syria. the resolution calls for a cease-fire and talks between the syrian government and syrian opposition. this meeting of the united nations security council was chaired by secretary of state john kerry and is just over two hours. >> the 7,588th meeting of the security council is called to order. the provisional agenda for this meeting is the situation in the middle east. the agenda is adopted. i want to warmly welcome the distinguished secretary general, the ministers, and the other distinguished representatives present in the security council chamber today. now, in accordance with rule 37 of the council's provisional rules of procedure, i invite the representative of the syrian arab republic to participate in that meeting. it is so decided. the security council will now begin the consideration of item two of the agenda. i give the floor -- and let me just say to everybody we have a number of ministers who have flight schedules to meet and this went on a little longer than we thought, but i appreciate everybody's patience. we're very, very grateful to you. it's my honor to gi

substantively engage on issues concerning the situation in syria on which we would have preferred to have more time for consultations. this is an important step in insuring and cementing council's unity of purpose and vision on way forward for syria. that the international community has a strong desire to see an end to the conflict in syria cannot be -- [inaudible] because in terms of human life and property to date is simply staggering. such suffering and misery must end now. it is for this primary reason that malaysia joined unanimous decision on resolution 2254, building upon the vision and principles of the geneva communique and the vienna statements and the collective will of the international community to bring about a peaceful and sustainable resolution to the syrian conflict. many in this context -- in this context, my delegation expresses deep appreciation to the special envoy for his untiring facilitation which we fully support. moving into its fifth year, the syrian conflict continues to be a litany of horrific human rights abuses and violations and most notoriously for violations o

drafting a new constitutionality must be independently decided by all parties and groups of syria and the future leader of syria must be independently chosen by the syrian people. other countries could help in a constructive way, the international community need to foster an enabling environment and all parties should create a favorable condition for that. third, we must remain committed to having the u.n. serve as the main champion for mediation. u.n. involvement would bring more legitimacy and authority to the process. it is the largest common denominator acceptable to all parties. by security councilman date the u.n. will formulate a presence i have ceasefire plan and promote peace talks between the government and the opposition. we'll look to the u.n. to work on both front steadily asman dated and play a bigger role in consolidating opposition groups coordinating international counter terrorism efforts and other areas. the international community should render cooperation and support and assist and compliment the mediation bisect general ban ki-moon and special envoy in a cons

said. we've got nothing. we don't have any records from syria. we don't know if they're even from syria. we don't know. we don't have the information to vet them. f.b.i. had more information to vet people coming from iraq. and we know that they missed a couple of terrorists that were in kentucky they were allowed in, i think it was 2009. and turns out they just missed that their fingerprints, at least one of them, was on an i.e.d. in iraq. the guy's a terrorist. so despite what this , ministration tries to aswage the brders are open. receive syrian refugees that the president is bringing in to the united states. even when governors say, we understand, you can't vet these people so you're not bringing hem into our states. then i see this afternoon that the governor of my stating greg abbott, has sued the administration because the administration's made clear we don't care what you think. we don't care that your governor of your state -- that you're governor of your state. we don't care about the 10th amendment. we say we're putting syrian refugees in texas and there's nothing you c

thousands of air strikes in syria and iraq. france and russia are now in the war. nato member turkey is involved up to its eye teeth, but as he saw in the russian jet shootdown, not always with the same priorities as its assumed allies. stop me when you think we have reached something that sounds like world war 3.0. it's the inside story. ♪ >>> welcome to "inside story." i'm ray suarez. no, i'm not suggesting that this conflict is as extensive or threatening as the total war fought in every corner of the globe in world war ii. but when the list of combatants in iraq and syria is as long as this, it makes both the war on the ground and diplomacy at the bargaining table extremely complex. exhibit a, turkey's recent shootdown of a russian military jet in the skies over syria. turkey says it warned the jet repeatedly. russia denies that took place. turkey has refused to apologize, russia has laid on economic sanctions. al jazeera america claimed responsibility for the paris attacks. france is fighting back hard. >> we would like to see russia concentrating its efforts to fight our common

relationship with iran with a common cause of stabilizing syria because as was mentioned it's very crucial issue for the iranian politicians to stabilize with syria and have control on syria and assad. .. >> you have different agendas, so i cannot see any for compromise. it was mentioned today. i would say that i doubt that someone can achieve victory over the islamic state there. i really doubt that we can speak for future about united and -- i think the best way to do the job is to make a state because it's inviable for the years to come. but i completely -- i'm completely sure that he would never succeed in defeating isis in coming years. i think that if mr. putin wants to do this, let him try. it's a good experience for the russian. and if you want to have a very necessary on the ground, you should speak about the possibility of the state. so i think that syria is gone. victory is unachievable and coalition is out of question. thank you. [laughter] >> painful in your validation of the assumptions particularly struck by your point that you don't see a common purpose between what

