'I felt liberated' - life after Islamic State

A woman removes a Niqab she was wearing in her village after Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) took control of it, on the outskirts of Manbij city, Aleppo province, Syria

When U.S.-backed forces seized Souad Hamidi's village in northern Syria from Islamic State last week, the 19-year-old swiftly tore off the niqab she had been forced to wear since 2014 and smiled.

"I felt liberated," Hamidi told Reuters after swapping her black face-covering veil for a red head scarf. "They made us wear it against our will so I removed it that way to spite them."