UN: Iraq refugees still need protection

NEW YORK, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Iraq remains a dangerous place, especially for members of some minority groups, and refugees should not be forced to return, a U.N. agency said Friday.

Andrej Mahecic, a spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, said the agency's guidelines on Iraqi refugees have not changed since the last revision in April. He said countries should evaluate refugees from safer areas of the country individually, while asylum-seekers from Baghdad, Kirkuk and other areas hit by recent violence should be treated as in need of international protection.

"UNHCR is shocked and saddened by the recent bombings and continued

violence in Iraq which have left hundreds dead and wounded this week," Mahecic said.