Iraqis living abroad begin casting ballots

UN refugee agency says around 2 million Iraqis have fled country since US-led invasion.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Iraqi woman votes 311 (photo credit: Associated Press)
Iraqi woman votes 311
(photo credit: Associated Press)
Iraqis living abroad have began casting ballots in their homeland's crucial parliamentary elections.
Hundreds are lining up at stations in Syria, home to the largest Iraqi expatriate community, most driven here by the violence in Iraq.
Related: Baghdad bomb kills 6 as early voting gets underway
The United Nations refugee agency estimates that around 2 million Iraqis are living abroad after fleeing since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
In addition to Syria, voting is starting Friday in the United States,Canada, Australia, Austria, Sweden, Germany, Britain, Denmark, Holland,Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. Theballoting will go on for three days.
The election is held in Iraq on Sunday, choosing a 325-seat legislature that will form the next government.