More Iraqi refugees heading to Syria than returning: UN

[NNN0LHI]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080206/wl_mideast_afp/iraqrefugeesyriaun

by Dave Clark
Wed Feb 6, 4:51 AM ET

BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraqis are once again leaving Iraq for Syria in greater numbers than are returning, despite the lower level of bloodshed in their homeland, the UN refugee agency said on Wednesday.

A report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, citing Syrian immigration officials, said that in late January an average of 1,200 Iraqis entered Syria every day compared with around 700 who returned.

Most of those Iraqis who return say they are doing so because their Syrian visas have expired or because they have run out of money, rather than because conditions in their homeland have improved, the report said.

"The UNHCR has observed that the return movement to Iraq that increased immediately after the imposition of new visa regulations appears to have subsided," the report, which was sent to AFP in Baghdad, concluded.

The figures angered Iraqi officials, who have pointed to a number of high-profile convoys of returning refugees as evidence that safety is being restored to their war-torn cities after a year of battles with insurgents.

Although there was no immediate official reaction to the report, a senior officer in Iraq's ministry of migration and the displaced, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, branded it as "incorrect."

"These figures have to be false," he said. "Syria no longer allows many Iraqis in and there has been an increase in the number of buses coming back. So I don't know where they could have got this from."

[Hugabear]

1. You mean Sean Hannity lied?

But he said that refugees were returning to Iraq, because we had done such a great job there!

He lied? :rofl:

[Lasher]

3. And it looks like many of them had been returning because Syria was throwing them out.

Article says visas were expiring and it looks like Syria is getting more restrictive about letting Iraqis in.

[rpannier]

4. ABC News (Asia-Pacific out of Australia) did a story on returning Iraqis and I learned

1. The largest numbers are returning because they are being expelled from Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, etc because their Visas are expired. They plan on sneaking back into Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, etc

2. The next largest group because they haven't been able to find any work at all and they feel they have no choice

3. Some are returning to get their families and hope to return to the country they are 'returning' from

4. The largest numbers of people returning because it's 'safe' and it is a very small number is because the area they are going to has been ethnically cleansed of all other groups.

[Igel]

5. One wonders what Syrian immigration officers would have said

in early January. The article may be true, with the caveat that it's true for "late January".

I'd also like to know where the border crossings are taking place. Why? Because N. Iraq is under the gun currently. If there's relative quiet in Anbar and a huge influx of refugees in the north, you have an answer that doesn't presuppose widespread mayhem ... the latter being, of course, the desired inference.

[bdamomma]

2. it is disgusting what we have done to these people, shoot

our filthy administration of ours even did it to people in New Orleans pushed them right off their land. When is it going to stop?:shrug: