New Delhi: Assuring that Indian government will leave no stone unturned to bring back the Indians trapped in Iraq, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday confirmed that all 46 nurses who were yesterday held in ISIS controlled areas against their will have been freed and will reach Kochi tomorrow morning by a special Air India flight from Erbil in northern Iraq.
Addressing a press conference here, MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin to said, “All 46 Indian nurses in Iraq are free and in touch with our embassy officials. An Air India plane has taken off from Delhi today to evacuate Indian nurses from Iraq.”
"The nurses are safe, unharmed," the spokesperson said, adding the special Air India flight has taken off from Delhi."
He further said, "The nurses will reach Erbil in the night. 70 others from Kirkuk will also be brought back along with the 46 nurses."
“It has been day of dramatic developments. I can confirm to you that those nurses who were moved to Mosul yesterday (Thursday) are free,” he added.
However, he said that there are several other who are atranded yet in Iraq.
"We have succeeded in extracting 46 of our nationals but there are several other stranded," Akbaruddin said.
Akbaruddin for the first time today said that this procedure of bring back the stranded Indian nationals from the critical areas of Iraq was possible due to the efforts put in within and outside Iraq.
“Our primary work is to bring our stranded Indians back home Rest assured that India has friends within Iraq and outside. Got substantial support," the MEA spokesperson said.
Further giving some details about the Air India plane which will bring the nurses tomorrow, Akbaruddin said, "An Air India plane will land late tonight in Erbil. A joint secretary level officer will accompany the nurses in plane. It will land in Kochi and proceed to Delhi if needed."
Answering an question of a journalist present in the conference that will the government use the same measures to free other Indian nationals from Iraq, Akbaruddin said, “It's time now for us to turn on each other and not against each other. Please have faith that the government is doing all it can to bring back Indians from Iraq.”
He further said, “Resources being pushed into extricating other Indian nationals in conflict zone in Iraq. We won't be satisfied till we reach culmination of our efforts and bring all nationals back.”
But when asked that who were these 'friends' who helped India to get back its nationals, the MEA spokesperson said, “Anything we say may possibly impact other elements so I wont say who we worked with and how we worked.”
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy announced that all 46 Indian nurses seized by insurgents in Iraq were freed today and will fly to Kerala on tomorrow morning.
The chief minister said in a telephonic interview from New Delhi that he will be in Kochi to receive the nurses tomorrow when they return in a special Air India flight.
First Published: Friday, July 04, 2014, 18:37
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