A few days ago a million dollars worth of tents intended for refugees were set ablaze in Syria. The origin of the fire is unknown. Read the story here.
The United Nations refugee agency today reported that a fire in its warehouses near Damascus destroyed tents worth about $1 million, setting back operations in Syria, which is home to over a million Iraqis who have fled violence in their home country.
We have been talking about the drumbeat to bring tens of thousands of Iraqi refugees to the US, but who are the Iraqi refugees in Syria? There are supposedly 1.2 million of them. As the violence abates in Iraq, you will be hearing more about the refugee “crisis” because that will be how those opposed to the surge will seek media attention. It will be all about the refugees.
I’m poring over some reports and hope later today to have some information about who is in Syria.
But, I can tell you this from what I’ve read so far. Iraqis refuse to live in tents in the desert and the vast majority are living in apartments in Damascus and other sites in Syria. So, why did the UN have one million dollars worth of tents in storage? Mismanagment of resources? Or, cynically, was it to continue the refugee “crisis” hype?