings two weeks ago . michael bibeau had been lured into violent jihad. one of many. in our "america tonight" exclusive, our sheila macvicar gives us the exclusive of a mother who saw her child drawn into terrorism. >> first picture with santa ever. >> look at the bow-tie. >> christianne has memories of her

aleppo could be under siege and is about to fall. that would be catastrophic. always the islamic state of iraq and the levant is on the other side. >> reporter: aleppo has been a battleground for more than two year, and the government has targeted opposition areas with near daily barrel bombs. people are complaining about the rise of the price of gasoline and other basic goods as it is said that some 300,000 people still remain. >> translator: it has more weapons. they are using militia men recruited from aboard. and rebels have turned their guns on each other, and that has weakened us. >> reporter: they are at war with islamic state of iraq and the levant. isil controls the eastern countryside and northeastern entry points into aleppo. the rebels have been losing ground, but not just to the military, to isil as well. and as of late they have been facing a new challenge, syria's al-qaeda brunch has recently overrun their areas in the northeastern province. this city is the last strong hold as groups designated as moderates by the united states in the opposition

hundreds of thousands have already fled into safer areas of aleppo. at the university, student halls are a neighborhood for the dispossessed. the woman does her best to live the children's spirits. she has been in here for the past two years, a young teacher trapped in the darkest of times and smallest of homes. [indiscernible] >> i miss my home. i want to walk in the street like another day before. i can't now. everything is bad. >> so many have lost so much. now rebel fighters backed by the west are on the brink of losing aleppo. if it falls, so does an icon of their uprising and their hope of changing syria. bbc news, aleppo. fredr more, i spoke with hoff, who previously served in the u.s. state department as a special advisor on syria and is now at the atlantic security council center for the middle east. thank you for joining me. you were a special advisor to the administrator on transition in syria. >> yes. >> four years on with this awful conflict raging, do you see any possibility for transition today? >> i do not. i think the prospects of a p

aleppo is now a battlefield in ruins. syria's second largest city happened the largest remaining stronghold in the opposition against bashar al-assad, but according to the french foreign minister, it also risks falling to the islamic state organization. in an article published in three papers including "the washington post," the group is described as two sides of the same barbaric coin. he says aleppo would become the focus of the i.s. organization as it turned away from the money. -- from kobane. >> it would mean condemning 3000 men, women, and children to a terrible fate. >> the appeal comes just days after turkish president erdogan visited paris from urging the u.s.-led coalition to focus its campaign against the i.s. group entirely on kobane. france is carrying out its own airstrikes inside syria. there are no concrete details about how to save aleppo, but he says that the international coalition can leave it to its fate -- cannot leave it to its fate, a dark choice between the assad regime and the islamic state group

aleppo is serious industrial heart land. the magnets want their city back. >> we asked the government to really finish their existence as quickly as possible. >> by any means possible. there's great concern in syria and abroad about the use of the indiscriminate barrel bombs. >> true unfortunately some civilian casualties. they target militia presence, isis. they target al qaeda, all these terrorists presence. >> many are now predicting those areas still held by the rebels could soon fall to assad's forces. his troops are besieging those areas using the same tactic surrender or starve as used time and time again in this war. for the 300 thousand civilians trapped inside, that means even more suffering. that's the story of syria's war. every major battle is also a grave humanitarian crisis. >> hundreds of thousands have already fled into safer areas of aleppo. at the university, student halls are in the neighborhood for dispossessed. she does her best to lift the children's spirits. she's been living here for the past two yea

