Dutch government reiterates its travel advice for Iraq
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Netherlands embassy in Baghdad on Friday reiterated its travel advice for Iraq following the developments in Gaza and Israel.
Dit is een herhaling van al bestaand advies en geen update of verandering / this is a reiteration of the standing recommendation not an update or change in policy https://t.co/ERVxAOkLxv
— J-J Duits (@JelleJochem) October 27, 2023
However, Jelle Jochem, 2nd Secretary at the Dutch Consulate in Erbil, in a tweet underlined that "this is a reiteration of the standing recommendation not an update or change in policy. Regardless I do advise to take the message seriously and to act accordingly."
“Following the developments in Gaza and Israel, we would like to once again bring the travel advice for Iraq to your attention. Political tensions and unrest have led to demonstrations throughout the country, especially in major cities," the Dutch Embassy in Baghdad said in an update.
"These demonstrations can lead to violence and specifically target Western targets. The security situation in Iraq could quickly deteriorate further.”
Oproep aan Nederlanders in #Irak ⤵️
— 24/7 BZ (@247BZ) October 27, 2023
Door de ontwikkelingen in Gaza en Israël herhalen we het reisadvies: reis niet naar de rode gebieden in Irak. Bent u in #rood gebied, vertrek dan onmiddellijk.
Lees het hele bericht hier: https://t.co/EXhbjnqALS 1/2 pic.twitter.com/jbpxGgcQuY
While the unchanged travel advice calls on citizens in Iraq to immediately leave (the red zone), it made an exception for the “northern provinces of Erbil, Sulaymaniyah (Slemani) and Dohuk (Duhok) (where the travel advice is orange: only essential travel).”
“We repeat the call to Dutch people: do not travel to the red areas. If you are in a red area, leave immediately. Are you in the orange area? Check whether your stay is still necessary. If not, leave the country.”
Jochem, however, added that the the code red and orange have been in place for years.
Nevertheless, the Dutch embassy also reiterates it's old travel advise that it cannot help Dutch citizens if they get into trouble in all of Iraq.
“The Dutch embassy in Baghdad and the Dutch consulate general in Erbil can only provide very limited consular assistance.”
“Evacuation by the Dutch government from Iraq is not an option. It is also not a given that an evacuation can and will take place if the security situation continues to deteriorate. Our advice is therefore: leave, with commercial airlines, while that is still possible. Don't wait until it's too late,” the message also warned.
Read More: Canada warns against all travel to Iraq
Earlier Canada and the U.S. called on its citizens not to travel to Iraq. Also the US has ordered nonessential U.S. personnel to leave Erbil and Baghdad.
Furthermore, the UK on Oct. 25 said it has its staff being temporarily withdrawn from the British Embassy Baghdad due to risks of a deterioration in the security situation.
Several bases used by the U.S.-led coalition troops in Iraq and Syria have been targeted by Iranian-backed groups in recent days amidst Israel's war with Hamas. Iran has accused the U.S. of supporting Israel’s war in Gaza.
On Friday morning, the U.S. bombed Iran-backed groups in Deir ez-Zor in response to continued attacks.