US diplomats’ families ordered to leave Istanbul amid terror attacks by the Daesh Takfiri militants

A US marine stands guard outside the US consulate in Istanbul on December 9, 2015. (Photo by AFP)

The US State Department has ordered the family members of employees at the US Consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul to evacuate the country amid threats of terror attacks by the Daesh Takfiri militants.

The department made the announcement via a travel warning, issued Saturday “based on security information indicating extremist groups are continuing aggressive efforts to attack US citizens in areas of Istanbul where they reside or frequent.”

Apart from the US Consulate General in Istanbul, other diplomatic posts will not be influenced by the warning.

The release further said, “Delays or denial of consular access to U.S. citizens detained or arrested by security forces, some of whom also possess Turkish citizenship, continue,” adding that “Additional attacks in Turkey at major events, tourist sites, restaurants, commercial centers, places of worship, and transportation hubs, including aviation services, metros, buses, bridges, bus terminals and sea transport, could occur.”

Americans were also urged to “defer travel to large, urban centers near the Turkish/Syrian border.”

Turkey has faced unprecedented criticism for its deployment of a contingent of troops to a camp in northern Iraq as the Arab country gears up for the liberation of the city of Mosul from Daesh. Ankara has ignored Baghdad’s calls for a pull-out, saying it deems the presence necessary in light of the security situation in the south.

Turkey is also involved in a similar military intervention in the north of Syria, despite massive criticism by Damascus that the action violates its sovereignty.