Iraqi Government claims 46,000 refugees returned to Baghdad last month

Source: Associated Press

By LAUREN FRAYER

BAGHDAD - Declining violence has prompted Iraqi refugees to pack up and return home, with the government on Wednesday claiming 46,030 people crossed back over the borders in October alone.

But the remnants of the brutality that has shaken Iraq keep turning up. The Iraqi Army said 17 bodies were discovered in an area troops have only recently been able to enter after driving al-Qaida fighters out of regions north and west of the capital.

The mass grave was found amid brush near a school in Hashimiyat, west of Baqouba, said Col. Ihsan al-Shimari. Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, is the capital of Diyala province, where al-Qaida in Iraq is believed to have a strong presence.

Many of the bodies were handcuffed and blindfolded, al-Shimari said. They likely were passengers kidnapped at fake checkpoints on a nearby road leading to Baqouba, a dangerous route dubbed the "road of death."


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071107/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

They are on a ROLL!

They regularly diddle statistics, and have been caught out doing it several times.

If you read the recent entry in the "Baghdad Burning" Blog by Riverbend, the Girl Blogger who used to be in Baghdad and left for Syria, the welcome in neighbouring countries is no longer there.

Iraqis have to either go through a exit / re-entry process, become illegal refugees or return to Iraq.

This return is the fate of those who have no status, no money and have, therefore, only one option - return to Iraq to face death.

leaving the headline to make it sound as if throngs of joyous Iraqis are streaming back to their beloved homeland in perfect safety.

In reality:

Last month's numbers coincide with Syria and Jordan tightening their borders to Iraqis fleeing their homeland.

Syria is home to at least 1.2 million Iraqi refugees, and Jordan has about 750,000. Many of those Iraqis are living in limbo, unable to work and running out of any money they were able to bring out of Iraq.

Syria began demanding visas for Iraqis last month and Jordan has increasingly turned back Iraqis.

Those who fled to the two neighboring countries before the new restrictions were put in place are now forced to leave when residency permits expire, unless they have been officially recognized by the United Nations as refugees — a process that can take months.

Not nearly as impressive, huh? :eyes:

the first time around last week. No goodwill from the first time they pushed the story, so hey let's push it again.

Refugees are returning because they have run out of cash; couldn't get relief agency help because the relief agencies are overwhelmed; and short stay visa problems.

No one is going back because they believe they are now going to be mysteriously safer.