In a good news, 46 Indian nurses abducted by Islamic State militants in Iraq may be freed.

New Delhi, July 4/Nationalturk – At least 46 Indian nurses abducted by Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which is now renamed as Islamic State (IS), in conflict-hit Iraq may be freed soon.

IS militants have abducted 46 Indian nurses. Most of the nurses hail from southern Indian State of Kerala.

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy met India’s External Affairs Ministers Sushma Swaraj and discussed the abduction of nurses.

Chandy expressed hope that the nurses may be freed soon. All the nurses are safe. There is no reason to be anxious. Our aim is to bring them back”.

“The nurses held by militants in Iraq’s Mosul city are to be taken to an Erbil airport for their forward journey to India,” he told reporters.

There were media reports that the nurses were moved by IS militants from Tikrit to Mosul city last night.

The nurses, according to Indian media, have reportedly been taken to a hospital in Mosul, which is under IS militants control.

“They are safe and they have been given food,” media reports quoted sources as saying.

‘Indian officials in touch with abducted nurses’

Indian foreign office spokesperson had yesterday said that Indian officials have been in touch with some abducted nurses.

When asked whether nurses are now in captivity or were hostages, he said, “

In zones of conflict, there is no free will. If your question is that have they moved of their free will, my answer to you is that in zones of conflict there is no free will. That said, we need to see every difficulty as an opportunity rather than every opportunity as a difficulty.  Zones of conflict obviously are situations where there are no norms, no rules. But  we are in touch, we are working with them.”

“I can tell you is that the nurses remain unharmed. They are not going of their own free will and we will continue to keep in touch with them and their welfare is now the utmost importance to the Government of India.  Our Mission in Baghdad has advised the nurses to proceed where they are proceeding,” he said.

The spokesperson further said 900 Indians holed-up in Iraq have already been provided tickets to fly out of Iraq. “Most of them are flying on Iraqi Airways flights, where there are seats available. We are booking them to the nearest international airport in India”.

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Asia News/ NationalTurk India News