J Jayalalithaa writes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over stranded Tamil Nadu nurses in Iraq

CHENNAI: As 46 Indian nurses, including six from Tamil Nadu, are stranded in a hospital in strife-torn Iraq, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to personally intervene in the issue and ensure their safe return home.

In a letter to Modi, she said "these nurses are innocent bystanders, rendering valuable service to the health system of Iraq. India and the international community at large are duty- bound to ensure their safety and to provide them a safe passage back to their homeland."

The nurses' families were extremely anxious about their safety, she said.

"I would be grateful if you could kindly intervene personally and take up the matter at the highest level in Iraq and with other international agencies including the United Nations and the Red Crescent to secure the safety and security of the Indian nurses, including the six from Tamil Nadu, and arrange for their safe passage back to India," she added.

Forty six Indian nurses, including six from Tamil Nadu -- Sini, Sili, Simi, Aleena, Neethu and Maneetha of the Nilgris, working in General Hospital at Tikrit in Iraq were stranded in the ongoing conflict in that country.