Syrian refugees top 200,000 as exodus grows

Geneva: More than 200,000 Syrians have poured into neighbouring countries during the conflict, already surpassing the projection of 185,000 set out by the US refugee agency for the end of this year.

The total reflects an increase of some 30,000 in the last week alone to Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan, but also takes into account a change in the way the agency counts those in Jordan, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said.

“We are now at a much higher level of 202,512 refugees in the surrounding region,” Adrian Edwards told a news briefing in Geneva on Friday. “The deteriorating security situation in Lebanon is hampering our work to help refugees fleeing Syria’s conflict, though operations are continuing,” he said.