Is ISIS The Only Group With American Hostages?
ISIS recently shocked the world with viral executions of American journalists, James Foley and Steven Sotloff. Their deaths draw attention to the unsettling ...
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The Islamic State, also known as ISIS, recently beheaded two American Journalists in Syria. Journalists who had been held by ISIS for an extended period prior to their execution. Which brings up a troubling question: How many Americans are currently being held by terrorist groups or hostile states? The answer, however unsettling it may be, is that we simply don’t know. The United States Government’s official policy is to not negotiate with terrorists. That policy is intended to discourage people from kidnapping civilians, by taking the possibility of a reward out of the equation. Which is great in theory, but not that effective in practice. Kidnapping westerners can be a very lucrative business, and US nationals working in hostile areas are kidnapped fairly regularly, although the gene...
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The Islamic State, also known as ISIS, recently beheaded two American Journalists in Syria. Journalists who had been held by ISIS for an extended period prior to their execution. Which brings up a troubling question: How many Americans are currently being held by terrorist groups or hostile states? The answer, however unsettling it may be, is that we simply don’t know. The United States Government’s official policy is to not negotiate with terrorists. That policy is intended to discourage people from kidnapping civilians, by taking the possibility of a reward out of the equation. Which is great in theory, but not that effective in practice. Kidnapping westerners can be a very lucrative business, and US nationals working in hostile areas are kidnapped fairly regularly, although the gene...
