Obama Promises U.S. Aid to Jordan for Syria, Iraq Refugees
- The country is hosting more than 1 million displaced people
- President cautions against raising expectations for peace deal
President Barack Obama speaks in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on Feb. 23, 2016.
Photographer: Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
President Barack Obama said the U.S. would sustain financial aid to Jordan to help the country cope with a flood of refugees, after a meeting with King Abdullah Wednesday at the White House.
The two leaders discussed U.S. assistance to Jordan as it grapples with an influx of Syrian and Iraqi refugees fleeing violence in their native countries, including terrorist attacks by the Islamic State militant group. Jordan is hosting more than 1 million refugees from its neighbors, straining the nation’s finances. According to the Jordanian Economic and Social Council, the cost of housing Syrian refugees alone could reach as high as $4.2 billion in 2016.