AIN ISA, Syria — Summer has come to Raqqa province. The extreme heat makes outdoor living difficult. Temperatures driven up by sandstorms often exceed 122 F (50 C). There is not much green space — but there are ample minefields.

I came to Ain Isa, about 35 miles north of Raqqa city, to meet with members of the newly established Raqqa Civilian Assembly, but first I stopped at tent cities there where Raqqa's displaced are housed. I spoke with families who had been caught in a violent sandstorm while fleeing Raqqa. Hussein Jassim, from the village of Kubush west of Raqqa, said, “To avoid [the Islamic State (IS)] we escaped to the desert, and slept in the open for four days. We got caught in a sandstorm. Nobody came to help us. Twenty-three people died there.”

For some time, there have been media reports that Arab tribes oppose having the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US ally, involved in liberating Raqqa. IS is said to be telling Raqqa Arabs that the SDF will come and torture them. But the refugees were willing to take the risk: What could be worse than their lives under IS?

With a child in his arms, Juma al-Wiladah said: “Look. This is my 5-year-old son. He apparently said some things when playing with his friends. Guess what? [IS] raided my house to capture and take my son away to execute him. They claimed the boy had said nasty things about God and religion. Many people intervened to save my boy.”