after years of conflict between the kurds and the iraqi government iraqi forces left the kurdish region in october one nine hundred ninety one and the semi autonomous k r g was set up a year later. in this film al-jazeera arabic correspondent time and this had to it a bill to ask what happened with the referendum in twenty seventeen why did the k r g go ahead with the votes what was the point if they weren't going to declare independence. why did the k r g s allies oppose the vote and why did the others support it. why are critics political parties so fragmented. and what now for the whole question of kurdish independence. held candidates to stay here and let the geography a little september was about i shot a couple in the star. and now to depart to talk. i hope for the tide in what anybody could assign the low rate at least if that were thirty g.b. had it's just a publicist say it's a had been cut and i could what the when and why did this if that. were not. fit. well i can come in but adriatic and i'm ok mr when i committed this. let me i couldn't yesterday couldn't if you hadn't mis

the iraqi army is built to defeat isis. the iraqi army is only concerned about the areas it cares about, that's why rahmani was 80 percent destroyed, mosul was 60 percent destroyed and fallujah which is one of the towns held by isis early on was left there for 2 and a half years under isis control when it could have been liberated within a month if it was strategic to iran. if it was strategic tobaghdad but it wasn't, it didn't have infrastructure, it was a place to punish . so when we talk about what we are looking at in iraq, we are looking at, i'll say it one more time. 10-year-old americans fighting in iraq as 20-year-olds, this i'm not against the next generation of isis but militias that have primacy, freedom of movement, are deployed in syria, are making threats to hit israel to the point where israeli generals are saying we will hit controlled militias in iraq on the iraqi side of the border because soleimani has told them to stage there because if they go into syria they are vulnerable to israeli airstrikes. >> tha

after years of conflict between the kurds and the iraqi government iraqi forces left the kurdish region in october one nine hundred ninety one and the semi autonomous k r g was set up a year later. in this film al-jazeera arabic correspondent time and this had to it a bill to ask what happened with the referendum in twenty seventeen why did the k r g go ahead with the votes what was the point if they weren't going to declare independence. why did the k r g s allies oppose the vote and why did the others support it. why are critics political parties so fragmented. and what now for the whole question of kurdish independence. help candidates to stay here and let the shot off a little september was about i shot a couple in the star. and now to depart to talk. i hope for the tide and what many would. lower it at least if that were thirty g.b. had it's just a couple of states i hadn't gotten i could what the when and why did this if that. were not. fit. when i can come in but adriatic and i'm ok mr when i committed this. let me i can your state equal if you hadn't was this what i came in by y

so iraqi armies is built to put down a civilian insurgent. iraqi army is built to defeat isis. iraqi army is only concerned about the areas that cares about your that's why were mujahideen was 80% destroyed. mosul with 60% district. the crete was a revenge operation in fallujah which is one of the towns that was held that isis early on was left there for two and half years under isis control and could of been liberated within a month if the was strategic to iran, if it was strategic to baghdad but it wasn't. it did net infrastructure. it was a place to punish. so when we talk about what we are looking at in iraq, we are looking at how i'll just say one more time, tinge of old americans will be fighting in iraq is c20. this time the only against the next generation of isis but against these militias that now have primacy, freedom of movement, are deployed in syria, are making threats to hit israel to the point where it is really generals saying that we will hit militias and iraq on the iraqi side of the border because qasem soleimani has told them to stage their because if they

after years of conflict between the kurds and the iraqi government iraqi forces left the kurdish region in october one nine hundred ninety one and the semi autonomous k r g was set up a year later. in this film al-jazeera arabic correspondent salman and miss helen goes to a bill to ask what happened with the referendum in twenty seventeen why did the k r g go ahead with the votes what was the point if they weren't going to declare independence. why did the k r g s allies oppose the vote and why did the others support it. why are critics political parties so fragmented. and what now for the whole question of kurdish independence. hell can that is the fear i lead is you're awfully a little september was about i shot a couple in the star. and now to depart to talk. i hope for the tide in what anybody could assign the low rate at least if that were thirty g.b. had it's just a. couple of states i hadn't gotten i could what the one and why do this if that can. fit. when i can come in by a theater. ok mr when i committed this. let me i can your state equal if you have them is this what i came

kurdish peshmerga forces joined the operation and fought alongside the iraqi army. the joint force defeated eisel in july twenty seventh teen and the borders of the kurdish region of northern iraq were extended. this is but najaf a town a nineveh province in april twenty seventeen it was under the control of kurdish push medica forces. on the highway my eyes south of. john b. i was. into it in a gentle manner and out on the hind month. bad. enough to judge a book as i have to battle so after and saw that amount of blood. after the referendum the kurds lost control over but najaf and other areas of nineveh province. the borders of the kurdish region. seem constantly to ebb and flow in line with kurdish fortunes and the complexity of modern iraqi politics. it was against this historical backdrop the kurdistan regional government held its independence referendum in september twenty seventh seen. there are several iraqi kurdish political parties and while they all support self-determination they often disagree on how best to achieve it. the two largest governing party i

