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Scared of ISIS, Iraqi brothers seek refuge in India
A file photo shows IS militants holding up their flag as they patrol in a commandeered Iraqi military vehicle in Fallujah. Scared of IS, two brothers from Baghdad have taken refuge in India. (AP photo)
A file photo shows IS militants holding up their flag as they patrol in a commandeered Iraqi military vehicle in Fallujah. Scared of IS, two brothers from Baghdad have taken refuge in India. (AP photo)
ALIGARH: Over 3,000km away from the grim spectre of sectarian violence and the rise of ISIS in Iraq, two doctor brothers from Baghdad have found refuge in the relatively peaceful western UP city of Aligarh. They now say they would rather be refugees in this country than go back to be dragged into a war they don't believe in. Moreover, they say, their parents write to them almost everyday asking them not to return to the war-ravaged country. The conflict in Iraq claimed more than 17,000 civilian lives in 2014 alone — that's more than 45 deaths a day.
So scared is family of the boys that soon after they told their parents they had spoken to The Times of India, they called back the reporter to change their names in the story. "Please," they said. "They (ISIS) will hunt us down."
Isaac, 24, and Yusuf, 22 (not their real names), completed their MBBS from Ukraine's Odessa Medical University last year. A return flight to Baghdad was the logical next step, but instead they flew to India in September and are now seeking refugee status from New Delhi.
"On November 28 last year, Abdullah, a friend of ours, returned to Iraq from Ukraine and was killed in a blast a few days later," Isaac says. "We had already lost a cousin of ours to the violence. Now our parents just want us to stay away because the militia as well as the army are constantly looking for new recruits. Our parents want us to be safe."
They have found help in Dr Jayant Sharma, a urology specialist at Aligarh's Jeevan Hospital, who they were introduced to by an Indian classmate.
"I have informed the local police about the presence of two Iraqi doctors here (at Jeevan hospital) as observers. The police have asked me to also inform the local intelligence unit," says Sharma. "I give them Medical Council of India (MCI ) tutorials so they can go ahead with the internship and don't have to apply for a no-objection certificate. Their family is providing financial assistance as of now. And we are doing whatever little we can."
The hospital is grooming them to conduct IVF procedures, surgeries and pediatrics. Asked if they want to return home one day, Yusuf says, "Of course. But it is better to be safe than sorry. These are not fears but realities that people in Iraq are living with. India is peaceful and people are helpful."
The brothers, who have taken up a room at a nearby hotel and pay Rs 300 as daily rent, came to India on a medical visa in September last year after their internship request went unheeded. "Our medical visas will expire in February," Isaac says.
Back home in Baghdad their parents and their 16-year-old sister wait for peace to return to Iraq. Until then, they have said, the boys should do their best to stay put in "safe India".
Source:- Scared of ISIS, Iraqi brothers seek refuge in India - The Times of India
