Angelina Jolie met with Iraqi refugees in Syria Friday and urged the world not to forget the plight of those among them who cannot return home because of the trauma they suffered and the country's instability. Jolie visited Syria in her role as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations' refugee agency, UNHCR, and was accompanied by her partner, Brad Pitt, the agency said. Tens of thousands of Iraqi refugees have returned home from Syria and other neighboring countries over the past year, but many more are unable or unwilling to return to a country still shaken by violence. “Most Iraqi refugees cannot return to Iraq in view of the severe trauma they experienced there, the uncertainty linked to the coming Iraqi elections, the security issues and the lack of basic services,” a UNHCR statement quoted Jolie as saying. “They will, therefore, be in need of continued support from the international community.” She was referring to Iraqi parliamentary elections scheduled for Jan. 16.