[gunfire] they have the rebel-held east of aleppo surrounded. >> translator: they are advantaging and aleppo under siege and could be fall and could be catastrophic and iraq and lavonte is on the other sides. >> reporter: aleppo a battleground for more than two years and resent months the government targeted opposition areas with near daily barrel bombs and people are complaining about rise in gasoline and other goods and 300,000 people remain in rebel areas. >> translator: there are many reasons why the regime was able to advance in aleppo and it has more weapons, they are using malitia recruited from abroad and rebels turned their guns on each other and has weakened us and this situation is dangerous. >> reporter: rebels belonging to the so called opposition like islamic front like the government are at war with islamic state in iraq and lavonte and isil controls the entry points to aleppo. >> the rebels losing ground and not just to the military but isil as well and as of late facing a new challenge the al-qaeda al-nusra over ran the areas in the northwestern providence. losing ale

aleppo is about to fall. and that would be catastrophic. and also the islamic state of iraq and the levant is on the other side. >> reporter: aleppo has been an urban battleground for more than two years, and the government has targeted opposition areas with near daily barrel bombs. people are complaining about the rise in the price of gasoline and other basic goods. estimates say around 300,000 people remain in rebel areas. >> translator: there are many reasons why the regime was able to advance on aleppo. it has more weapons. they are using ma la sha men recruited from abroad, and rebels returning their guns on each other has weakened us. >> reporter: the rebels belonging to the so-called moderate opposition are at war with islamic state of iraq and the levant just like the government. isil controls the eastern countryside, and northeastern entry points into aleppo. the rebels have been losing ground to the military and isil as well. as of late they have been facing a new challenge, syria's al-qaeda branch has recently overrun an area. th

i in aleppo right now? >> everything, everything. >> in kobane despite the u.s. support the city's defenders suffer heavy losses. here they still believe in the possibility of victory. it's not clear whether the u.s. strategy can achieve it. >> things in aleppo have gotten so bad the coalition, the opposition, the u.s. allies inside syria are warning that the syrian government could actually really surround all of aleppo and even get inside the city. tony. just to give you a sense of what the syrian regime has done, 2010 bombs dropped over 36 hours. that is the same number the u.s. launched in a month. that will give a sense of how much the syrian regime has been using the u.s. and media's focus on isil and kobane in order to attack aleppo. >> are there any other reasonable dare i say good options if the current strategy isn't working? does it work? the overt program, $500 million for that raining won't really credited grate a single fighter for eight months. >> i'm wondering how the election outcomes could

aleppo is serious industrial heart land. they want their city back. >> we asked the government to really finish their existence as quickly as possible. >> by any mean others possible? there's great concern in syria and abroad about the use of barrel bombs. >> the barrel bombs -- true unfortunately some civilian casualties, but they target militia presence, isis, target al qaeda, all these terrorists on presence. >> reporter: many are now predicting those areas held by the rebels could soon fall to president a assad's forces. his troops are besieging those areas using the same tactic, surrender or starve. it's been used time and again in this war. for 300,000 civilians trapped inside, that means more suffering. that's the story of syria's war. every major battle is also a grave humanitarian crisis. hundreds of thousands have already fled to safer areas of aleppo. at university, student halls are in the neighborhood for dispossessed. she does her best to lift children's spirits. she's been living here past two years. a young t

aleppo is at risk of falling to the regime. that would really drive a severe, severe blow for the u.s. strategy in syria, because the u.s. needs those groups that are, yes, fighting the regime, but to fight i.s.i.l., and they are very busy fighting the regime >>> nick, this struck me. let me ask you this question. if struck me in the course of your conversation. what does he think of the stated u.s. policy in syria, which is to train up members of the free syrian army in some places, in some cases in saudi arabia, and then reintroduce them to the fight. does he have a view of that part of the stated u.s. strategy? >> both he and u.s. officials tell me that will take seven to eight months to graduate a single fighter. this is a $500 million class. president obama and everyone is putting a lot of effort and funny into it. the pentagon assures me that yes, it will happen. they need time. in the meantime not only do we see a huge barrage from the syrian regime, we are seeing our allies on the ground losing to al qaeda, losing to th

it is close to the major northern city of aleppo and lies on the main road from aleppo to the turkish border. controlling it would give a strategic advantage. >> during the beginning of the fighting we managed to take control over the district, and the fighters are now on the outskirts. and there we're going to take full control over the whole town. >> assad's opponents here are using a mixture of heavy and light weapons to encounter the government's use of barrel bombs and airstrikes. it is a theme that is repeated across many parts of the country. [ explosions ] in and around damascus fighting continues, and in the countryside, the east of the capitol the rebels say they're repelling government attacks, the intensity combat is clear. while in the isil-controlled city of raqqa daily government strikes have killed 100 people in the past five days alone. aid agencies estimate more than three years of civil war has killed more than 200,000 people. many more have been wounded or driven from their homes. as here in homs. much of the infrastructure of syria is in ruins. this is in the idli

