A group of 15 refugees from Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan left Malta for the United States as part of the US Embassy's permanent refugee resettlement programme.

The embassy has resettled over 375 refugees since the programme began in May 2008. The latest group, which left on Tuesday, will be resettled in cities across the US.

Each refugee will be assigned a sponsor agency that will provide initial services such as housing, food and clothing as well as referral to medical care and employment services.

US Ambassador Douglas Kmiec said: "Nothing has made me more proud as Ambassador to Malta then to help those refugees most in need while also assisting the people of Malta to handle the challenges posed by migration in a compassionate and humanitarian way."

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