NEW DELHI: A group of nearly 50 Indian nurses have been taken against their will by bus from a hospital in the militant-controlled city of Tikrit in Iraq, India's foreign ministry said on Thursday.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin declined to say who had taken the nurses, or where they were headed, but said the government had spoken with them shortly before they boarded the bus.
Asked about reports of an explosion near the hospital, he said was not aware of a blast, but that some nurses had been lightly injured by broken glass.
"In zones of conflict there is no free will," Akbaruddin told reporters at a briefing, when asked if the nurses had been kidnapped.
"This is a situation where lives are at stake."
Tikrit, the birthplace of former President Saddam Hussein, has been the site of fierce fighting this week as Iraqi troops battle to regain control of the city from al Qaeda splinter group the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
A group of 40 construction workers were kidnapped in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul two weeks ago, and all but one of them are still in captivity.
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@unbelievable: BBC is wrong. 1500 plus Indians in non-conflict zones have been brought back to India at government expense. There are 400 more who want to return and plans are afoot to bring them back, The negotiations to bring back the nurses were conducted in a professional, serious and urgent manner away from the glare of the media and the nurses are now back. 50 men are still i the conflict zone of which 37 are in captivity and the government is trying to rescue them.
It speaks to the professionalism of the external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj that she is more focused on saving the lives than scoring political points in the media. Her efforts away from media glare are bringing results.
BBC reports that Indian's stuck in Iraq have been asking their Embassy for evacuation help for weeks and have gotten no help. India should have gathered their expatriates and sent planes for evacuation - has to be less expensive and traumatic than what what their going to face now. Lets hope the nurses remain safe.