ANKARA
Turkey has evacuated the staff from its diplomatic mission in the Iraqi city of Basra due to deteriorating security situaton in the country, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced on his Twitter account on Tuesday.
"The personnel of the consulate general have left the city and moved to Kuwait as of today," Davutoglu said.
Unrest in Iraq is running high as militants led by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have extended their reach into Iraq since June 10, when it seized Iraq's second-largest city Mosul and soon afterwards took near-complete control of the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit.
ISIL militants abducted 31 Turkish truck drivers and 49 Turkish Consulate staff including the consul general and family members last week in Mosul.
On Monday, Turkey's foreign ministry recommended Turkish citizens to leave Basra.
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