Kathrine Frich
A former CIA officer says several regions remain so volatile that even seasoned intelligence personnel struggle to operate safely inside them.
John Kiriakou, who travelled to 72 countries during his years with the CIA, said he rarely worked in stable environments.
“I never got to go to the nice places,” he joked, adding that “almost all of them were just awful.”
He told the outlet that some parts of the world remain so unpredictable that travellers, and even diplomatic teams, are exposed to kidnapping, ambushes or sudden outbreaks of violence.
Below are the five places he named as the most dangerous, based on his own missions.
Yemen
Kiriakou described Yemen as the most extreme example, citing unrest, terrorism, kidnappings and widespread lawlessness. He visited the country five times and said each mission was worse than the last.
By his final trip, he explained, American personnel were restricted to a single fortified hotel protected by a nine-metre blast wall. Shortly after he arrived, he said a convoy carrying South Korean diplomats was ambushed. “They were all killed. Six of them.”
Days later, he added, a second South Korean delegation investigating the attack was also ambushed and killed. “That’s a pretty dangerous country,” he concluded.
Somalia
Somalia, which has faced decades of conflict and insurgency, also made Kiriakou’s list.
While he did not recount a specific mission there in his interview, he said that it remains one of the places where “you have to sleep with one eye open.”
This is due to armed groups, limited government control and the constant threat of attacks.
Gaza
Gaza, long at the centre of regional clashes, was cited as another territory where conditions can shift instantly.
Kiriakou said instability and recurrent violence make it one of the world’s most dangerous environments for outsiders, especially during periods of active conflict.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan also remains high-risk, he said, referencing years of insurgency, terrorism and attacks targeting international personnel.
According to Kiriakou, travellers can never assume stability:
“You just never know how bad things are gonna get.”
Pakistan (selected regions)
Kiriakou specified that parts of Pakistan are among the most dangerous places he visited.
Certain regions, particularly those affected by militant activity or political unrest, were described as unpredictable and hostile even for trained intelligence officers.
Policy tensions in Washington
Kiriakou’s warnings come as President Donald Trump plans a new immigration ban covering 32 countries and an additional review of “high-risk” migrants who entered the US under earlier policies.
The move follows the fatal shooting of a National Guard member in Washington, D.C., involving an Afghan national who had been granted asylum.
He criticised the administration’s foreign-policy approach, saying:
“I’ve never seen an administration that works so hard to offend and alienate our friends.”
Responding to Trump’s earlier comments about potentially taking over Canada, he added: “Threatening to invade Canada? That’s an act of war.”
Sources: LADbible Stories, US State Department
