Indian citizens abducted by ISIS in Iraq: SC directs Centre to appoint Nodal Officer

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Central government to appoint a Nodal Officer to coordinate and oversee the efforts of release of Indian citizens abducted by ISIS in Iraq.

The External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had earlier assured the families of 39 Indians abducted by the Islamic State group in Iraq that they were alive.

ISIS had abducted Indian construction workers in Iraq's Mosul city in June 2014.

Swaraj was reportedly informed of the Indians' condition during her recent meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, according to the Press Trust of India.

Earlier, Swaraj had spoken to her counterparts in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), as well as other friendly countries in the region for their assistance in the safe release of Indians in captivity.

Mosul was among the first major cities in Iraq to fall to the Islamic State terror group, and ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had declared the formation of a "caliphate' from Mosul in June 2014.