M A I N   N E W S

Iraq on the boil Efforts on to secure release of abducted Indians: Govt
Team Modi goes into a huddle
Ashok Tuteja
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 20
Amid New Delhi’s attempts to establish contact with the abductors of 40 Indian construction workers in Iraq, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today chaired a high-level meeting to review the situation in the strife-torn nation and its implications in India.

The meeting was attended by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth, heads of intelligence agencies and senior IFS officials. The meeting took into account facts and information available from multiple sources on the developments in Iraq.

It was resolved that the government would step up efforts to secure the release of the abducted Indians, mostly from Punjab, who are now in the custody of Sunni militants in the violence-affected Mosul region.

“We can confirm that one Indian has escaped from the custody of abductors and is in touch with our embassy in Baghdad,” MEA spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said, adding that all Indians in Iraq were safe.

Asked if India was holding negotiations with the abductors, the spokesman said: “We are knocking at all doors, front doors, back doors and trapped doors.” Meanwhile, eight Indians have been evacuated from Baiji and as many from Anbar in the conflict zone.

At the last count, there were more than 10,000 Indian workers in Iraq, most of them employed in the prosperous autonomous region of Kurdistan and port city Basrah.

There were 120 Indians employed in the construction sector in the conflict zone. Out of them, 40 have been held hostage by the militants. Forty-six nurses are stuck in Tikrit. Around 20 Indians are still in the strife-affected areas.

Official sources denied that intense fighting had broken out between Sunni rebels and government forces in Karbala and many Indians have been caught in the crossfire.The External Affairs Minister also held two meetings with officials of the External Affairs Ministry (MEA) on the developments in Iraq.