>> two barrel bombs hit eastern aleppo and 20 civilians killed there and al-nusra was struck and soon after when people were gathering there another barrel bomb hit and we have to put it in continuing and there are 3,000 people on the eastern side and it's difficult and the regime is keen to take a lep -- al aleppo back and isil coming from one side and a significant city and heard from the french foreign minister a couple days ago saying if aleppo would fall is what they should be focusing on after kobani is aleppo but we have to remind while the world at tension is on kobani and aleppo and talking about allegiance of the groups and civilians who are sustaining the main effect of this, 6 million displaced inside the country and millions also outside the country and a moment of political solution and doesn't look like it's on the tables. >> doesn't look like it, stephanie decker reporting from beirut. people in the libyan capitol tripoli celebrating after the supreme court ruled the international meeting in tabrook is illegal. they support the armed groups and parliament in control of

so goes aleppo, so goes the moderate opposition, the same people that the u.s. needs to fight isil, they give you a sense that the priorities of the u.s. over a 36 hour period, the asaad regime drops 210 bombs. on to aleppo, and the areas around it, it is the same number of bombs that the u.s. drops in a month. so that gives you a sense of how the asaad regime has used the time of the u.s. focus and the media focus to actually attack what is really the symbolic part of the revolution. >> what are the alternatives if the current strategy isn't working? that's the $60,000 question. officials that i have talked to, said there is none. basically the u.s. has boxed itself in. the c.i.a., which has been funding these rebels and training them, they are maxed out, they don't have the authority, or the authorization from the white house to increase their training. because the quited was to go to an overt program. that would fund and train these rebels and then fly them back. the problem is that program is at least eight months away from actually graduating the first figh

we need to agree on a plan before we lose aleppo this person says. another suggests talking to the rebel commanders directly. but they all agree that they have limited influence over those who carry guns. free syrian army rebels are on the verge of being defeated by other opposition forces. they have been pushed out of their strong holds by the islamic state of iraq and los angeles sands and al-nusra. the so called moderate opposition is blaming the international community for not providing them with weapons. but many people in rebel held territories see it differently. protests like this one are becoming more common. their up rising was about ending corruption while fighting for democracy and freedom. they are now accusing their new rulers of acting like criminals. rebels themselves know the importance of a unified command of but they blame outside powers for interfering in the conflict. >> it's a matter of someone soar ship. you know, the people that is giving uade and support and weapons, equipment, you know, it's mandatory sometimes to follow the

wants to start with the local truce in the northern city of aleppo. we saw how the army is gaining ground, besieging the last rebel held areas. sources tell me rebel groups are divided. whether to accept the u.n. freeze or keep fighting. the extremists won't do any deals. to try came to serious to get president assad's backing who has ported previous u.n. plans. this time he said a freeze was worth studying. now the u.n. with its local partners is attempting this success across from lines to help syrians of all sides of a conflict where no side is ready to compromise. the task has long been called mission impossible. four years into this crisis, some are considering a new idea but only if it doesn't worsen their current position. consolidatent must and not weaken its grip on power. >> we spoke a short time ago to a senior fellow at the washington institute for middle east policy. proposalk the freeze that has been about the last few weeks is a good first step in terms of aleppo. the problem that the freeze itself is based on the cease-fire proposals -

