- Title: Hundreds of Syrians flee Raqqa
- Date: 8th November 2016
- Summary: AIN AL-ISSA, SYRIA (NOVEMBER 08, 2016) (REUTERS) DISPLACED PEOPLE IN THE BACK OF PICK UP TRUCKS VARIOUS OF A TRUCK WITH DISPLACED PEOPLE DRIVING DOWN A ROAD SYRIAN DEMOCRATIC FORCES ON THE STREET PEOPLE IN THE BACK OF PICKUP TRUCKS VARIOUS OF CHILDREN ON THE TRUCK PEOPLE ON THE TRUCK YOUNG BOY ON THE TRUCK (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DISPLACED WOMAN FROM RAQQA, AMSHA AL-HUSSEIN, SAYING: "Daesh were punishing us for everything, bread was expensive, gasoline was expensive, everything was expensive. They punished us for the smallest things, but God will punish them." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE IN THE BACK OF TRUCKS CONVOY OF TRUCKS CARRYING DISPLACED PEOPLE PEOPLE IN THE BACK OF TRUCK VARIOUS OF THE CONVOY OF TRUCKS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DISPLACED WOMAN FROM RAQQA, FATMA AL-ALI, SAYING: "My brother, we were absolutely suffocated. We escaped death, we were trapped in our homes, we were forced to wear the niqab all day, we could not uncover our face for any reason, they had posts all around the city, we would be so scared when we walked by them. Thank God we were able to escape in one piece, we kept walking until we reached the good people here. They took us all in pickup trucks as you see. We are going to Ain al-Issa, Hadriyat, all these people." WOMEN IN THE BACK OF A TRUCK CHILDREN DOING THE VICTORY SIGN IN THE BACK OF TRUCK MORE OF THE CHILDREN IN THE BACK OF THE TRUCK PEOPLE WAITING BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD MAN SPEAKING TO SDF SOLDIER VARIOUS OF CONVOY OF TRUCKS WITH DISPLACED PEOPLE IN THE BACK
- Embargoed: 23rd November 2016 16:22
- Keywords: Syria Raqqa Islamic State Middle East refugees
- Location: AIN AL-ISSA, NEAR RAQQA - SYRIA
- City: AIN AL-ISSA, NEAR RAQQA - SYRIA
- Country: Syria
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Military Conflicts
- Reuters ID: LVA00157L5XZB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Hundreds of Syrians fled the outskirts of Islamic State controlled city of Raqqa on Tuesday (November 8), as U.S. backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) began an offensive to recapture the city from the jihadists.
The men, women and children were heading towards the nearby Ain al-Issa village, which is controlled by the SDF.
One woman who was displaced from Raqqa, Amsha al-Hussein, said life under Islamic State militants was unbearable.
"Everything was expensive. They punished us for the smallest things, but God will punish them," said Amsha Al-Hussein.
Another displaced woman, Fatma al-Ali said they escaped certain death.
"We were trapped in our homes, we were forced to wear the niqab all day, we could not uncover our face for any reason, they had posts all around the city, we would be so scared when we walked by them. Thank God we were able to escape in one piece, we kept walking until we reached the good people here," she said.
The U.S.-backed Kurdish and Arab alliance launched the campaign for Raqqa, where Islamic State has been dug in for nearly three years, with an assault on territory about 50 km (30 miles) to the north which they have dubbed Euphrates Anger.
The battle for Raqqa will be every bit as challenging as the ongoing one for Mosul, with both cities carrying huge strategic and symbolic value to the jihadists and their self-declared caliphate covering territory in both Syria and Iraq. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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