Report: Iraq major contributor to refugee flow

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
More than 650,000 Iraqis fled their war-torn homeland for Jordan and Syria since the beginning of 2005, according to a refugee survey released on Wednesday. The violence has forced over 40 percent of Iraqi professionals to leave, according to the survey, published by the Washington-based US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. It said Iraq ranks third worldwide as a source country for refugees, with 888,000 in total, many of whom fled former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's regime and have yet to return. The number of Iraqi refugees was topped only by Palestinians and Afghans.