US pulls out diplomats' families from Istanbul
The United States on Saturday ordered the evacuation of families of diplomatic employees posted to its Consulate General in Istanbul, citing security concerns.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The United States on Saturday ordered the evacuation of families of diplomatic employees posted to its Consulate General in Istanbul, citing security concerns.
A travel warning on the State Department website read that security information indicating “extremist groups’ aggressive efforts” to attack US citizens in Istanbul led to the decision of withdrawal of consular families.
Moreover, there was a threat of kidnapping and assassination of Westerners and Americans by “extremists,” according to the warning.
The US Consulate in Istanbul was to remain open and fully staffed, said the website, adding the withdrawal order did not apply to other American diplomatic posts in Turkey.
The State Department also widened the scope of its travel warning throughout Turkey, as it previously was cautioning Americans from traveling to a dozen Kurdish provinces and the border with Syria where a five-year-long civil war rages.
The US officials mentioned the Aug. 20 Islamic State (IS) suicide bombing in the city of Gaziantep that targeted a Kurdish wedding which killed 57 civilians.
Officials also pointed to the Sep. 12 Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) bombing in Van against the local headquarters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) that wounded over 40 people.
“The potential for reprisal attacks due to continued Turkish military activity in Syria continued,” said the State Department.
A Turkish ground offensive dubbed “the Euphrates Shield” in support of the Islamist Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions against the IS and the US-backed Kurdish People’s Protection Units in northern Syria entered its 67th day on Sunday.
Turkey has been under a state of emergency announced by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shortly after a military coup attempt against his government failed on July 15.
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany