Jolie visits Middle East refugees

Angelina Jolie has visited Iraq and Syria in a bid to highlight the plight of refugees stranded in the desert.

The Tomb Raider actress was in the Middle East as part of her role as a goodwill ambassador for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

The agency revealed that she made an unannounced visit to a camp on the Iraqi side of the border and spoke to some of the 1,200 people prevented from entering Syria.

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

Palestinian refugee Qusai Mohammed Saleh said the 32-year-old spent two hours talking through a translator and taking notes while surrounded by bodyguards.

He added: "I didn't recognise her right away, but after she was introduced as Angelina Jolie, I remembered a little, from some of her movies."

Jolie, who also separately visited American soldiers in the area, returned home to the US yesterday.