Kidnapped

Iraq | The terrorists’ stock in trade—abduction—sows chaos and fear among churches | Mindy Belz

Halfway between Kirkuk and Baghdad is a landmark intersection where the roads part and someone always sells citrus, pomegranates, dates, and nuts beneath some shade. It's a welcome stop on the four-hour drive, especially in the heat, and a happy diversion from checkpoints. Fadi Benosh, a youth pastor in Baghdad who spent the day in Kirkuk planning school activities and church programs, was on his way back to the capital, refreshed from just such a rest stop when his trip came to a full stop: Six men suddenly appeared in front of the taxi in which he was riding wearing masks and carrying "many, many kinds of weapons," Benosh recalls.

The men hustled Fadi from the taxi, stuffed him into the trunk of a car, and raced away. Already there was another man in the trunk. In all, this group of kidnappers would hustle six Iraqis from taxis in the vicinity that afternoon and transport them to a cave in a mountain. "I feel my life stop in that moment," said Benosh, "'Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ,' I called from the trunk. I could not think of anything else."