Have information about location of Indians in Iraq but can't reveal it: Ministry of External Affairs

New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said that the Iraqi Foreign Ministry have tracked the location of the abducted Indian workers in Iraq. Syed Akbaruddin, the spokesman for India's External Affairs Ministry, addressing a press conference said, "The government is giving highest priority to the security and welfare of these Indians."  He declined to say more on the location or possible future action. 

The Iraqi government has determined where 40 Indian construction workers abducted near Mosul are being held captive with workers of a few other nationalities, an official said Thursday. 

He added, "There is no safety in captivity. Safety is when people are present at a place where they are welcomed."

Amid rising concern over the abduction of 40 Indian construction workers in Mosul town in strife-torn Iraq, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday said all efforts are underway to rescue them and all others stranded in the violence-hit areas of the Gulf country.

Giving an assurance to the families of those kidnapped, she said every possible effort is being made to rescue them.

Also Read: 46 Nurses from Kerala stranded in Iraq

"All efforts are underway (to rescue them). I am personally supervising the efforts. We are leaving no stone unturned to ensure their return," Swaraj told reporters here.

The External Affairs Ministry had yesterday announced that the 40 workers had been kidnapped in Mosul but said no demand for ransom has been received.

The workers, mostly from Punjab and other parts of northern India, were working on a construction project in Mosul in northern Iraq, which has been captured by Sunni militant group ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria).

India is in touch with various humanitarian agencies, the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) and Iraqi government to gather more information about the kidnapping, according to the Spokesperson of the External Affairs Ministry.

About 10,000 Indian nationals are currently in Iraq and the government said some 100 were stranded in violence-hit areas in that country.

The Ministry said it was in touch with the 46 nurses who are stranded in Tikrit town, which was also taken over by ISIS militants. In response to a request by the Indian embassy, International Red Crescent had contacted the nurses.

The government has sent former envoy to Iraq Suresh Reddy to strengthen the Indian Mission in Baghdad. Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has said that his state is ready to bear all expenses for the safe return of Punjabis kidnapped in oil-rich Mosul town.

Read: Thousands from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh in Iraq

The ministry said no demands for ransom had been made and the workers' whereabouts, along with who was responsible for the abductions, were not known.

But Charanjit Singh said his brother called him on Wednesday "for a couple of minutes" to tell him the workers were safe and that their captors had claimed they would be released if someone from the government made contact.

"He said he and his co-workers from India were all safe and not held hostage," Singh said.

Read Also: Indian mission in touch with nurses trapped in Iraq: Foreign Ministry

"They say (the militants) will release them if someone responsible from the Indian military or government comes to collect them," Singh added.

Gurpinder Kaur said her brother told her on June 15 that the militants had promised to free the group "safely without any conditions" if New Delhi got in touch with them.

Also read: Working round-the-clock to rescue Indians stuck in Iraq: Govt

While the families said the phone calls were cause for optimism, the government has warned that the situation on the ground remains "very difficult".

Also Read: Iraq crisis: 40 Indians in Mosul abducted, no ransom call yet

Militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have taken over vast swathes of territory as they advance on Baghdad, amid fears that the country could fall apart.

With details of the abduction sketchy, other families said they feared for the fate of the workers, who had been earning money on construction projects to send back home.

"We are hearing all sorts of news from Iraq, visuals on the television are frightening and we are very worried about him," Ranjit Kaur told the Hindustan Times of her son Jatinder Singh.

Humanitarian agencies and the Iraqi government have confirmed the abduction of the workers, who were employed by the Tariq Noor Al Huda construction company, ministry of external affairs said.

About 10,000 Indian nationals are currently in Iraq with some 100 caught in violence-hit areas, the ministry added.

Read: Fighting nears Baghdad as UN warns crisis 'life-threatening'

Watch: ISIS militant posts new execution video

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