Angelina Visits Refugees And Troops In Syria And Iraq After Months Of Preparation

Angelina Jolie wrapped up a two-day trip to Syria and Iraq Tuesday in her role as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Jolie took this trip to witness the hundreds of thousands of families uprooted by the war in Iraq and to visit with US soldiers.

A source close to Jolie told Huffington Post, "It's been in the works for about six months. She spent a lot of time being briefed by experts. She met with a large number of experts on Syria, Iraq, the refuge crisis and other issues in preparation for the trip." The source added, "She considered her time with American troops to be one of the most important parts of the trip."

Yesterday Jolie visited a UNHCR registration center in Damascus, spent time with those registering and spoke at length with Iraqi refugees in their homes. Thousands of Iraqi refugees are registering with UNHCR, nearly a quarter of whom are victims of violence and torture.

Today she crossed the border into Iraq, visited some of the 1,200 refugees trapped in a makeshift camp who can't flee Iraq and witnessed Iraqis crossing into Syria at a border checkpoint.

"I have come to Syria and Iraq to help draw attention to this humanitarian crisis and to urge governments to increase their support for UNHCR and its partners," Jolie said. "My sole purpose in both countries is to highlight the plight of those uprooted by the war in Iraq."

After talking with stranded refugees at Iraq's Al Waleed camp today Jolie added, "It is absolutely essential that the ongoing debate about Iraq's future includes plans for addressing the enormous humanitarian consequences these people face."

Jolie then broke off from UNHCR and privately visited both U.S. troops and those from other nations.

The trip was a low-key one for Jolie. Asked how the actress/activist had traveled to the region, the source told Huffington Post, "She flew over commercially to Syria. No staff."