The Goverment has set up a crisis management committee under the chairmanship of the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for the evacuation of 46 Indian nurses in Iraq. The nurses were yesterday forcibily moved by ISIS militants from Tikrit to Mosul in the strife-torn country.

Talking to reporters after holding a meeting with Ms Swaraj in New Delhi today, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said all the nurses are safe and the Ministry is doing its best to evacuate them. Mr.Chandy expressed confidence that the nurses will be brought back home safely.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, over the last few days, talked to her counterparts in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the UAE and sought their help to rescue the nurses. Official sources said, the response of the Foreign Ministers has been extremely positive, assuring assistance in the current situation.