‘39 Indians, missing in Iraq, may be jailed where fighting is still on’

Thirty-nine Indians abducted in Iraq by the ISIS three years ago may be lodged in a jail in Badush in northwest Mosul, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said on Sunday.

She added that her Iraqi counterpart may bring fresh information about them when he visits India on July 24.

Swaraj was briefing family members of the abducted men, who are mostly from Punjab, about information gathered by the minister of state for external affairs, VK Singh, who was sent to the Gulf nation after its Prime Minister announced the liberation of Mosul from the dreaded terror group ISIS.

Swaraj said an authoritative official quoting intelligence sources told Singh the Indians were deployed at a hospital construction site and then shifted to a farm. They were then taken to a jail in Badush in West Mosul, where fighting between the ISIS and Iraqi forces is carrying on.

Ministers of state Singh and M J Akbar and senior ministry officials were also present.

FAMILIES UNHAPPY WITH EFFORTS

The families of the missing Indians however, are disheartened.

Gurpinder Kaur, one of the family members, said, “I met the Union Minister today but I am disheartened. We all came with lot of hope but things are not moving forward and there is hardly any clue. Almost everyone is disheartened but we hope wherever all youth are they remain safe.”