Iraqis running out of food in besieged Falluja

Tens of thousands of trapped Iraqi civilians are running out of food and medicine in the western city of Falluja, an Islamic State (IS) stronghold under siege by security forces, according to local officials and residents.

The Iraqi army, police and Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias — backed by air strikes from a US-led coalition — late last year imposed a near total siege on Falluja, located 50km west of Baghdad in the Euphrates river valley.

The city’s population is suffering from a shortage of food, medicine, and fuel, residents and officials said by phone, and media reports said several people had died due to starvation and poor medical care.