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Question of the Day: Have you ever been to an airshow?
BLIXEMPIE
Honorary Master
ISIS? Dangerzoooooone!
thestaggy
Honorary Master
Yeah, I've seen articles claiming that they are the Gurkhas of the Middle East. Ferocious fighters.
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
MILITANTS ATTACK IRAQ'S MAIN OIL REFINERY: OFFICIALS
Militants attacked Iraq's main oil refinery early Wednesday as they pressed an offensive that has seen them capture swathes of territory, a manager and a refinery employee said.
Clashes erupted at around 4:00 am (0100 GMT) at the Baiji refinery in Salaheddin province, north of Baghdad, and some tanks containing refined products caught fire.
A senior manager of the state-owned North Oil Company said militants attacked parts of the refinery complex, leading to heavy clashes.
A refinery employee said there had been casualties among security force personnel and that staff had fled.
Officials told AFP on Tuesday that the refinery had been shut down and many employees evacuated, because major towns seized by the militants, including second city Mosul, were no longer being supplied with refined products.
Source : Sapa-AFP /mr
Date : 18 Jun 2014 09:32
Militants attacked Iraq's main oil refinery early Wednesday as they pressed an offensive that has seen them capture swathes of territory, a manager and a refinery employee said.
Clashes erupted at around 4:00 am (0100 GMT) at the Baiji refinery in Salaheddin province, north of Baghdad, and some tanks containing refined products caught fire.
A senior manager of the state-owned North Oil Company said militants attacked parts of the refinery complex, leading to heavy clashes.
A refinery employee said there had been casualties among security force personnel and that staff had fled.
Officials told AFP on Tuesday that the refinery had been shut down and many employees evacuated, because major towns seized by the militants, including second city Mosul, were no longer being supplied with refined products.
Source : Sapa-AFP /mr
Date : 18 Jun 2014 09:32
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
IRAN WILL DO EVERYTHING TO PROTECT IRAQ SHRINES: PRESIDENT
President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that Iran would do whatever it takes to protect revered Shiite Muslim holy sites in Iraq against Sunni militants fighting the Baghdad government.
"Dear Karbala, Dear Najaf, Dear Kadhimiyah and Dear Samarra, we warn the great powers and their lackeys and the terrorists, the great Iranian people will do everything to protect them," he said, naming the sites of the shrines in an emotive speech in Khoram-abad, near the Iraq border.
Rouhani on Saturday pledged to help the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government if it asked for assistance, though at that time no such request had been forthcoming.
In his speech on Tuesday, Rouhani mentioned petitions signed by Iranians who said they were willing to fight in Iraq "to destroy the terrorists and protect the holy sites", which are visited by hundreds of thousands of Iranian pilgrims annually.
"Thank God there are enough volunteers Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds in Iraq to fight the terrorists," he added.
The Iranian pledges follow a call by top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani for Iraqis to volunteer to resist the onslaught spearheaded by the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), who hold the major cities of Mosul and Tikrit and are fighting north of the capital.
Iran is 90 percent Shiite. Maliki, a Shiite, spent years in exile in Iran when Sunni Arab dictator Saddam Hussein was in power in Baghdad.
ISIL considers Shiites to be apostates.
The major Shiite shrines in Iraq are in Najaf and Karbala, south of the capital, in the district of Kadhimiyah in Baghdad and in Samarra to the north, which the militants have made repeated, but so far unsuccessful, efforts to enter.
At least 5,000 Iranians have pledged online to defend Iraq's Shiite shrines against the Sunni extremists, a conservative news website in Iran reported on Tuesday.
Source : Sapa-AFP /mr
Date : 18 Jun 2014 10:08
President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that Iran would do whatever it takes to protect revered Shiite Muslim holy sites in Iraq against Sunni militants fighting the Baghdad government.
"Dear Karbala, Dear Najaf, Dear Kadhimiyah and Dear Samarra, we warn the great powers and their lackeys and the terrorists, the great Iranian people will do everything to protect them," he said, naming the sites of the shrines in an emotive speech in Khoram-abad, near the Iraq border.
Rouhani on Saturday pledged to help the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government if it asked for assistance, though at that time no such request had been forthcoming.
