Escapees from ISIS areas find sanctuary near Kobani

[Anthea]

Row upon row of tents provide some shelter for people fleeing the Islamic State group.

The Mashta Al-Nour camp has been set up for families who have been driven from their homes in Manbij.

US-backed forces are laying siege to the city, where tens of the thousands of civilians are trapped by the fighting.

Aisha Hameed collects water for her family. She is hoping to return to Manbij "peacefully".

The city is an IS stronghold and lies on a a key supply line between the extremists' de facto capital of Raqqa and the Turkish frontier.

But the Syria Democratic Forces, a predominantly Kurdish group, has encircled the town after capturing dozens of villages and farms near the Turkish border.

Those who have fled tell of brutal treatment by IS militants.

"We fled from Manbij because they took over our homes and attacked women. When there are no men in the homes they jump from the roofs and attack women, they keep calling us infidels and terrorists," says Fatima Muhammad, a displaced woman.

"When it's time for prayers, everyone must go to the mosque to pray, otherwise we get punished. And of course we all must wear black otherwise they whip us 80 times."

And Muhammad Khazar cannot understand why people like him have been targeted by the extremist group.

"There is no difference between an Arab Muslim and a Kurdish Muslim. Why do they keep saying that Kurds are infidels?" he asks.

"They hurt us a lot, all what we want is to return to our families and homes."

http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/140620161