Tensions boiled over in Mosul, Sunday, as residents attempted to procure aid packages being handed out by Iraqi soldiers, as food shortages continue to dog the area following the operation to liberate the city from the so-called Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).

A crowd gathered around the trucks with locals holding their arms out and climbing on to aid vans in a bid to receive a package. Similar scenes occurred on Monday and Tuesday, with Iraqi security officers firing live rounds into the air in order to disperse hungry crowds.

Following the closure of shops selling foodstuffs since the beginning of the Mosul operation, the area has been struggling with severe shortages of food, water and first-aid. Makeshift market stalls have sprung up in the camps due to the lack of aid coming into the city. However, with business in the city rolling to a standstill, residents are reportedly running out of money to buy supplies.