40 Indian workers kidnapped, 46 nurses stranded in Tirkit
India’s worst fears seem to have come true in Iraq as 40 Indian workers were among several foreigners kidnapped in Mosul, about 400 km from Baghdad. No ransom call has been made so far. Neither has any group claimed responsibility. Spokesperson for Ministry of External Affairs Syed Akbaruddin said there is no information on the location of the kidnapped Indians and their captors.
Though the identity of the kidnappers is yet to be established, it is feared that this could have been done by the militant group operating in Iraq at the moment — Islamic State of Iraq and the levant (ISIl), a breakaway faction of Al-Qaeda. However, the Indian Government is tight-lipped about the details of the kidnappers.
Turkey’s Dogan news agency has also claimed that 15 Turks were among 60 foreign construction workers kidnapped near Kirkuk where they were building a hospital. The agency’s report is based on the statement of a worker who was reportedly freed by the militants. It is still not clear whether the Indian workers are among these 60.
The kidnapped Indian workers are mostly from Punjab and other northern states working in a construction company, Tariq Nur Alhuda, in Mosul. The Indian Government has dispatched its experienced diplomat Suresh Reddy to Baghdad to coordinate the rescue efforts. Till recently the Ambassador to Iraq, Reddy was in New Delhi awaiting a posting. MEA sources said that since Reddy has ample knowledge of the country and has sufficient contacts, he may be able to help the Indian Embassy in its efforts to secure the release of the kidnapped Indians and reinforce the Embassy in Baghdad.
The news of the kidnapping was given to India by the International Red Crescent and other agencies in Iraq. So far, no demand for ransom has been made, nor has any group claimed responsibility. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and his team is learnt to be working with multiple international agencies to locate the Indians and ensure their safety and release.
“We do not know their location, or who has kidnapped them. But we are working with agencies in Iraq to locate them. Information is trickling in slowly from various sources like Red Crescent and the Iraqi Government. These are difficult situations. We are working with the company.
Simultaneously, we are trying to work with International Red Crescent. But they have indicated that at this stage they do not know the location of these 40 Indian workers who were kidnapped. We are trying to work with everyone who can assist us at the moment,” Akbaruddin said while refusing to get into details. India has no plans to shut down its Embassy in Baghdad.
Foreign Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj spoke personally to the relatives of those kidnapped and those stuck in the strife-torn country, assuring them that the Government was trying its best. She, reportedly, kept coming out of a meeting on Wednesday with the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia to monitor the progress of the rescue mission.
Over 10,000 Indians are in Iraq at the moment, out of which about 100 are located in the violent and insecure zones. Besides these 40 workers, about 46 nurses too are stranded in Tirkit.
“In the current situation it is not proper for them to take the surface route. They have been advised to stay in safe places till airports are opened or they are rescued,” the MEA spokesperson said.
Another 200 Indians employed in Najaf with a Turkish company have expressed their discomfort in staying in Iraq. The Indian Government has made arrangements for their return and the first batch arrives in New Delhi on Friday.
With the USA contemplating sending its special forces to protect the US Embassy in Baghdad and other American interests, India might even seek its help to rescue the kidnapped workers. US warships, helicopters, Marines and army troops have already moved into the region awaiting a decision.