Relieved to know Indian nurses in Iraq are safe: Pranab Mukherjee

President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday expressed his joy over the expected return of the 46 Indian nurses stranded in Iraq tomorrow and said that he was relieved that the latter have reached a secure area in Iraq.

"I am happy and relieved that 46 nurses from Tikrit have reached a secure area in Iraq. I look forward to their (46 Indian nurses in Iraq) early and safe return to India," said Mukherjee.

Earlier today, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin had said that the 46 nurses who were stranded in Iraq and moved to another location against their will yesterday, are now free.

"Indian nurses, who were yesterday moved against their will, are now free. They are in touch with our officials in Erbil, and the process underway for their return to India. Even as we speak, an Air India has taken off and will land late tonight in Erbil. From Erbil, it will first fly to Kochi, drop the nurses, following which, it might come to Delhi, if required," said Akbaruddin.

"46 of our nationals have been rescued from zone of conflict. We are working on those still in captivity. The nurses will board the flight along with 70 others from Kirkuk. It is a multiplicity of contacts that help in such an endeavor. Please be rest assured that every effort is being made, please have trust that we are working on this," he added.

"Anything we say may possibly impact other elements, so I am not going to say who we worked with and how we worked. The EAM extensively interacted with her counterparts; this process has been underway for quite some time," he added.

The 46 nurses had been reportedly taken away by ISIS militants from Tikrit to an old building somewhere in Mosul late on Thursday night.

There were about 10,000 Indians in Iraq before the start of the strife between government troops and Sunni militants. The militants have captured two key cities and have their sights set on Baghdad. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been displaced in the fighting that broke out on June 10.