IRAQ
BULENT KILIC/AFP/GETTY
Qayyarah, Iraq—As Iraqi and Kurdish forces marched toward Mosul, Iraq, for a showdown with the Islamic State militant group, civilians faced a harrowing choice: stay or flee. Aid workers fear hundreds of thousands will be displaced, like this group of Iraqis near the town of Qayyarah on October 24. Those who flee risk running into snipers, kidnappers and roadside bombs. Most will face a grim life in refugee camps. But those who remain could face a worse fate. United Nations investigators say ISIS is executing civilians who refuse to join its ranks. Others are being used as human shields, the investigators say.