Indian govt monitoring situation in Iraq on regular basis, issues helpline numbers

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: The Indian government is continuously coordinating with Iraqi authorities to gather information about the Indian citizens stranded in violence-hit cities of Mosul and Tikrit, said the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the government has set up a 24-hour control room and issued helpline numbers and an e-mail ID to provide each and every information on the situation in Iraq. The 24 hours control room numbers are: 911123012113 and 911123017905. Besides this, an e-mail ID controlroom@mea.gov.in has also been generated to resolve queries.

. @tinaedwin Yes. 24 hr control Room at MEA Hqrs in New Delhi 2 monitor situation in Iraq can be contacted at Email: controlroom@mea.gov.in

— Syed Akbaruddin (@MEAIndia) June 17, 2014

MEA sets up 24 hr control room 2 provide information on Iraq. Ph: +91 11 2301 4104 Fax:+91 11 2301 8158 Email: controlroom@mea.gov.in— Syed Akbaruddin (@MEAIndia) June 17, 2014

"We shall be monitoring the situation on an hourly basis," the Spokesman in the Ministry of External Affairs said. He said External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has herself been monitoring and reviewing the situation on a regular basis. "In accordance with her instructions, the Indian Embassy in Baghdad is providing us updated reports on their contacts with the Indian nationals in the affected areas," he said. The Indian mission in Baghdad was in touch with the Iraqi government and the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) to ensure the safety of all Indians stranded in the violence- affected areas of that country, sources said. Secretary East in the MEA Anil Wadhwa has met the Iraqi Ambassador in India Ahmad Tahsin Ahmad Berwari who apprised him of the situation. Both Wadhwa and Berwari discussed the possibilities of ground-level cooperation in assisting Indian nationals who are in the affected area. Around 46 nurses are stranded in Tikrit, besides nearly 40 other Indians in Mosul. The Spokesperson said Swaraj had asked Wadhwa, who is in-charge of the Gulf region, to hold a "crisis management meeting" today to review all aspects of the assistance that can be provided to the Indian nationals there. In response to a request by the Indian government, a team of International Red Crescent contacted the nurses in Tikrit and reported back to the Indian authorities that they were well, the sources said. The Indian Embassy in Baghdad has already set up a a 24- hour helpline to offer assistance to Indian nationals there. Over 10,000 Indians are estimated to be currently living in Iraq. (With PTI inputs)