Iraq crisis: Centre clueless on abducted Indians

New Delhi: The government has landed itself in a major mess, having been caught napping over the abduction of 40 Indians in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, allegedly by the jihadi group ISIS.

The Indians, all construction workers with a firm called Tariq Nur al Huda, were based in Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq. Mosul has been taken over by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, also known as ISIS, which has taken control of large swathes of the strife torn country.

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The crisis will be one of the first major tests for the new Modi-led government, which came under sharp attack from the Congress for its failure to evacuate Indians from Iraq in time.

On Thursday, the government was fumbling in the dark about the whereabouts and safety of these abducted workers. There was no information available on where the workers, largely from Punjab, are being held hostage nor had anybody claimed responsibility for their abduction.

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