Hundreds of Iraqis who fled their homes in Mosul wait to be sent to camps where they hope to find shelter, food, clean water and, since its winter, warmth.

One woman described the life she had just left behind in a city under siege, but still partly controlled by Islamic State.

“We fled the Quds neighbourhood to escape the mortars; mortars would constantly fall on us. The situation there was difficult, everything is expensive; we were starving.
They have no mercy. It was tough for us and for our children,” Um Ahmad said.

Blankets are a major part of the UN refugee agency’s aid distribution package. It says nearly 115,000 people have now fled Mosul.

But the western-backed military offensive on the Islamic State controlled city is going slowly and it’s contributed to the drawn-out humanitarian crisis.

Iraq’s prime minister Haider al-Abadi has said it will take three months to remove Islamic State from what is its last major stronghold in Iraq.