The Indian government has responded to the call of 28 Indian citizens stranded in Iraq. The Indian Embassy in Baghdad has been proactively liaising with the authorities in Iraq to facilitate the return of the Indians. The MEA has also been in touch with the government of Punjab, from where most of the stranded hail and the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs. About 40 youth from Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, who were sent to Iraq by unscrupulous travel agents with the promise of jobs, were forced to clear battlefields of the war-ravaged country.