Angelina Jolie visits Syrian refugees at camp

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ANKARA: Hollywood star Angelina Jolie travelled to meet some of the thousands of Syrian refugees on the country's border with Turkey.

The actress and goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), shared fruit and dessert with Syrians who have fled their government's bloody crackdown.

Flying in on a private jet, the celebrity arrived with boxes of toys for the refugees and visited one camp in Turkey which nearly 10,000 have fled to.

Jolie spent two-and-a-half hours with about 1,700 refugees at the site in Altinozu, 12 miles (20km) away from the Syrian border.

It was reported she asked them how they were in Arabic, before speaking with them through an interpreter.

Reports also said she took notes and showed particular interest in the women and children.

"The people in this camp have fled in fear for their lives, and many told me they were distraught about the safety of loved ones still in Syria," she said in a UNHCR statement.

The American actress also praised Turkey for welcoming the refugees, saying it is critical in these situations that people have access to safety.

A mob of children chanted "look who is here", and "welcome, welcome" as they pushed forward to shake Jolie's hand, the statement said.

"I appreciate the opportunity to visit this camp and talk to these families," Jolie said.

Protests first erupted in Syria in mid-March as part of the 'Arab Spring' push toward democracy.

But Syrian president Bashar Assad responded by unleashing a brutal military crackdown on demonstrators - with more than 1,400 Syrians reportedly killed and 10,000 detained.