Five Indian workers from war-torn Iraq reached by the New Delhi- Thiruvananthapuram Rajadhani Express here on Monday night.
Thaliyadathu Madhu, 32, Kattil Shibu, 39, Kattilparambu Vijeesh, 28, Elathalakattu Sudeep, 49, and Vengali Thazhathil Manzoor, 36, all hailing from Puthiyaneerathu, near Elathur, were engaged in oxygen pipeline work at a private hospital at Karbala, 100 km southwest of Baghdad.
The New Delhi-based Supreme Medicals, which employed them, had facilitated their return journey. The company provided the tickets.
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“We were escorted by the Iraqi police to the Al Najaf International Airport from where we flew to Sharjah. We reached Delhi a week ago,” Mr. Madhu told
War has not reached the Karbala region. Nevertheless a threat looms over the city. “We were fully secured by the Iraqi police and army. However, we were compelled to return following pressure from our families,” said Mr. Madhu, who was in Iraq for the last 14 months.
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He said they had contacted the Indian Embassy and officials had promised all help in case of any eventuality. “Of course, we feared for our lives. Many Indians, especially from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal, are worried. They also want to return home. But the companies that recruited them want to finish off the pending works as soon as possible,” he said.
The internal conflict between Sunnis and Shias had spread like wildfire in the last few years. “Iraqis are friendly towards Indians. We did not have any problems living with them. Yeah, we are happy to be home. Possibly we may fly back again once normalcy returns to Iraq,” Mr. Madhu said.