India, July 3 -- Three Indian nationals have been abducted in Mali after a terror attack linked to Al-Qaeda affiliate Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), triggering a strong response from the Indian government. The attack took place on July 1 at the Diamond Cement Factory in Kayes, western Mali.

According to the ministry of external affairs (MEA), a group of armed men stormed the factory premises and took the three Indians hostage.

"The incident occurred on July 1, when a group of armed assailants carried out a coordinated attack at the factory premises and forcibly took three Indian nationals as hostages," the MEA said in a statement on Wednesday.

The abducted Indians were employed at the factory and were targeted during the ...