In northern Iraq, Yazidis risk all to flee Islamic State

Displaced women and children from the minority Yazidi sect, who were kidnapped by Islamic State militants of Tal Afar but managed to escape, are seen at a house in Duhok province, northern Iraq, November 24, 2016. Picture taken November 24, 2016. REUTERS/Ari Jalal

DUHOK, Iraq (Reuters) - When shells began crashing around the town of Tal Afar as Shi'ite militias brought the fight to Islamic State in northern Iraq, Abu Faraj saw his chance to escape captivity.

He and 17 other members of the Yazidi religious community, one of Iraq's oldest minorities, moved to the town's outskirts while their Islamic State captors were busy with the battle.