syria inform ambassadors on russia's involvement in syria. later vladimir putin's annual news conference. >> you can see if you want to understand the red/blue politics of you can't look at the state level project a look at the county level because that's where you start seeing those divisions. you can see it right there, presidential election maps. you can see yankee gum popping out, left the coast of veering, the deep south and tidewater. i haven't messed with the college. the red really is republican and the blue religious democrat. this isn't a recent election. this is the 1916 showdown. republicans for the first century of the history, party founded and almost explicitly yankee gum for centric mike lux but the parties come and go. awakes are gone. federals or so one as well. the current parties have swapped over last 40 years their constituencies and the program. it's just shifted around trying to understand any kind of historical time for them what's happened using parties as a cipher, red versus blue, is an exercise in futility. to lasting differences that really matter

rebels could be isis. a general told me, we have no idea who they are. let's say they take over syria. i love that russia is dropping bombs over isis. i love it. [applause] we have a president, he doesn't know who to fight. two weeks ago, he says we are sending 50 men and maybe weapons. was not moreed he specific. he should have been more specific. we are sending 50 men to syria, iraq. i don't think he even knows where they are going. why does he have to talk? why does he have to stand up and say, we are sending those people? these are our finest, greatest soldiers. do we have to do that? why does he have to open his mouth? why can't he send them and be quiet? no he just announced they are sending another small group over. just announced, we are sending more soldiers. small numbers. is so smallnumber that if you are going to do it, do it. it is so small, i don't think it is a good pr move. the enemy is not stupid. they are not contained. they are looking for these men and women. they are looking for them. what the hell does he have to say it for? the word, unpredictability. we don't h

tells me unless we attack isil in syria, all they will do is regroup and come back and attack our country. >> i think my honorable friend makes a very important point and it's very clear that it exists in syria as well as iraq is a direct threat to iraq and the government of iraq. he talks about some of the veterans as being from iraq. i would also add to that what's happened in tikrit, since that's been taken off isil. we have seen 70% of its population returning to that city. later on in this debate, the importance of humanitarian aide and reconstruction, that can only work if you have good government in those times and the absence of isil in those. we'll make a little bit of progress and i will take more interventions including from the different political parties in this house. mr. speaker, since my statement last week, the house has had an opportunity to ask questions of our security expert. i've arranged a briefing for all members, as well as more detailed briefings. i've spoken further to our allies, including president obama, chancellor merkel and the king of jordan. the k

. assad family are drama. a cousin and opponent of syria's dictator, talks to me. plus rum wars on the streets of havana. you'll meet a cuban rum runner with a thirst for black market booze. the war in syria is approaching the five-year mark. and the international community is ramping up efforts to end it. over the weekend the united nations security council approved a resolution outlining a road map for peace in syria. the goal is to restart talks in january through the syrian government and its opponents. the resolution calls for a ceasefire, naicial wide nationwide ceasefire, formation within six months of a quote incremental, inclusive and nonsectarian government in damascus, and if all goes well, free and fair elections to be held withinnen 1 within 18 mont. what to do with the resolution, what to do with bashar al-assad. now a rai now arate raid arrayed against him, five years of fighting have only created a stalemate. power vacuum one that is so big that i.s.i.l. has exploited it to seize territory. that's why the u.n. resolution allows the united states, russia and others to co

>>> boots on the ground. the u.s. will send more special forces to fight i.s.i.l. in iraq and syria. this is al jazeera. also ahead. >>> don't bomb syria >>> thousands rally in london ahead of a parliamentary vote on whether to approve launching air strikes in syria. plus. >> reporter: in baghdad violence rises across iraq and the price of oil plum ets and civilians are going into poverty >>> government intervention clears a hazardous fog choking china's capital. obama says the u.s. is stepping up the fight against i.s.i.l. more special forces will be sent to fight the armed group in both iraq an syria. obama has expressed that the ground troop mission will be carried out alongside continued diplomatic efforts. >> reporter: the united states is intensifying the war in iraq and syria in the hope that it will eventually lead to talk of peace. >>> next, in full coordination with the government of iraq we're deploying a special targeting force to assist iraqi and peshmerga forces and putting more pressure on i.s.i.l. these special operators will over time be able to conduct raids, free

