Jolie visits Iraq

Crusading actress Angelina Jolie has visited in war-torn Iraq in her capacity as a United Nations goodwill ambassador.

On Monday, the mother-of-four flew from New York City to Damascus, Syria, where she spent hours chatting to Iraqi refugees and visited a UNHCR (United Nations Refugee Agency) registration centre.

The next day Jolie travelled to a makeshift outpost on the Syria/Iraqi border to meet 1,200 refugees, camped there because they are unable to leave the country.

"I have come to Syria and Iraq to help draw attention to the humanitarian crisis and to urge governments to increase their support for UNHCR and its partners," she said.

"My sole purpose in both countries is to highlight the plight of those uprooted by the war in Iraq.

"It is absolutely essential that the ongoing debate about Iraq's future includes plans for addressing the enormous humanitarian consequences these people face."

Jolie has also made a morale-boosting trip to meet multi-national forces and US troops in the region.