TURKEY ISSUES TRAVEL WARNING FOR YEMEN

Sanaa, 7 Dzulhijjah 1435/1 October 2014 (MINA) – The Turkish Foreign Ministry has warned its citizens not to travel to Yemen where the security situation has deteriorated and remains unpredictable.

A statement released by the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Tuesday recommended that Turkish citizens leave Yemen as soon as possible.

Yemen has been dogged by political turmoil since the 2012 ouster of longtime ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh, according to the Anadolu Agency report monitored by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA), Wesnesday.

The death toll from several days of fighting between Yemeni army troops and Shiite Houthi militants stands at 274, the Yemeni Health Ministry said Tuesday.

Following days of deadly clashes with army troops, Houthi militants last week managed to seize most state institutions in the capital, Sanaa, including the cabinet and parliament buildings as well as the Defense Ministry headquarters.

In an effort to end the ongoing tension in Sanaa, President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi – pressured by massive pro-Houthi demonstrations – signed a deal with the Shiite leadership in which he made several political concessions.

These concessions include the formation of a new government; the appointment of a nonpartisan prime minister; and the appointment of a Houthi adviser to the president.

Houthi militants, meanwhile, appear to have tightened their grip on the capital, where they have erected checkpoints on main streets and reportedly looted several army bases. (T/P002/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)