. the motion brought before the house today, by the government authorizing military action in syria against isil faces as with exactly that decision. it runs potentially far-reaching consequences for saul here in britain as well as the people of syria and the wider middle east. for all members, a decision that will put british men and women in harms way and almost inevitably lead to the death of innocence is a heavy responsibility. it must be treated with the utmost seriousness and respect given to those who make a different judgment about the right course of action to take. which is why the prime minister's attempts to brown nose against the government as terrorist sympathizers both the demeans the office of the prime minister and, i believe, minimize the seriousness of the law rations-- deliberations having today and the prime minister now wants to apologize for those remarks and i would happy to give way to him to do so. since mr. speaker, the prime minister is unmoved, we will have to move on with the debate and i hope he will be strong in-- stronger later to recognize that, yes

syria. the destruction speaks for itself. a lot of that destruction was brought on the city because of isis. i think we need to be clear about that. a very good friend and colleague of ours who is the order of islam without extremism has a piece today in the turkish newspaper called the daily news and he says don't give isil the islamophobia it seeks. it will be very critical when responding or developing the strategy france, the united states and other partners will need to bear this in mind and also to address this issue of islamophobia that is part and parcel of islam's presence in europe and elsewhere. very critical not just to drift into essentialism which happens in the '30s, late '30s and here in the media in d.c. there has been a number of pieces that draws similarities between the way refugees were treated in the late '30s and some of the reaction to the syrian refugees coming out of the united states itself. i'd like to make a second remark that in some ways ties up with the question jeremy raised. one of the greatest successes of the integration project is the removal of bor

london. coming up. hope for syria. the five permanent u.n. security councilmembers agree on the text of a draft resolution on the syrian peace process. >>> president obama says the u.s.-led campaign against ice is progressing and he's con if i had did he want the group will be defeated. >>> despite the supposed ceasefire pro-yemen forces seize two towns from the houthis in 24 hours. >>> and the vatican says mother teresa will now be made a saint. >>> hello i am rahul in doha, i'll have all your sporting. find out what he had to say later in the program. ♪ ♪ >>> hello there, a very warm welcome to this hour of news. the five permanent members of the security council agreed on the text of a draft resolution on a peace process for syria. the full council is expected to vote on it any time now. so let's go live now to our diplomatic editor james bays who joins us from new york. james, you were outside the hotel earlier when they were discussing this and all the back and forth. but the up shot is we now have this draft text. can you tell us a bit more about what's in communique b

called the producer in the political process on national day in order to develop and build syria, to restore its stability to syrian territory at all syrians have to put ahead of them that the solution can only be a syrian solution through comprehensive, political process in response to the legitimate aspirations of the syrian people for the national dialogue, which brings all under the umbrella of the state in order to establish a secular pluralistic state where all are equal before the law, estate where councils are opened without discrimination and where the syrian people alone would lead their leadership with freedom, transparency, without any foreign intervention of influence. in conclusion, my attention was drawn by glaring contradiction in some of the statements of the speakers today. that on the one hand they emphasize that only the syrian people are to decide their future without any foreign intervention at a time when they have delved into issues of sovereignty relating to the issue of prisons in my country, a matter that is the product of the syrian people alone. as is men

make a real difference in syria as they are already doing in iraq. >> it is important in this debate that there is respect across the house. in that spirit of respect, will the prime minister -- he must apologize. for what was put on every member of the opposition last night. cameron: i really do suggest that we get on with the debate. the country wants to hear about it. in many ways, what i have just said, i believe helps to answer the next question that some members have asked about why we do not simply increase our level of airstrikes in iraq to free up other coalition capacity for strikes in syria. we have these capabilities that other members of the coalition want to benefit from, and it makes no sense to stop using the capabilities at a border between daeschd syria that simply do not recognize or respect. let me make this argument -- there was a recent incident in which syrian opposition forces needed support in their fight against daesch. british tornadoes were eight minutes away over the border in iraq. no one else was close. but britain could not help, so the syrian o

do with the rebuilding after the stabilization of syria, which we welcome. we are entitled to ask however, mr. speaker, whether contribution of less than 1% of what is required is realistically going to be enough. >> here, here. >> yesterday like some of the members of the house i took the time to meet syria exiles to hear their views. it was heartbreaking to hear about people who are literally surviving just on hope and a 16 year-old who only wishes to attend their makeshift school in the basement. they asked whether we are -- stop fighting assad and move into other parts of the country to fight daesh. that asked how we expect people to fight daesh if they have no feeling of any support. now yesterday, mr. speaker, -- [inaudible] from many different organizations, from solidarity uk, from the sunni community in manchester, from the kurdish house and the syrian community southwest, from scotland to syria, from the syrian welsh of society, from the syrian platform for piece and the syrian association of yorkshire or and in their letter to us they said that mps are asking the wrong