In his speech on Tuesday, Rouhani mentioned petitions signed by Iranians who said they were willing to fight in Iraq "to destroy the terrorists and protect the holy sites", which are visited by hundreds of thousands of Iranian pilgrims annually.
"Thank God there are enough volunteers Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds in Iraq to fight the terrorists," he added.
The Iranian pledges follow a call by top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani for Iraqis to volunteer to resist the onslaught spearheaded by the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), who hold the major cities of Mosul and Tikrit and are fighting north of the capital.
Iran is 90 percent Shiite. Maliki, a Shiite, spent years in exile in Iran when Sunni Arab dictator Saddam Hussein was in power in Baghdad.
ISIL considers Shiites to be apostates.
The major Shiite shrines in Iraq are in Najaf and Karbala, south of the capital, in the district of Kadhimiyah in Baghdad and in Samarra to the north, which the militants have made repeated, but so far unsuccessful, efforts to enter.
At least 5,000 Iranians have pledged online to defend Iraq's Shiite shrines against the Sunni extremists, a conservative news website in Iran reported on Tuesday.
Source : Sapa-AFP /mr
Date : 18 Jun 2014 10:08
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
SAUDI WARNS OF CIVIL WAR IN IRAQ
Saudi Arabia warned Wednesday of the risks of civil war in Iraq with unpredictable consequences for the region, after Sunni militants seized large areas from Shiite-led government forces.
The unrest in Iraq "carries warning signs of a civil war with unpredictable consequences for the region," Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said at the opening of an Islamic bloc meeting in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.
Source : Sapa-AFP /mr
Date : 18 Jun 2014 10:32
Saudi Arabia warned Wednesday of the risks of civil war in Iraq with unpredictable consequences for the region, after Sunni militants seized large areas from Shiite-led government forces.
The unrest in Iraq "carries warning signs of a civil war with unpredictable consequences for the region," Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said at the opening of an Islamic bloc meeting in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.
Source : Sapa-AFP /mr
Date : 18 Jun 2014 10:32
Space_Chief
Honorary Master
- Joined
- Aug 22, 2012
- Messages
- 12,949
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There has been a civil war in Iraq since after the conventional war with Saddam Hussein ended.
Nanfeishen
Executive Member
They are also being accused of helping and funding ISIS, which wouldnt be surprising if true.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/isis-attacks-iraq-accuses-saudi-arabia-supporting-genocide-1453101
http://news.sky.com/story/1283751/iraq-accuses-saudi-arabia-of-promoting-genocide
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
INDIA SAYS 40 CONSTRUCTION WORKERS ABDUCTED IN IRAQ
Forty Indian construction workers have been abducted in violence-hit northern Iraq, the Indian foreign ministry confirmed Wednesday.
"Forty Indian workers of the Tariq Nur Al Huda company in Mosul have been kidnapped," foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin told reporters in New Delhi.
Source : Sapa-AFP /kd
Date : 18 Jun 2014 13:04
Forty Indian construction workers have been abducted in violence-hit northern Iraq, the Indian foreign ministry confirmed Wednesday.
"Forty Indian workers of the Tariq Nur Al Huda company in Mosul have been kidnapped," foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin told reporters in New Delhi.
Source : Sapa-AFP /kd
Date : 18 Jun 2014 13:04
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
20 KILLED AS MILITANTS SEIZE VILLAGES IN NORTH IRAQ: OFFICIAL
Militants seized three villages in northern Iraq on Wednesday during clashes with security forces and residents that left 20 civilians dead, a local official said.
The official, Shallal Abdul Baban, named the villages as Albu Hassan, Birwajli and Bastamli, in Salaheddin province.
Source : Sapa-AFP /kd
Date : 18 Jun 2014 13:36
Militants seized three villages in northern Iraq on Wednesday during clashes with security forces and residents that left 20 civilians dead, a local official said.
The official, Shallal Abdul Baban, named the villages as Albu Hassan, Birwajli and Bastamli, in Salaheddin province.
