Baghdad: The sectarian divide in Iraq has worsened further after its top religious and political leaders urged volunteers to fight on the frontline.
In Baghdad, thousands of fighters loyal to Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr paraded weapons in a show of strength looking to take on ISIS. Similar parades were held in Basra, Najaf and Kut - all in the Shia heartland.
At the same time, another Sunni insurgent group JRTN killed 17 ISIS militants in clashes in northern Kirkuk. All this happenings take place ahead of the arrival of 300 US military advisors to help the government deal with the situation.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Indians continue to be stuck in the war-torn country. CNN-IBN speaks to three Indians who narrate their tale of ordeal.
Sujeet Singh, a construction worker in Basra says around 700 workers along with him are stranded in the region. He said their passports have been seized by the company they work for. He also said that they have been hearing regular gunshots in the area.
Kurdistan is one of the safest places in Iraq as of now. Neeraj Rawat, an Indian residing there said that conditions were indeed better there as he spoke to CNN-IBN via Skype.
"I have contacted the Indian embassy a few days ago to ask whether this place is safe or not. They told me that till here the place is safe. But they say they cant predict about the future. The place where I am living is so secure, better than the rest of the Iraq. So most of the Indians are living in Kurdistan. So as of now they are secure but we can't predict what will happen in the future. Right now we have everything, we have no issues regarding food, internet etc. I have heard that some other parts like Baghdad, Kirkuk they have shut down markets. So till now we are safe but I don't know for how long," said Neeraj.
However, situation does not seem to be much favourable in Erbil, an Iraqi city. CNN's Girish Menon informed about the hardships Indians were going through in the area. The Anbagh area near Baghdad has been captured.And really it is a panic situation in whole Iraq except Kurdistan. Mosul is also tensed, with no water,electricity and mobile connectivity. It is very tough for outsiders to enter Mosul as it is controlled by ISIS and nobody can into their province.
Sources close to the Indian government said that it was not planning mass evacuation of Indians as of now and its focus remains largely on the Indians stuck in sensitive area.
The MHA had on Friday rescued 16 Indians from Iraq. ####w
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