The foreign ministry raised the travel warning for Tanzania's southeastern region of Mtwara on Monday, due to heightened risks after growing violence by Islamic extremists based in neighboring Mozambique.

A "red" alert, the second-highest level out of a four-scale system, now applies to the Mtwara region, the ministry said in a release. It calls for travelers to cancel their trips and citizens staying there to leave the place unless they have essential reasons.

Tanzania has been a target of attacks by Islamic extremists in recent years, whose terrorist activities appear to be expanding from northern Mozambique. Late last month, Tanzanian police announced that a border village in the Mtwara region was hit by some 300 attackers, according to news reports. (Yonhap)