What's at stake if Kurdish fighters lose the battle against ISIS

(CNN) – Hundreds of thousands of Kurds are fleeing Syria to cross into Turkey. They are on the run as ISIS terrorists quickly gain new ground and close in on their villages.

There is a 20-mile stretch where Kurds from the Kobani area are trying to escape the brutal assault of ISIS fighters. And the Kurdish fighters, known as peshmerga, wonder how long they can hold their ground without much more international help.

In the latest issue of The New Yorker, Dexter Filkins examines what the Kurds are up against not just in Syria, but also Iraq, and what's at stake if they lose the battle against ISIS.

He joins CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper" to discuss.