ANKARA – Turkey has warned its citizens against travel to the UnitedStates, saying Turks face the risk of arbitrary arrest and should takeprecautions if they do decide to travel, the latest tit-for-tat volley in adiplomatic feud between the NATO allies.

The comments from the Turkish Foreign Ministry come after the U.S.Department of State this week warned U.S. citizens planning to visit Turkeyto reconsider due to “terrorism and arbitrary detentions”.

Ties between Washington and Ankara, the biggest Muslim country in NATO anda major U.S. ally in the Middle East, have been strained by a number ofdisputes in recent months, including the U.S. arrest and conviction of aTurkish banker in an Iran sanctions-busting case.