they believe they're on the brink of victory, that they will soon control all of aleppo. why would they need the u.n.'s help? >> i think we are getting very close to having the government to understand. i think just the purpose of my meetings these days. that it's not a matter of vktry or defeat or encirclement. it's a matter of trying to see where we can find some type of political formula.encirclement. it's a matter of trying to see where we can find some type of political formula. they are the ones as well as everybody feeling that daesh, isis are the real terrorist groups, and that's why should we not stop the conflict elsewhere in order to be able to concentrate on that. and secondly, what is a victory? if it is them losing the war for the future of this country. >> reporter: but what is the opposition saying to you? they say the air strikes against the so-called islamic state are actually helping president assad and they still refuse to negotiate with him. why would they listen to your plan? >> well, wait for me to talk to them. we have a plan. the government is int

syrian forces have dropped more barrel bombs killing at least 20 people near aleppo. the operator of the underground drug website has been arrested in the united states. the web side enabled 150,000 users to buy and sell drugs acken no mousily. predict that prices will rise for the rest of the decade. bad news for many producers that neat to meet their higher needs. markets speculators and sanctions over ukraine they have announced that it is limiting the amount it is willing to spend to defend it's country cansy. the ruble has lost around a quarter of it's dollar. moscow has been spending as much as $2.5 billion as day to try and prop up the value of the ruble. in october, alone, the russian government spent $29 billions buying up rubles, and now it's currency has fallen $73 billion to $439 billion. ukraine is to freeze state fund payments to areas in the break away eastern region which is are controlled by pro russian separatist, just over 2 1/2 million dollars will be with held. the prime minister says pension payments and government benefits which have already bee

meanwhile syrian activists in aleppo accusing rebels losing site of goals and say fighters linked to the free syrian army often referred to as moderate opposition are acting like criminals and gang leaders and rebels on the brink of defeat at the hands of government forces and rival groups in northern parts of aleppo and we report. >> reporter: people are angry in rebel held neighborhoods in the city of aleppo and worried because government forces are close to surrounding them and they blame rebel commanders. we want a unified army and they accuse commanders of being traitors and fighting for their own interests instead of the revolution. >> translator: we support the demonstration because it's trying to revive the revolution all over again and they returned to its origin which was a popular uprising. not what it is today. now it's a revelation for, war lords. >> reporter: they are trying to save what is left of their struggle, we need to agree on a plan before we lose aleppo this person says. another suggests talking to the rebel commanders directly, but they all agree that they hav

wants to start with the local truce in the northern city of aleppo. we saw how the army is gaining ground, besieging the last rebel held areas. sources tell me rebel groups are divided. whether to accept the u.n. freeze or keep fighting. the extremists won't do any deals. >> they came to serious to try to get president assad's backing who has ported previous u.n. plans. this time he said a freeze was worth studying. now the u.n. with its local partners is attempting this success across from lines to help syrians of all sides of a conflict where no side is ready to compromise. >> the task has long been called mission impossible. four years into this crisis, some are considering a new idea but only if it doesn't worsen their current position. the government must consolidate and not weaken its grip on power. >> we spoke a short time ago to a senior fellow at the washington institute for middle east policy. >> i think the freeze proposal that has been about the last few weeks is a good first step in terms of aleppo. the problem that the freeze itself is b

scheduled to start in aleppo. it will be able to deliver much needed aid supplies to those trapped by the fighting. turkmani says it is what the society wants. she is from homs who has being mediated ceasefire in the past. >> they are having much better life now than when they had when they were idps someps, so nothig else have delivered difference to people on the ground. >> she has been lobbying the international community for a bottom up approach for some time now. >> by facilitating, they often fail. >> to personally intervene in mediation efforts to bring peace to their district. war is the only area in homs city controlled by the rebels. some 750,000 people live in this neighborhood. besieged for months. it could be a first step to ease the suffering until a top level political deal is reached. zena hoder, al jazeera, beirut. >> live with us from portland in oregon. thank you very much for being with us on al jazeera. what do you make of this initiative by the new u.n. env envoy? brahimi has tried. do you th

