Number of Syrian refugees hits record in August

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) on Tuesday said more than 100,000 Syrians fled their country to seek protection in surrounding countries in August alone, which represents the highest monthly total of refugees since the crisis began. "The number of Syrian refugees registered or awaiting registration as of September 2nd is 235,368. Included in this figure are 103,416 people seeking asylum in August," the agency's chief spokeswomen, Melissa Fleming, told reporters at a press briefing in Geneva. Of those accounted number of refugees, there are currently about 80,000 Syrians taking shelter in Turkey, where the government assures that the borders will remain open. Jordan receives Syrians at a rate of about 1,000 a day and an even larger influx is expected, according to Fleming. Meanwhile, Iraqi refugees in Syria are continuing to return to their own country by the hundreds, Fleming said. And in Lebanon, host families are increasingly stretched in their ability to host refugees and UNHCR is appealing to authorities to approve alternative shelter options. Given the humanitarian access is severely hampered by the insecurity in Syria, the refugee agency and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent are expanding their operations to support refugees and UNHCR has launched a program of financial assistance for displaced families, which is expected to reach 200,000 people in the coming month.