UN condoles death of 39 Indians; says tragedy is yet another example of barbarism, cruelty of ISIS
Baghdad, March 21: Soon after the Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj confirmed the death of 39 Indians who were missing in Iraq's Mosul since 2014, condolences are pouring. The United Nations on Tuesday condoled the death of 39 Indian nationals held captives in Iraq by the Islamic State terrorist organization, saying the tragedy is yet another example of barbarism and cruelty by the notorious terror outfit.
The secretary-general's special representative for Iraq Jan Kubis extended his deepest sorrow and condolences to the families of the 39 Indian nationals killed by ISIS as well as to the people of the country and government of India. He said that the tragedy is yet another example of barbarism and cruelty by the notorious terror outfit.
Earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj declared that 39 Indians, who were missing in Iraq's Mosul since 2014, are dead. ''Out of the 40, who were kidnapped, one person managed to escape, while others were confirmed dead after DNA samples of their relatives matched from the bodies exhumed from a mound, '' EAM Swaraj said in Rajya Sabha.
Giving the details in the Upper House, Swaraj said, ''Mortal remains were sent to Baghdad. For verification of bodies, the DNA samples of their relatives were sent there, four state governments - Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar - were involved in this.''
Sushma added that a deep penetration radar confirmed that all Indians were dead after all bodies were exhumed. Commending Minister of State VK Singh, for supervising the job in challenging circumstances Minister Sushma said, "It was a most difficult task to get the proof. Such a barbaric terror organization...there were mass graves. It was a pile of bodies. To track down the bodies of our people and to take them to Baghdad for DNA tests was a huge task."
''Yesterday, we got information that the DNA samples of 38 people have matched and DNA of the 39th person has matched 70 percent,'' Sushma told lawmakers in the Rajya Sabha. The EAM further informed that General VK Singh will now go to Iraq to bring back the mortal remains of Indians killed in Iraq. ''The plane carrying mortal remains will first go to Amritsar, then to Patna and then to Kolkata, '' Swaraj informed.
However, in July 2017, Swaraj had firmly said in the Parliament that she would not declare the 39 Indians dead without concrete proof or evidence. "It is a sin to declare a person dead without concrete evidence. I will not do this sin," she said in a statement in the Lok Sabha in 2017.
The group of Indian labourers, mostly from Punjab, was taken hostage by ISIS when it overran Iraq's second largest city Mosul in 2014. The workers were trying to leave Mosul when they were intercepted and taken hostage by the ISIS fighters. India had asked Iraq for help in locating the missing Indians after Iraqi forces recaptured Mosul from the Islamic State. General VK Singh also visited Iraq to find where about of 39 Indians.