Kuwait urges citizens to leave Egypt 'at the earliest'

Kuwait on Wednesday urged its citizens in Egypt to leave "at the earliest" and warned against travel to the country citing the threat of further unrest.

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KUWAIT CITY // Kuwait today urged its citizens in Egypt to leave "at the earliest" and warned against travel to the country citing the threat of further unrest.

"All Kuwaitis present in Egypt must leave at the earliest due to the developments and events in various parts of the country," the official KUNA news agency cited ambassador Rasheed Al Hamad as saying.

He also called on Kuwaitis to delay trips to Egypt due to the "unstable situation".

Thousands of Kuwaiti students are studying at Egyptian universities while tens of thousands of Kuwaiti tourists normally visit Egypt every year.

Kuwait joins fellow Gulf State the UAE in issuing a travel warning to Egypt, where supporters and opponents of embattled president Mohammed Morsi have clashed in the capital Cairo in recent days, leaving more than 20 people dead. Earlier this week, the UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged citizens not to travel to Egypt and those already there to leave.

Several other countries that usually send large numbers of summer tourists to Egypt have also issued or expanded their travel warnings, including the United States and Australia.

UK prime minister David Cameron told members of parliament in London that Egypt was witnessing "appalling levels of violence" and citizens should avoid all but essential travel to the country.