A seasoned ex-CIA operative has revealed which countries are best avoided if personal safety is a priority.
The Department of State has a comprehensive list detailing countries that U.S. citizens should reconsider visiting, particularly those under a Level 4 advisory, which explicitly advises against travel.
Top of this list are countries such as Iran, Ukraine, Sudan, Syria, and Russia, among others. The reasons for these advisories include ongoing war, unrest, terrorism, and the high risk of kidnappings, hostage situations, or wrongful detentions involving U.S. citizens.
John Kiriakou, a former CIA spy and whistleblower, has shared insights into his career with America’s main intelligence agency for LADBible Stories, along with his views on which countries he deems particularly hazardous.
John mentioned that there are ‘several’ concerning countries, stating, “and I’ve been to all of them. I never got to go to the nice places,” he quipped.
“I went to 72 countries with the CIA, and almost all of them were just awful.
“Some of the most dangerous places in the world are Yemen, Somalia, Gaza, Afghanistan, parts of Pakistan,” he added. “You have to sleep with one eye open. You just never know how bad things are gonna get.”
For instance, John recounted his visits to Yemen, not just once, but five times.
Yemen is currently classified as Level 4 by the US travel advisory, due to factors like unrest, crime, health risks, kidnapping, or hostage situations, terrorism, and other serious considerations.
According to John, each visit felt progressively more dangerous.
“The fifth and final time that I went, we were only allowed to stay at one hotel. The hotel had a 30-foot-high wall around it to protect it from bomb blasts. You couldn’t stay in any of the other hotels by then,” he described.
“Well, the day after I arrived, a group of South Korean diplomats arrived, and on the drive to the airport to the hotel, they were ambushed, and they were all killed. Six of them.”
Unfortunately, this was not the end of the incidents, as John explained that another group of South Korean intelligence officers who came to investigate were also ambushed and killed.
“And so the South Koreans just closed their embassy and went home. That’s a pretty dangerous country,” John concluded.
His comments come amid plans by President Donald Trump to introduce a new immigration ban affecting 32 countries, in addition to an existing 19, following an incident where two National Guard members were shot in Washington, D.C., leaving one dead.
The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, entered the US in 2021 and was granted asylum earlier this year.
Trump’s proposed plan would limit entry to the US from certain countries and includes placing an ‘adjudicative hold’ on asylum and citizenship applications, as well as reviewing residents from ‘high-risk countries’ who entered under former President Joe Biden’s administration in 2021.
Regarding US foreign policy, John expressed that it is currently a ‘complete and utter disaster’.
“I’ve never seen an administration that works so hard to offend and alienate our friends,” he remarked, referencing Trump’s earlier comments about potentially taking over Canada.
“Threatening to invade Canada? That’s an act of war,” he said.
“Even if you’re joking, why would you even joke like that, our loud?”