Thousands of civilians fled from IS-bolwerk

paris - About 10,000 citizens have come to a north of the official IS capital Raqqa in a camp. The refugees would fear that the Syrian city soon changes into a battlefield and extends to the nearby village of Ain Issa.

Residents who want to flee from Raqqa run great risks. Yet, many people seem to be willing to defend the mining fields and hostile warriors in the area. 'It's not a massive exodus, but every day there are about eight hundred people in Ain Issa,' said physician Natalie Roberts of MSF after her recent return from the region.

US-supported rebels from the Syrian Democratic Armed Forces (SDF) run the camp that was intended for about 6000 people. According to Roberts, the number of refugees present is much higher than anticipated, among other things, because many people can not afford anything else.

It is unclear how many citizens have left behind in Raqqa. The predominantly Kurdish SDF movement has reached the city up to 3 kilometers. An SDF commander earlier expressed this month's expectation that the attack on the IS building begins at the beginning of summer.