NEW DELHI: Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh is expected to fly to Iraq on Sunday, April 1st in a C-17 plane to bring back the mortal remains of the 39 Indians, killed in the war-torn country, sources said today.
Speaking to ANI on Sunday morning, VK Singh said, "I am leaving for Iraq, will be getting back mortal remains of the 39 Indians. Will return to Amritsar, then Kolkata and then Patna. Families have been informed."
Sources also said the minister is expected to bring back the bodies by late Monday or Tuesday.
"MoS Singh will most probably leave tomorrow for Iraq to bring back mortal remains of these 39 Indians. After coming back, he will first go to Amritsar followed by Patna, Kolkata to hand over bodies to their relatives," a source said.
Families of some of these victims had met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj here on March 26.
Earlier this month, Swaraj had told Parliament that as many as 40 Indians were abducted by terror group ISIS from Mosul in Iraq in June 2014, but one of them escaped posing as a Muslim from Bangladesh.
The remaining 39 Indians were taken to Badoosh and killed, she had said.