"One of the kidnapped Indian has escaped"
"Yes, I can confirm that one Indian national has escaped and has been in touch with the Embassy of India in Baghdad for sometime," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said during a press conference here.
He said 16 Indians have also been evacuated from several areas of Iraq that has been hit by the ongoing conflict in the country.
Akbaruddin said the situation in Iraq remained a matter of priority for the Indian government.
He said the government is in touch with the 46 Indian nurses from the country who are stranded at a hospital in Iraqi city of Tikrit.
"We remain in constant touch with the 46 Indian nurses," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday attended a high-level meeting over the situation of Indians currently present in conflict-hit Iraq.
Akbaruddin tweeted: "High priority! @pmoindia chairs meet on situation of Indian nationals in Iraq @SushmaSwaraj @HMOIndia attend."
More than 10,000 Indians are living in Iraq, where Al Qaeda backed Sunni rebels of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have captured several cities in the past week triggering a heavy conflict with the Iraqi forces. The rebels are marching towards Baghdad.
Iraqi security forces are engaged in a battle against the militants in the northern part of the country.
"Islamist-led militants and pro-government forces are engaged in fierce battles for the Baiji oil refinery and Tal Afar airport in northern Iraq," BBC reported.
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