Hundreds of Iraqi refugees in Syria will return home on October 4 in the latest wave of repatriation as security conditions improve in Iraq.

Iraq's government, which will fund the trip back home, has encouraged those who fled after the 2003 US invasion to return. The government is paying for air tickets and giving each refugee USD 500.00.

Hundreds of Iraqi refugees have already left Syria by land in the last couple months. Syria has hosted about a million Iraqi refugees since the US invasion.

Iraq's government plans to host several returnees every week from various countries in the region and has also said it will compensate those who lost their homes and properties in the invasion.

Human rights groups have warned of the tragic costs of a too hasty return of refugees, saying the country is not yet secure enough to handle the returnees.

"A rushed and premature return process would have disastrous consequences both for the displaced and for the stability of Iraq," said a statement by the Refugees International in August.

The United Nations Higher Commission for Refugees estimated the number of displaced Iraqis to be 4.4 million as a result of the 2003 invasion.

Some 2.2 million fled to neighboring countries like Jordan, Syria and Egypt, while the remaining 2.2 million were internally displaced, it said.

www.presstv.ir