Iraq has assured cooperation in locating 39 missing Indians: External Affairs Ministry

NEW DELHI: Iraqi authorities have assured India of all cooperation in locating 39 Indian nationals reportedly in captivity in Mosul, the External Affairs Ministry today said.

Iraq yesterday declared victory against the IS group in Mosul after a months-long campaign.

The MEA said Union Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh will travel to Erbil in Iraq later today.

It termed the liberation of Mosul from ISIS as an important milestone in global war on terror and said India welcomes it.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj earlier assured Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh that her ministry was making all-out efforts to trace the 39 Indians, mostly from Punjab, who had been held hostage in the Iraqi city since 2014.

Amarinder today called up Swaraj to seek her intervention.