more special forces to iraq and syria, can the u.s. strategy succeed? we'll speak with middle east expert gilbert ashcar. then white former police officer daniel holtzclaw is convicted of serial rape in oklahoma city. 13 women testified against him. was he able to hurt so many and did the corporate media ignore the case because the victims are african-american? cooksey pulled me over and fondled me and it certain things to me. i was out there alone and helpless and did know what to do and in my mind, all i could think as he was going to shoot me. he was going to kill me. he did things to me that i didn't think a police officer would do. >> unworthy of national media attention in such a sensational situation as a serial rapist with a badge? amy: we'll speak with candace liger of okc artists for justice in oklahoma city a group , founded around the case, and to law professor kimberlÉ crenshaw about the conviction of daniel holtzclaw and the treatment of african-american women. all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm am

syria and second question was how would the u.k. plan secure long sterm stability and reconstruction given the u.k. spent 13 times more bombing libya than on its post bombing. i asked the prime minister, how much does he estimate this will cost and how much has he allocated from the united kingdom. i'd like to turn to those two questions. because on the issue of ground forces we have been told, that there are 70,000 troops opposed to assad and daish, which could take the territory that they hold. the problem is, that only a part of those forces are moderate. and there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever they would definitely deploy from other parts of the country to come to daish. now, i asked the prime minister and intervention, of those 70,000, how many are moderate and how many of them are fundamentalists. i have not had an answer to that question and i would invite any member from the government side to tell the rest of the house what that is. >> come on. >> silencsilence. >> respect. >> critical issue posed by the -- i will give away in a moment to the esteemed c

missions in both iraq and syria. british partners have provided robust support, advising, assisting, and building capacity of local forces taking the fight to isil in both iraq and syria. as we put a increased pressure and intensify airstrikes against isil's financial infrastructure across syria, we appreciate and to the world appreciates the uk's contribution to this necessary and critical mission. with strong allies like the united states and the united kingdom need to bear every instrument of power against this barbaric foe, we will defeat isil and we will ensure they stay defeated. of course our work together , extends far beyond the middle east. in europe we must continue , writing the new playbook. one that includes preparations to encounter new challenges like cyber and hybrid warfare. we must continue to adjust our posture and presence in response to russian aggression and support our allies. last month, the u.k. released its strategic defense and security review. a blueprint for british security priorities through 2020. ae sds our establishes u.k.egic framework for the inve

citizenship for fighting in syria. so the russians have succeeded to squeeze out the terrorists out of russia and then put syria in the position of isis i the putin is completely counter-productive in syria but he does what he loves. >> he himself as profited you prefer to fight them there a man here in russia. i think part of the problem as we ourselves have learned just because you're there is a meeting of the targets elsewhere but his government does not treat muslims at all. even if they are very successful is a huge problem that they're not dealing successfully itself. and basically being agitated what is happening in syria by russia itself so it seems that operation does not change cattle -- at all. >> what about putin schools and in syria? you said he was to keep in power and also he supports the illegitimate regimes which is not exactly true because if you remember when the georgian president was elected he was accepted and moreover russia supported all three presidents so according to this we cannot say he always stands guard so when he says he wants to keep in power it is jus

iraq and syria in the hope it will lead to talks of peace. >>> next, we're deploying a specialized expedition force to put even more pressure on i.s.i.l. these special operators will over time be able to conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence and capture i.s.i.l. leaders. that creates a shall virtuos cycle which targets more targets and mow memorandum tom. >> reporter: the females will go into syria to get him and get out adding even more special forces will be sent into the region as they find local forces capable of fighting and more military hardware is moving into the syrian conflict and will of many flags. reconnaissance planes and ships of up to 1200 troops with the hope that they won't be use for combat. a plan to be worked on to send into syria for bombing missions from u.k. the u.s. president obama described how he sees this conflict ending in the summit. it begins with all of the parties including russian agreeing on opposition fighters and a cease fire between those groups and forces loyal to bashar al-assad. >>> it is possible, given the existing accord that

discussion about russia's military operations in syria and the implications for the u.s. and turkey. analysts talk about russia's motivations and goals for their involvement and how recent actions in syria have increased russia's presence on the syrian border with turkey. this it 90 minutes. >> good morning, everyone. i want to welcome all of you to this discussion on russia and syria, implications for the united states and turkey. we have a great panel to discuss most recent turkish incident, the downing of the russian jet, as well as experts who can provide a broader perspective on u.s.-russia relations and see how that is going -- going forward how the relationship between the west and russia will evolve but in particular in the context of syria. as you know, russian intervention, military intervention, direct intervention in syria has complicated the dynamics on the ground. there were expectations this could perhaps lead to some contribution from russia to the fight against isis, but let's say that russia has been at the very least ambivalent about that. not entirely clear what