Source : Sapa-AFP /kd
Date : 18 Jun 2014 13:36
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
IRAQ FORCES SUFFERED 'SETBACK' BUT NOT DEFEAT: PM
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki vowed on Wednesday to "face terrorism" while insisting Iraqi security forces that wilted under a major militant offensive had suffered a "setback" but not a defeat.
"We will face terrorism and bring down the conspiracy," the premier vowed in televised remarks in which he also said that "not every setback is a defeat," in reference to the performance of Iraqi forces.
Source : Sapa-AFP /kd
Date : 18 Jun 2014 13:32
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki vowed on Wednesday to "face terrorism" while insisting Iraqi security forces that wilted under a major militant offensive had suffered a "setback" but not a defeat.
"We will face terrorism and bring down the conspiracy," the premier vowed in televised remarks in which he also said that "not every setback is a defeat," in reference to the performance of Iraqi forces.
Source : Sapa-AFP /kd
Date : 18 Jun 2014 13:32
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
MILITANTS IN IRAQ, SYRIA 'PLAN TO ATTACK BRITAIN': PM
Prime Minister David Cameron warned Wednesday that militants making advances in Iraq and fighting in Syria were also planning to attack Britain.
"I'd disagree with those people who think this is nothing to do with us and if they want to have some sort of extreme Islamist regime in the middle of Iraq that won't affect us -- it will," Cameron told the House of Commons.
"The people in that regime, as well as trying to take territory, are also planning to attack us here at home in the United Kingdom."
He was speaking before chairing a meeting of the government's National Security Council (NSC) on the militant offensive in Iraq, which is being spearheaded by jihadists from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
At a news conference on Tuesday following talks with Chinese premier Li Keqiang, Cameron said that ISIL in Syria and now Iraq "is the most serious threat to Britain's security that there is today".
The main concern is that British citizens fighting there may return to attack their homeland, and Cameron said on Wednesday that Britain's security, intelligence, and policing resources were focused on the Middle East.
Cameron told parliament: "The estimates are now that this is a greater threat to the UK than the return of foreign jihadists or fighters from the Afghanistan or Pakistan region."
He said that "we've already stopped a number of people travelling, we've taken away passports", although he did not give any further details.
Around 400 Britons are believed to have gone to fight in the conflict in Syria over the last two years, authorities believe, and around 20 have died.
After the controversies of Britain's participation in the US-led invasions of Iraq in 2003 and Afghanistan in 2001, there is little appetite for direct British military intervention to stop the militants in Syria and Iraq.
But Cameron said: "I think it would be a mistake to believe that the only answer to these problems is the hard attack of direct intervention."
What was needed was a "long-term, hard-headed, patient and intelligent" approach, focused around ensuring that governments in the region were "fully representative" and did not allow space or support for extremists, he said.
Source : Sapa-AFP /kd
Date : 18 Jun 2014 14:56
Prime Minister David Cameron warned Wednesday that militants making advances in Iraq and fighting in Syria were also planning to attack Britain.
"I'd disagree with those people who think this is nothing to do with us and if they want to have some sort of extreme Islamist regime in the middle of Iraq that won't affect us -- it will," Cameron told the House of Commons.
"The people in that regime, as well as trying to take territory, are also planning to attack us here at home in the United Kingdom."
He was speaking before chairing a meeting of the government's National Security Council (NSC) on the militant offensive in Iraq, which is being spearheaded by jihadists from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
At a news conference on Tuesday following talks with Chinese premier Li Keqiang, Cameron said that ISIL in Syria and now Iraq "is the most serious threat to Britain's security that there is today".
The main concern is that British citizens fighting there may return to attack their homeland, and Cameron said on Wednesday that Britain's security, intelligence, and policing resources were focused on the Middle East.
Cameron told parliament: "The estimates are now that this is a greater threat to the UK than the return of foreign jihadists or fighters from the Afghanistan or Pakistan region."
He said that "we've already stopped a number of people travelling, we've taken away passports", although he did not give any further details.
Around 400 Britons are believed to have gone to fight in the conflict in Syria over the last two years, authorities believe, and around 20 have died.
After the controversies of Britain's participation in the US-led invasions of Iraq in 2003 and Afghanistan in 2001, there is little appetite for direct British military intervention to stop the militants in Syria and Iraq.
