Iraqis fourth largest asylum seeker group

IRAQIS fleeing the looming war in the Gulf are now the fourth largest category of asylum seekers in Ireland, latest figures reveal.

And the Irish Refugee Council (IRC) believes the number of Iraqis seeking asylum here will surge if war breaks out.

Last year 148 Iraqis sought asylum here but with 74 people applying in the first two months of this year, the IRC estimates that as many as 500 could make their way here by the end of the year.