At least 25,000 Iraqi refugees have returned to their beleaguered homeland from Syria since mid-September, according to preliminary estimates released Monday by the Iraqi Red Crescent.The figure represents a fraction of the estimated 1.5 million Iraqis who fled to Syria in recent years to escape the sectarian violence and ethnic cleansing in Iraq.
The agency said the recent widespread drop in violence in Iraq has drawn some refugees back, though it also noted that many have run out of money. Recent visa restrictions are forcing people back, too.
The vast majority of the returning refugees, roughly 20,000, came back to the capital, Baghdad, where their well-being is far from assured. The agency said many found squatters in their homes and had had to seek sanctuary elsewhere, leading to a rise in the number of people who are internally displaced.
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