AMMAN
, Jordan
, March 27 (UPI) -- A spokesman for the Iraqi Embassy in Amman said Thursday it had issued 425 entry visas to foreign journalists since the outbreak of the war eight days ago.
Embassy spokesman Jawad al-Ali told United Press International that diplomats verified that the journalists entered Iraq to carry out their professional mission.
The United States warned Western journalists not to travel to Iraq but Iraqis regarded the warning as an attempt to prevent the foreign media from covering news of Iraq's civilian casualties.
Al-Ali said an estimated 4
,200 Iraqis have returned to Iraq through the Jordanian border since the war broke out. He said the embassy was facilitating the repatriation of Iraqis by providing many of them with travel documents and renewing passports.
He praised Jordan's help in assisting Iraqis wishing to return home
, including exempting 1
,000 people from paying fines for staying in the kingdom illegally.
