Palestinian refugees in Iraq were attacked 31 times in February, eight killed

Wednesday March 14, 2007 22:53 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

The Palestinian Ministry of Refugees reported on Wednesday that the Palestinian refugees in Iraq were attacked 31 times in February, and that eight Palestinians were killed in separate attacks.

The ministry also reported that at least fifteen refugees were abducted by insurgents and U.S troops. Two of the abducted refugees were released, the bodies of two others were discovered with signs of torture, and the fate of the others remains unknown.

The Palestinian Media Center reported that 135 refugees fled to Syria and are currently living in tents in camps set up at the Iraqi-Syrian borders. They are living an Al Waleed refugee camp, which is now inhabited by 517 refugees.

In the report, the Ministry said that the attacks carried out by American troops and Iraqi Militias had significantly increased after dozens of Palestinian areas in Baghdad and its suburbs were attacked and shelled.

The attacks also included breaking into houses and searching them, beating the residents, and stealing money and household items, in addition to detaining a number of refugees.

The Ministry also stated that there were dozens of attacks that were never revealed to the media, and described these attacks as “ugly crimes” against the refugees who are already living under extremely harsh conditions and poverty.

Also, the Ministry called on the Jordanian and Syrian governments to allow the Palestinian refugees who are stranded on the borders under harsh conditions through.

The Ministry also reported that there are continuous attacks and abductions carried out by insurgents against the Palestinian refugees in Iraq, and demanded that the International Community and the United Nations intervene and put an end to these attacks and violations.

international | refugees/immigration | news report saed at imemc dot org