(North Press) – On Friday, US Consulate General in Erbil, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), issued a security alert, advising its citizens not to travel to areas in north Syria and Iraq in the view of a potential Turkish military operation in the coming days.
The Consulate said, “U.S. Consulate General Erbil is monitoring credible open-source reports of potential Turkish military action in northern Syria and northern Iraq in the coming days.”
It added that the US “continues to strongly advise” the citizens to avoid the aforementioned areas, calling for avoiding border areas, “exercise caution if unexpectedly in the vicinity of large gatherings or protests, keep low profile and monitor local media for updates.”
According to the Consulate, “State Department Travel Advisory for Iraq remains at Level 4.”
The travel advisory includes “do Not Travel due to terrorism, kidnapping, armed conflict, civil unrest, and Mission Iraq’s limited capacity to provide support to U.S.”
Earlier on Friday, Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mevlut Cavusoglu, said in a statement to al-Arabiya Channel that his country’s troops continue to launch operations in Syria and Iraq.
This came days after Istanbul blast on November 13, killing six and wounding dozens.
Since late May, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced plans to carry out another major military cross-border incursion into northern Syria, specifying his targets in the two northern Syrian cities of Manbij and Tel Rifaat.
On July 1, Erdogan said that Ankara’s new military operation in northern Syria could begin at any moment.
“The time has come to clear these lands from the terrorist organizations,” Erdogan threatened during Tehran Summit.
Tehran’s trilateral Summit brought presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey together on July 19 with Syrian issue on the top of its agenda.
