Iraqi Turkmen near Mosul flee fighting

Thousands of Turkmen, a minority ethnic group in Iraq, have fled Shia militia groups and are now seeking shelter in Syria, where fighting rages between rebels and the Assad regime. The militias they are fleeing have faced accusations of killing civilians.

Stuck between two wars, some have spent all their money to save their lives and the lives of their families.

After leaving Tel Afar, near Mosul, the refugees find themselves trapped in squalid, cold camps across the border in Syria. They hope Turkey will give them shelter.

"We have spent all our money to come here. Raining has flooded our tents here and our kids are dying of diseases. We are given only one meal per day," an unnamed man from the refugee camp in Syria told TRT World.

Abubakr al Shamahi reports from Mosul.