But Cameron said: "I think it would be a mistake to believe that the only answer to these problems is the hard attack of direct intervention."
What was needed was a "long-term, hard-headed, patient and intelligent" approach, focused around ensuring that governments in the region were "fully representative" and did not allow space or support for extremists, he said.
Source : Sapa-AFP /kd
Date : 18 Jun 2014 14:56
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
Grant
Honorary Master
it's high time you slammed the doors shut & expelled the locusts eating away at, & poisoning your country.
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
Q AND A ON IRAN'S RELATIONSHIP WITH IRAQ
President Hassan Rouhani pledged Wednesday that Iran will do whatever it takes to protect Shiite shrines in Iraq from Sunni militants battling the Baghdad government.
However, he does not want to send troops and would most likely rely on volunteer militias. Iran and Iraq have close ties and are united by Shiite Islam, but their relationship is more complex.
What is the present role of Iran in Iraq?
Iran is 90 percent Shiite and around 6,000 Iranians visit each day the mausoleum of revered Shiite Imam Hussein in Karbala.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is a Shiite who took shelter in Iran during the rule of Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein, when Iraq's Shiite majority population was oppressed.
Maliki returned to Iraq after the 2003 US-led invasion and became prime minister in 2006 and Iran helped negotiate his second term as premier in a governing coalition after a 2010 election that he had lost.
The advance of jihadists from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and allied groups through northern Iraq towards Baghdad is prompting caution about Maliki, who is seen by diplomats and analysts as having inflamed sectarian tensions by centralising power in his office and largely excluding Sunnis from the political process.
Will Iran deploy troops on Iraqi soil?
Tehran has no desire to become embroiled in a military conflict. The wounds of the 1980-1988 war with Iraq remain raw and Rouhani on Saturday said Baghdad's political leaders have the capacity to solve the problem of ISIL.
However, Qassem Suleimani, commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps is said by diplomats to have been in Baghdad since last Friday, advising Maliki.
Iraqi security forces wilted under the militant offensive, with some ditching their uniforms to flee.
Iran sent military advisers to Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad against rebels and could do the same in Iraq.
Does Iran finance Shiite militias in Iraq?
The US military in Iraq certainly thought so. American officers routinely cited Iran's financial support and supply of weapons to militias who used them to attack US troops, and accused Iran's Revolutionary Guards of training militants who kidnapped and killed American soldiers. US battlefield reports published by WikiLeaks state that the Quds Force worked with Iraqi extremists to encourage the killing of Iraqi officials.
How far is Iran willing to go to help Maliki?
Although Maliki is seen as a strongman and a survivor, his opponents accuse him of centralising power and sectarianism. The past week has also called into question his credibility as leader of the armed forces.
A Western diplomat told AFP: "Iran's support is becoming more measured. There is mistrust of official military involvement in Iraq because Iran does not want to fall into the trap of an intervention that would be perceived as a war against Sunnis. Maliki is a politician of experience, but Iran can find other acceptable candidates, such as (deputy premier) Hussein al-Shahristani and Ammar al-Hakim," who heads the Citizens bloc seen close to Iran.
Ramzy Mardini, non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council, believes there is no clear alternative, for now. "Iran can't just wave it's wand and make Maliki disappear. Maliki isn't just one man, he embodies a regime and security apparatus. Iran needs Maliki, and Maliki needs Iran."
Is US-Iranian cooperation in fighting militants led by ISIL possible?
"Yes," says Mardini. "The US and Iran share key interests with regards to the stability and unity of post-Saddam Iraq. ISIL is both a common enemy and an emerging threat." The United States and Iran also conferred on security matters relating to the Taliban in Afghanistan, following the September 11, 2011 attacks on the US.
Will the Iraq crisis have an impact on Iran's regional influence?
Iran believes its support for Assad has been vindicated both by his election victory and the "terrorist contagion" that has seen ISIL spread in Syria and Iraq.
"Iran has shown it has the ability to bolster stability in the region," says Iranian political analyst Amir Mohebian.
