One of the 40 Indians Kidnapped in Iraq Has Escaped, Says Government

New Delhi: One of the 40 Indians kidnapped in Iraq has escaped and is in touch with the embassy in Baghdad, the foreign ministry today said on a day Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting to assess the government's efforts to rescue its citizens caught in the crossfire.

The Indians, all construction workers, were kidnapped near Mosul, which fell to Sunni insurgents on June 10. They are all safe, foreign ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said.

"We can confirm to you that one Indian has escaped and is in touch with our embassy in Baghdad," Mr Akbaruddin said, adding that 16 Indians have been flown out of Iraq.

India is mainly coordinating with humanitarian agency Red Crescent in Iraq, who were the first to confirm the kidnapping. A member of the organisation told NDTV, "The Indian hostages are alive and in good condition."

The PM today held a meeting with his top ministers and intelligence chiefs. Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval attended the meeting. On Thursday, Congress President Sonia Gandhi had written to Mr Modi urging "all possible diplomatic efforts to ensure the safety of the Indians."

The government has said it knows of the location of the kidnapped Indians, but it is not clear whether they have been captured by the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIS) or some other group.

Asked about negotiations with the militants, Mr Akbaruddin said, "We are knocking on all doors, front doors,back doors and trapped doors." He informed that India has stopped emigration checks for some categories of travelers to Iraq for a month.

The Al Qaeda-inspired ISIS has overrun large swathes of territory in Iraq as they approach Baghdad.