U.S. To Accept Up To 8,000 Syrian Refugees Next Year

Between 5,000 and 8,000 Syrian refugees will be welcomed into the U.S. next year, officials said Monday.

Calling the U.S. a "leader" in resettling refugees, State Department spokesman John Kirby said the U.N. refugee agency has referred 15,000 Syrian refugees to the U.S., according to AFP News Agency.

More than 4 million Syrians have become homeless since civil war broke out in the country in 2011. Though the U.S. has contributed $4 billion in humanitarian aid to help with refugee resettlement, as of June the country had taken in fewer than 1,000 Syrians.

Kirby said this work was "not the metric of success," instead focusing on how he says the U.S. is helping to bring about reform within Syria so refugees can return to their home country.

More