39 missing Indians in Iraq: Operation Hunt over, VK Singh says no positive results

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Oct 28, 2017 : Minister of State for External Affairs General VK Singh has said that the search for missing Indians in Mosul and Badush has not revealed any positive results. He also said that the Operation Hunt was over in Iraq.

 

General Singh said that "we will now have to rely on DNA samples" to ascertain the fate of the 39 Indians who were earlier believed to be held in ISIS captivity in Mosul and neighbouring areas. India Today team is also in Iraq to independently establish the trail of the missing Indians.

Singh said the search teams have explored all possible avenues and inputs in Mosul, Badoush and Talafar but no positive results of any leads could be found. However, he said that the Indian embassy in Iraq would continue the search for missing 39 Indians.

He said that the DNA samples collected from some of the family members of missing persons had been sent to match with the database in Iraq and also with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

There are some mentally unstable Daesh captives in Iraqi prisons but they are unable to identify themselves. DNA link is the only option now left with the authorities to arrive at any conclusion about the missing 39 Indians.

VK Singh said, "We will not lose hope as we have no conclusive proof they are dead or alive."

Earlier this week, General VK Singh arrived in Iraq to coordinate the search operations for the 39 missing Indians and find concrete information about their whereabouts. Speaking to India Today, VK Singh said, "Mosul now looks like a ghost town. Heavy destruction has happened on ground."

The 39 missing Indians were kidnapped by the ISIS terrorist group in June 2014. Among them, 22 were from Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Jalandhar in Punjab. One person, Harjit Masih, who escaped from the ISIS captivity claimed that the rest were shot dead by the jihadi fighters.


courtesy:India Today