. moscow is cooperating with the u.s. when it comes to the conflict in syria. u.s. authorities charge the friend of one of the san bernardino shooters with terrorism-related offenses. enrique marquez bought two of the guns used in the deadly rampage. and you think you know who donald trump supporters are? we speak to some who break the mold and may explain surging polls. welcome to our viewers on public television in america and also around the globe. vladmir putin held his annual news conference covering everything from the conflict in syria to donald trump. is greatest language was directed at turkey who shot down a russian jet last month. the situation in syria, russia and the u.s. agree on a general approach to settling the crisis there. our correspondent reports. richard: vladmir putin's end of year news conference is a marathon event with hours of carefully vetted questions and the president who has ruled russia for 15 years often uses it to speak out about international disputes. there is no more pressing issue han this, the crisis sparked by the shooting down of a russian fighter

, you're watching al jazeera live from doha. >>> syria agrees on key points for peace talks as its foreign minister meets his chinese counterpart. >>> a violent christmas eve across the west bank, four palestinians are killed after several attacks. >>> storms sweep through the u.s. causing self deaths and travel chaos. >>> it is iraqi army has liberated big parts of ramadi. it says the advance is slowed by explosive devices left behind. >> as the days wear on, iraqi forces trying to retake ramadi have made a sobering admission, it will take time. the military's trying to overpower isil fighters who have been in control of the city since may. backed by airstrikes, ground troops are edging forward street by street towards the center. >> morale is high and god willing, we will keep advancing to retake the whole of the ramadi city. we are now at the main district and god willing, we will liberate the remaining part of ramadi. >> iraqi intelligence said there are just a few hundred isil fighters left within the city parameters. they are proving a difficult foe. they have planted explosive booby

being asked to agree in both iraq and syria, precisely that is what daesh do and their headquarters is in syria. we're being asked to make further contribution to international effort to contain daesh from extending the mayhem and bloodshed of that accompanies their every move even more widely across the middle east. serious questions have been raised that i respect those who raised them. there is unease about ground forces. there is proper concern about the strategy and endgame and about the aftermath about rebuilding. some say simply innocent people are more likely to be killed. military action does create casualties, however much we try to minimize them. so should we on those grounds abandon action in iraq although we undertake it at the request of iraq's government and it does seem to be making a difference? should we take no further action against daesh who are themselves killing innocent people and striving to kill more every day of the week? or should we simply leave it to others? would we make ourselves a bigger target for daesh attack? we are a target. we will remain a target.

syria to keep the british people safe. now if the government wins the vote, the british bombing raids could start within hours. cameron repeatedly refused to apologize for calling his opponents terrorist sympathizers. >> our security services have foiled no fewer than seven different plots against our people. and the question is this, do we work with our allies to degrade and destroy this threat? and do we go after these terrorists in their heart lands from where they are plotting to kill british people, or do we sit back and wait for them to attack us? >> the absence of credible ground troops, the missing diplomatic plan for a syrian settlement, the failure to address the impact of the terrorist threat, it's becoming increasingly clear that the prime minister's proposal for military action simply do not stack up. >> let's go live to charlie angela now who is in westminster for us. charlie these session has been going on for sometime now, and it has been pretty rowdy already. tell us what has been happening and how the prime minister has been defending his case. >> yes, it has been ve

syria. welcome to al jazeera. also ahead. >>> don't bomb syria >>> thousands rally in london ahead of a parliamentary vote on whether to approval launching air strikes in syria. plus. >> reporter: i'm in baghdad as violence rises across iraq and the price of ill plum ets globely and an increasing number of iraqis are falling into extreme poverty >>> myanmar's road to democracy. the power is being discussed by aung san suu kyi with the out going prime minister. obama says the asmt s is stepping up the fight against i.s.i.l. more special forces will be sent to help fight the armed group in iraq and syria. the ground troop mission will be carried out besides continued diplomatic efforts. >> reporter: the united states is intensifying the war in iraq and syria in the hope that it will event eventual ly go towards peace. >>> we will assist sources to put more pressure on i.s.i.l. these operators will over time be able to conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence and capture i.s.i.l. leaders. that creates a virtuous cycle of better intelligence which generates more targets, more rai