key kurds in a number of conflicts including the first iraqi kurdish war from one nine hundred sixty one to one nine hundred seventy he then agreed with prime minister of the stadium cost him the kurds should have the right to autonomy. but the negotiations broke down and in one nine hundred seventy four hostilities resumed in the second iraqi kurdish war. the relationship between the two sides remained fractious not keast because most of about assad he also allied himself with neighboring iran. in one nine hundred seventy five the algerian president. and sponsored an agreement between baghdad and to her on he brought together the shah of iran with the then iraqi vice president saddam hussein. the agreements put an end to reign in support for the kurds in return for iraq's relinquishing sovereignty over half of the shots a lot of waterway. in one nine hundred seventy nine they reign in revolution erupted overthrowing the shaw it's all the end of the committee and sponsored agreement. a year later the eighty year war began between iraq and iran mr wood but a zionist kurdistan democrat

kurdish peshmerga forces joined the operation and fought alongside the iraqi army. the joint force defeated eisel in july twenty seventh teen and the borders of the kurdish region of northern iraq were extended. this is but najaf a town a nineveh province in april twenty seventeen it was under the control of kurdish peshmerga forces. on the highway i saw three. into our digital mine and i haven't hired month. bad. enough to judge a book as i have to walk a softer and sob. bob. after the referendum the kurds lost control over but najaf and other areas of nineveh province. the borders of the kurdish region. seem constantly to ebb and flow in line with kurdish fortunes and the complexity of modern iraqi politics. it was against this historical backdrop the kurdistan regional government held its independence referendum in september twenty seventh seen. there are several iraqi kurdish political parties and while they all support self-determination they often disagree on how best to achieve it. the two largest governing party is are the kurdish democratic party the k d p

in january two thousand and one approach unity presented itself for the iraqi exiles so one president bush came to power all those people who were advocating supporting us came to power with him . after nine eleven the collusion between the iraqi exiles and the bush administration becomes cooperation. that american administration. so that specifically asked us to see if we can introduce them to people. oh can provide information on w l d's. chalo be complies enthusiastically he introduces the americans to iraqi defectors endless sources of revelations about saddam hussein's deadly arsenal. the people in child his group wanted to get rid of saddam that so they were looking and searching in trying to come up with things that would help justify to us what our people wanted to hear that is we wanted to hear something would be weapons of mass destruction so we could justify it's going to war with them. a shrewd politician and strategist chalo be also introduces his defectors to the press and through their provocative headlines the journalists lend credibility to all the allegations against

kurdish peshmerga forces joined the operation and fought alongside the iraqi army. the joint force defeated eisel in july twenty seventh teen and the borders of the kurdish region of northern iraq were extended. this is but najaf a town a nineveh province in april twenty seventeen it was under the control of kurdish peshmerga forces. on the highway i saw three. and to it in a gentle manner and out on the hind month. bad. enough to judge a book as i have to walk a softer and sob. bob. after the referendum the kurds lost control over but najaf and other areas of nineveh province. the borders of the kurdish region. seem constantly to ebb and flow in line with kurdish fortunes and the complexity of modern iraqi politics. it was against this historical backdrop the de kurdistan regional government held its independence referendum in september twenty seventh seen. there are several iraqi kurdish political parties and while they all support self-determination they often disagree on how best to achieve it. the two largest governing party is are the kurdish democratic party.

after years of conflict between the kurds and the iraqi government iraqi forces left the kurdish region in october one nine hundred ninety one and the semi autonomous k r g was set up a year later. in this film al-jazeera arabic correspondent tamar and miss helen goes to a bill to ask what happened with the referendum in twenty seventeen why did the k r g go ahead with the votes what was the point if they weren't going to declare independence. why did the k r g s allies oppose the vote and why did the others support it. why are critics political parties so fragmented. and what now for the whole question of kurdish independence. held candidates to stay here and let the geography a little september was about i shot a couple in the star. and now to depart to talk. i hope for the tide of what anybody could assign the low rate at least if that were thirty g.b. and it's just a publicist say it's a had been cut and i could what. i want to know i did this if that. were not. fit. well i can come in but adriatic and i'm ok. when i committed this. let me i can your static when if you hadn't was th

after years of conflict between the kurds and the iraqi government iraqi forces left the kurdish region in october one nine hundred ninety one and the semi autonomous k r g was set up a year later. in this film al-jazeera arabic correspondent time and this had to it a bill to ask what happened with the referendum in twenty seventeen why did the k r g go ahead with the votes what was the point if they weren't going to declare independence. why did the k r g s allies oppose the vote and why did the others support it. why are critics political parties so fragmented. and what now for the whole question of kurdish independence. held candidates to stay here and let the shot off a little september was about i shot a couple in the star. and now to depart to talk. i hope for the tide and what many would. lower it at least if that were thirty g.b. head is to. say it's a had been cut and i could die what darwin and what journalists if that. were not. fit. well i can come in by a theater. ok mr when i committed this. let me a condition equal if you hadn't was this what i came in by you read and you

