India
Updated : Jun 19, 2014, 03:42 PM IST
Indian nationals recently returned from Iraq have given a firsthand account of the alarming situation in the war-torn country, calling the jihadist militant organisation Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), (also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS)) "ferocious and worse than animals".
Shedding light on the plight of the 40 Indian workers who have been abducted in Iraq, Zulfiqar Abbas told ANI, "ISIS are ferocious, worst than wild animals, killing Shia Sunni both, they want to create a nation."
#ISIS are ferocious,worst than wild animals,killing Shia Sunni both,they want to create a nation-Zulfiqar Abbas,Indian back from Iraq
— ANI (@ANI_news) June 19, 2014
Abbas said he wanted to tell the families of the Indians still in Iraq that they are safe as of now, but the situation is tense. The Indian embassy in Baghdad is helping, but the situation is dangerous, he said.
Want to tell families of Indians here that those stranded there are safe as of now,but situation tense-Zulfiqar Abbas,Indian back from Iraq
— ANI (@ANI_news) June 19, 2014
Situation is very dangerous,Indian embassy there is helping-Zulfiqar Abbas,Indian back from Iraq pic.twitter.com/pLbvCUHSFY
— ANI (@ANI_news) June 19, 2014
Another Indian back from Iraq, Mehboob Rizvi, told ANI people were being killed like mosquitoes. He said they could not contact family back in India, and believed this was because all SIM cards were blocked.
Ppl were killed like Mosquitoes,we could not contact kin back in India,i think all SIMs were blocked-Mehboob Rizvi,Indian back from Iraq
— ANI (@ANI_news) June 19, 2014
Rizvi added that as pilgrims, "we were still secure" but the locals were in great danger. "God save the locals," he said. "They are under big attack".
Being pilgrims we were still secure but God save locals,they are under big attack-Mehboob Rizvi,Indian back from Iraq pic.twitter.com/UgLnsRHncE
— ANI (@ANI_news) June 19, 2014