Residents of the northern Syrian city of Raqqa live in terror, trapped as a massive human shield in the Islamic State's de facto capital ahead of the final battle with US-backed opposition forces for the militant group's last major urban stronghold.
A belt of land mines and militant checkpoints circle the city.
Inside, all the men have been ordered to wear the jihadis' garb of baggy pants and long shirts -- making it difficult to distinguish Islamic State militants from civilians. Hundreds if not thousands of Syrians who fled from other parts of the country now live in tents in Raqqa's streets, vulnerable to both warplanes and ground fighting.