More than 10,000 Iraqis
have fled Syria to return home since Wednesday fearing for their lives, the UN
refugee agency said.
"Many of the returnees
have expressed their fear regarding the ongoing risks to their safety in Iraq,
but said they had little choice, given the security threats in Syria,"
UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming said in Geneva on Tuesday.
The Iraqi government is
bringing back returning Iraqi refugees by the planeload, she said, adding that
the agency welcomed the announcement by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki
that Syrians would continue to be allowed free access to cross into Iraq.
To date, some 7,500 Syrians
have gone to Iraq, Fleming said, adding that in all nearly 150,000 Syrians were
being sheltered in neighboring countries, 30,000 more than on July 18.
On Monday, 6,000 Syrians
arrived in Libya but that figure is now nearer 30,000, the UNHCR said.
Thousands of Syrians
affected by the fighting have also relocated from the Damascus suburb of Seida
Zeinab to other parts of the capital, citing direct threats or fears of being
caught up in the violence, Fleming said.
The displaced people have
made makeshift camps in the capital's parks, while 58 schools now offer them
shelter.
Hotlines set up by the UN
agency in Syria are "overloaded with calls from refugees asking for help
and advice," said Fleming, adding that many people continue to report
intimidation by unnamed sources.
Based on the calls the UN
agency reported that many refugees were running short of food, cooking gas and
medical care.
"Only 25 percent of
clinics are open in Damascus, and that is having an impact," said Fleming.
Women and children were particularly fearful for their safety, she added.
In the first six months of 2012
some 13,000 Iraqis left Syria, according the UNHCR.
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