Nurses vow not to go back to Iraq

Kochi: After about a month's long ordeal in the strife torn Iraq, 46 Indian nurses returned to their homeland on Saturday with most of them vowing not to go back risking their lives.

"We will not go back. There is no question of going back. We are not prepared to endanger our lives once again", said Sandra Sebastian, who arrived at the Kochi airport along with 45 other nurses to a warm and emotional welcome from Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and their relatives.

Sandra, hailing from neighbouring Kottayam district, said she had gone to Iraq on August 16 in 2013. Since the past four months she along with other nurses have not received salaries from the Government Tikrit Training Hospital where they were working.

"Earlier, we were a batch of 23 nurses and then 15 more joined us in February this year" she said.

On being held captive by ISIS militants, Sandra and Neenu Jose, another nurse, said though they had been asked to move out earlier, they refused to do so as the Indian Embassy had not given them permission to do so, she said.

However, on July 3, they were given only 15 minutes time to pack their bag and leave by the militants.

"They told us that you are all our our sisters. You would not be harmed. But we did not believe them", Sandra said, adding, some armed doctors also travelled with them during the seven hours journey from from Tikrit to Mosul. They left the hospital at 12 pm in four buses and reached Mosul by 7 PM.

"They were given food and bed to sleep on," Neenu said. Suni Mol Chacko from Kannur said "they cannot be called terrorists. They are part of the local government".

The families of all the nurses, who had come in large numbers to receive their daughters, were moist eyed as they hugged and kissed them.

Elanji Balakrishnan from Ernakulam, said his daughter, Renu had gone to Iraq in August, 2013. The family had to take Rs 2 lakh loan to send her and she had not received salary for the past three months, he said.

"I had to mortgage 48 cents of land and my house to send my daughter to Iraq", the frail Balakrishnan said. All the nurses and their families thanked Chandy and Central government for all the help in ensuring their safe return to India.

Of the 46 nurses, 45 hail from various districts of Kerala and one belongs to Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu. They said the militants treated them well.