First refugees taken from offshore detention under U.S. refugee swap deal

Sydney (Reuters) - Refugees have left one of Australia's offshore detention centres on Sunday for the United States, an asylum seeker and a refugee advocate said, as part of a swap brokered by former U.S. president Barack Obama last year.

Refugee Action Coalition's Ian Rintoul told Reuters he had spoken with some of the group by phone and that 22 men were in Port Moresby on Sunday night. Rintoul said the group had been told they would be flown to the United States via the Philippines on Wednesday.