plan for a local cease-fire in aleppo. it follows a meeting with an u.n. envoy in damascus. we have the details. >> the new u.n. envoy is pressing for peace in syria. he has a new initiative. one that involves reaching local cease-fire deals. he discussed this with the leadership in damascus and president bashar al-assad said he's ready to study the plan, which is supposed to start in the city of aleppo. the u.n. hopes that by stopping conflicts in certain areas it will deliver much needed aid supplies by those trapped by the fighting. it is another attempt to reduce the fighting in syria, and it is what people want. a civil society activist from homs who has mediated local cease fires in the past. >> this is the only thing that works. this is the only thing that gives hope to the people. 30,000 civilians are back after the deal. they're having much better life now than they had when there were idps. nothing else in gee me have a, london, new york, has delivered difference on the ground. >> reporter: she has been proposing a bottom-up approach for some time now. >> but facil

., having a cease-fire or freeze in fighting in aleppo. >> anyone who follows him recognizes this is the dog that is not barking that has to be addressed. what happens with the assad regime? the notion he might be interested in a cease-fire in aleppo suggests he feels very comfortable with the military situation, as we have only seen him interested in cease-fire is when his forces were in control on the ground. >> thank you for joining us. are watching "bbc world news amerco." still to come, the red carpet rolled out for the asia-pacific world economic summit. president obama comes with an agreement for beijing. relatives of mexican students believed to have died at the hands of perspective gang members have led protests blocking the airport in echo poco. 43 students were reportedly killed and their bodies burned in september, by criminals apparently acting on the orders of local police. will grant now reports. >> after weeks of increasingly bleak news about their missing classmates, the friends and colleagues of the disappeared students are venting their anger. masked protesters wer

one happened in a suburb northwest of aleppo city. activist video purportedly shows the art math where a road was bombed killing 14 people. in the isil-controlled town, 13 others are dead from an attack there. government forces dropped barrel bombs in the region overnight. >> opposition rebels in syria have been losing territory to government forces. isil fighters and the al-qaeda linked al-nusra front, but have been making gains in the southern portion of the country. >> it is a short drive to the capital. that's why rebels are calling their offensive in this corner of syria the road to damascus. unlike other battle fronts in the country, here in the south the opposition is taking ground from government forces. commanders say this is because unlike in other areas, rebels here have not turned their guns on each other, at least not yet. >> >> it's valid question people are asking, why gains here and not elsewhere. in other areas, there are some brigades linked to organizations that are not syrian, here there is a degree of unity. >> th

in aleppo, those are the centers of the moderate syrian army who we need in order to fight isil. the syrian regime is going into these cities while we are focusing on isil in the north and absolutely pulmonarialing aleppo. those on the ground tell me aleppo is in fear of falling if we don't help and we haven't been helping. we have been focused on khobani. they are fighting against an al quaeda-linked group. they are now losing battles on all three fronts and there's a real risk those in syria and turkey believe they could fall and the revolution could actually fail. >> did you get details about what he would like the u.s. to do to help syrian refugees? >>reporter: it's one of the few places where people here praise what the u.s. has done. the u.s. has given more for syrian refugees than any other country in the world. but the problem is massive and it could get worse. some 300,000 people would become refugees if the regime pushes into ache poe and already this is the worst humanitarian crisis since world war two. we have not had to deal with this since then and frankly these ref

the fsa is saying that aleppo is in fear of falling at least part of it falling to the syrian government simply because the u.s. isn't focused well enough and coordinated well enough to the fsa and there are also questions about baghdad inside iraq also being able to defend that from i.s.i.l. john a huge focus here as well as inside iraq, but a lot of questions whether the u.s. is really conducting the war correctly. >> a question whether the mid terms will affect foreign policy. >> reporter: yeah, most people believe that whom i speak to, there will be no effect on the syria policy, depending on the outcomes of the mid terms. but john after the mid term elections that's the day the presidential race starts. and actually a few analysts are believing there might be more hawkish policies from possible presidential candidates especially hitler clinton. perhaps the focus is another foreign policy priority for the white house and that is iran. the u.s. has staked a lot of time and effort on trying to make a nuclear deal with iran. u.s. officials telling me they're worried congress will become