zone has been a symbol of insecurity thing is but now security forces are facts of the declaring the iraqi capital safe and have removed checkpoints and the bar is among com reports. they call it the transition from green to blue where green army soldiers give up control to the blue berets of the iraqi police force traffic can now easily pass through baghdad's international zone also known as the green zone without checks and special passes a situation unthinkable just a year ago. under the orders a prime minister i'd love to lead the officials across major cities in iraq and remove checkpoints and concrete barriers designed to protect against suicide in tall bombs the prime minister even took a very public walk around baghdad on monday and transitioning from green to blue for iraq something inevitable this came after the end of the military operations against isola cross iraq there's a per tile ground for the iraqi police to handle security and leave other military forms outside the main cities the european union advisory mission to iraq is pushing into that direction in collaboration wit

after years of conflict between the kurds and the iraqi government iraqi forces left the kurdish region in october one nine hundred ninety one and the semi autonomous k r g was set up a year later. in this film al-jazeera arabic correspondent time and this had to it a bit to ask what happened with the referendum in twenty seventeen why did the k r g go ahead with the votes what was the point if they weren't going to declare independence. why did the k r g s allies oppose the vote and why did the others support it. why are critics political parties so fragmented. and what now for the whole question of kurdish independence. help candidates to stay left here and let the geography a little september was about i shot a couple in the star. and now to depart to talk. i hope for the tide in what many would be. low at least if that were thirty g.b. had it's just a publicist say it's i hadn't gotten i could i what. i want to know i did this if that. were not. fit. well i can come in by a theater. ok mr when i committed this. let me a condition equal if you hadn't was this what i came in by you yo

and the iraqi exiles and it leaves the antiwar proponents with a bitter taste of defeat. really. with the vote of congress secured it is no time to rally public support to do so they have a dossier on hand. remember that dossier from rove the one that conveniently emerged from the archives from the italian military secret service sees me. and so bianco former minister of the interior has closely followed the extraordinary story of this dossier chad on document the wall of it with the you will see it called on a limb introduced the polish women mean it left brazen enough at that it. but they will tease out. that food soldier is rocco martino a longtime sees me agent informer to french british and american secret services he is the one who circulated the seemingly explosive dossier among his so-called clients. this is it it contains official looking documents that allude to a sale by nice to iraq of concentrated you rhenium or yellowcake. the yellowcake dosey he finally lands on the desk of vice president cheney in february two thousand and two. when dick cheney saw this report fro

after years of conflict between the kurds and the iraqi government iraqi forces left the kurdish region in october one nine hundred ninety one and the semi autonomous k r g was set up a year later. in this film al-jazeera arabic correspondent salman and miss helen goes to a bill to ask what happened with the referendum in twenty seventeen why did the k r g go ahead with the votes what was the point if they weren't going to declare independence. why did the k r g s allies oppose the vote and why did the others support it. why are critics political parties so fragmented. and what now for the whole question of kurdish independence. hell can that is the fear i let the shot off a little september was about i shot a couple in the star. and now to depart to talk to. a whore for the tide and what anybody mccotter could. lower it at least if that were thirty g.b. had it's just a couple of states i hadn't gotten i could the how what the when and why did this if that. were not. fit. well i can come in but adriatic and i'm ok mr when i committed this. let me i can your state equal if you hadn't was

the iraqi deception has cost americans almost two trillion dollars according to some estimates. much of this public money has been directed to the defense industry. he says bad for business war tension is always very good for business so money of course was a major factor so the united states finds itself today essentially engaged in permanent war. and it's a permanent ward that that benefits some people there are some people and some entities that are making a lot of money. in from this endless war. profits rarely mentioned relegated to silence as all the americans who have died in iraq like the son of andrew bass of age killed may thirteenth two thousand and seven i think one of the saddest aspects of our iraq war is how quickly americans have chosen to forget it. there seems to be an unwillingness on the part of the american people to acknowledge and to confront this enormous failure we aggressive deception is totally incompatible with the fundamental principle of democracy a failure the result of a manipulation that has shaken the confidence of americans in their own institu

mamie's performance is outstanding so far he's the pride of the iraqi national football team iraqi football has constantly had brilliant stars in the past as well as in the present and it will in the future. this is the football school training camps like this are hoping to produce that next generation of iraqi stars but many came here when he was only six years old he said to have been so good they didn't even bother giving him a trial. for some of these teenagers the goal is simply to be the next me. every one of us dreams about honoring iraq by playing football we think of mimi and the others as role models. years of fighting against the u.s. led invasion joining the regime of saddam hussein and the recent battles against eisold destroyed a lot of iraq's public spaces including sports grounds much of the government's money is geared towards large scale rebuilding projects football is low on the list of priorities training camps like don't have their own pitches teenagers have to travel around the city to wherever the school's been able to rent a space. we have a lot of problems we don't

