The grand offensive against Kurdish Forces in syria the u. S. Calls for restraint. A Taliban Attack on a hotel in kabul ends after a sixteen hour gun battle eighteen people are killed. Tear gas and gunfire kinshasa Security Forces killed five people taking part in an Anti Government called tests. In the port appears to wrap up the most controversial visit of his papacy. And argue the same as in doha with all your sports news world number one rafael nadal remains on course for glory at the Australian Open back plus all the other schools coming up into this news hour. With very warm welcome to the program the u. S. Is calling for restraint from turkey and its operation against kurdish fighters in Northern Syria and soldiers have entered the enclave of affray in part of an assault to drive a Kurdish Peoples Protection unit so why p. G. D. Turkeys Prime Minister says the aim is to create a thirty kilometer safe so staff dekker reports from the turkey syria border. The border echoes with the sounds of war turkeys offensive on africa is now well under way the ground operation started on sunday turkish soldiers supporting Free Syrian Army fighters inside syria. Turkish president dredger type edging defiant as he addressed a large crowd in the city of. This is a National Struggle and then this National Struggle to crush anyone who stands against us let this be known. Its been a week of rhetoric politicians promising that turkey was going to attack a free to rid of the y. P. G. Kurdish fighters that im proud considers terrorists but theyre also the u. S. Is best ally on the ground in fighting eisel regardless of International Complications turkey is fully committed to this offensive were in turkeys border with africa and throughout the day weve heard the sound of jets in the sky also intense artillery and machine gun fire outgoing from a turkish base behind that mountain other why p. G. Are extremely well trained they know the terrain in offering but turkey has superiority when it comes to the skies and that gives it a huge advantage. Belligerence here heard the airstrikes late on saturday as turkey started its offensive and they are a little uneasy. Or. Although we are right next to the action with planes flying over our heads and theres a lot of shelling of course we are confident that at the end of the day anything can happen shells have already fallen in turkey so we are worried this could happen here. Turkey says it will continue its operation until its pushed the y. P. G. Away from its borders no one knows how long that will take what the implications may be. Stephanie decker on the turkey syria border. Well lets speak not to fear as much said hes the junk professor at George Washington university there is a very warm welcome to the program what are you thoughts on turkeys coverage moves in the free well julie i think turkey is in a tough place it hasnt been going well for president or to one in syria it has been going well not only because of american support for the Kurdish Militias there but also because commitments russia to turkey as part of a deescalation zone in flip also those promises have not been kept so president urged one who you know subscribes to very nationalistic brand of politics is feeling squeezed and feeling the need to react and i think this is part of that reaction so far as is what youre saying is that patni this is about putting a strong message out to his. Turkish audience at home there is certainly a domestic component to all the rhetoric coming out of turkey and even here in washington there is an understanding of why president to one needs to conduct this military operation in fact i would go as far as saying and there there might be even a tacit acceptance that as long as turkish troops remain on the west bank if the Euphrates River but washington might decide to look the other way and not come to the assistance of its kurdish allies on the ground now if turkey decides to cross the river to the east side thats a whole different story because thats where u. S. National interests are at stake so why does. Turkey keith u. S. See the y p g as a National Security threat. Well you know there is a considerable kurdish minority in turkey and the white b. G. Is Kurdish Militia operating in syria quite a significant one in fact one that washington thinks is the most military militarily reliable ally on the ground and so naturally the turks are worried that you know the why p. G. D. Which are loosely affiliated with the p k k the Kurdish Terrorist Group within turkey that that would bleed over would lead to unrest within turkey itself and we know dont we feel less that the u. S. Side of things and then see us every policy must be viewed just complementary to the iran strategy so how does all of this fit together well listen i think washington after quite some time for President Trump coming into office articulated a syria policy one that aims to preserve u. S. Gains in syria the u. S. Had been involved in trying to push isis out and now that they have they want to hold on to the territory that they and their allies have and also to try and put some pressure on iran in syria financial pressure because the iranian spent up to fifty billion dollars a year in supporting the assad regime and that territory that the u. S. Is holding on to is very rich in Natural Resources including oil theres the euphrates down and theres also a very culturally rich land in that area so this is part of a broader geo political calculus for