Two Indians, held captive by the Islamic State in Libya since July 2015, have been rescued by the Misrata forces, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday. A third Indian national, however, continues to remain in captivity and efforts are on to secure his release, the MEA said.
“I am happy to inform that C. Gopikrishna (Andhra Pradesh) and T. Balaram Kishan of Telangana, who were captive in Libya since July 29, 2015 have been rescued,” External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted.
Final passage to take time
The rescue was carried out by the anti-IS forces of Misrata, a city near the Libyan capital. However, the final passage of the rescued Indians will take some more time due to the security situation on the ground, the MEA said. “The Ministry had been continuously following up with the case in Libya. The matter was discussed not only with Libya but also taken up with neighbouring countries, including Egypt. It was raised with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi when he was in India,” spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Vikas Swarup said, explaining that efforts were on to bring the kidnapped Indians home.
The MEA has issued several advisories for Indians working in Libya but an unknown number of Indians continue to remain employed in educational and health sectors.