. . >> they believe that british planes will make a real difference in syria just as they are already doing in iraq. honorable gentleman. >> it's important in this debate that there's respect across the house. will the prime minister must apologize on every member of the opposition last night. [shouting] >> i really do suggest that we get on with the debate that the country wants to hear about. in many ways what i've just said helps to answer the next question that some members have asked why we don't increase level of air strike to free up other coalition capacity in syria. we have these capabilities that other members of the coalition benefit from and it doesn't make sense to stop that daesh do not respect. let me make this argument. this is an important detail point. there was a recent incident in which syrian opposition forces needed urgent support in their fight against daesh, british tornadoes were eight minutes away just over the border in iraq, no one else was close, but britain couldn't help so the syrian opposition forces had to wait 14 minutes while other coalition

watching al jazeera live from my headquarters in doha. i'm jane dutton. also ahead. syria greece on key point for peace talks. - agrees. in bethlehem, christmas festivitys come with heightened security. refugees rebuilding their lives in europe one note at a time. the iraq eau army says it has liberated large part of thes ramadi. an operation to recapture the city on tuesday but the advance is being slowed down by explosive devices left behind by the group >> reporter: as the days wear on, iraqi forces trying to retake ramadi has made a sobering admission. it will take time. the military is trying to overpower i.s.i.l. fighters who have been in control of the city since may. backed by air strikes, ground troops are edging forward, street by street towards the center. >> translation: moral doeses e is high and we will keep advancing to take the whole of the ramadi city, god willing. we will liberate the remaining parts of ramadi. >> reporter: eye ago' intelligence says there are just a few hundred i.s.i.l. fighters left within the city parameters. they're proving a difficult foe. traps o

greater. >> britons prime minister makes his case for launching airstrikes in syria. >> hello, this is al jazeera live from doha. also ahead, nato states pledge to step up their fight against isil as the organization welcome as new member. >> in baghdad, violence rises across iraq and the price of oil plummets globally, an increasing number of iraqis are falling into extreme poverty. >> british m.p.'s are debating whether the u.k. should human isil in syria. david cameron said the campaign has been a success and civilian casualties limited. he repeatedly refused to apologize for calling opponents terrorist sympathizers and said britain would be safer if balling in syria took place. >> since november last year, our security forces have foiled no fewer than seven plots against our people. this threat is very real and the question is this, do we work with our allies to degrade and destroy this threat, and do we go after these terrorists in their heart lands from where they are plotting to kill british people or do we sit back and wait for them to attack us. >> the be a accepts of credi

the shah and assad in power indefinitely or the foreseeable future, at least in part in syria. the second assumption is the nature of the military campaign being waged by russian aircraft and iranian assembled omissions in syria against armed groups, not iso- fighting the assad regime defines russian and iranian priorities in syria. for both the battle against isil seems to be a pretext for assembling forces aiming to eliminate alternatives both to assad and isil. the assumption underlying this work is that or iran, keeping assad in power mainly has to do with assad's willingness over the years to subordinate syria to iran on all matters related to hezbollah in lebanon. keeping hezbollah fit to fight, israel and politically dominant in lebanon are crucial iranian national security priorities. assad has delivered. there are no constituencies to this particular relationship in syria beyond the ruling family and its enablers. it sees bashar personally as embodying whatever residual legitimacy as last to this regime. fourth, for russia assad's continued incumbency proclaims moscow's re

operations in syria. >> and those numbers are separate from the special operations forces that the u.s. has already been or will be deploying to syria. and carter said that the u.s. is making gains against isil in coalition airstrikes. aljazeera is at the pentagon, and jamie, what exactly are the force that's the u.s. will be sending to iraq and syria, and are these numbers that asher carter just announced, are they clarification of what the pentagon just announced? >> well, there are new numbers, and there are additional troops that will be deployed to iraq. at one point, it sounded like secretary carter was talking about new troops, and at one point, he was talking about the troops already there. here's the clarification. the special forces troops, based in erbil, iraq, and they are helping the peshmerga prisoners being held by isil, and they went in to capture abu sigh ed. and what they are doing, they are enhancing it. and they are calling it a specialized expedition targeting force. their mission is to gather tense, and free prisoners and capture isil leaders. it was at the same time a

own country, watched on television, been on the internet. within syria and iraq recruiting for fighters on the ground there, we are trying to dry up that supply of recruits. both by making it hard tore get into syria and by stroeug them when they're there, as well as the ultimate, which is to create local forces and local systems of governance than joining these violent extremists. >> it will incentivize others to join the movement and attract resources to the movement. >> which do you think they will focus on, regaining territory or increasing broader attacks here and other places. >> congressman, i think the ultimate opportunist and will take advantage of all the above when the opportunity presents itself. >> thank you. i yield back. >> thank you, general, for your testimony today. will operations over time be able to conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence and capture isil leaders. it generates more targets, more raids, more momentum. the line that was in the statement that you didn't mention in your oral testimony was that this force will also be in a position to

