What Really Happens to Foreigners Kidnapped in Iraq
by James Dunnigan
September 1, 2004

Foreigners kidnapped by terrorists in Iraq tend to get away alive. Currently (as of mid-August), 14 percent of the 70 or so kidnap victims have been killed, three percent escaped, 56 percent freed or rescued. The rest are still being held, some for ransom, others for political purposes. The terrorists and other groups in Iraq that indulge in kidnapping have found that killing their hostages often backfires in the public relations department.