Erik Rye was identified as the director of the Hostage Working Group at the US Embassy in Baghdad in an editorial 3 in the International Herald Tribune on May 17, 2006.
Rye's work in Baghdad was featured in the book "The Forever War" by Dexter Filkins.
Based in part on his experiences in Baghdad, he went on to author a book that addressed the underpinnings of extremist violence and existential conflict, called "Death Sickness and the Need to Believe".
Rye wrote an Op-Ed in the New York Times in May 2006 while director of the hostage working groups that provided details about the nature of kidnappings in Iraq [1] A similar story appeared in the New York Times, also in May, 2006, that provided additional details about the tactics of hostage crises.
[3] A statement issued September 7, 2006 by the White House 4 identified another group working out of the US Embassy in Baghdad, the Office of Hostage Affairs.