Three Indians Taken Hostage in Iraq
Three Indians are among six persons taken
hostage by a militant group in Iraq with the captors have announced
that the hostages will be beheaded unless their governments declare
that all their citizens will be withdrawn from Iraq.
According to the local press reports, the Indians who have been
abducted are Antaryami, Tilak Raj, and Sukhdev Singh. They apparently
worked for a Kuwait-based transportation company involved in ferrying
supplies to United States forces in Iraq. The others kidnapped are
two Kenyans and an Egyptian.A spokesman for the Indian embassy in Baghdad said that the
mission had received instructions from New Delhi on how to tackle the
crisis, but did not give further details. The Indian Ambassador to
Iraq, B.B. Tyagi, could not be contacted as he was already in India.
The militant group, which calls itself "The Holders of the Black
Banners," said in a statement that it would behead a hostage every 72
hours unless the governments to which they belonged withdrew their
citizens from Iraq and the companies they worked for closed their
branches. The deadline started at 8 p.m. (10.30 p.m Indian local time)
Thursday, it said. It also aired its threat in a videotape broadcast
by the Dubai based Al-Arabiya television.
"We have warned all the countries, companies, businessmen and
truck drivers that those who deal with American cowboy occupiers will
be targeted by the fires of the Mujahedeen," the statement said. "Here
you are once again transporting, goods, weapons and military equipment
that backs the U.S. Army." Analysts point out that Iraqi guerillas are
now focusing on weakening the structure that supports the U.S.
occupation of Iraq, and is also seeking to discourage foreign
investment in the country.
Some other reports said that with the Indian diplomatic presence
in Baghdad barely extending outside the confines of its heavily
guarded offices, it is in a very poor position to monitor hundreds of
Indian workers employed by private contractors for a host of support
services in Iraq.
Despite the security provided by the coalition authorities and
the interim government, the Indian establishment has had to hire
additional private guards. Escorts to move even within Baghdad have to
be arranged separately.According to the reports, even though Indian ambassador B B Tyagi
has reported good coordination with the US authorities, what it means
is that the Indian establishment is not capable of independent action.
In fact, Indian diplomats recently had to request the coalition
authorities and the US military liaison office in Jordan to verify
reports of Indians working against their will in various
establishments.
The Indian authorities have just no idea of how many Indians are
working in Iraq. Indian diplomats in Kuwait and Jordan, two nations
which maintain land links with Iraq, have been instructed to
periodically visit the border and look for stranded Indians. The
Indian who were rescued from the Fallujah camp a couple of weeks ago
were flown back from Jordan.
The estimates vary, but it is supposed that at least 1200
ex-servicemen are present in Iraq doing security-related jobs. Large
US companies carrying out contracts in Iraq have engaged Indian
manpower firms to engage Indian labour and it is understood that in
one instance some 400-odd persons were recruited for jobs in Basra
and Erbil.
The fear of death and injury by random violence or, as in the
case of the truckers, of being kidnapped has slowed down recruitment.
There are an estimated 1.3 million Indians working in Saudia
Arabia and about a hundred thousand in Kuwait. What the Indian
government says that it cannot do is to monitor the movement of these
persons into Iraq. Many of these persons who are employed as cooks,
butchers, domestic help and mess supervisors at US camps are hired
by agencies based in Kuwait.
The 18 persons rescued from Fallujah fell in a different trap.
They were told that they were being sent to Kuwait but landed up in an
US facility in Iraq. India`s External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna told
reporters in Islamabad that "We are trying to find out all possible
details and liaise with Iraqi authorities to seek early release of
the kidnapped persons"."We are in touch with our embassy in Baghdad. We are making
efforts to ensure safe release of the abducted persons," he said.
External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh, who is Pakistan for the
Saarc Ministerial Conference, has been briefed about the development,
Sarna added.
None of those countries whose citizens are kidnapped is part of
the 160,000-member U.S.-led occupation force in Iraq.
The kidnapping follows the release of Filipino hostage Angelo de
la Cruz after Manila abided by his captors` demands and withdrew its
51-member force from Iraq. An Egyptian driver of a Saudi Arabian company has also been
released after the firm announced that it was withdrawing from Iraq.
More than 60 foreigners have been taken hostage in Iraq in
recent months.Indian Minister for External Affairs Natwar
Singh said on Thursday his government is making all-out efforts to
secure the early release of the hostages in Iraq.
"We have all been very shocked and distressed at the kidnapping of
the three Indian nationals," he told reporters in Islamabad, where he
attended a regional conference of foreign ministers.
A previously unknown Iraqi group, The Holders of the Black
Banners, has said it will start to kill the hostages unless their
employer pulls out of Iraq.The group said it had seized six truck drivers - three Indians,
two Kenyans and an Egyptian.The group said all who dealt with "the American cowboy occupiers"
would face "the fires of the Mujahideen".
The statement came a day after another militant group in Iraq
released Filipino truck driver Angelo de la Cruz because his country
pulled out its 51-strong peacekeeping force on month earlier.
"They are non-combatants. They are innocent people," Singh said,
hoping the issue would be resolved soon because India had taken a
stand not to send troops to Iraq.
He said his government will do all it can to secure the release of
three Indians taken hostage in Iraq. "We are in touch with authorities
in Baghdad and Kuwait," the Indian official said.
"I also appeal to all those who have influence to assist and
ensuring the safe return home of the innocent persons. And I am trying
to speak to my counterpart in Baghdad. It is not easy to get through
to them but we are doing best right here and from Delhi."
He also said India is in touch with ambassador of Egypt, High
Commissioner of Kenya and other friends.
"Naturally we are very anxious because these people are nothing to
do with the war."
Reports said the Indian ambassador to Iraq, Brij Bhushan Tyagi, is
travelling to Baghdad from Delhi to help secure their release. Some
three million Indians are said to be working in the Persian Gulf
region and an estimated 100,000 in Iraq.
The group made its threat in a statement issued to news agencies
and in a videotape aired by al-Arabiya television. It said it would
behead one of its hostages every 72 hours if the company did not leave
the country.
The statement set a deadline starting at 2000 local time (1600
GMT) on Wednesday.
The militants also called on India, Kenya and Egypt - none of
which have troops in Iraq - to withdraw their personnel.