No Pinoys hurt in latest Iraq bombings –official

Filipinos in Iraq have been advised to remain vigilant and restrict their movements amid the recent spate of terrorist bombings in Baghdad that left almost 100 people dead and many more wounded.
Chargé d’Affaires Elmer G. Cato said Friday that there were no Filipinos among the dead and wounded in the car bomb attack in Sadr City on Wednesday and the attack by two suicide bombers in Abu Ghraib on Thursday.
"Fortunately there were no Filipinos among the dead or wounded in the latest attacks but just the same we would like to underscore the need for our kababayan in Iraq to remain vigilant," Cato said in a statement.
Cato also warned the 300 Filipinos living in Baghdad to avoid demonstrations "as these could also be targeted by extremists."
He also urged the 2,000 Filipinos working in Iraq to provide their contact details to the Philippine Embassy so that they could easily be reached in case of emergencies.
Filipinos who wish to be repatriated may also reach the Philippine Embassy for assistance.
More than 50 Filipinos have been repatriated since Iraq was placed under Alert Level 4 in 2014.
Only Filipinos with existing job contracts in the Kurdistan regions may travel to and from the Philippines as all processing and deployment of new workers to Iraq remain on hold to the unstable security situation there.  —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News

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