U.S.-backed forces in Syria appeal for aid for hundreds fleeing IS

Fighters of the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) look at a smoke rising from what they say were U.S.-led air strikes on positions controlled by Islamic State militants, in the western rural area of Manbij, in Aleppo Governorate, Syria June 11, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said

NEAR MANBIJ, Syria/BEIRUT (Reuters) - - U.S.-backed forces waging an offensive against the Islamic State-held city of Manbij in northern Syria appealed for international assistance for those fleeing the fighting on Tuesday as the forces tightened their encirclement of the city.

The SDF push comes at the same time as other enemies of Islamic State, including the governments of Syria and Iraq, also launched major offensives on other fronts, in what amounts to the most sustained pressure on the militants since they proclaimed their caliphate in 2014.