Held hostage: Pakistanis among 60 workers kidnapped in Iraq

Foreign office says Pakistan’s ambassador in Iraq has no information about kidnapping of any Pakistani citizens.

ISLAMABAD/ ISTANBUL:

A group of construction workers, including some from Pakistan, were among 60 people abducted by militants near the Iraqi city of Kirkuk, less than a week after dozens of Turkish nationals were taken hostage in Mosul, according to a news report. Those abducted also include workers from Bangladesh, Turkey, Nepal and Turkmenistan.

Militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) seized 15 Turkish workers who were building a hospital near the town of Dor, located between Selahaddin and Kirkuk, the Dogan News Agency said, citing a worker who escaped.

ISIL insurgents kidnapped 31 Turkish truck drivers as they overran the northern city of Mosul last week. They then seized the Turkish consulate in Mosul, holding another 49 people.

The foreign office told The Express Tribune that Pakistan’s ambassador in Iraq has no information about the kidnapping of any Pakistani citizens. Pakistanis are not currently in the ‘most troubled areas’ in Iraq, the office said.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 19^th, 2014.