ISIS abduct 2,000 civilians as they flee Syrian town

Retreating ISIS fighters used 2,000 civilians as 'human shield' as they fled
the Syrian city of Manbij, a report verified Friday, August 12.

US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) confirmed that the jihadists

packed the civilians, including women and children, into cars to prevent
military troops from attacking them as they head to the Jarabulus, a city near
the Turkish border. The massive kidnapping was also confirmed by the Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based group relying on on-theground sources.

Since the SDF began their offensive in May, 437 civilians including 105
children, 299 SDF fighters, and 1,019 jihadists were killed and over
78,000 others were displaced. Manbij is a vital location to the militant
operations as supplies pass through the city en route to Raqqa, ISIS' main
stronghold.

Meanwhile, the residents of Manbij celebrated the liberation by burning

burqas, a full-body covering that ISIS ordered the women to wear in
compliance to their radical misinterpretation of the Sharia law.