Fifteen more Bangladeshi migrants who were held captive by Sunni militants in war-torn Iraq for 24 days finally returned home yesterday.
A flight of Air Arabia carrying the migrants landed around 9:15am at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, said Zahidul Islam, assistant director of expatriates’ welfare desk at the airport.
The foreign and expatriates’ welfare ministry officials received the returnee migrants who were brought home for the first time under the government arrangement. Earlier, at least 150 migrants returned home from Iraq on their own initiative.
The returnees are Mahbub Alam, Md Wahid Hossain, Salim Sheikh, Hannan Mia, Md Nur Alam, Md Jasim Sarder, Md Al Amin, Md Mostafa, Baten, Nannu Mia, Babul, Rasel, Mukaddes, Shafiqul Islam and Swapan. All of them were working as cleaners.
“Although these migrants were facing troubles, they did not want to return home as they had spent huge amounts of money to go to Iraq,” Deputy Secretary Badiur Rahman, who received the migrants, told the Dhaka Tribune.
“We have given them Tk2,000 each to meet transport expenses,” he added.
One of the returnees said Sunni militants took 31 Bangladeshis and 46 Indian nurses hostage, who were working in a government office in the Iraqi city of Tikrit.
Shafiqul Islam from Gazipur said, “On June 9, police and security guards told us that you have no problem.”
“We joined the office next day, but we returned to our rooms after few hours as the office had been closed,” he said, adding that they heard the sound of gunshots.
“At one stage, a bomb went off next to our room and the ceiling of our room collapsed and I sustained injury in my right hand”.
Shafiqul said the militants took them hostage on June 10 and wanted to know whether they had possessed any arms and joined the government. “We told them that we knew nothing and we would return home after work,” he added.
The militants also took away mobile sets and money from them. “They held us hostage for 24 days, but they did not beat us. They even allowed us to cook food,” he said.
Later, the militants took them near Kurdistan border and freed them. “Indian officials rescued us along with 46 Indian nurses and brought us to Irbill Airport.” Shafiqul also said 16 out of 31 migrants fled from the airport.
Officials at Bangladesh embassy in Iraq arranged necessary documents and helped them come back home, he said.
Roshu Sheikh, father of another returnee Md Selim Sheikh, burst into tears while receiving his son at the airport.
Talking to this correspondent, Roshu of Gopalganj said, “On June 25, one Khokon phoned me and informed that my son had been taken hostage.”
After hearing the news, all of his relatives stared crying, he said. “I am very grateful to the government as my son has returned home,” he added.