Kathmandu, Aug 18 (IANS): As many as 118 Nepalis arrived in the capital Kathmandu from Afghanistan via Kuwait , Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said.

The Nepalis arrived on Tuesday, reported Xinhua.

Sewa Lamal, spokesperson of the Nepali Foreign Ministry, said that the Nepali government had made a request to various foreign governments having presence in Afghanistan for help in bringing out Nepalis.

The 118 Nepali citizens who arrived in Nepal on Tuesday were rescued by the Americians said The Kathmandu Post. The Nepal government has said it would do all it requires to bring back its citizens from the war-torn country, but officials say they do not have the exact data on Nepalis there.

The Department of Foreign Employment records show that in the last fiscal year, ending mid-July, 1,073 Nepalis had obtained permits to work in Afghanistan. The Department's statistics show that in the last seven years, more than 8,000 Nepalis have been issued labour permits to Afghanistan. But it is estimated that there could be more than 14,000 Nepalis who are stranded. Despite the higher risk, Nepalis prefer to go to this conflict-ridden country due to high pay, said The Kathmandu Post.

The Nepal government, according to Nepali officials, has already established communication with most of the foreign missions and UN agencies and requested them to help repatriate Nepalis working with them.