Jul 20 2012 |
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Iraq closes borders with Syria
By Raman Brusk BAGHDAD - The Iraqi government will operate four flights per week to return Iraqi refugees from Syria and it has closed down all border points with the country, an MP said.Yesterday the Free Syrian Army (FSA) took control Al-Bukamal post on the highway connecting Damascus to Bagdad, one of the major trade routes in the Middle East.
Iraqi government responded to the calls by the acting security and defense committee and decided to close the border after the FSA controlled the entire border with Iraq, said committee member Hakem al-Zamli.
He added the move is to prevent the infiltration of "terrorists or the FSA supporters" into Iraq.
The MP said the Iraqi government also decided to operate four flights to Syria in order to return Iraqi refugees home.
Semite Commission for Refugee Affairs said in June that the number of Iraqi refugees in Syria amounts to 100,000 individuals.
Since the outbreak of violence in Syria in March 2011 the Iraqi government has been facilitating the return of Iraqi refugees.
Rights organizations claim more than 17,000 people have been killed in Syrian unrest.
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