Govt urges citizens to leave Iraq

Govt urges citizens to leave Iraq

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

The government urged Indonesian citizens in Iraq on Tuesday to
leave the war-torn country, following the killing of Fahmi Akhmad
Wani in an ambush by Iraqi resistance fighters in Mosul, Northern
Iraq last Sunday.

Currently, there are seven Indonesian students studying in
Iraq, who refused to leave the war-torn country despite the
increasing security threats.

The government underlined that the incident confirmed that the
situation in Iraq remained dangerous.

"Given the current security conditions, we once again urge
Indonesians to avoid traveling to Iraq, including accepting work
contracts in Iraq," Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Marty
Natalegawa said in a statement issued here on Tuesday.

"For those who choose to remain in Iraq or insist on entering
the country, they should inform the nearest Indonesian
representative offices," Marty added.

He also said that the government expressed its deepest
condolences to the bereaved family and urged Fahmi's employer to
honor his rights in connection with the terms of his work
contract.

Fahmi was employed by the British Penta Consulting, a sub-
contractor of German-based telecommunications company Siemens in
Abu Dhabi.

Fahmi, 27, went to Iraq on May 28 to set up a GSM network for
Siemens in Mosul city. He died in an ambush on Sunday, along with
two Iraqis, who served as his driver and guide.

Indonesia has a standing travel advisory issued in 2002, for
its citizens to leave the country before the U.S. operation began
in Iraq in March 2003.

The government also urged the interim Iraqi government to
investigate the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Marty said that local authorities had not yet conveyed how the
incident happened or established who had ambushed the convoy.

"We haven't received any details of the chronology of the
incident, and we are still waiting for the death certificate from
the local hospital before we can take his remains back to
Jakarta," he said.

Two Indonesian Embassy officials from Amman, Jordan, are
currently assisting in the evacuation of Fahmi's body, with the
full support of the company that hired him.

Marty said there were several possible routes to take his
remains back to Jakarta, including through Damascus, Amman or Abu
Dhabi.

"We cannot determine when we will be able to collect the
remains and bring them back because the process will take quite
some time," he said.