Turkey has called on its citizens to avoid traveling to Iraq except in cases of extreme necessity, due to the rapidly changing security situation. This was stated in a communiqué issued by the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad on Friday, according to the Turkish Anadolu Agency. The communiqué noted that the security situation in Iraq could deteriorate rapidly in the coming period. The embassy called on Turkish citizens to avoid large gatherings, public squares, and protest areas in the Green Zone in Baghdad, as well as not to travel to the international airports in Baghdad and Erbil and the areas surrounding them. They were also advised to avoid places frequently visited by foreigners, open areas, residential areas in Mosul and its vicinity, and areas around Basra. The statement also called for avoiding the vicinity of military areas throughout Iraq and critical infrastructure sites such as oil fields. It emphasized that Turkish citizens must exercise the utmost caution for their personal safety while in Iraq. The Turkish embassy's communiqué also stated that Iraqi airspace is closed to flights due to ongoing clashes and attacks in the region, and it will not reopen before March 16th of this year.
