Iraq crisis: Hyderabad tour operator, 50 pilgrims escape blast in Mosul

Hyderabad: Hyderabad natives Mohammed Muneer Qureshi and 50 other people, who were on a visit to Baghdad’s Dargah Awlia, escaped a high-intensity bomb blast by minutes as they traversed the Mosul area. After spending seven terror-filled nights amidst heavy firing and bomb blasts, the group arrived safely in Hyderabad on Thursday morning.

Mohammed Qureshi, 32,  the owner of MM Tour and Travels, organised the tour for 50 people on June 9. There were 26 men, 22 women and two children in the group.

“I organise these tours once every three months, but this was the first time that the situation was very tense. The first two days were fine, but on the third day, after the attack in Mosul, things got bad. After visiting the Pirane Pheer Ghouse Azam Dastagir (Dargah Awlia), we were moving towards Mosul. We had just passed it and less than 10 minutes later, we heard a blast. We stopped our bus and rushed to rescue people. The security personnel informed us that 38 people had died and 90 were injured. We had to halt our tour, put up in a hotel in Baghdad and stay there. We could hear firing and blasts all night,” he recalled.

The tour included popular dargahs and religious places, including Musa Khazim in Baghdad, Imam Ali in Najas, Imam Husayn and Imam Afas in Karbala.

“Many workers from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are stuck and the embassy has no idea,” Mr Qureshi said. “I met four workers from Nizamabad who work with a travel company. They were looking for a restaurant to eat dinner. They stayed with us for the night. But they went in the morning and never returned. They said that their agent had told them they would be taken to Afghanistan, but instead had brought them to Baghdad. Each of them paid Rs 1.5 lakh to the agent.”

He says the Indian embassy has a small staff. Many who are stuck are unaware of the severity of the situation. Many are bonded labourers who would have gone on a tourist visa. “The government should send a team to bring our people back,” he said.