2 Indian teachers kidnapped in Libya rescued

Two Indian nationals held captive in Libya for over a year have been rescued, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said.

The two Indians - T. Gopalakrishna from the southern state of Andhra Pradesh and C. Balaramkishan from the neighboring state of Telangana - were among four Indian teachers at Libya's Sirte University who were abducted by Islamic State militants near the city of Sirte in July 2015.

While two of them were freed days after the kidnapping, Gopalakrishna and Balaramkishan were held captive by the militants for over a year.

"I am happy to inform that T. Gopalakrishna (AP) & C. BalaramKishan (Telangana) who were captive in Libya since 29 July 2015 have been rescued," she tweeted this morning.

The four teachers were abducted at a checkpoint near the city of Sirte, hometown of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, while they were on their way back to India.

Most of Sirte fell to Islamic State in May last year. In July 2014, a group of 65 Indian nurses were trapped in fighting in Libya. However, the nurses, who had been working in various hospitals in that country, safely returned to India in August that year.

In June 2014, some 40 Indian construction workers were kidnapped in the violence-hit Iraqi city of Mosul, but their fate is still not known.

Source : XINHUA