the video comes from aleppo. and once again, it's another message to the u.s. that the isil fighters are willing to go as far as they can in order to be able to win this fight against the coalition. now, we have seen these kinds of videos before. we do know the kind of twitter accounts it comes from. but it's very difficult to confirm the authenticity of these videos. also we have to be very careful in that his family won't have been informed. they'll be finding out much the same way the world has just found out on social media account on twitter account and this is really the way isil work. there is no advance warning of any of this, they just release the videos out in to the open. it's their way of saying to the families that you are not in control. to saying to the americans you are not in control when it comes to hostages like these. >> it leaves the americans in a difficult situation. it comes down to a very percentage one on one level when you have hostages being held for such a long time like this. >> reporter: that's absolutely right. we expect, and we

it is close to the major northern city of aleppo. controlling it would give a strategic advantage. >> during the beginning of the fighting we manage to take control over the district, and the fighters are now on the outkits. and there we're going to take full control over the whole town. >> the opponents here are using a mixture of heavy and light weapons. to counter the use of barrel bombs and airstrikes. it's a theme repeated across many parts of the country. [ explosion ] and in and around damascus the fighting conditions, and from the countryside to the east of the capitol the rebels say they're repelling government attacks. the intensity of the combat is clear. onin raqqa daily government strikes have killed 100 people in the past five days alone. aid agencies estimate more than three years of civil war has killed nearly 200,000 people. many more have been wounded or driven from their homes as here in homs. much of the infrastructure of syria is in ruins. this is in idlib province, once home to 30,000 people, but not now. al jaz

meanwhile there's a heavy battle underway east of aleppo. between government troops and reckless frorebels from the nus. however it's hard to imagine a free force here. others special envoys have tried and failed. two rounds between the government and opposition have achieved nothing. it's war as usual in syria. nicole johnston, al jazeera. >> now the world bank is warning that severe weather changes could put the lives of millions of people at risk. the temperature rise of 1.5 degrees centigrade is already locked into the earth's atmosphere. in latin america and the caribbean, extreme weather patterns are affecting agricultural productivity. increased strain on scarce water resources of the middle east and north africa. increased rainfall, increased torrential flooding, and eastern part of the country, severe drought is expected to have a bad effect on the agriculture. >>> a robot is going to the depths of the see to try to understand the global weather change. >> reporter: powering through in the name of science. a british antarctic ice br

in damascus, and bashar al-assad said he is ready to study the plan, which is supposed to start in aleppo. the u.n. hopes that by stopping fighting, it is able to deliver humanitarian plans. it is what people want. a civil society activist from homs who has mediated local cease fires in the past. >> this is the only thing that works. this is the only thing that gives hope to the people. 30,000 civilians have come in after the deal. they're having much better life now than they had when they were idps. nothing else, geneva, london, new york, have delivered the difference to the people on the ground. >> reporter: she has been lobbying to support a bottom-up approach for some time now. >> they will send monitors and peace keepers, the cease-fire deals are not monitored, they will often fail. >> that's why she was asked to personally interfere convenient in efforts to bring peace to the district. some 150,000 people live in this neighborhood, which has been besieged by government forces for months. this initiative won't end the conflict. there could be a first step to ease the suffering until

aleppo is a pressing concern. >> it has been under heavy bombardment by the assad regime but the u.s. coalition has been unwilling to take action there. nick schiffron is on the border with syria. >> on the syrian-turkish border, the funeral marsh stretches a mile long. these kurds fight isil. they receive american help and flash v. for victory. they resist and die proudly. their commanders thank the u.s. for saving their city. >> on the ground, the american airstrikes hit their targets 80%, even 90% of the time. >> 80 miles away in aleppo, emergency crews rushed to the scene of a massacre. they wear white helmets in response to bombs dropped by that the syrian government. on most days, they arrive too late. the men who call themselves syria's civil defense accuse the world of neglect. >> when you saw human suffering, you should do something. >> the u.s. policy in syria is a tale of two cities, kobane where the fighters are backed with airstrikes and aleppo where the u.s. holds back. the man in charge of the syrian opposition said the u.s. strategy is backward. >> the two care about t

