See No Evil: Delhi Denies Kidnapped Indian Nationals Killed by Daesh

The Indian government has said all 39 Indians kidnapped by Daesh are still alive and the administration is ramping up efforts to rescue them.

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) — India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has reiterated her commitment to retrieving the abducted Indians from the hands of the terror group in Iraq and Syria.

Speaking at her annual press conference, Swaraj said:

"When I say they are alive, I have taken on myself the major responsibility of tracking them….Nobody except Harjit Masih said they were killed." She was referring to Masih, one of the Indians who managed to escape Daesh captivity and flee the war-ravaged region. 

The group of Indians was captured by the Islamist organization in June, 2014 in its de facto capital, Mosul. Ever since, there have been mixed reports on their statuses. Repeatedly, has been reported that there were killed during these months but these reports were later denied.

Once again, in her attempts to clear the air, Swaraj said: "I am not giving false assurance. If I had confirmation that they were killed, then definitely, I would have sought an apology from their families with folded hands and said they were killed. Their killing in such a situation in Mosul in Iraq would not have been blamed on me." She said the leaders of two of the Gulf nations have assured that the Indians were alive.

Masih returned to India in July 2014 but the families of the missing Indians have ignored his account of the events he witnessed in Syria and insist the victims are still alive. All the Indians are construction workers who went to Syria and Iraq before the conflict broke out.