There are still reports of kidnappings, or attempted kidnappings, every month, a BBC correspondent says.
Syria's conflict, as the kidnappings attest, is increasingly splitting the region along sectarian lines.
The Lebanon kidnappings underscored the fragile balance in the country, where sectarian tensions are deep.
Experts say it is impossible to know the exact number because many kidnappings go unreported.
Are we so confident and are we so sure that it will encourage further kidnappings?
Situations relating to the priests' kidnappings "have not been clarified, " said the group's director, Gaston Chillier.
There are slightly fewer kidnappings than there were, but still more than 3, 000 last year.
"Kidnappings are down by 33% and we have managed to dismantle many criminal organisations, " he said.
Homicides and kidnappings have diminished by 23% and 32%, respectively during the first eight months of 2003.
Shiites started fleeing about nine months ago when they became the targets of threats, kidnappings and killings.
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Kidnappings and armed robberies have increased since a popular uprising ousted Egypt's long-ruling dictator, Hosni Mubarak, last year.
He has already had some success in tackling crime, especially the rampant kidnappings that have terrorised many businessmen.
Kidnappings and cartel violence are prominent among the U.S. State Department's lengthy set of warnings about travel in Mexico.
In Mexico, ninety-six per cent of kidnappings are never reported, according to a recent study by a risk-consulting firm.
Kenya has responded to the spate of kidnappings by sending troops into Somalia on Sunday to fight the militants.
Ackerman said kidnappings are becoming more common in Mexico, Central America, Brazil, Chechnya, the Philippines and, recently, in Haiti.
He said the fight also killed 13 "criminals" suspected in kidnappings and robberies.
He adds that certain technologies (again, think alarm systems and CCTV) can be put in place to deter kidnappings.
But Rep. Posey fears bank information may lead to kidnappings or terrorist actions.
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Mexico has captured headlines because of violence and kidnappings by drug cartels that routinely spills over into broader society.
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The lawmaker said he was especially alarmed by the footage of mock kidnappings.
General Serrano failed to cut kidnappings or to make daily life more secure.
The move follows a surge in murders and kidnappings in the country, many linked to drug cartels and organised crime.
The kidnappings are the latest of several recent attacks on Awakening Councils which are often made up of Sunni Muslims.
Kroll, a security company based in New York, estimates that half of all the world's kidnappings occur in Latin America.
Kenyan soldiers entered Somalia to pursue the al-Shabab insurgent group after a spate of attacks and kidnappings in northern Kenya.
For a given rise in police numbers, kidnappings fell in line with the expansion of mobile coverage in each area.
The marines were hunting down Abu Sayyaf members, who were believed to be behind recent kidnappings for ransom in the area, he said.
He lamented that the war has stricken a defenseless people aspiring to peace, and decried the "plague of kidnappings" in Syria.
At a news conference, authorities would not discuss the circumstances of the women's kidnappings or give further details about their ordeals.
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