will start debate wednesday on whether to expand uk air strikes into syria. david cameron supports the move, but thousands of protesters voiced their opposition. uk war planes are already hitting isis targets in iraq. a vote is expected wednesday night. >>> president obama says he doesn't expect russia to change its strategy in syria any time soon. he is urging vladimir putin to focus on fighting isis rather than supporting syrian president bashar al assad. >> the u.s. is sending more special operations forces to fight isis in iraq. they will join about 50 commanders already authorized to fight isis in syria. the defense secretary ash carter says they'll be able to conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence, and capture isis leaders. carter testified tuesday before the house arms services committee where he faced some pointed questions. >> it puts everybody on notice in syria that you don't know at night who's going to be coming in the window, and that's the sensation that we want all of isil's leadership and followers to have. >> are we winning, mr. secretary in. >> we will win

syria. that is happening now in moscow >>> i'm jane dutton, this is al jazeera. coming up, a new report examines a fast cache of evidence of human rights abuses, allegedly committed by the syrian government on its own people. also ahead... >> i'm here with a story of mohammed azizi, the street vendor who sparked a resolution. >> china protests against a major deal against taiwan and threatens sanctions against companies involved >>> the conflict in ukraine, the low-level conflict with turkey, the fight against i.s.i.l., and how to end the conflict in syria. russia's president is reflecting the enmerging status as a key global player. as vladimir putin holds the state of the nation press conference, all the while his jets have been pounding targets in syria, in the hours before the speech. russian jets killed 21234 el-raqqa, in an air strike there. it's hit, more than 200 i.s.i.l. targets across syria in the past 24 hours. as far as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict in syria, policy on the future role of president bashar al-assad has changed. i said on many occasions and i wa

fight isil more directly, the administration seeks to build up local ground forces in iraq and syria, to support them with our airpower. this is what many of us have been advocating for years and to make sure that we are making some progress as i recently saw during a visit to iraq with senator graham. onqi forces are closing in ramadi although they have not finished the job. our counterterrorism operations are taking a lot of isil the battlefield. all of this represents tactical progress and it is a testimony to our civilian and military leaders as well as thousands of u.s. troops. the are helping to take fight to isolate every day. however, significant challenges remain. the iraqi government is weak and beholden to iran. the training of iraqi security forces has been slow. pace, u.s.ent commanders estimate that isil will still control those all -- mosul at the end of the year. isil until destroy the capital of the caliphate false. there is still no ground force that is willing and able to re-take that capital or is there a realistic prospect of one emerging soon. arabs want toni ov

american special forces ready to head to iraq and syria, and bolstering the fight against isis, and now more on the mission and the decision behind it. we will go inside of syria right after a quick break. this holiday season, get ready for mystery. what's in the trunk? nothing. romance. 18 inch alloys. you remembered. family fun. everybody squeeze in. don't block anyone. and non-stop action. noooooooo! it's the event you don't want to miss. it's the season of audi sales event. get up to a $2,500 bonus for highly qualified lessees on select audi models. >>> we are break news coming into cnn on the war on isis. u.s. war operation forces are headed to iraq and syria, part of what is being described as an expanded effort to defeet eyes is on the ground. the u.s. defense secretary ash carter and the joint chiefs of staff general joseph dunford announced the decision earlier this morning before testimony before the house armed services committee. this is secretary carter a little while ago. >> in full coordination with the government of iraq, we are deploying a full expeditionary targeting f

helicopters. but that is important. if you look at the no-fly zone in an syria there has to be a ground component. and with u.s. boots of the ground with every islamic state and they cannot do that. in the south bbb jordanians could predicates complicated. and four no-fly zones to succeed there has to be controlled otherwise i was there and 2003 the occupancy of which were not all placed there is a subsequent decade that got a lot of people killed and one thing i would not do is do not send 101st airborne in the islamic state. into precipitate it certainly did but i have argued for some time. not the withdrawal of military that made that crucial dash difference but of the political engagement. as i was out there with secretary of state every couple of months. but that all stopped when we polled our forces out. political this engagement has more to do the unraveling the and the military withdrawal the we have seen unfortunately as freely and one to the other. that if you are politically engaged maybe they don't have to. >> as of this to policy disaster related to that speech with