there needs to be mother focus on aleppo, that is really the symbolic base for the u.s. allies inside syria. just to give you a sense of perspective here, there have been 12 or 13 airstrikes helping the rebels against isil in aleppo, a town called kobane which we've talked about on the syrian border which no one had heard of before the adjustment started bombing it, more than 200 strikes. while the u.s. launched 200 strikes in a month, the syrian regime launched 400 strikes in about two weeks on aleppo. that's why the syrian rebel groups are saying that the u.s. priorities aren't right, they he need to focus on the syrian regime help these groups fight isil and the syrian regime and they are very, very worried about that. they do not want to get into the syrian war deeper than they already are. >> how will a republican-controlled senate affect the potential nuclear deal with iran, one of president obama's top foreign policy priorities? >> this is the real key. there's a deadline in three weeks that the u.s. will try and make an historic deal with raven over its nuclear p

it is close to the major northern city of aleppo. it lice on the main road drop aleppo to the turkish border, so controlling it would give a strategic advantage. >> doing the beginning of the fighting, we managed to take control over marmol district and the fighters are on the outskirts. we are going to take full control over the whole town. >> using a mixture of heavy and light weapons to counter the government's use of barrel bombs and airstrikes, it's a scene repeated across the country. in and around damascus, fighting continues. in the country side to the east of the capitol, the battle is for the town. rebels say they are rappeling government attacks. the intensity of the combat is career. islamic state of iraq and the levant continues to put up a fight. the battle for the border town of kobane is ongoing and a turkish controlled border post has been attacked for the first time. in raqqa, activists say daily government strikes ever killed at least 100 people in the past five days alone. >> aid agencies estimate that more than t

. >>> there has been intense fighting in aleppo between government fighters and the rebels. this photo appears to show the aftermath of an attack. rebels warn they are close to losing their strong hold, putting areas of aleppo under seem. with stepped air attacks and the closure of roads link the city to turkey >>> kurdish forces are defending the town of kobane, and reportedly seized weapons from i.s.i.l. fighters. this footage, which can't be independently verified appears to show the weapons. activists say a supply route used by i.s.i.l. has been cut off. for the fight against i.s.i.l. in iraq, the obama is asking the u.s. congress for 5.6 million. rosalind jordan looks at what the u.s. government spent so far, and what it plans do with the money it's requesting. >> reporter: iraqi forces retook control of a town in salahutin province, military advisors went to see if it was a good place to train the iraqi ground forces. the u.s. is expanding a train and assist tactics in iraq. it is looking to deploy another 800 to improve iraqi soldiers fighting skills. the pentagon ins

they believe they're on the brink of victory, that they will soon control all of aleppo. why would they need the u.n.'s help? >> i think we are getting very close to having the government to understand, and i think just the purpose of my meetings these days, that it is not a matter of victory or defeat or encirclement. it is a matter of trying to see whether we can find some type of political formula. they are the ones feeling that daesh, isis are the real terrorist groups. and that's why we're not stopping the conflict elsewhere in order to be able to concentrate on that. and secondly, what is a victory? if it is them losing the war for the future of this country. >> what does the opposition say to you? they say that the air strikes against the so-called islamic state are actually helping president assad, and they still refuse to negotiate with him. why would they listen to your plan? >> well, wait for me to talk to them. we have a plan. the government is interested in considering it very seriously. i think everybody will be listening to our plan, that nobody is winning,

united nations special envoy is in, bashar al-assad has agreed the to look at a ceasefire proposal for aleppo. u.n. estimates 200,000 people have died there since 2011.ze a khodr h the story. >> the president bashar al-assad says hee he's ready to examine the plan. much needed aid supplies trapped by the fighting. it is yet another attempt to reduce the violence in syria. andrene turkmani says it could work. >> this is the only thing that give hope to t people. 30,000 civilians have been back after the deal. they're having much better life now than they had when they were idps, so nothing else from geneva, london and new york have delivered tangible results on the ground. >> rina turkmani has been suggesting a more open process before. >> in they are not properly monitored they often fail. >> that's why the people of waar, the only air in homs city controlled by the rebels. some 150,000 people live in this neighborhood which has been besieged by government forces for months. this initiative won't end the conflict but it could be the first step to ease the suffering, before a top level politic

. >> reporter: gofthis is close to the major northern city of aleppo and lies on the turkish border. controlling it would bring a strategic advantage. >> during the beginning of the fighting we managed to take control over the district, and fighters are now on the outskirts, they're going to take full control over the whole town. >> assad's opponents are using a mixture of weapons to counter the barrel bombs and airstrikes. it's a theme repeated across many parts of the country. in and around damascus fighting continues. the countryside, the east of the capitol, the fighting is in the east of the town. the intensity of the combat is clear. in the isil-controlled city of raqqa, daily strikes have killed 100 people in the past five days alone. aid agencies estimate more than three years of civil war have killed more than 200,000 people. many more have been wounded or driven from their homes. much of the infrastructure of syria is in ruins. this is in idlib province, one home to 30,000 people, but not now. al jazeera. >> nigeria's president has vowed to bring to justice those responsibl

forces say they struck an isil training camp in the area and they also attacked a group outside of aleppo. the accuracy and casualties from these airstrikes so far, that is all unclear. an al-qaeda-linked group is making gains in syria, accused of seizing territory from so-called mod rats in what has been viewed as a power grab. as access reports, they have a different take on their mission. >> reporter: el nusra fronts has been a pour player as al-qaeda's affiliate in syria, it is now the dominant group in the northwestern province of idlib. earlier this morninth, it seize territory from rebel forces notice area and that raised concerns that el nusra's front is to become the unarrived leader among opposition needers. the group's leadership denied its takeover was a power grab. we were told this was a war against corrupt rebel leaders who use weapons to oppress people. >> translator: just look at what's happening elsewhere in syria, aleppo and idlib. we fight along other forces and our there are five groups. >> malruf is a controversial figure who has been accused of corruption but his gr

. >>> syrian government forces have dropped more barrel bombs here aleppo, killing at least 20 people. a second bomb was dropped when residents gathers at the scene of the first attack. >>> the u.s.-lead coalition in syria has also targeted the al-qaeda linked group in air strikes. >> reporter: these areas belong to the al-qaeda affiliated groups fighting in syria. the coalition says it targeted them from air strikes. it is only the second time that groups other than isil have been hit by the coalition. al-nusra front has been making headway in the last week, pushing out u.s.-supported rubble groups. >> al-nusra potentially could end up controlling one if not both of the border crosses left open to turkey. through which they receive weapons ammunition, assistance, everything that liberated areas rely on now that is based in turkey, works through these two border crossings. >> reporter: further south an important fight for the control of gas fields is underway in eastern homs. isil managed to take over a couple, but the syrian regime took back control again, but they are by no means se

. >>> according to state media, bashar al-assad said he would study a peace fire plan for aleppo. it's the third time he has visited syria since replacing in july. we have the latest from neighboring beirut. >> well, the syrian president bashar al-assad said he is ready to study the proposal. he made that statement after meeting to push for this initiative. in is about freezing the conflict in certain areas. this will ease the suffering in certain areas. they believe that there is no peace deal. peace talks, they've tried that before in geneva. they need to find a way to reduce the violence. they need to allow aid to reach the millions of people. mistura is heading to homs to hold talks. this is just a first step. this is an humanitarian intervention, if you like. but groups we've talked to said that this is very important. they need to send monitors and peace keepers on the ground. there is a new initiative on the table. but we have to remember that the war is in its fourth year. >> the final vote in former vote from spain. it does not show more than 80% favor a split. they have