MoS V.K. Singh to bring of Indians killed in Iraq

New Delhi, Mar 20 External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj said on Tuesday that MoS External Affairs General V.K. Singh will go to Mosul in Iraq to bring back the mortal stays of the 39 Indian nationals killed there.

While speaking at the Rajya Sabha, Swaraj clarified that the plane carrying the mortal remains will initially go to Amritsar, at that point to Patna and Kolkata.

The EAM earlier confirmed on Tuesday that all the 39 Indians, who disappeared in Mosul in the year 2014, were killed by the Islamic State (IS).

She further said that the mortal remains were sent to Baghdad. For check of bodies, DNA tests of the deceased relatives were sent in the Iraqi capital, she included.

"We used a deep penetration satellite to see a mass grave. It had precisely 39 bodies with unmistakable highlights like long hair, non-Iraqi shoes, and IDs. We asked for that the bodies be brought out unearthed. This confirmed the passing of all 39 Indian nationals," Swaraj informed.

She further said that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had got data that DNA tests of 38 individuals have coordinated and the DNA of the one person has matched just 70 percent.

The 39 people, most of whom hailed from Punjab, were working away at ventures close Mosul when they were kidnapped during their evacuation.