Iraq: Indian officials confirmed that the bodies of 39 of those workers were found in a mass grave near Mosul. Thirty-eight of them have been identified through DNA tests; ID cards and bracelets are traditionally worn by Sikh men also were found nearby.
The 39 Indians missing in Iraq since they were kidnapped by the terror outfit ISIS four years ago have been confirmed dead after their bodies were found, Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj said in parliament today. “With full proof, I can say these 39 are dead. We wanted to give the families closure only after concrete proof,” she said.
All 39 Indian hostages in #Iraq's Mosul killed by ISIS, says @SushmaSwaraj https://t.co/gx5m28rSES pic.twitter.com/tjy6MzgjXg
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 20, 2018
Opposition allegations exploded after the revelation; the Congress accused the government of giving the Indians’ families false hope and misleading the nation. Last year, Sushma Swaraj had told parliament that until evidence suggested otherwise, the workers would be presumed alive.