The 39 Indians missing in Iraq who were kidnapped by the Islamic State (ISIS) four years ago have been confirmed dead, after identifying bodies through a DNA test, the external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj in Parliament said.
Swaraj had earlier denied revelations made by Harjit Masih, who had escaped from ISIS terrorists, that the group of Indians were killed immediately after they were kidnapped by terrorists. The government was left out with lack of evidences to confirm Masih's comments.
"We have identified 38 bodies through a DNA test. One body was a 70% match", she said in the Rajya Sabha.
"We use satellite pictures to see a mass grave. It was the most difficult task to get the proof. It was a pile of bodies. To track down the bodies of our people and to take them to Baghdad for DNA tests was a huge task", she added.
Foreign Minister commended Minister of State VK Singh, for supervising the challenging job.
Rajya Sabha proceedings were the halted for two minutes to pay respects to the dead Indians.
