US tells citizens to exercise caution during international travel

The US updated its Worldwide Caution document for its citizens traveling abroad due to "the continuing threat of terrorist actions, political violence, and criminal activity against US citizens and interests abroad.

"US citizens are strongly encouraged to maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness when traveling," the State Department said. US government facilities worldwide are on a "heightened state of alert" and may temporarily close or suspend services to assess their security posture.

The Department listed "soft targets" that may be subject to terrorist attacks including high profile events, hotels, places of worship, schools, parks, shopping malls, airports, and airplanes.

Countries that have specific advisories of importance include, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, North Korea, Philippines, Turkey, Ukraine, Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, The West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Colombia, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, and Venezuela

Source: KUNA