Centre in touch with nurses trapped in Iraq

India is concerned over the fate of 46 nurses stranded in the town of ISIS-held Tikrit

June 17, 2014 11:32 am | Updated November 17, 2021 04:27 am IST - New Delhi

Demonstrators raise slogans in support of al-Qaida-inspired insurgent group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), in front of the provincial government headquarters in Mosul, 360 km northwest of Baghdad.

Demonstrators raise slogans in support of al-Qaida-inspired insurgent group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), in front of the provincial government headquarters in Mosul, 360 km northwest of Baghdad.

The government on Tuesday said it was in touch with the Indian nurses stranded in violence-hit Tikrit town in Iraq and assured every possible help to Indian citizens in the trouble-torn country.

Following a request by the Indian government, a team of International Red Crescent contacted around 46 nurses in Tikrit and reported back to the Indian authorities about their well being, sources said.

The Indian Mission is also in touch with the Iraqi government and the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) to ensure the safety of all Indians stranded in the violence-affected areas of that country, they said.

Asked whether the government was considering evacuating the nurses from Tikrit, they said the roads are not suitable for any movement at present.

The government had on Sunday asked Indians residing in Iraq to consider leaving the country in view of the “precarious” security situation. In an advisory, the government had also asked people not to travel to Iraq.

Strongly condemning the violence in Iraq, the government on Monday said it was “deeply concerned” with the deteriorating security situation in that country resulting from recent attacks and taking over of some cities, including Mosul and Tikrit, by terrorist outfits since June 8.

“The safety and security of the Indian nationals currently in Iraq remains a matter of serious concern for the Government of India,” it said.

Terming the attacks a “direct threat to the security and territorial integrity” of Iraq, the Ministry of External Affairs said India remained strongly committed to the “emergence of a stable, peaceful, united and democratic Iraq” which is in the interest of regional and global peace.

“The Government of India strongly condemns such attacks and firmly stands by the government and people of Iraq in their fight against international terrorism and in their efforts to preserve the unity and territorial integrity of the friendly country of Iraq,” it said.

The Indian Embassy in Baghdad has already set up a 24-hour helpline to offer assistance to Indian nationals there.

Over 10,000 Indians are estimated to be currently living in Iraq.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.