ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—Two Shabak Kurdish families have escaped the Islamic State (ISIS) and reached the safety of the Peshmerga frontline. The Shabak Kurds, a religious minority group who has lived in the Nineveh area for centuries, had lived under ISIS rule for two years. Their route to safety was a difficult one through the Baashiqah mountains. On reaching the Peshmerga frontline, forces there gave them food and water before sending them to an official refugee camp. Though the families are safe now, they are scared of ISIS, saying their relatives are still living under the terrorist group. They are waiting for the Peshmerga to liberate their homes. For those who flee ISIS, there are just three kilometres between paradise and limbo. They say they are in limbo when they are under ISIS, but when they arrive at the Peshmerga-controlled area, they are in paradise.
