There's some truth to this.
I found out from the BBC (who would have thought?) last night, that when the Americans invaded Iraq, Bashar got scared, paranoia being rife in the Assad family, and released a bunch of terrorists from a Syrian jail, to go and fight the coalition in Iraq.
Little realising that those same terrorists would return as 'rebels', to fight his government.
In other words, a mild mannered ophthalmic surgeon practising in London, becomes responsible for the upheaval and instability in the Middle East.
Their number: Twenty
Their mission: Defeat Nato.
Come on...
"Syria has historically offered assistance to Iraqi refugees.
[20] At the beginning of 2007, the UNHCR estimated that the number of Iraqi refugees in Syria was over 1.2 million.
[1][20] 80–90% of the Iraqi refugee population lives in the capital city of Damascus.
[5] The reason for its large refugee population can be attributed to more than just geography. Until 2007, Syria maintained an open-door policy to Iraqis fleeing the war-ravaged country.
[1]"
Refugees of Iraq - Wikipedia