The exodus of Indians from conflict-torn Iraq continues. On July 7, 84 construction workers returned from the strife-torn nation, while on July 6, 200 Indian from non-conflict zones in Iraq reached New Delhi. Approximately 2,200 Indians in southern Iraq have expressed their desire to leave for home.
Four mobile teams, each with six members have been working in major Iraqi cities still in control of the Iraqi government: Najaaf, Karbala, Basra, and Baghdad. These team have been working 24×7 to ensure the evacuation process of Indian nationals still in Iraq is not hampered by documentation glitches. “Our advice to them is to leave. But if they are facing problems or are staying back because of tickets, Government of India is ready to provide them. We are also ready to provide assistance in terms of contractual problems. Based on that our assessment is 2,200 Indian nationals have in some form or other expressed their desire to leave Iraq,” said Spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs Syed Akbaruddin on July 6. He added that the government was providing tickets for 1,600 workers, while the air fare for the other 600 were being paid by the companies they worked for.
A number of special flights have been arranged from Nasaf and Basra, in addition to the normal flights from Baghdad, to bring the Indian national home.
In a diplomatic triumph, the Indian government managed to rescue 46 Indian nurses stranded in the conflict zone and bring them back to India on July 5.
Akbaruddin had earlier stated that the successful rescue operation has freed government resources to facilitate the return of the remaining Indians, including the 39 workers held captive in Mosul by the Sunni militant group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Given the recent success the Indian government’s policy of knocking on “front door, back door, trap door,” to bring Indians home safely has been working well. Indian government officials have, however, reassured that they will continue to work tirelessly to ensure until all Indian who want to return home and brought home safely.
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