New Delhi: Maintaining that the situation in Iraq remains a priority for the Union government, the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday said that the government will provide monetary help to Indians stranded in Iraq if they want to want to return.
"All the Indian nationals in Iraq who are not able to buy there own flight tickets will be helped by us," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said.
The MEA confirmed that one Indian has escaped from captivity in Iraq and is in touch with the Indian embassy in Baghdad. The MEA also said that 16 Indians have been evacuated from conflict-hit areas of the country.
National Security advisor Ajit Doval has been tasked with securing the release of Indian hostages in Iraq while Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj is heading the crisis management committee.
The MEA has assured that according to the information that the government has gathered through its sources, all Indians abducted in Iraq are safe.
Briefing about the steps being taken by the government, the MEA spokesperson said that that Indian officials have had meetings with a number of Iraqi officials at various levels. "EAM had meeting with the Home Minister and the National Security Adviser to review the situation," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi too has taken stock of the situation on abduction of 40 Indians in Iraq. The government has been reiterating that all help is being provided to the Indians stranded in the war-torn Iraq.
Sushma Swaraj had on Thursday appealed to the relatives of the victims to trust the government. "We are doing our best to safely bring back all the Indians stranded in Iraq. We request the people to pray to God and have trust in us," the External Affairs Minister said.
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