2 Indians are ISIS captives in Libyan hub

2 Indians are ISIS captives in Libyan hub

FPJ BureauUpdated: Friday, May 31, 2019, 11:43 PM IST
article-image

New Delhi : Two of the four Indians abducted in Sirte in Libya have been released, officials said on Friday. Of the two men released, one belongs to Raichur and the other to Bengaluru, said officials.

The four Indian nationals, including three who were working as lecturers, were “detained” in Sirte — an area where the brutal Islamic State militant group holds sway.

External Affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said the Indian mission in Tripoli came to know at 11 p.m. on July 29 “that four Indian nationals, who happened to be returning to India via Tripoli and Tunis, had been detained at a check point, 50 km from Sirte”.

Various militias and Islamist factions have been battling in Libya since former strongman Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed in 2011. The area where the men were detained is controlled by the Islamic State, which has seized large swathes of Iraq and Syria and has declared itself a caliphate.

Taking serious note of the prevailing situation, the Indian government had in July 2014 issued an advisory asking its citizens to leave conflict-hit Libya. The latest incident came even as 39 Indians remain missing in Iraq. They were taken hostage in 2014 at the height of the fighting between Sunni militants and government forces and efforts to secure their release have not yielded any results. The Indian government had in 2014 issued an advisory asking its citizens to leave Libya.

The MEA, through its Head of Mission in Tripoli, is ascertaining the details regarding the incident. Official sources said no ransom demand has been made as yet.

RECENT STORIES

Patna-Ahmedabad Flight Diverted To Indore Due To Medical Emergency, Netizens Hails Pilot's Decision

Patna-Ahmedabad Flight Diverted To Indore Due To Medical Emergency, Netizens Hails Pilot's Decision

'Vasooli Titans': Woman Cricketer Pooja Vastrakar Shares Post Mocking PM Modi, Amit Shah, Deletes It...

'Vasooli Titans': Woman Cricketer Pooja Vastrakar Shares Post Mocking PM Modi, Amit Shah, Deletes It...

Chhattisgarh Murder: Minor Girl Strangulates Boyfriend To Death After He Forces Her To Establish...

Chhattisgarh Murder: Minor Girl Strangulates Boyfriend To Death After He Forces Her To Establish...

Manaskhand Express: All You Need To Know About Special Tourist Train From Pune To Tanakpur,...

Manaskhand Express: All You Need To Know About Special Tourist Train From Pune To Tanakpur,...

Gujarat: Security Beefed Up For Union Minister Parshottam Rupala Amidst Kshatriya Community Protests

Gujarat: Security Beefed Up For Union Minister Parshottam Rupala Amidst Kshatriya Community Protests