Jordan, Syria face Iraqi refugee crisis

AMMAN, Jordan, July 26 (UPI) -- Jordan and Syria are asking for international aid to help them support hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees seeking asylum within their borders.

The United Nations said more than 2 million Iraqis have left their war-torn nation, with 50,000 exiles fleeing the country each month.

Many of the displaced Iraqis head to Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon, with Syria hosting the largest number of Iraqi refugees -- 1.5 million, BBC News reported Thursday.

Jordan, which in May estimated it spends about $1 billion a year supporting Iraqi exiles, is having an international conference in hopes of finding ways to ease the strain the refugees are putting on the services and resources of their neighboring countries.

Jordan and Syria also want to be reassured the expatriates will eventually return to Iraq or find new countries to call home, BBC News noted.

Describing the situation as "a humanitarian crisis threatening the region's stability," the U.N. refugee agency has said it hopes to find permanent homes for 20,000 exiles before the end of the year.

The agency also doubled its annual appeal for funding to $123 million to help offer displaced Iraqis medical care, shelter and other necessities.