India has stepped up rescue operations of Indians stranded in the strife torn Iraq. Three camp offices have been set up to facilitate departure of 10,000 Indians from non-conflicting zones. External Affairs Minstry Spokesperson said, the officers in these camps, in a pro-active move, will go to the place of work of Indians and facilitate their departure if they want so. Besides, providing travel documents, the ministry will also provide free air tickets, in case they cannot afford them.

About the 39 Indians kidnapped in Iraq, he said they remain in captivity but unharmed. He said there are some leads available about them on which work is on. He said the mission is also in touch with 46 nurses in Tikrit and denied the reports that there was any explosion in the compound they were in.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has summoned top Indian envoys in Gulf countries for consultations in New Delhi today. Mrs Swaraj will chair the meeting of the envoys including those Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, Indian Naval ship INS Mysore has reached the Persian Gulf as part of New Delhi contingency plan for a possible evacuation of Indian nationals stranded in Iraq. However, Naval sources said there is no official order for a possible evacuation as yet but warship has been deployed as a standby arrangement. Our correspondent reports that INS Mysore was one of the worship deployed for evacuating Indians from Libya a few year back.