US condoles death of 39 Indians in Iraq

Washington, March 21

The US on Wednesday offered its “deepest condolences” on the death of 39 Indian nationals abducted by ISIS in Iraq, saying it stands with the people of India in condemning the murders.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday told Parliament in New Delhi that the 39 Indians abducted in 2014 by the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists in Mosul city were dead and their bodies had been recovered.

“We offer our deepest condolences. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims,” a State Department spokesperson told PTI responding to a question on the discovery of a mass grave with the bodies of the Indian construction workers.

“We stand with the people of India in condemning these murders,” the spokesperson said.

The northern Iraqi city of Mosul has now been liberated from the ISIS. The bodies of Indian workers were found buried near the village of Badsuh, which is in the northwest of Mosul. PTI