Syrians who just escaped ISIS celebrate by smoking, shaving, and burning mandatory head coverings

Civilians seeking safety in Manbij
(Image credit: Delil Souleiman/Getty Images)

U.S.-backed forces on Saturday announced victory over the Islamic State in the strategically important city of Manbij, Syria, driving out ISIS occupiers and releasing hundreds of civilians the terrorist organization was using as human shields.

Photos from the aftermath show Manbij residents celebrating by flouting ISIS bans on smoking, shaving, and women appearing in public with uncovered faces. Take a look at a few of those images of liberation below. Bonnie Kristian

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Bonnie Kristian

Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.