The great IRAQ pullout : Navy, IAF and Air India on stand-by to evacuate Indian nationals

India is preparing the ground for the evacuation of its nationals from Iraq, with the Navy, Air Force and Air India on standby to execute the operation.

The foreign ministry said on Monday that it would facilitate the departure of over 600

Indians from the war-torn country this week.

INS Mysore, the Navy's Delhi-class destroyer, is in the Persian Gulf. Sources said it had crossed Kuwait and was stationed in the region and awaiting instructions.

The warship has been sent to the region as part of a contingency plan and it can move quickly to any Iraqi port, they said. As a back-up, the guided missile frigate INS Tarkash, which is operating in the Gulf of Aden, can also be diverted to the Persian Gulf if the need arises.

An official said the Indian Navy has blue water capability and can operate away from shores for such emergency operations.
Besides, the Navy has experience of evacuating people from West Asia, as was witnessed during the Beirut war of 2006, when Operation Sukoon was launched to pull out Indian nationals.

The government is simultaneously exploring the possibility of air evacuation using the aircraft of national carrier Air India, which has participated in similar operations in the past during the Libya and Egypt crises.

Air India CMD Rohit Nandan said there were no instructions from the government as yet but the national carrier was in a state of readiness. The evacuation operation will depend on the number of people involved and the locations, he said.

The IAF, too, is ready to launch its own effort if required. The IAF's super heavy C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft and the C-130 Super Hercules special operations aircraft can be dispatched at short notice if needed, officials said.

The External Affairs Ministry said it would facilitate the departure of more than 600 Indian nationals from Iraq during the course of this week.

Officials are providing travel documents and air tickets to those who want to leave, and working with foreign employers to find solutions for those who may have problems, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said.