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.<br /><br /> One woman described the life she had just left behind in a city under siege, but still partly controlled by Islamic State.<br /><br /> “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.<br />They have no mercy. It was tough for us and for our children,” Um Ahmad said.<br /><br /> Blankets are a major part of the UN refugee agency’s aid distribution package. It says nearly 115,000 people have now fled Mosul.<br /><br /> 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.<br /><br /> 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.<br />
