Islamic State turned on dissenters as Raqqa assault neared

Girls look at Lebanese Nour al-Huda, wife of a former Islamic State fighter, at a camp for displaced people in Ain Issa, north of Raqqa, Syria June 21, 2017. Picture taken June 21, 2017. REUTERS/Rodi Said

AIN ISSA, Syria (Reuters) - Islamic State's leaders used spies to root out suspected enemies in their ranks in the countdown to this month's U.S.-led attack on their de-facto capital Raqqa, the wives of three Tunisian fighters who fled the Syrian town said.

They described how the leaders had fled Raqqa as pressure mounted from the U.S.-backed campaign and separate offensives by Turkey-backed rebels and Russian-backed government forces. One said ordinary fighters had been left behind to die like "sheep".