March 2, 2011 1:53 PM

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India steps up operation to evacuate Indians from Libya

New Delhi has stepped up its operation to evacuate Indian nationals stranded in the strife torn Libya. Over a thousand returning home in three batches by Air India special flights. Three more planes left this morning for Tripoli to airlift Indians. Air India has so far brought back over 2,100 passengers from Libya. AIR correspondent reports that the government has roped in private airlines to join the evacuation operations. New Delhi is touch with Libya for evacuating the trapped Indians. External Affairs Minister S M Krishna spoke to his Libyan counterpart Musssa Kussa yesterday for his country's help in the evacuation process. A total of 557 Indians returned New Delhi in two batches by air from strife-torn Libya yesterday taking to 1,083 the total number of people evacuated so far by the four Air India special flights. Krishna said, so far nearly 20 per cent of an estimated 18,000 Indians were pulled out of the strife-torn north African nation. The high level contact with Libya was made even as government received landing clearance for three special flights daily from India to Libyan Capital Tripoli up to March 12, after the facility was extended beyond next Monday. 21 more Indian nationals crossed over to Salloum, Egypt by road and have been moved to Cairo and they will leave for Mumbai by Gulf Air, along with 85 other Indian nationals who had in the same way reached Cairo. Meanwhile, the United Nations has suspended Libya from its main human rights body over Muammar Gaddafi's crackdown on protests. The 192-member assembly passed a suspension resolution by consensus, without a vote, after UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged the body to act decisively against Gaddafi. The action came three days after the UN Security Council passed sanctions against the regime, including a travel ban and assets freeze against Gaddafi and his family and leading officials, arms embargo and call for a crimes against humanity investigation.

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