New Delhi: Two-hundred Indians landed here from Najaf in trouble-torn Iraq on a special chartered flight of Iraq Airways early on Sunday.
The flight landed here at around 0430 hours in the morning carrying the passengers.
More passengers are expected to be airlifted and brought back from Iraq over the next two days from special flights including that of Air India.
The plane was chartered by the External Affairs Ministry.
This comes a day after 46 Indian nurses, who were held captive by ISIS militants in Iraq, and 137 others including 70 from Kirkuk in the northern part of Iraq, who returned in a special AI flight to Kochi via Mumbai yesterday.
Nearly 600 Indian nationals will come back from conflict-hit Iraq over the next two days, External Affairs Ministry had said yesterday.
Meanwhile, After about 25 nights of sleeplessness, distress and fear of not making it alive out of war-torn Iraq, 46 Indian nurses returned home on Saturday. Smiles, joy filled tears and hugs filled the Cochin International airport as they reunited with their families.
While they are back in the safe confines of their homes, the memories of the days spent in the war-struck country continues to haunt them.
"I can't sleep now, I will not sleep for two, may be I don't know until when. Every night I suddenly wake up and after that I cannot sleep. Every single sound makes us feel it's a bomb or gunshots," recalls Marina who returned home on Saturday.
Marina and other nurses were taken captive by ISIS militants. They were transported to a holding area in buses laden with bombs and weapons, and the militants always had their fingers on the trigger.
"That place actually looked like a jail. It had big compound walls, no one can see from outside. It had a very narrow door. There was no lock from inside. They could only open it from the outside," she said.
Owing to the conditions they were being kept in, Marina had lost all hopes of meeting her family again. "I never thought that I will see my children or parents again. I thought my children will be orphans," a scared yet relived Marina said.
Like Marina, there were similar scenes of festivity at the house of twins Sona and Veena. Relatives, neighbours and friends thronged at their house to welcome them. Both the ladies admit that they have been given a second life. They are also grateful to ISIS militants for ensuring their safe return.
"They spoke to the Indian officials from our phones and after that told us we will be dropped at the border of Mosul. From there the Indian officials will have to pick us. They called three mini buses to drop us and knowing that we do not have cash, they paid for it from their pockets," Sona recounts.
The nurses and their families also praised Kerala Chief Minister Oomen Chandy for his efforts in bringing them back.
They said that he was available at all times and used to directly take stock of the situation from the nurses and also speak to the families. Chandy was also at the airport to receive the nurses after he camped at Delhi and spearheaded the action to bring them back.
Meanwhile, 200 more Indians returned from Iraq on Sunday morning. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has estimated that 600 Indians will be brought back over the next two days.
