Filipinos in Iraq advised to steer clear of Kirkuk

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Embassy in Iraq has advised Filipinos in the Kurdistan province and other parts of the country to avoid Kirkuk at the moment.

The advisory came after reports of exchanges of fire between Iraqi security forces and Kurdish forces known as peshmerga in Kirkuk.

Kurdish peshmergas have destroyed at least five US-supplied Humvees being used by Iraqi militias following the "unprovoked attack" in the city, the Kurdistan Region Security Council said in a statement.

"The Embassy would also like to request our kababayans in Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Duhok and other parts of Kurdistan to continue to remain vigilant and to report any unusual developments with us," the embassy said in a statement.

The embassy also requested the Filipino community and their families in the Philippines to remain calm and keep monitoring the embassy's Facebook page for updates.

READ: Iraqi Kurds say federal forces attack near disputed Kirkuk

The Department of Foreign Affairs, meanwhile, warned Filipinos in Iraq intending to leave the country that they would be directly impacted by the decision of Baghdad to suspend international flights to and from Kurdistan.

"Filipinos going on vacation would have to take Iraqi Airways to Baghdad to board their connecting flights to the Philippines or elsewhere outside the country. Filipinos who entered Kurdistan directly and without valid Iraqi visas will only be allowed to board their connecting flights out of Baghdad after paying a fine of $420.00 to immigration authorities," the advisory read.

Filipinos in Iraq were advised to put their travel plans on hold as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Baghdad has not yet released guidelines whether it is possible for Filipinos already in the Philippines to secure their visas at the Iraqi Embassy in Manila.

The embassy is ready to assist Filipinos who are willing to be repatriated although the Kurdistan region remains under Alert Level 1.

The embassy urged Filipinos who have been without work in Iraq or have not been receiving their salaries to consider being repatriated.

"In this regard, may we request the assistance of our kababayans in Kurdistan as well as in other parts of Iraq to inform our other kababayans to register so they could be included in the Embassy database. We would need to know their names, location and contact details so we would know how to reach them or find them in case of emergency," the embassy said. — Patricia Lourdes Viray