PM Modi condoles killing of 39 Indians in Iraq by ISIS terrorists

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday grieved the deaths of 39 Indians who have lost their lives by the hands of ISIS terrorists in Iraq. PM took to his social media account hours after EAM Sushma Swaraj made a speech in Rajya Sabha. “Every Indian grieves with those who lost their loved ones in Mosul. We stand in solidarity with the bereaved families and pay our respects to the Indians killed in Mosul” PM said.

Every Indian grieves with those who lost their loved ones in Mosul. We stand in solidarity with the bereaved families and pay our respects to the Indians killed in Mosul.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 20, 2018

PM further said that thye government is committed towards safety of our brothers and sisters overseas. “The MEA and particularly my colleagues @SushmaSwaraj Ji and @Gen_VKSingh Ji left no stone unturned in trying to trace and safely bring back those we lost in Mosul. Our Government remains fully committed towards ensuring the safety of our sisters and brothers overseas” PM added.

The MEA and particularly my colleagues @SushmaSwaraj Ji and @Gen_VKSingh Ji left no stone unturned in trying to trace and safely bring back those we lost in Mosul. Our Government remains fully committed towards ensuring the safety of our sisters and brothers overseas.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 20, 2018

All the 39 Indians, who were cabducted by ISIS in Iraq nearly three years back, were killed and their bodies have been recovered, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Tuesday. As many as 40 Indians were originally abducted by terrorist organisation ISIS in June 2015 from Mosul in Iraq but one of them escaped by posing as a Muslim from Bangladesh, Swaraj said in a suo motu statement in Rajya Sabha. The remaining 39 Indians were taken to Badoosh and killed. Search operations led to a mound in Badoosh where locals said some bodies were buried by the ISIS. Deep penetration radars were used to establish that the mound indeed was a mass grave, she said, adding the Indian authorities requested their Iraqi counterpart to exhume the bodies. Swaraj said the mass grave had exactly 39 bodies, with distinctive features like long hair, non-Iraqi shoes and IDs. The bodies were then sent to Baghdad for DNA testing. DNA testing by Martyrs Foundation has established identity of 38 Indians while there has been 70 per cent matching of the DNA for the 39th person, she said. Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh will be flying to Iraq to bring back the bodies on a special flight.