UK issues a travel advice to southeastern Turkey

ANKARA

AFP photo

United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) issued a notice on April 4 to its citizens in Turkey against all travels within 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) of the border with Syria and to the southeastern province of Diyarbakır. 

The FCO also advised all British citizens who are currently in Turkey not to travel, except for essential travel, to the southeastern and eastern provinces of Şırnak, Mardin, Şanlıurfa, Gaziantep, Kilis, Siirt, Tunceli and Hakkari along with the southern province of Hatay. 

“Security force operations against the PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party] and related groups are ongoing in the Sur district of Diyarbakir. The FCO advise against all travel to the city of Diyarbakir. Similar operations have taken place in Sirnak and Hakkari. You should take extreme care in these areas,” read the advice. 

The issue came a week after the United States ordered the families of U.S. troops and civilian personnel stationed in the provinces of İzmir, Adana and Muğla to leave the region, citing concerns over their security.

Israel has also issued a travel warning for its citizens in Turkey and those who were planning to visit Turkey, upgrading the country’s risk from “concrete attack threat” to “high concrete attack threats.”

Recent deadly terror attacks in Turkey as well as terror threats against consulates including the German and the Dutch consulates over the past weeks have caused heightened security measures in Istanbul and Ankara, with consulates and embassies announcing temporary closures and police increasing security around foreign mission buildings.