kidnapping

After months of taking a light approach toward the militants of Boko Haram, the Nigerian military has been on the offensive in recent weeks and seems to be winning. But that doesn’t mean the Islamist group is disappearing any time soon.

A would-be defector from ISIS says he offered to help return hostage James Foley in exchange for asylum and cash long before Foley’s death. But the government reportedly refused to negotiate, highlighting what critics say is a confusing and counterproductive policy on captured Americans.

In Pakistan, the struggle against the local version of the Taliban is spreading, and not just in terms of terrorism. The group has muscled its way into the crime scene in Karachi, Pakistan, a booming city with lucrative opportunities in things like kidnapping and extortion.

After 11 years of traveling to and writing about Yemen, American journalist and scholar Gregory Johnsen was nearly kidnapped there earlier this year. He says it’s a sign of how much more dangerous and unforgiving the country has become for Americans.

Iguala, Mexico is a place that’s hostile to outsiders and heavily controlled by drug cartels. That makes it an extremely difficult — and dangerous — place to look for the 43 missing students who were allegedly abducted by the local police force.