Canadians have been warned against risks of travelling to Middle East

#Canada, #MiddleEast, #MiddleEastVisit, #CanadatravelstoMiddleEast

Ottawa, Jan 5 (Canadian-Media): A travel advisory was updated by Canada for its citizens travelling to the Middle East on Saturday owing to intensified US-Iran conflicts after Iran's top general was killed by a US airstrike, media reports said.

Assasination of Qasem Soleimani: Wikipedia

Due to an extreme risk to personal safety in the Middle East countries, Canadian authorities are asking the people already there should consider leaving.

A US drone attack ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday killing Qassem Soleimani,  commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy chief of Iraq's paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces caused the escalation of the tensions in the Gulf.

Canada had temporarily suspended a Canada-commanding NATO training mission in Iraq, said Canadian Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan early Saturday and added,

"We are taking all necessary precautions for the safety and security of our civilian and military personnel," Sajjan said in a statement.

Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne on Friday said,

"The safety and well-being of Canadians in Iraq and the region, including our troops and diplomats, is our paramount concern. We call on all sides to exercise restraint and pursue de-escalation," Champagne said in a statement on Friday.