Angelina Jolie to visit Syrian refugees

Hollywood star Angelina Jolie has sought permission to visit Syrian refugees in southern Turkey where thousands of people have taken shelter after fleeing a crackdown in their homeland, a Turkish diplomatic source said.

Turkey's foreign ministry was currently considering the request by Jolie, who is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations refugees agency (UNHCR), said the source.

According to Turkish officials, more than 8,000 Syrians are now camped in Turkey after fleeing the nation fearing violence on civilians. Many of them are from Jisr al-Shugur, a town some roughly 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the Turkish border, which has been attacked in a major army operation, an AFP report stated.

Jolie is noted for her humanitarian work and paid a surprise visit to Afghanistan in March to visit refugee camps.