The US has asked its citizens to defer all non-essential travel to Pakistan noting that presence of several foreign and indigenous terrorist groups poses a potential danger to them throughout the country.
The warning replaces the previous one issued last month to remind US citizens of ongoing security concerns in Pakistan. The latest travel warning comes in the wake of similar travel warning issued by the US for Lebanon and Turkey.
These warnings come in the wake of potential threat, the State Department Deputy Spokesperson, Marie Harf, told reporters at her daily news conference.
“These are potential threats. Obviously, the tension in region, including Syria, plays a role in this. We will continue evaluating on a post-by-post basis to see if we have to take any additional steps,” she said.
On August 9, the State Department had ordered the departure of non-emergency US government personnel from its Consulate General in Lahore, resulting public and consular services unavailable.
Routine consular services are available at the US Embassy in Islamabad or the Consulate General in Karachi.
Across Pakistan, terrorist attacks frequently occur against civilian, government, and foreign targets, the warning said, adding that the attacks had included armed assaults on heavily guarded sites including Pakistani military installations.
Threat reporting indicates terrorist groups continue to seek opportunities to attack locations where US citizens and Westerners are known to congregate or visit, said the warning. Terrorists and criminal groups regularly resort to kidnapping for ransom, it added.