A group of 46 Indian nurses who were trapped in an area of Iraq seized by militants were set to be welcomed home by anxious relatives Saturday after being freed from the terrorist-held city of Mosul.

A group of 46 Indian nurses who were trapped in an area of Iraq seized by militants were set to be welcomed home by anxious relatives Saturday after being freed from the terrorist-held city of Mosul.
  
The nurses found themselves trapped while working in a state-run hospital in the northern city of Tikrit when ISIL militants launched their lightning offensive last month.
  
They boarded a specially chartered plane for India from the city of Arbil, the Kurdish regional capital, early Saturday and were expected to land in their southern Indian home state of Kerala at noon (0630 GMT) after a stopover at Mumbai for refueling.
  
"We all are very happy... We never thought we will come back, that we would come out," nurse Marina Jose told NDTV news channel before leaving for India. "They didn't do anything, they didn't disturb us and they didn't harm anyone. They didn't touch even. They talked nicely," Jose said, without specifying who she was referring to.

It was not immediately clear if they had been abducted and held captive or if they had been trapped and unable to leave. They were moved from Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit to the Mosul on Thursday.
  
The Indian foreign ministry said Friday that the government was not immediately able to share details of how it arranged for the nurses to return home.