The ICRC oversees conditions at many of the camps near the frontlines in Iraq, and while it is unable to operate in areas held by the Islamic State (IS), it has been monitoring the situation there closely “through local communities,” Director-General of the ICRC Yves Daccord said.
In June last year, the ICRC had first confirmed the safety of 46 Kerala nurses who were trapped in their hospital in the town of Tikrit. ICRC associates had then made contact with them, eventually providing them food and phones, and helping the Indian government contact militant groups to negotiate their release.
Referring to other cases where hostages held by the IS had been released, he said what this showed is that the Indian government must show patience, and also persistence, given that some of the hostages had been freed after years.
“It is important to keep pursuing the case, letting those who may be holding them know that these 40 men are very valuable to India,” he added.
In November 2014, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had dispatched two MEA officials to Erbil to intensify efforts to bring back the 40 men whose families have been meeting her regularly, demanding action. But in the absence of confirmed locations and access to the men who are holding them, the Indian government has been unsuccessful.
“It must be made clear that these men are important, that they will not be forgotten,” Mr. Daccord said.
Speaking of the role of the international humanitarian agency in the release of the Indian nurses, he said, “ICRC was very happy to have been of assistance in this case. Once we found that the nurses were safe, our next task was to start a conversation between those who controlled the area and the Indian government. That is eventually what led to them returning safely.”
