TV cameramen captured the moment when little Aysha, wearing a sparkly T-shirt and pink leggings, was rescued by an armed military police unit that has been fighting alongside the Iraqi Army as they fight to regain territory from the murderous IS.

Barely able to contain her emotions, clutching biscuits and bottled water handed to her by the soldiers, she poured out as if fearful she would not survive to tell the full horror of her ordeal: ‘I’m so thankful to you. I thought you would never come for us. We have had no food or water for three days and it was just me and my mother, my father was taken and killed by the terrorists.

‘The IS men have taken away so many children from my village and we don’t know what happened to them. Some of them died. The men made my mother give them her money and jewels and we have had nothing. Thank you, thank you. I would like to kiss your feet.’