At least nine people stranded in strife-torn Iraq returned home safely, who were employed on contract basis in an Iraqi company. However, another 10 from the State working with the same company are still awaiting help to reach back to their families.
Those who returned from Iraq are belonging to Navsari. “They are from various villages of Chikhli and Gandevi tehsils in the district. These workers were recruited in an Iraqi company through a human resource supplying companies. All of them were working at Kirkuk town, nearly 350 km from Babhdad,” said an official source.
It was a great relief for their families but relatives of remaining people from the area are keenly waiting for their love ones. One of the worker who returned safely from Iraq said that, there is complete chaos in Iraq and people, especially expatriate working in the country are under severe risk of getting kidnapped or killed by the militants.
The workers were arrested by the local police on the way to Baghdad and kept in jail for nearly a week. They were released only after the intervention of the Indian embassy. “It was the officials of the Indian embassy, who made arrangements for us to board flight to Mumbai,” said Mukesh Patel, one of the nine workers who returned safely from Iraq.
He said that he is worried about 10 more people from the area who are still trapped in Iraq. “Situation is horrifying. Even the company in which we used to work is not ready to take responsibility of providing transport to its expatriate workers in order to reach up to the airport,” he said, adding that he is hoping for the best for his colleagues’ safe return to India.