MFA of Georgia does not confirm the kidnap of 16 Georgians in Iraq

Non of the Georgians have been kidnapped after Sunni Islamist militants overran the Iraqi city of Mosul. 

The statement was made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia after negotiations with the Iraqi Government today. 

As the head of the Ministry's consulate unit, Giorgi Tabatadze says, 16 Georgians are moved to secure places in Baghdad and Erbil. He said the ministry was currently working to return back the Georgian citizens to their homes despite part of them were having problems with visa matters.

Earlier today, international news agency Reuters cited United Nation human rights spokesman Rupert Colville as a source of the kidnapping.

At a briefing Colville told journalists the 16 Georgians were employed at an Iraqi telecommunications company in Mosul when they were kidnapped. Colville said numerous other human rights violations had been committed by the militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) organisation.

The Georgian consulate in Jordan accredited in Iraq could not confirm the information. He claimed all Georgians in Iraq were safe. On another note, the diplomatic mission could confirm five Georgians had been detained due to passport-related violations.

Acting Georgian Consul in Jordan, Berdia Bekauri, said Mosul Airport had been evacuated because of the rising tense situation. He said 25 Georgian citizens worked at the airport and five of them had problems with their documents.

Bekauri said all five Georgians had been taken to the Immigration Office and would be sent home to Georgia once mistakes in their passports were corrected.

Meanwhile according to UN estimates, the militants’ offensive this week may have killed several hundreds of citizens in Iraq, while almost a thousand others were injured, Reuters reported.