Despite the split over Syria, Gulf Arab states may also look to Tehran. "The Gulf states can no longer rely on the United States as they once had before to balance Iran, which creates the rationale to reposition their foreign policies from balancing to hedging," says Mardini. "Their geopolitical realities are favouring improved relations with Iran, not worse."
Source : Sapa-AFP /kd
Date : 18 Jun 2014 15:57
President Hassan Rouhani pledged Wednesday that Iran will do whatever it takes to protect Shiite shrines in Iraq from Sunni militants battling the Baghdad government.
However, he does not want to send troops and would most likely rely on volunteer militias. Iran and Iraq have close ties and are united by Shiite Islam, but their relationship is more complex.
What is the present role of Iran in Iraq?
Iran is 90 percent Shiite and around 6,000 Iranians visit each day the mausoleum of revered Shiite Imam Hussein in Karbala.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is a Shiite who took shelter in Iran during the rule of Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein, when Iraq's Shiite majority population was oppressed.
Maliki returned to Iraq after the 2003 US-led invasion and became prime minister in 2006 and Iran helped negotiate his second term as premier in a governing coalition after a 2010 election that he had lost.
The advance of jihadists from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and allied groups through northern Iraq towards Baghdad is prompting caution about Maliki, who is seen by diplomats and analysts as having inflamed sectarian tensions by centralising power in his office and largely excluding Sunnis from the political process.
Will Iran deploy troops on Iraqi soil?
Tehran has no desire to become embroiled in a military conflict. The wounds of the 1980-1988 war with Iraq remain raw and Rouhani on Saturday said Baghdad's political leaders have the capacity to solve the problem of ISIL.
However, Qassem Suleimani, commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps is said by diplomats to have been in Baghdad since last Friday, advising Maliki.
Iraqi security forces wilted under the militant offensive, with some ditching their uniforms to flee.
Iran sent military advisers to Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad against rebels and could do the same in Iraq.
Does Iran finance Shiite militias in Iraq?
The US military in Iraq certainly thought so. American officers routinely cited Iran's financial support and supply of weapons to militias who used them to attack US troops, and accused Iran's Revolutionary Guards of training militants who kidnapped and killed American soldiers. US battlefield reports published by WikiLeaks state that the Quds Force worked with Iraqi extremists to encourage the killing of Iraqi officials.
How far is Iran willing to go to help Maliki?
Although Maliki is seen as a strongman and a survivor, his opponents accuse him of centralising power and sectarianism. The past week has also called into question his credibility as leader of the armed forces.
A Western diplomat told AFP: "Iran's support is becoming more measured. There is mistrust of official military involvement in Iraq because Iran does not want to fall into the trap of an intervention that would be perceived as a war against Sunnis. Maliki is a politician of experience, but Iran can find other acceptable candidates, such as (deputy premier) Hussein al-Shahristani and Ammar al-Hakim," who heads the Citizens bloc seen close to Iran.
Ramzy Mardini, non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council, believes there is no clear alternative, for now. "Iran can't just wave it's wand and make Maliki disappear. Maliki isn't just one man, he embodies a regime and security apparatus. Iran needs Maliki, and Maliki needs Iran."
Is US-Iranian cooperation in fighting militants led by ISIL possible?
"Yes," says Mardini. "The US and Iran share key interests with regards to the stability and unity of post-Saddam Iraq. ISIL is both a common enemy and an emerging threat." The United States and Iran also conferred on security matters relating to the Taliban in Afghanistan, following the September 11, 2011 attacks on the US.
Will the Iraq crisis have an impact on Iran's regional influence?
Iran believes its support for Assad has been vindicated both by his election victory and the "terrorist contagion" that has seen ISIL spread in Syria and Iraq.
"Iran has shown it has the ability to bolster stability in the region," says Iranian political analyst Amir Mohebian.
Despite the split over Syria, Gulf Arab states may also look to Tehran. "The Gulf states can no longer rely on the United States as they once had before to balance Iran, which creates the rationale to reposition their foreign policies from balancing to hedging," says Mardini. "Their geopolitical realities are favouring improved relations with Iran, not worse."
Source : Sapa-AFP /kd
Date : 18 Jun 2014 15:57
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Russia expanding it's ability to coerce countries in ME.
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LazyLion
King of de Jungle
ABDUCTED INDIAN WORKERS IN IRAQ 'PROMISED FREEDOM'
Several families of 40 Indian construction workers abducted in strife-torn northern Iraq say they have spoken with the men, whose captors claim they will be freed unharmed, reports said Thursday.
India's foreign ministry announced on Wednesday that the 40 workers had been abducted in recent days in the Iraqi city of Mosul, which Sunni militants have overrun in a deadly ongoing insurgency.
The ministry said no demands for ransom had been made and the workers' whereabouts, along with who was responsible for the abductions, were not known.
But Charanjit Singh said his brother called him on Wednesday "for a couple of minutes" to tell him the workers were safe and that their captors had claimed they would be released if someone from the government made contact.
"He said he and his co-workers from India were all safe and not held hostage," Singh told The Hindu newspaper from his home in northern Punjab state.
"They say (the militants) will release them if someone responsible from the Indian military or government comes to collect them," Singh added.
Gurpinder Kaur said her brother told her on June 15 that the militants had promised to free the group "safely without any conditions" if New Delhi got in touch with them.
She added that the Indians were taken by the militants on June 11, according to the Indian Express newspaper.
While the families said the phone calls were cause for optimism, the government has warned that the situation on the ground remains "very difficult".
Militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have taken over vast swathes of territory as they advance on Baghdad, amid fears that the country could fall apart.
With details of the abduction sketchy, other families said they feared for the fate of the workers, who had been earning money on construction projects to send back home.
"We are hearing all sorts of news from Iraq, visuals on the television are frightening and we are very worried about him," Ranjit Kaur told the Hindustan Times of her son Jatinder Singh.
Parkash Singh Bada -- chief minister of Punjab, where most of the workers come from -- said "we are ready to bear all the expenses for bringing them back."
Humanitarian agencies and the Iraqi government have confirmed the abduction of the workers, who were employed by the Tariq Noor Al Huda construction company, India's foreign ministry said.
About 10,000 Indian nationals are currently in Iraq with some 100 caught in violence-hit areas, the ministry added.
Source : Sapa-AFP /mr
Date : 19 Jun 2014 08:22
Several families of 40 Indian construction workers abducted in strife-torn northern Iraq say they have spoken with the men, whose captors claim they will be freed unharmed, reports said Thursday.
India's foreign ministry announced on Wednesday that the 40 workers had been abducted in recent days in the Iraqi city of Mosul, which Sunni militants have overrun in a deadly ongoing insurgency.
The ministry said no demands for ransom had been made and the workers' whereabouts, along with who was responsible for the abductions, were not known.
But Charanjit Singh said his brother called him on Wednesday "for a couple of minutes" to tell him the workers were safe and that their captors had claimed they would be released if someone from the government made contact.
"He said he and his co-workers from India were all safe and not held hostage," Singh told The Hindu newspaper from his home in northern Punjab state.
"They say (the militants) will release them if someone responsible from the Indian military or government comes to collect them," Singh added.
Gurpinder Kaur said her brother told her on June 15 that the militants had promised to free the group "safely without any conditions" if New Delhi got in touch with them.
She added that the Indians were taken by the militants on June 11, according to the Indian Express newspaper.
While the families said the phone calls were cause for optimism, the government has warned that the situation on the ground remains "very difficult".
Militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have taken over vast swathes of territory as they advance on Baghdad, amid fears that the country could fall apart.
With details of the abduction sketchy, other families said they feared for the fate of the workers, who had been earning money on construction projects to send back home.
"We are hearing all sorts of news from Iraq, visuals on the television are frightening and we are very worried about him," Ranjit Kaur told the Hindustan Times of her son Jatinder Singh.
Parkash Singh Bada -- chief minister of Punjab, where most of the workers come from -- said "we are ready to bear all the expenses for bringing them back."
Humanitarian agencies and the Iraqi government have confirmed the abduction of the workers, who were employed by the Tariq Noor Al Huda construction company, India's foreign ministry said.
About 10,000 Indian nationals are currently in Iraq with some 100 caught in violence-hit areas, the ministry added.
Source : Sapa-AFP /mr
Date : 19 Jun 2014 08:22