WASHINGTON, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Iraq remains too dangerous for U.S. citizens to travel around the country unless their presence there is essential, the State Department said Friday.
In an updated travel warning, officials said the entire country, including the northern Kurdish area, remains risky because of the presence of insurgent groups. Even the International or Green Zone, the restricted area in Baghdad that houses most U.S. civilian agencies, continues to be subject to attack.
"While some regions within Iraq have experienced fewer violent incidents than others in recent years, violence and threats against U.S. citizens persist and no region should be considered safe from dangerous conditions, including explosions, kidnappings, and other terrorist and criminal attacks," the department said.
Mosul and Kirkuk and the regions around them remain especially dangerous, the warning said.
The department said although there have been no recent attacks against civilian aircraft, most U.S. government employees are required to use military or official planes to fly into and out of Iraq.