still ahead for you on this news hour from london iraqi citizens get the green light to enter baghdad's green zone as security restrictions are relaxed. take element wants to cut a u. migration after breck's it where will the health service get its star. and in the spotlight japan's lympics boss has been linked to a corruption investigation peter will have those details in sport. a saudi woman who fled to thailand saying she feared her family would kill her is on her way to canada after being granted asylum. and had barricaded herself in an airport hotel room and launched a social media campaign that received global attention a canadian prime minister has confirmed that asylum request has been granted canada has been unequivocal that we will always stand up for human rights and women's rights around the world this is part of a long tradition of canada engaging constructively in positively in the world and working with our partners allies and with the united nations and when the united nations made a request of us that we grant. asylum we we we accepted two people including a chinese bus

keeping baghdad safe requires a large and coordinated daily operation which begins at four am with iraqi police forces finding out across the city. and it's not just the green zone all over the city streets are opening up as. you can see the removal of these concrete barriers is quite a major operation but it is a crucial one not only does it ease congestion on the roads of baghdad but it gives people a sense that things. in the city are being repeated across iraq in. baghdad. for human rights and north korea has described the country as a prison speaking from seoul can talk on a confirmed the president's political camps speaking to north korean defectors mcbride has the latest from seoul. this is the fifth visit to south korea by the current special rapporteurs he draws up a picture of the human rights situation in north korea as previously he's been meeting with defectors and also senior officials here in seoul this is of course as close as he will get to north korea itself despite repeated requests there's no chance of a visit there the north koreans dismiss the work of the special ra

force for several reasons on top of them getting rid from eisel threat in the green zone is home to iraqi political establishment and foreign embassies according to the american media the us has its concerns over the green zone opening up its embassy in iraq is the largest of its diplomatic missions in the world the european union advisory mission to iraq is helping iraqi police deal with security but insists it's the iraqis who are leading the charge the mission is important because at the moment we are in the phase where in iraq after winning the war against there's the security forces police is in a transition phase from more paramilitary. force to a superior. the local police force the people in the city it's been i think to drive around the green zone an area denied to them for the last fifteen years. when i first crossed the bridge leading to the green zone i was in tears for fifteen years we rockies were deprived from these roads we are so happy that. the green zone is open now for the public families and employees can drive through now usually we are happy for this issue of mint d

and there's high unemployment catalyst lass said and i tell her no enough is enough the iraqi people have been suffering we need to wake up these politicians are making a joke out of us they can't even resolve their differences in parliament how can they manage a country street protests began in the summer of twenty eight when barely functioning air conditioners couldn't stave off the burning heat the protesters in basra blamed the problems in their city mainly on corruption in corporations but also in parts of the government which is based here in baghdad iraqi prime minister the marquis went to visit basra just recently to see the problems for themselves in october his predecessor. did the same thing but despite these high profile visits the people of basra say nothing has changed these latest protests a different this time they're organised by his rosy yellow vest say they want to join forces with other protest groups and put even more pressure on the government and to add the element they must rise always going to be a bowling pot and the situation will go out of control of thing

qatar and that has maintained from day one that it is open for negotiation with the saudis and the iraqis while there this does not come against sovereignty it is very clear to them from payers in a market where they are said to a number of journalists during his visit that after his doctor the behaviors of the iraqis it is very clear that there is no change in position towards got out and there is no change in position towards more unity in the region i think it's very clear who's stalling here and who doesn't want for this crisis to end this is number one number two it's also very clear that the company position when it comes to counterterrorism is closer than the united states and their neighbors basically said yesterday that there are a great strides have been made by the youth and in that at the u.s. relations when it comes to countering terrorism in the region and actually while your guest is talking about. giving money to the palestinians the u.s. administration just thank god for their support to a part of that as a people which is done actually in coordination with the united sta

after years of conflict between the kurds and the iraqi government iraqi forces left the kurdish region in october one nine hundred ninety one and the semi autonomous k r g was set up a year later. in this film al-jazeera arabic correspondent salman and miss hallam goes to a bill to ask what happened with the referendum in twenty seventeen why did the k r g go ahead with the votes what was the point if they weren't going to declare independence. why did the k r g s allies oppose the vote and why did the others support it. why are critics political parties so fragmented. and what now for the whole question of kurdish independence. health canada's the. i led the geography a little september was about i shot a couple in the stars. and now to depart to talk. i hope for the tide and what many would. lower it at least if the. head is just a publicist say it's i hadn't gotten i could what. i want to know i did this if that. were not. fit. well i can come in by a theater. ok mr when i committed this. let me a condition equal if you hadn't was this what i came in by you read you and your for the