usable syria. i think that is what moscow is pursuing which is to say they don't need a thought to control the territory of the modern syria state or any post-assad government. what they want is some sort of reliable regime whether that is headed by assad or someone else that controls areas that are important to them. that acts like a client or partner or at the very least respective of russian interest. 70% of the country is controlled but it is mostly uninhabited. and i don't think that is the russi russian's worst outcome. >> we have seen breaking of relati relations in crimea and ukraine. the action you did need to be short, defensive, and it needs to end right now. this happens mostly when you have a bigger country you can do a surgical event at. you will not bring any kind of detour and that will affect the economy and considering the social relations between two countries it is not something -- the esculation of this crises isn't something neither government wants at this point. >> i want to thank my panel. and thank you for coming tonightonight today. tonight on c-span2, th

today. to turkeyr ambassador joined a panel to talk about russian and involvement in syria. -- upported russian posted by the atlantic council, this is just over three hours. >> thank you john molina for getting us all started today. i would like to joining in welcome everyone to the atlantic council. we take great pride in bringing voices from the region in whatever we discuss regional events. we take great pride in being multidisciplinary, cross disciplinary and in this case we have the eurasia center and the hariri center for the middle east working together on this fundamentally cross-regional issue. and even as american russian and middle eastern diplomats are together new york wrestling with the same problems we'll be discussing here today. we would just like to go to our experts who began speaking. i should note that at the bar principle discussions here today, speaking from papers they will be presenting early in the new year so you are getting a prepublication. ambassador hoff if you would like to begin. >> thank you frank. this is the paper to which frank refers will be publis

. troops would face combat in iraq and syria, today the president is ordering dozens of u.s. special forces into combat roles, involving direct action against isis. >> these special operator will, over time, be able to conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence, and capture isil leaders. >> reporter: the new expedition area force will number in the dozens, though support forces expandite total footprint to 200. >> this force and the operations this force will conduct will provide us additional intelligence that will make our operations much more effective. >> reporter: part of their mission, raids like this one in northern iraq in october. daring joint operation involving kurdish commandos and the u.s. army's delta force to freeze isis-held prisoners, demonstrating added danger of direct action one delta force operator, master force joshua wheeler, was killed. in addition to the 50 special forces the u.s. already deploying on the ground in syria. >> it puts everybody on notice, in syria, you don't know at night who's going to be coming in the window, and that's the sensation w

. syria agrees on key points for peace talks after the foreign minister meets with his chinese counterpart. live in bethlehem where christmas comes this year with heightened security. refugees rebuilding their lives in europe. one note at a time. the iraqi army says it has liberated large parts of the city of ramadi from i.s.i.l. fighters. the military backed by tribal fighters began the operation to capture the city on tuesday but the advance has been slowed down by explosive devices left behind by the group they say. >> reporter: as the days wear on, iraqi forces tried to retake ramadi have made a sobering admission. it will take time. the military is trying to overpower i.s.i.l. fighters who have been in control of the city since may. backed by air strikes ground troops are edging forward, street by street towards the center. >> translation: morale is high and god willing we will continue advancing. we will liberate the remaining parts of ramadi. >> reporter: iraqi intelligence says they're are just a few i.s.i.l. fighters left within the city's parameters. they're proving a difficult f

>>> as ever more foreign fighters head to syria, the u.s. announces plans for an international conference to end the fighting. ♪ >>> hello there, this is al jazeera live from london, also coming up on the program. ♪ >> calling for a total and complete shutdown of muslims entering the united states. >> donald trump calls for all muslims to be banned from entering the united states. there is furious reaction across the political divide. >>> a palestinian teenager is killed in clashing with the israeli army in the occupied west bank. ♪ >>> and back on stage in paris, the eagles of death metal join u-2 just weeks after the massacre at the paris nightclub. ♪ >>> the united states has announced plans for an international summit on the war in syria. which will be held in new york next week. the u.s. secretary of state announced the meeting alongside undersecretary general bangladesh ban ki-moon in paris. >> we specifically talked about the process taking place now, and depending on the outcome of both the saudi-lead conference of the opposition that is takes place in the next

states and russia are looking for common ground ahead of critical peace talks over syria. spendingan president three hours meeting the u.s. secretary of state at the kremlin. cease-fire begins in yemen as peace talks get under way in switzerland amid a conflict which has killed close to 6000 people in the last nine months. first, then, in the united states, six hundred 40,000 children in the los angeles area are being kept home from class today. authorities closing public schools because of a security threat they received via e-mail. take a listen to the los angeles mayor. i had been in immediately on the phone when we learned of to ensure students could travel free on our buses and rail lines today so they could get home safely to make sure that they are able to get through the city without having to worry. because we know a lot of parents still have to get to work and cannot even afford to miss one day. we will continue to hope that this is nothing and that our children can be back at school tomorrow. on the east coast, meanwhile, new york police say they have received