washington why they want to remain in that part of syria here as much that theyre joining me from washington d. C. If there is thank you the taliban says it was behind an overnight attack on a luxury hotel in the Afghan Capital which killed at least eighteen people gunman still on the Intercontinental Hotel in kabul on saturday night time to sing for a nice government officials jennifer glass reports from kabul. Explosions and gunfire lasted for hours as Afghan Special forces moved through the hotel guests trapped in their room new sheets and curtains to try to escape the attackers intent on bloodshed and murder or to have known way out for the weekend there were people and children inside the hotel rooms the attackers were knocking on the door ate room to reach their targets they killed ordinary people and officials told them they were taught that in foreigners especially. As the fighting intensified and grenades and gunshots echoed around the hotel some mula high call could only wait for it to end his brother cari hussein was trapped inside and had stopped answering his phone to put up with. Them he told me he locked himself in a room its very difficult with a Family Member trapped inside and its tragic and painful its unfortunate that these things happen its not just sort of many other people are a travesty and i hope to see him and i hope this fighting in a country aids. On the roof of the hotel Afghan Soldiers signaled the end of the fighting by waving an afghan flag almost immediately i called her from his brother to say. But marjon was not as lucky a visiting cousin had jumped from a Hotel Balcony she thought he was alive but couldnt find him in any hospital she says she looked online before discovering. That all i know its difficult to be on afghanistan my cousin lived in holland three came here for just a and its a tragic incident happened all as Afghan Forces and International Advisers left the area officials headed into the hotel to assess the damage and look for casualties and survivors this is an attack that unfolded in the public eye live on t. V. And watched by hundreds on the streets the afghan president commended afghan Security Forces saying theyd done all they could to minimize the number of casual. He wants an investigation into how the attackers got into the hotel the question also was how they did so with enough weapons for a sixteen hour siege jennifer glass aljazeera called. Still to come on the aljazeera news hour less than march from being closed as the senate meets to trying to end the shutdown before the start of the working week. Germany social democrats vote for talks about forming a coalition with Angela Markel but their leader faces criticism for changing his strategy and its forward servia garcia says quote season two a good start in singapore details coming up in sport. At least six people have been killed and several injured following crashes between police and protesters in democratic republic of congo organized by leaders of the Catholic Church sure angry at the delay of president ial election their president joseph could be as final term expired back in twenty sixteen Catherine Sawyer reports from the capital kinshasa. After morning mass at the main Catholic Church in kinshasa washee peers begin their latest protest march carrying twigs their rosaries and bibles they are angry that a charge broke a political deal between the ruling and opposition parties that could have seen a president ial election held last december has not been on that they did not go far police had blocked the road refusing to allow them to move forward and when the marches stood their ground this happened. Police and president ial guard against stone throwing parties to us several people were killed others injured some with gunshot wounds to the obviously we have the right to much we were following the instructions. It was a piece of protest but the police would not let us. In the east of the Country Police gas inside this church the service had just ended and the faithful are about to start the artist several people here also injured no not one of the nobody i dont respect peoples rights. Is even take us into the church will not accept kabila he must go his mandate is over. A new years eve there was similar violent confrontations during demonstrations a little bit. This is the beginning of the kinds of remember the killed six people in december logically people should have been afraid but its the country that is happening now so this pressure is going to increase. That the government says the protests are equal does and opposition politicians and ceased they will not give up their demand for change. This road in the city has now been cleared by police but its still very very tense people here are very frustrated about the political situation and saying that they have lost confidence in the plan. To show the political system and thats why were looking forward to the catholic charge to provide guidance and leadership in this difficult political time. For the membership of close to half of the congolese population the catholics chart is hugely significant and many people hope it may be the catalyst that will finally see a free fair and credible election without president Joseph Kabila in the running catching saw. Jordans King Abdullah has appealed to the u. S. Vice president to rebuild trust and confidence after the trumpet ministrations decision to recognize jerusalem as israels capital mike pence says the u. S. Still believes