Turkey issues travel warning for southern Iraq

By Tugcenur Yilmaz

ANKARA

Turkey issued a travel warning Friday for southern Iraq amid protests in Basra governorate because if unemployment and the lack of basic services.

Turkish authorities advised citizens to stay away from protests taking place in the city and said citizens should follow warnings and announcements by its embassy in Baghdad as well as the ministry.

Tension has been building in Basra because of rising unemployment and repeated power outages.

About 80 percent of Iraq’s crude oil exports originate from Basra province.

But for years, residents have complained that foreign nationals, rather than locals, were employed by the domestic energy sector.

They also complain of frequent power outages in the summer as temperatures often reach as high as 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit).