All the seven Nepalis stranded in Iraq’s northwest city of Tikrit have been rescued safely. Some of them have already reached Kurdistan, while others are on there way.

Prakash Subedi, head of West Asia division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said four Nepalis were rescued by ICRC on Tuesday and had already reached northern Kurdistan province, which has remained relatively unaffected by the sectarian violence. Three other Nepalis were rescued on Wednesday and are on their way to Kurdistan. 

These Nepali labourers were caught in the fighting between Sunni militants and pro-government Shia fighters and were left in the lurch by their employers, who had fled the city. They had been taking refuge in a local hospital and an unknown location without access to even basic amenities for several days before the Embassy of Nepal in Pakistan and ICRC approached them for their rescue last week.

Meanwhile, the special representative for the rescue of Nepalis in Iraq, Arjun Kant Mainali, who reached Kuwait City on Tuesday, has begun efforts to ensure the safe return of stranded Nepalis. 

On Wednesday, he met Chief of International Organisation for Migration and Iraqi Ambassador based in Kuwait and discussed how to evacuate Nepalis stranded in parts of war-torn Iraq. He also met senior officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait and sought Kuwait government’s help in rescue efforts.

“I am in Kuwait and will move to Baghdad once I get a green signal from the Iraqi authorities. I have already called on diplomats and heads of International agencies,” Mainali.

Published on: 4 July 2014 | The Himalayan Times