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Number of forcibly displaced Syrians reaches 11 mln people

A Russian diplomat said that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees provided this data

MOSCOW, August 15. /TASS/. About 11 mln Syrians are currently considered forcibly displaced persons, 6 mln of those have become refugees within the country, Russian Foreign Ministry representative Nikolai Burtsev informed on Wednesday.

"According to the data we received, currently 11 mln Syrians are "forcibly displaced persons". Out of them, 6 mln are internally displaced," Burtsev said.

The representative added that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees provided this data.

"The High Commissioner for Refugees thinks that their safe return to former places of residence can become a key reason for raising trust and catalyze mass return of refugees from abroad," Burtsev noted.

Over the past few months, the Syrian army has won a string of major victories over IS extremists outside Damascus and in the south of the country, winning back most of its territory. The issue of returning refugees home has surfaced to the forefront after the Russian-US summit in Helsinki on July 16.