for the previous decade the iraqi kurds had been trying to gain control of the oil rich region around the city of kirkuk ninety five kilometer south of it. they had even raised the kurdish flag. to weeks after the referendum the iraqi army decides to be recaptured control of the city after the surprise withdrawal of kurdish peshmerga forces. that had the. sort of. jim our. mind has it. wrong on the water well you can't. change. what. tom the national the target was. bad. more than. that. i would be numb to it could be done to cause a noble the. deed. do you mean iraq which adama model me to destroy work on you have for you will be done by the love i never see or see what is as clear now i'm stuck to them of the last curly bit and one alarm went out can con didn't bother to fork out what i and my mage wanted to die how did what i needed could stand your mama inside or had to mile your money or can you inside that ark if humans are developed with them a doctor who can look a lot of. men thought of him when you're old and then a to have another mop of hair metal and quite a deal of the g

life is returning to normal for millions of iraqis. and syrians. nations in the global coalition should all be enormously proud of this achievement. together we have saved thousands of lives. our allies and partners have helped greatly in this counter isis efforts. france and britain have joined our attacks and supported our anti-terror efforts around the world. jordan and turkey have hosted millions of syrians fleeing violence. saudi arabiaian and gulf countries contributed toward stabilization efforts. we thank all of them for their help and urge them to continue. the eyes has also helped liberate areas as an important means of preventing the caliphate from re-emerging. we have provided in humanitarian $2.5 billion assistance in iraq since 2014 and our churches and nonprofits do good work there every day as well. we and our allies generated nearly $30 billion to aid iraq's reconstruction in the kuwait reconstruction conference this past year. think about the people we're helping. last year, i hosted the first ever ministerial to to advance religi

it's been fifteen years but finally the iraqi women's wrestling team is back on the mat. the team like many other sports teams was disbanded after the u.s. led invasion and occupation of iraq in two thousand and three but much more than that it's part of a wave of women taking bigger roles in iraq and society but unfortunately our society does not accept women sports but many iraqi women are defying these restrictions and adamant to bring achievements to iraq by raising its flag by women in international tournaments and it's not just in sports in southern iraq a farmer wants to revolutionize the farming industry. she's aiming to grow tomatoes and other vegetables in greenhouses without fertilizers in other words to be completely organic. as a woman i took up the responsibility to cultivate my lens and aim to achieve progress as a female farmer i want to break up the stereotype and restrictions on women in tribal society and will support the role of female farmers. rights activists are increasingly hopeful that things are changing for iraqi women but they still fill those

the iraqis are talking to the americans about any potential role. turkey's foreign minister is insisting that his country will reject a u.s. request not to target attack of kurdish armed groups in northern syria when american forces leave at the gabba so lou addressed the turkish parliament a day off to u.s. national security advisor john bolton reiterated their request in ankara olson's comments and get president when he says turkey will not compromise on kurdish y p g finds as it regards as terrorists north korea's leader kim jong un has wrapped up his visit to china a day earlier than expected it was hopes the talks chinese president xi jinping could lay the groundwork for another meeting with donald trump by the side said much about kim shadow but south korean media are reporting that he met president xi for about an hour more than a dozen consulates and embassies and astray have been evacuated off suspicious packages were delivered to them but he's collected samples at diplomatic missions in the capital cambra and in melbourne they're being tes

different things the first thing for the iraqis will be carful cation on the u.s. role within the country itself the u.s. president don't trouble visited just after christmas he announced that you wasn't going to pull out u.s. troops from iraq he actually did speak to anybody within the iraqi leadership he made that decision on his own so the iraqis would be seeking clarification on that for the americans it's very much about the iranian role within iraqi society both politically and militarily they'll be seeking clarification on what exactly iran is up to hit in iraq now iraq actually has a sanctions wave to do trade with iran so the americans have long criticized that they're the ones that gave them the sanctions waiver but they have been very critical of it as well. you know his kingdom parliament has started debating prime minister trees amazing deal for leaving the european union ahead of a vote next week may delayed the shadow vote last month fearing defeat with time running out before bret's it day at the end of march may has warned m.p.'s not to risk leavin

it's been fifteen years but finally the iraqi women's wrestling team is back on the mat. the team like many other sports teams was disbanded after the u.s. led invasion and occupation of iraq in two thousand and three but much more than that it's part of a wave of women taking bigger roles in iraq a society that's unfortunately our society does not accept women's sports but many iraqi women are defying these restrictions and adamant to bring achievements to iraq by raising its flag by women in international tournaments and it's not just in sports in southern iraq a former ambassador wants to revolutionize the farming industry. she's aiming to grow tomatoes and other vegetables in greenhouses without fertilizers in other words to be completely organic. as a woman i took up the responsibility to cultivate my lens and aim to achieve progress as a female farmer i want to break up the stereotypes and restrictions on women in tribal society and will support the role of female foreigners. rights activists are increasingly hopeful that things are changing for iraqi women but they

