The case of a nurse kidnapped by the Islamic State 5 years ago who could still be alive in Syria

A New Zealand nurse kidnapped in Syria by the Islamic State in 2013 could still be alive, revealed for the first time the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in an appeal to find out what happened to three of its collaborators.

Louisa Akavi She was kidnapped with Syrian drivers Alaa Rajab and Nabil Bakdounes as she was traveling in a Red Cross convoy to deliver supplies to Idlib in the north-west of the country.

Armed men stopped their convoy on 13 October 2013 and kidnapped seven people., four of whom were released the next day.

The ICRC said it thought it had been kidnapped by the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group. Shortly after his abduction, the ICRC stated that the humanitarian convoy was recognizable because it bore the famous emblem of the organization, A red cross on a white background

"Our latest credible information indicates that Louisa was alive at the end of 2018"said the Red Cross Sunday in a Geneva statement.

"The ICRC has never been able to get more details about Alaa and Nabil, and their fate is unknown", He added.

The New York Times reported that the Red Cross has reason to believe that she is alive because At least two people said they saw him in December at a Sousa clinic, one of the villages that remained in the hands of ISIS until the end.

"We are talking today to publicly honor and acknowledge the suffering and hardship that Louisa, Alaa and Nabil have overcome," said the ICRC press release.

For its part, New Zealand has said it does not agree to make public the news of the kidnapping, but confirmed that he had sent a special forces unit to Syria in search of Akavi.

"This has involved members of the NZDF (New Zealand Defense Force) Special Operations Force, and staff have been from time to time in Syria as needed," said Monday. the Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand. Winston Peters.

"This non-combat team focused on locating Louisa and identifying opportunities to save her."he said.

"The efforts to locate and recover Louisa are underway and the government will not comment on a number of operational or intelligence issues," Peters added.

The Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardernexpressed disappointment at the information provided by the ICRC and he refused to answer questions at his weekly press conference on Monday.

"The government remains of the opinion that it would be better if this case does not belong to the public domain"he said.

Peters said that information about the kidnapping had not been disclosed before, lest the public expose the hostages to a higher risk. The New Zealand media also agreed not to publish the news.

"In these situations, the priority must be the security of the hostage and we receive clear recommendations any advertisement would put Louisa even more in danger "said Peters.

The Director of Operations of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Dominik StillhartHe said that it was a "extremely difficult moment" for the families of the three kidnapped.

"Louisa is a sincere and compbadionate humanitarian. Alaa and Nabil were engaged colleagues and were an integral part of our aid deliveries, "he said.

"We call anyone with information to introduce themselves. If our colleagues are still abducted, we call for their immediate and unconditional release. "

Louisa Akavi I was a nurse "experienced, dedicated and recognized for his strength of character" Before his abduction, he had carried out 17 field missions for the New Zealand Red Cross and the ICRC, the statement said. Rajab and Bakdounes were "dedicated husbands and fathers," he added.

A spokesman for the Akavi family, Tuaine Robati, He said the woman was aware of the dangers she was facing.

"She's had a hard time working, but she's committed to him because she loves it"he said.

"Louisa is a nurse and an extremely experienced humanitarian badistant who knew the risks of her job," she added.She misses our family a lot and is worried about her safety. "

The war in Syria, which began in 2011, killed more than 370,000 people and forced millions of people are fleeing their homes.

Kurdish democratic forces led by the Kurds and supported by a US-led coalition, captured the last stronghold of the Islamic State in eastern Syria on March 23 and arrested thousands of suspected fighters from the terrorist group.

But that could make it more difficult for Akavi to search.

The Red Cross has 98 foreign workers and 580 Syrians working in the country.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights accuses the Islamic State of having kidnapped thousands of people since 2014.