BackIndia reports incremental progress in reaching out to people in Iraq
Foreign ministry says efforts made by the govt to contact various sources for information as well as the safe release of those in captivity 'are gaining impetus'
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New Delhi: India on Monday reported incremental progress in reaching out to people, governments and agencies who could help secure the release of some 39 Indians held captive in areas overrun by Sunni militants in Iraq since last week.
Foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said efforts made by the government to contact various sources for information as well as the safe release of those in captivity “are gaining impetus".
“Various doors are opening now. These are primarily in Iraq at various levels—all of which are significant. Our information flow has improved providing us channels to obtain, corroborate and confirm information," Akbaruddin said.
US secretary of state John Kerry, meanwhile, arrived in Baghdad for talks with the Iraqi leadership, which has been blamed for fanning the Shis-Sunni divide in the country. Kerry’s arrival coincided with militants belonging to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) tightening their grip on the north and west of Iraq, AFP news agency reported.
“We have again received reconfirmation that Indian nationals in capitivity remain unharmed," Akbaruddin added in the wake of news reports that some or all of those in captivity had died. According to other media reports, Bangladeshis and Turkish nationals are among those kidnapped along with the Indians in Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city.
ISIL launched an offensive on 9 June, capturing Mosul, with a population of two million people. According to media reports, the ISIL, which aims to establish a caliphate across the Iraqi-Syrian frontier, is advancing towards Baghdad.
Last week, the foreign ministry said it was using many channels—including unconventional ones—to secure the release of the Indians held in capitivity. India was tapping sources in Iraq and its immediate neighbours as well to ensure the safety and release of its nationals, the ministry said.
According to Akbaruddin, there were about 120 Indians in the area of unrest, of which 16 were evacuated last week. One of those held captive near Mosul had escaped and also had been evacuated. On the 46 Indian nurses in a hospital in Tikrit, Akbaruddin said they were safe and the government was in touch with them. In all there are some 10,000 Indian nationals in Iraq.
“Safety and security of Indian nationals in Iraq continues to be a matter of priority for the government. On the diplomatic front, our efforts are continuing both in Iraq and outside," Akbaruddin said.
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