troops within iraq itself though the iraqi parliament is going to debate the u.s. role within iraq itself and it seems that the u.s. president made this announcement on his own without any consultation with the iraqis so at least now the iraqis are talking to the americans about any potential role like i say the visit was very short how much work will actually get done but a lot of iraqis are telling us that this is a good solid step in solving some of the problems between iraq and the u.s. . turkey's foreign minister is insisting that his country will reject a u.s. request not to target kurdish groups in northern syria when american forces leave. as address the turkish parliament today after a u.s. national security adviser john bolton reiterated the requested anchor bolton's comments angered the president recent typer one who says that he will not compromise on kurdish y p g fight as it regards as terrorists then you know middle east for the us to be this intertwined with a terrorist organization makes leaving it that much more difficult we continue to hear diffe

the iraqi city of basra has faced months of protests against corruption and poll services demonstrators now say they want to get more organized and unite with other groups and they're embracing a movement that began in fronts rob matheson explains. yellow is now the color of protest in the southern iraqi city of basra angry crowds mainly of young people have adopted the brightly colored vests first seen in demonstrations on the streets of paris a few months ago. if the. universe movement symbolizes the rise against corruption by the people of basra and iraq we'll wearing these yellow vests to deliver a message to politicians that even simple oppressed protesters can make a change about seventy percent of iraq's oil sits beneath the land around basra. yet people who live here say little of the money comes to them. the city's electricity supply barely works the tap water is on drink because it's full of salt . and there's high unemployment catalyst lass said and i tell her know enough is enough the iraqi people have been suffering we need to wake up these politicians are making a joke out

are two very different things the first thing for the iraqis will be carful cation on the u.s. role within the country itself the u.s. president don't trouble visited just after christmas he announced that he wasn't going to pull out u.s. troops from iraq he actually did speak to anybody within the iraqi leadership he made that decision on his own so the iraqis would be seeking clarification on that for the americans it's very much about the iranian role within iraq the society both politically and militarily they'll be seeking clarification on what exactly iran is up to here in iraq now iraq actually has a sanctions waiver to do trade with iran so the americans have long criticized that they're the ones that gave them the sanctions waiver but they have been very critical of it as well. turkey's foreign minister is insisting that his country will reject a u.s. request not to target kaddish armed groups in northern syria on american forces leave that address the turkish parliament a day off to u.s. national security advisor john bolton reiterated that request in ankara olson's c

thirty russian children who had been in an iraqi prison with their allegedly isolated parents are now back home we were there when they returned to russia. and the world welcomes two thousand nine hundred with the clock having already struck midnight and over half the globe we show you some of the highlights of the festivities. are broadcasting live from our studios in moscow this is our international i'm john thomas certainly glad to have you with us. now a somber new year in the central russian city of magnitogorsk as it attempts to come to terms with the tragic collapse of an apartment block on monday morning the federal emergency ministry now says at least seven people have died and that at least thirty five have been left unaccounted for after the building came down following a gas explosion more than a thousand people have been evacuated from their homes following the explosion because of the risk of further collapse one of the eyewitnesses described the scene to us. just a travels there if not at six in the morning we heard an explosion and went to the kitchen window we saw a p

to investigate independent of the iraqi kurds on al jazeera. venezuela's military commanders lined up in support of president nicolas maduro saying efforts to replace him amounts to a cool. clovis is al-jazeera life my headquarters in doha i'm fully back to bore also ahead the afghan taliban appoints one of its founders to join negotiations with the us plus we speak to zimbabwe and children who say they have been beaten in custody during the recent crackdown on demonstrations and from the streets of paris to southern iraq yellow becomes the color of protest in basra. venezuela's president has hit back at his opponents at home and abroad with backing from the military and world powers like russia and china but the u.s. and its latin american allies are demanding that nicolas maduro be replaced by opposition leader one declared himself interim president a trump administration is also calling a special session of the u.n. security council to discuss the crisis and you've got to go tell us more about that in just a moment but first. reports from ko

for millions of iraqis and syrians. nations in the global coalition should be enormously proud of this achievement. tonig together, we have saved thousands of lives. our allies and partners have helped greatly in this counter. isis effort. france and britain joined our strikes on syria and supported our anti-terror effort around the world. jordan and turkey hosted millions of syrians fleeing violence. saudi arabia and gulf countries generously contributed toward stabilization efforts. we thank all of them for their help and urge them to continue. united states has also helped liberate areas as an important means of preventing the caliphate from re-emerging. we providing $2.5 billion in humanitarian assistance to iraq since 2014. and our churches and non-profits do good work there every day. as well. we and our allies -- during the kuwait reconstruction conference just this past year.during the n conference just this past year. think about the people we're helping. last year, i hosted the first ever ministerial to advanc

