Diyala

Some 49 Turkish consulate staff members in Iraq are still being held hostage, with one month passing since they were kidnapped by militants.

Turkey has updated its travel warning for Iraq, increasing the number of Iraqi provinces where Turkish citizens may face security problems, from seven to 15.

Anbar, Baghdad, Basra, Diyala, Mosul, Kirkuk and Salahaddin were already listed by the Foreign Ministry as provinces that Turkish citizens should avoid travelling through.

Turkey has made contingency plans for its embassy in Baghdad, but the mission is not under threat at the moment, Deputy Foreign Minister Naci Koru told reporters June 15.

Yet, the capital city has the risk since the militants took control of the surrounding region, therefore the Turkish citizens should leave Baghdad, he said.

The violence in broad regions of Iraq continues and the crisis has gained a dimension of “sectarian clashes,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry stated June 15, stressing clashes spread from one region to another at short notice.

Turkey issued a fresh travel warning for Iraq on June 13 following recent developments that caused unrest to different parts of the country and recommended Turkish citizens to leave Iraq through safe routes.