Human Rights Watch called Thursday for Iraq to allow aid to reach starving residents of the city of Fallujah, and for the ISIL group to allow civilians to leave.

"The people of Fallujah are besieged by the government, trapped by (ISIL), and are starving," HRW's deputy Middle East director, Joe Stork, said in a statement.

"The warring parties should make sure that aid reaches the civilian population."

HRW cited Iraqi activists who are in contact with Fallujah residents as saying that people "were reduced to eating flat bread made with flour from ground date seeds and soups made from grass."

Anti-government fighters took control of Fallujah, just 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of Baghdad, in early 2014 during unrest that broke out after security forces demolished a protest camp farther west.

Iraqi forces have largely cut off access to Fallujah, while ISIL is preventing residents from leaving the city.

PHOTO CAPTION

A displaced Iraqi child who fled Anbar province carries jerrycans at a makeshift camp for internally displaced persons near Fallujah.

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