keeping baghdad requires a large and coordinated operation which begins at four am with iraqi police forces fanning out across the city. and it's not just the green zone over the city streets . as you can see the removal of these concrete barriers is quite a major operation but it is a crucial one not only does it ease congestion on the roads of baghdad but it gives people a sense that things are safe in the city and these things are being repeated across iraq al jazeera baghdad. stay with us i'll have the headlines. in just a minute. at. the top stories the runner up in the democratic republic of congo a presidential election is about to challenge the result in court citing catholic church election. of more than sixty percent of the vote declared rival opposition candidate for. just eighteen percent. syrian state media is reporting israel has fired several missiles towards the capital damascus unconfirmed reports suggest the strikes were launched near the city's airport most of them was shot down by air defenses syria says one of the strikes damaged a warehouse in the capital's airp

has been a symbol of insecurity for years now though security forces are effectively declaring the iraqi capital safe and have removed checkpoints and barriers iran com reports. they call it the transition from green to blue where green army soldiers give up control to the blue berets of the iraqi police force traffic can now easily pass through baghdad's international zone also known as the green zone without checks and special passes a situation unthinkable just a year ago. under the orders a prime minister i'd love to lead the officials across major cities in iraq and remove checkpoints and concrete barriers designed to protect against suicide in tall bombs the prime minister even took a very public walk around baghdad on monday and transitioning from green to blue for iraq something inevitable this came after the end of the military operations against isola cross iraq there's a ground for the iraqi police to handle security and leave other military forms outside the main cities the european union advisory mission to iraq is pushing into that direction in collaboration with the police

life is returning to normal for millions of iraqis and syrians. nations in the global coalition should all be enormously proud of this achievement. together we have saved thousands of lives. our allies and partners have helped greatly in the counter-isis effort. france and britain joined our strikes on syria and have supported our anti-terror effort around the world. jordan and turkey have hosted millions of syrians fleeing violence. saudi arabia and gulf countriese have generously contributed towards stabilization efforts. we thank all of them for their help, and we urge them to continue. the united states has also helped liberate areas as an important means of preventing the caliphate from re-emerging. we have provided $2.5 billion in humanitarian assistance to iraq since 2014, and our churches and non-profits do good work there every day as well. we and our allies generated nearly 30 billion in grants and financing support to aid iraq's reconstruction during the kuwait reconstruction conference just this past year. think about the people we're

mimi's performance is outstanding so far he's the pride of the iraqi national football team iraqi football has constantly had brilliant stars in the past as well as in the present and it will in the future. this is the football school training camps like this are hoping to produce that next generation of iraqi stars came here when he was only six years old he said to be so good they didn't even bother giving him a trial. for some of these teenagers the goal is simply to be the next me. and every one of us dreams about honoring iraq by playing football we think of mimi and the others as role models. years of fighting against the u.s. led invasion joining the regime of saddam hussein and the recent battles against eisold destroyed a lot of iraq's public spaces including sports grounds much of the government's money is geared towards large scale rebuilding projects football is low on the list of priorities. training camps like don't have their own pitches teenagers have to travel around the city to wherever the school has been able to rent a space. we have a lot of problems we don't have enou

mamie's performance is outstanding so far he's the pride of the iraqi national football team iraqi football has constantly had brilliant stars in the past as well as in the present and it will in the future. this is the football school training camps like this are hoping to produce that next generation of iraqi stars came here when he was only six years old he said to have been so good they didn't even bother giving him a trial. for some of these teenagers the goal is simply to be the next me. every one of us dreams about honoring iraq by playing football we think of mimi and the others as role models. years of fighting against the u.s. led invasion joining the regime of saddam hussein and the recent battles against eisel destroyed a lot of iraq's public spaces including sports grounds much of the government's money is geared towards large scale rebuilding projects football is low on the list of priorities. training camps like don't have their own pitches teenagers have to travel around the city to wherever the school has been able to rent a space. we have a lot of problems we don't have en

the last set and i tell a friend all enough is enough the iraqi people have been suffering we need to wake up these politicians are making a joke out of us they can't even resolve their differences in parliament how can they manage a country street protests began in the summer of twenty eight when barely functioning air conditioners couldn't stave off the burning heat the protesters in basra blamed the problems in their city mainly on corruption in corporations but also in parts of the government which is based here in baghdad iraqi prime minister the marquis went to visit basra just recently to see the problems for themselves in the tolbert his predecessor. did the same thing but despite these high profile visits the people of basra say nothing has changed these latest protests a different this time they're organized by zero zero best say they want to join forces with other protest groups and put even more pressure on the government and today i had the idea must rise always going to be a pot and the situation will go out of control of things aren't solved. the color of protest in bas

that our military commanders were not interested in helping the iraqi people. they were not interested in the well being of their own soldiers either. we started engaging their persistence in combat. which was basically to get iran off the. ration for them. in order to retaliate since we were dealing with a ghost and we were going after the people who are killing to. the choice from a very intense we were being hit with mortar rounds improvised explosive devices rocket propelled grenades were moving targets which made it very difficult for anybody to question the morality of the war and. so i lost my my moral compass you could say i was still afraid to question i was so afraid to take a stand. until i went home and i to with for alone and eventually became clear to me that i could not in good conscience continue to be a part of the war at that point i became the first combat veteran to publicly refuse to go back to war based on morality and based on my own assertion that the war was all driven. after five months area of being on the ground and being a wall and

