Indians in Iraq safe, trying to evacuate them: Government

The flow of information from Iraq has improved and Indians in the conflict zone there were safe, the external affairs ministry said Monday.

Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said efforts were being made to evacuate those stranded in Iraq.

"Safety and security of Indian nationals in Iraq remain to be a concern for the government of India... information flow has improved," he said.

"We have received 120 requests in Baghdad and 300 at our control room in New Delhi for assistance of various types," he said.

Some of the request may, however, be duplication, he said.

"Seventeen Indians have been removed from the conflict zone. We are working to ensure that rest of the Indian nationals in conflict zones are moved out of there," he said.

Akbaruddin added that 46 Indian nurses in Iraq were also safe.