The generally lawlessness in Iraq has made kidnapping — popular in Latin America for years — a lucrative business. From For Many Iraqis, A New Daily Fear: Wave of Kidnapping:
Iraq’s kidnapping epidemic, police say, began shortly after the country fell to the U.S. in April 2003. Gangs that had flourished by looting banks and businesses began abducting other criminals for ransom. The gangs soon realized it was easier, and more lucrative, to target civilians.