With the situation in Iraq still tense and concerns rising about the safety of Indians there, Iraqi Ambassador in India Ahmad Tahseen Ahmad Berwari apprised senior officials of the Ministry of External Affairs about the situation and discussed possibilities of ground-level cooperation in assisting Indian nationals who are in the affected area.
Besides, Anil Wadhwa, Secretary looking after the region, has started chairing a crisis management team set up to review all aspects of assistance that can be provided to Indian nationals stuck in the affected area, the Ministry said in a statement. The Indian Embassy in Baghdad is providing updated reports on its contacts with Indian nationals in the affected area, the statement said.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj too is monitoring and reviewing the situation on a regular basis while the Ministry is monitoring the situation on an “hourly basis”, the statement adds. In the last few days there has been renewed violence in Iraq with fighters from the militant group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and from Syria making inroads into the country while the army of the Shiite-led Government has abandoned its positions thereby threatening the stability of oil production in the north of the country.
Meanwhile, sources in Air India said that the airline had Boeing 747 and 777 aircraft at its disposal which can be deployed at short notice to bring back Indians stranded in Iraq. At the moment, however, no request has come from the Government to operate any emergency evacuation flights, sources said.
There are about 15,000 Indians in Iraq. On Sunday, the Ministry had asked Indians living in Iraq to consider leaving that country while others were advised not to travel there.
The Ministry of External Affairs has also set up a 24-hour control room to provide information on the prevailing security situation in Iraq.