Government assessing Iraq situation

As US air-strikes hitting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) targets continued, government today said it was monitoring the "evolution" in political and security situation in the war-torn country and assessing its possible impact. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said according to information, the 39 Indian nationals, who were kidnapped in Mosul city, remained in custody.

"At this stage, we are in a mode of monitoring the situation and assessing what its impact will be for us, our interests and Indian nationals there," he said when asked about the situation in Iraq. Asked about safety of the Indians, he said, "In conflict situations, there is no certainty about safety." He said government was in touch with those Indian nationals who are in custody in the conflict zone.

The US has continued with its two-pronged mission in Iraq, hitting the ISIL targets and providing humanitarian aid to thousands of people stranded on Mount Sinjar. Meanwhile, replying to a question on the fishermen issue, the Spokesperson said government was trying to have a long-term solution to the issue with Sri Lanka. He said government has been engaged with Sri Lanka to have a meeting of the Joint Committee on the issue. The Spokesperson said engagement with Sri Lanka was an ongoing process and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has indicated that she will visit all neighbouring countries which include the island nation also.