U.N. Counts 11.4 Million Refugees Worldwide, 26 Million Internally Displaced

Afghan Refugee Camp

From MSNBC:

LONDON - Conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq are forcing hundreds of thousands of people from their homes, driving up the global number of refugees after several years of decline, the United Nations refugee agency said Tuesday.

UNHCR said in its annual report that in 2007 11.4 million refugees were living outside their countries, compared with 9.9 million in 2006. A further 26 million were displaced within their own countries, up from 24.2 million the year before.

The group said almost half the world's refugees are from Afghanistan and Iraq. UNHCR said there are 3 million displaced Afghans, most in neighboring Pakistan and Iran, and 2 million Iraqi refugees, mostly in Syria and Jordan. A further 2.4 million Iraqis are internally displaced, an increase of 600,000 since the start of 2007.

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My Comment: These scars will never heal.