India evacuates 75 nationals from Syria

The ministry advised Indian nationals who are still in Syria to stay in touch with the Indian embassy in Damascus at the emergency helpline number +963 993385973

India on Wednesday evacuated 75 Indian nationals, including 44 pilgrims from Jammu and Kashmir, from Syria in the aftermath of the takeover of the capital Damascus by rebel forces this week.

All the Indian nationals safely crossed over to Lebanon and are set to return to India by commercial flights. (MEA photo)

All the Indian nationals safely crossed over to Lebanon and are set to return to India by commercial flights, the external affairs ministry said.

The evacuation, coordinated by the Indian embassies in Damascus and Beirut, was “put into effect following our assessment of the security situation and requests from Indian nationals in Syria”, the ministry said.

The evacuees included 44 “zaireen” or pilgrims from Jammu and Kashmir, who were stranded at Sayyidah Zaynab, an important pilgrimage site for Shia Muslims. Most pilgrims travel to this site to ask for healing.

The ministry advised Indian nationals who are still in Syria to stay in touch with the Indian embassy in Damascus at the emergency helpline number +963 993385973 (also on WhatsApp) and the email ID hoc.damascus@mea.gov.in for updates.

Noting that the Indian government “accords the highest priority” to the safety and security of Indian nationals abroad, the ministry said: “The government will continue to monitor the situation closely.”

On Monday, India joined other countries in calling for stability in Syria after opposition forces overthrew the regime of Bashar al-Assad, and New Delhi urged all stakeholders to preserve the West Asian country’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Assad fled Syria on Sunday in the face of a lightning offensive led by a rebel group dominated by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), previously associated with al-Qaeda. The rebel fighters entered the capital Damascus unopposed, ending the Assad family’s rule of more than five decades.

Syria was once home to a sizeable Indian community but its size shrunk to about 90 in recent years because of the dragging civil war, according to the website of the Indian embassy. This includes 14 nationals working for different UN organisations and NGOs.