MEA left no stone unturned in trying to rescue Indian hostages: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said all Indians stand in solidarity with the families of the 39 Indians killed in Mosul in Iraq and the government is 'fully committed' to ensure the safety of Indians abroad.

'Every Indian grieves with those who lost their loved ones in Mosul. We stand in solidarity with the bereaved families and pay our respects to the Indians killed in Mosul.

'The MEA and particularly my colleagues @SushmaSwaraj Ji and @Gen_VKSingh Ji left no stone unturned in trying to trace and safely bring back those we lost in Mosul,' the PM said in a series of tweets.

He added that the government remains fully committed towards ensuring the safety of 'our sisters and brothers overseas'.

In a statement in the Rajya Sabha earlier on Tuesday, Swaraj confirmed the deaths of the 39 missing Indians and said the DNA samples of 38 people had been matched by the Iraqi authorities.

In the case of the 39th person, the matching was 70 per cent.

In a press briefing later, she did not give a direct reply to a volley of questions on when the Indians were killed, saying it was irrelevant as the bodies could have been recovered only after Mosul was liberated from the Islamic State.

Mosul city was liberated from ISIS in June last year.