in a two state solution to the israel palestine conflict and says arrived in israel where hes expected to receive a mixed welcome Farrah Fawcett has more now from occupied east jerusalem. On the second leg of his regional visit the u. S. Vice president was keen to offer assurances to a major middle east an ally and by extension to the palestinians who refused to meet him on the issue of jerusalem we are committed to continue to respect jordans role as the custodian of holy sites that we take no position on boundaries in final status those are subject to negotiation and and as i make clear to us the president made clear the world you know States America remains committed if the parties agree to a two state solution through the arab worlds public outrage with a recognition by u. S. President donald trump ob jerusalem as israels capital the jordanian king offered a conciliatory tone your visits here im sure is to rebuild the trust confidence in not only how we move forward with two state solution on the us drew forth like sixty seven lives and hes jewish as a capital opening up and a palestinian state but living side by side with a secure recognisance ready course for internationals yet he said thats far from the line being taken by the palestinian leadership its president Mahmoud Abbas declaring that the u. S. Had given it the slap of the century reiterating his position that the u. S. Could no longer be involved in the Peace Process the u. S. Vice president isnt meeting the palestinians but he does have a message publicly apparently tailored towards them reiterating u. S. Support for a two state solution if thats what both sides agreed to of course for the palestinians that message is entirely overshadowed by what donald trump said over a month ago declaring that the u. S. View jerusalem as israels capital. But many of the messenger himself is part of the problem the shift in u. S. Policy with which pence was closely associated was welcomed by his evangelical christian base many of whom believe the return of the jews to the holy land is a precursor to jesus Second Coming and says and gender that is extremist fundamentalist looked. Absolutist idiology which goes against all the believes and commitments of the arab and Palestinian Christians and particular and they feel that they have been betrayed by somebody who is dealing with them to mend this injustice using dillards and as a justification for israelis its a different picture hence represents the u. S. Administration to recognize what they see as an uncontroversial reality jerusalem status is the capital of your view. A great friend of the state of israel arrives here this evening a true friend United StatesVice President mike pence we welcome him here and im looking forward to our discussions we will discuss the trumpet ministrations efforts to hold irans aggression the Iranian Nuclear program and ways to advance peace and security in the region. Thank you for the warm welcome before leaving jordan for israel pence visited u. S. Troops didnt undisclosed location on the Syrian Border telling the president had back that isis would be driven from the earth very soon his next speech would be to the Israeli Parliament the knesset on monday Israeli Palestinian representatives about to boycott the event a mass was it how does he or occupied east jerusalem. With the u. S. Government shutdown for second day republicans and democrats in the senate have been trading blame for the deadlock republican Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell said the democrats had been wrong to buckle temporary funding bill but he said he didnt agree with President Trump that the senate will change so a budget could pass with just a simple majority chum says the republicans should use the socalled Nuclear Option if the stalemate continues. We all know in the front of the minority. Report that right moment after point of view but the question is what areas are. On friday the democratic leader made a huge schrodinger and destructive choice to filibuster our bipartisan bill and guarantee the American People a shutdown of their federal Government Americans know why the dysfunction is occurring dysfunctional president hence we are in a trump shutdown and Party Leaders who wont act without. It is created the chaos and the gridlock we find ourselves in today it all really stems from the president mike has been following developments for us in washington so mike is congress any closer to finding a way out of this well the divisions still seem irretrievable within the senate those discussions continuing there the one point of no two was that the Mitch Mcconnell the Senate Leader and the minority leader Chuck Schumer were seen on the senate floor having a conversation in the course of the off to noon now thats the first time they are known to have spoken since friday whether that is an inch forward well well see in the next few hours the other thing is that there is a group of moderate bipartisan senators who are trying to get a compromise deal together this numbers some twenty members it would appear theyve been talking on the sidelines holding informal meetings to try and get some compromise solution together and then give it to the Senate Majority leader in an attempt to get that particular a bill voted on in the course of the off to noon if all else fails or Mitch Mcconnell is insistent that the vote is going to go ahead at one eight in the morning eastern time he says that will happen if there i