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Kerala, Centre concerned about nurses' safety in Iraq

NEW DELHI: The 46 nurses trapped in a Tikrit hospital were on Thursday kidnapped and taken to Mosul by the jihadi group ISIS which had earlier abducted 39 Indian construction workers from the same city it wrested from Iraqi forces last month and now holds complete sway over.Tikrit is also under ISIS control but it is now witnessing fierce fighting with Iraqi forces trying to regain control. The development has taken the number of Indian hostages held by ISIS to 85.The government did not officially confirm that the nurses had been taken hostage but admitted that they had been moved to an undisclosed destination.Indian officials in Baghdad, who were in touch with the nurses on phone until early Thursday evening, said they were safe and unharmed.The nurses were advised by the government to heed the directive of the gunmen for their own safety as even humanitarian agencies — the sole conduit to the hapless group from Kerala — told India that there was no way they could reach the nurses. The nurses were "on the road" — in a bus most probably to Mosul — on Thursday afternoon."It is for reason of their own safety that they have agreed to move out," foreign ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said.The official said it was a difficult situation as "in zones of conflict, there is no free will". The concern over the nurses had spiked because of a report that there was a bomb blast in the hospital building while the nurses were leaving. However, this was denied by the government which said some glass panes had been shattered causing minor injuries to a few nurses. Indian ambassador Ajay Kumar, who is from Kerala, managed to speak to one of the nurses minutes before they boarded the bus.The nurses, most of whom had taken loans to go to Iraq, were apparently being forced to get out of the hospital premises for the past few days by "bearded" gunmen but they resisted."It is not a situation of our choice. Our embassy continues to be in touch even as they are moving to another location,” said the spokesperson. There was no official word from the government on the identity of the kidnappers.The ministry refused to part with operational details saying there were lives at stake and that this was no "Peepli Live". India, it said, was not alone in working for the safety of its nationals and it has partners "inside and outside Iraq”. There were reports that some Bangladeshi nurses in the same hospital were freed but the Indian government denied this.External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj discussed the issue with Kerala chief minister Oomen Chandy who claimed to have spoken to the nurses. Most of the nurses are from Kerala. Chandy said the nurses were safe and there was no need for anxiety even though he added that Red Crescent/ Red Cross was not in a position to ensure their safety.Meanwhile, MEA has already given air tickets to nearly 1000 Indians to travel out of Iraq with 1500 Indians wanting to leave and having registered with the ministry. These people are mostly located in cities south of Baghdad which are considered safe for now. The number of Indians caught in the conflict zone is said to be around 100, including the nurses and workers.