Iraq rescue effort: ‘Knocking all the doors'

Indian officials in Iraq are reaching out people and ticketing for those who want to return home, MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said. adding special mobile teams are reaching out to Indians in Najaf, Karbala, Basra and Baghdad, advising them to leave the country. Akbaruddin also said that 60 Indians from Najaf, 30 from Karbala and four from Baghdad have left Iraq on monday and the number is expected to to increase by the end of this week

With the help of (Iraqi) authorities, we have been able to evacuate Indian nationals from the conflict zone. and will come back very soon,” the Ministry of External Affairs said.

The 46 Indian nurses who are in Tikrit are safe but are waiting to return to India or transferred to safer places as the situation is still unfavourable, The centre should meet all the expenses of their return to their home country and if it doesn't happen the state government of Kerala is ready to bear the expenses for the return of its nurses stuck in Iraq. Since the troubles intensified in Iraq, Kerala nurses especially from Karbala, Tikrit region and Baghdad Medical City were in contact with the media persons in Kerala but the Indian embassy officials asked them not to speak to media as the TV news went overboard with the reporting. According to reports Joseph said that some of the nurses have salary dues. the central government on monday said a total of 120 Indians are stuck in the conflict region in Iraq.

Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said the 40 Indians were stuck in captivity in Mosul had “not been hurt or harmed”.