PM condoles death of 39 Indians in Iraq

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expressed his condolences to families of 39 Indians who have been confirmed dead following their kidnapping by the Islamic State in 2014 and said every Indian grieves with those who lost their loved ones in Mosul.

Modi said in tweets that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her deputy V. K. Singh had left "no stone unturned" in trying to trace and bring back the kidnapped Indians.

He said the government remains fully committed towards the safety of Indians living abroad.

"Every Indian grieves with those who lost their loved ones in Mosul. We stand in solidarity with the bereaved families and pay our respects to the Indians killed in Mosul," Modi said.

"The MEA and particularly my colleagues Sushma Swaraj and General V K Singh left no stone unturned in trying to trace and safely bring back those we lost in Mosul. Our Government remains fully committed towards ensuring the safety of our sisters and brothers overseas," he added.

Sushma Swaraj told Parliament on Tuesday that 39 Indians kidnapped by the Islamic State (IS) terror group in Iraq's Mosul in 2014 were dead and their mortal remains will be brought back to India.

The victims -- 31 from Punjab, four from Himachal Pradesh and four from Bihar and West Bengal -- were construction workers and were employed by an Iraqi company in Mosul and taken hostage when the IS took control of Iraq's second largest city in Iraq.

--IANS

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