US warns of hotel attack risks in Iraqi Kurdistan, urges citizens to leave

The United States has issued a warning about potential attacks targeting hotels in Iraq's Kurdistan region and renewed calls for American citizens to leave the area. Washington has repeatedly advised its nationals to depart this semi-autonomous region in northern Iraq, which has faced periodic security threats despite being generally more stable than other parts of the country. The Kurdistan Regional Government maintains its own security forces and has served as a key ally to the US in the fight against ISIS, but the region has experienced occasional attacks from various militant groups and tensions related to broader regional conflicts involving Iran and Turkey.