At that time, the nurse, Louisa Akavi, had been a hostage of Isis militants for a staggering four years. I became aware later of crisis meetings involving senior government ministers and officials as the prospect of Akavi being publicly executed looked close. The Government was also worried about contradicting anything Akavi told her captors. STUFF How Kiwi nurse Louisa Akavi was held captive by Islamic State since 2013 and why New Zealanders didn’t learn of her plight sooner. But I was later told ministers only approved putting boots on the ground in 2017.

Source: Stuff April 14, 2019 22:41 UTC