The location of the 40 kidnapped Indian construction workers has been confirmed by the Iraq government, stated the Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday.
The workers have been abducted by Sunni militants of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from the Mosul region.
Syed Akbaruddin, spokesman of the MEA, revealed that the Iraqi government has identified the location where the abducted Indian workers have been kept. However, Indian authorities are unable to contact the workers, Akbaruddin pointed out.
Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has spoken to both Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy about the situation of the abducted Indian nationals, the spokesman stated.
Akbaruddin stressed that the Indian embassy in Baghdad is continuosly monitoring the situation. However, he added that the safety of the Indians cannot be ensured as they are in the captivity of the militants.
"Safety is when people are present at a place where they are welcomed," Zeenews quoted Akbaruddin.
According to Akbaruddin, a number of Indians who are stranded in several Iraq regions have contacted the Indian embassy there since Wednesday.
The crisis management group in Delhi met twice on Thursday, and discussed the situation of the Indians in captivity.
Swaraj told the media that she is monitoring all available options and the government is making all kinds of efforts for the release of the kidnapped Indian workers and also to help the Indians stranded in Iraq.
The MEA had announced on Wednesday that 40 workers from India, who were working for Turkish construction company Tariq Noor al Huda, have been abducted in the Mosul area and the town has been taken over by Sunni insurgents.
The abduction of the workers is a major crisis for the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, which came to power a month ago.
A considerable number of the abducted workers belong to the northern states of India such as Punjab, Akbaruddin had said on Wednesday. So far, the abductors have not demanded any ransom.
