2nd LD-Writethru: Turkey issues travel warning for citizens visiting U.S.

ANKARA, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Turkey's Foreign Ministry on Friday issued a travel advisory for citizens travelling to the U.S., urging them to consider increasing terror acts and arbitrary arrests of Turkish citizens.

"The U.S. has seen an apparent increase in terror attacks and violent incidents recently," the warning published on the ministry's website said.

The warning also pointed out the risk of "arbitrary arrests" of Turkish citizens, saying judicial decisions could be made by pre-established, unfounded claims and slander of the networks of U.S.-based Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of masterminding the 2016 coup attempt.

Turkey's travel warning came after the U.S. State Department issued a similar warning to its citizens on Thursday, urging them to reconsider travel to Turkey "due to terrorism and arbitrary detentions" under an ongoing state of emergency.

Ties between the two NATO allies have been strained since the failed coup attempt in July 2016, amid the U.S.'s refusal to extradite Fethullah Gulen.

As for Syria issue, Turkey has strongly opposed U.S. military support for the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia, which Ankara views as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

In late December, the U.S. and Turkey lifted all visa restrictions against each other, ending a months-long visa dispute that began when two local employees of the U.S. consulate were detained on suspicion of links to the coup. Enditem