Iraq has no information about 39 missing Indians: Foreign Minister

The Iraqi Foreign Minister on Monday reaffirmed his government had no information concerning 39 Indian nationals missing in the country.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi Foreign Minister on Monday reaffirmed his government had no information concerning 39 Indian nationals missing in the country.

During a five-day visit to India, Iraq’s Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari told reporters he had no news on the fate or whereabouts of the missing Indians.

“We have no substantial evidence to say if they [the Indians] were killed or if they are still alive,” he said.

Jaafari stressed Baghdad is as concerned about the safety of the Indians, missing for the last three years, as the Indian authorities and family members are.

“We are equally concerned,” he said. “We are making the best efforts.”

The group was reportedly abducted by the Islamic State (IS) in 2014 as they were trying to flee war-ravaged Mosul.

The Iraqi Foreign Minister met with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during the first day of his trip.

Jaafari briefed Swaraj on the limited information Iraq had regarding the Indian nationals, local media reported.

The External Affairs Minister said he recently met with the families of the abducted parties to comfort and assure them his country was working to obtain more information.

Swaraj said he believed the 39 missing Indians might be held in a jail in Badush, northwest of Mosul, where the fight against IS militants is ongoing.

However, conflicting reports suggest the Badush prison has been unoccupied for weeks and is now an “abandoned structure,” contributing to the mystery.

Harjit Masih, the only man among the group who returned home, said the others had been shot dead by militants.

 

Editing by G.H. Renaud