The government of India has issued a travel advisory for travellers visiting Turkey, asking them to exercise utmost caution while travelling to the country amidst the deteriorating Turkey-Syria offensive. The embassy has also furnished helpline numbers for those who might need assistance.
Travel Advisory@MEAIndia @DrSJaishankar @IndianAmbAnkara @CGI_Istanbul @IndianDiplomacy pic.twitter.com/AFkO6tJA0A
— India in Turkey (@IndianEmbassyTR) October 22, 2019
Soon after the US proceeded on a hasty and unexpected withdrawal of its troops from northern Syria, Turkey began its offensive against the Kurdish fighters who had been until then in alliance with the United States to fight against the Islamic State (ISIS).
Turkey treats Kurdish fighters as terrorists and to ward them off, they recently agreed on a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, aimed at keeping Kurdish fighters away from Syria’s borders with Turkey. The deal comes at a time when there is a pause in the Turkish offensive after a fragile ceasefire was agreed with the intervention by the US. According to the deal, Syrian and Russian forces will immediately oversee a withdrawal of Kurdish forces and set out plans for joint Turkish-Russian patrols along the border next week.
A ceasefire mediated by the US was set to expire on Tuesday evening, following which Ankara had issued a fresh threat of re-launching its offensive against the Kurdish fighters. It said there was “no need” for ceasefire now.
Amidst this worsening situation, the Indian government had preemptively issued a travel advisory for its citizens to either avoid travelling to Turkey or exercise extreme caution while travelling to the country engaged in war.
