The Nepali government is preparing to reopen war-torn Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya for Nepalis workers amid pressures from manpower agencies, local Republica Daily reported on Tuesday.

The Foreign Employment Promotion Board decided at a Monday meeting to explore the possibility of lifting the existing full or partial ban on Nepalis to those countries.

The board would hold talks with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) to assess the security situation in those countries.

"In view of a growing number of Nepali job-aspirants visiting those countries illegally via India, we have decided to open those countries for Nepali workers if we find the countries safe," said Purna Chandra Bhattarai, director general of the Department of Foreign Employment.

The government in 2004 banned Nepali workers from going to Iraq after a local Islamic group Ansar-al Sunna murdered 12 Nepali workers.

Similarly, Afghanistan is open only for security workers to be employed through UN agencies, British and American embassies there.

Last year, Nepal had repatriated around 2,000 workers from Libya during the civil war, which culminated in the overthrow of Libyan leader Colonel Gadhafi. Situation has yet to return to normal in post-Gadhafi Libya.

Bhattarai, who is also a member of the board, said a team comprising of officials of the board, MoFA, the Ministry of Labor and Employment and officials of Nepali embassy in Pakistan, which is also overseeing Afghanistan, will visit the countries after MoFA agrees to consider opening those countries to Nepali workers.

Recruitment agencies say around 70,000 and 30,000 Nepalis are currently working in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, the number of Nepalis still employed in Libya remains unknown.