Images released by Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed rebel group, reveal the latest tactic from ISIS militants as they start losing territory.

Realizing that the SDF was gaining momentum after 10 weeks of intense fighting in Manbij, a major ISIS-held city, ISIS militants began their retreat to Jarabulus, a city on the Turkish border.

But even their retreat appeared to have gutless motivation. After confiscating the vehicles belonging to the city's residents, they forced at least one out of the 2,000 kidnapped civilians into each of them as they fled — preventing SDF and US-led coalition forces from targeting the convoy with airstrikes for fear of harming the "human shield."

So far, it seems that ISIS forces had good reason to flee from Manbij. Except for the few sleeper cells that remained, coalition forces announced last Friday that the city had been liberated from ISIS control.

Here's what ISIS's retreat looked like:

SDF Press Center