ISIS refuses to release 39 Indian workers: Reports

New Delhi, July 16: In what might spell trouble for India, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has reportedly refused to release 39 Indian construction workers, who were kidnapped from Mosul, the second largest Iraqi city seized by Sunni militants in strife-torn Northern Iraq on June 15.

The shocking news was reported by HT on Wednesday claiming that ISIS wants to use abducted Indian workers as first line of defence, in case if the US or Iraqi Army launch strikes on them.

The 'safe' and 'unharmed' hostages are said to be of 'low value assets' for the jihadists, a news report said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has asked for patience from the Indian hostages, who were captivated more than a month before.

"We are trying our best to engage in talks with the militants, but they have refused to hold any negotiations yet", a source in the MEA was quoted as saying.

The Indian embassy in Baghdad is putting all its efforts in securing the safe release of all stranded 39 Indian workers.

40 Indians were abducted from Mosul and one of them had fled from captivity and had shared various details about the captors to the Indian authorities which indicated that they had come to know about the abductors.

On Tuesday, a batch of 200 Indian nationals arrived here today from conflict-hit Iraq, taking the number of those who have returned so far to over 2,500.

OneIndia News