troops within iraq itself though the iraqi parliament is going to debate the u.s. role within iraq itself and it seems that the u.s. president made this announcement on his own without any consultation with the iraqis so at least now the iraqis are talking to the americans about any potential role like i say the visit was very short how much work that actually get done but a lot of iraqis are telling us that this is a good solid step in solving some of the problems between iraq and the u.s. turkey's foreign minister is insisting that his country will reject a u.s. request not to target kurdish armed groups in northern syria when american forces leave the toughest of the address the turkish parliament a day after u.s. national security advisor john bolton reiterated the request in ankara bolton's comments angered president who says turkey will not compromise on kurdish wife e.g. fighters it regards as terrorists. released into the us to be this intertwined with a terrorist organization makes leaving it that much more difficult we continue to hear different voices co

how wave of iraqi women is claiming back their place in society. and the snow has been falling in hokkaido parts of northern honshu and the great tide doesn't look much but because the is so cold behind it that is what has been happening closing airports but this is normal winter stuff really on the lease side of bold so road to be modeled in tokyo thirteen degrees but we've gone subzero behind it where the cold air and the release is doubt about minus fifty five up here but the cold air is trying to leak out again so high temp is modest for in pyongyang minus fifteen but just above freezing in beijing is very still here's where it currently is not like good of course but you're used to that by now and here's the picture for when see more substantial snow in northern home church might come across the hills is heading down towards take care it is going to be feeling colder in turkey this is come wednesday so that's where winter proper law ease his one user weather we saw this yesterday this rain now streaking out from me in northern tali in towards

and there's high unemployment care for adults class telford all enough is enough the iraqi people have been suffering we need to wake up these politicians are making a joke out of us they can't even resolve their differences in parliament how can we manage a country street protests began in the summer of twenty eight when barely functioning air conditioners couldn't stave off the burning heat the protesters in basra blamed the problems in their city mainly on corruption in corporations but also in parts of the government which is based here in baghdad iraqi prime minister the marquis went to visit basra just recently to see the problems for themselves in october his predecessor i got a love body did the same thing but despite these high profile visits the people of basra say nothing has changed these latest protests a different this time they're organized by yellow vest say they want to join forces with other protest groups and put even more pressure on the government and today i have the element and i must rise always going to be a part and the situation will go out of control of thin

that our military commanders were not interested in helping the iraqi people. they were not interested in the well being of their own soldiers either. we started engaging their persistence in combat. which was basically hit and run operation for them. in order to retaliate since you were dealing with a ghost enemy we're going after the people hurt feelings of. the situation was very. intense we were being hit with mortar rounds improvised explosive devices rocket propelled grenades were moving targets which made it very difficult for anybody to question the morality of the war and. so i lost my my moral compass you could say i was too afraid to question i was so afraid to take a stand. until i went home on a tour with furlough and eventually became clear to me that i could not in good conscience continue to be a part of the war at that point i became the first combat veteran to publicly refuse to go back to war based on morality and based on my own assertion that the war was driven. after five months area of being on the ground and being a wall and putting toge

keeping back that requires a large and coordinated operation which begins at four am with iraqi police forces finding out across the city. and it's not just the green zone over the city streets . as you can see the removal of these concrete barriers is quite a major operation but it is a crucial one not only does it ease congestion on the roads of baghdad but it gives people a sense that things are safe in the city and these things are being repeated across iraq al jazeera baghdad. top stories two thousand u.s. troops have begun to withdraw from syria but commanders i'm not giving. away three weeks surprise announcement. there. has been holding talks on the latest stop on his eight day middle east tool. also in the gulf will be promoting a plan for a new military alliance against iran. are the top u.s. diplomat allies to contain in the region. the runner up in the democratic republic of congo's presidential election plans to appeal the results was in full use says he's won more than sixty percent of the votes that for commissions declared another opposition council katie as the winner

it's been fifteen years but finally the iraqi women's wrestling team is back on the mat. the team like many other sports teams was disbanded after the u.s. led invasion and occupation of iraq in two thousand and three but much more than that it's part of a wave of women taking bigger roles in iraq and society. unfortunately our society does not accept women's sports but many iraqi women are defying these restrictions and adamant to bring achievements to iraq by raising its flag by women in international tournaments and it's not just in sports in southern iraq a farmer embassador wants to revolutionize the farming industry. she's aiming to grow tomatoes and other vegetables in greenhouses without fertilizers in other words to be completely organic. as a woman i took up the responsibility to cultivate my lens and aim to achieve progress as a female farmer i want to break up stereotypes and restrictions on women in tribal society and will support the role of female farmers. rights activists are increasingly hopeful that things are changing for iraqi women but they still fill