Indians taken hostage by IS alive: Swaraj

New Delhi, February 7

The 39 Indians taken hostage by the ISIS more than a year-and-a-half ago from Mosul in Iraq were alive, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told their families here today. The assurance was based on her recent meetings with Arab and Palestinian leaders who indicated to that effect, sources said.

Swaraj, who had sought a meeting with the families (ninth since the abduction in June 2014), also assured the families them that the government was “fully and continuously engaged” and “every possible effort” was being made to ensure the release of those taken hostage.

The Minister told them that during a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the leader informed her that the “Indians are alive and made to work” in war-torn Iraq as per his government’s intelligence information. Swaraj visited Palestine and Israel on January 17 and 18.

The Minister also referred to her visit to Bahrain on January 23 for the first India-Arab League Cooperation Forum and said during the meeting, a declaration was adopted that said, “The two sides expressed concern at the kidnapping of 39 Indian workers in Mosul in  2014 and three Indian workers in Sirte (Libya) in 2015”. — PTI