Baghdad, Iraq (July 3, 2014): Amidst the worst situation in Iraq, armed fighters of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on Thursday moved all Indian nurses in Tikrit to an undisclosed location. Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin claimed they were safe and unharmed so far. He further claimed that the MEA is in touch with interlocutors on the ground.
He said that it is a conflict situation and only authenticated and corroborated information can be provided now.
He also rejected reports of a bomb blast near the hospital where the nurses where holed up. Akbaruddin said that there was no blast but few nurses sustained injuries from broken glass during the shifting, while informing that India’s primary goal is well being of nurses.
Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy claimed that the nurses spoke to him when they boarded bus which was brought by the ISIS militants to take them to another location, speculatively Mosul.