A security analyst says it's hard to know whether identifying a snatched Kiwi nurse will put her at risk, because it's not known where she is.

Louisa Akavi was taken hostage by ISIS in 2013.

She was last seen in December, in a clinic, in what was one of the last ISIS-controlled villages in Syria.

Five and half years since she was taken, the International Red Cross has chosen to name her in the hope it will help it track her down.

Our Government, which is also trying to find her, is not happy with that decision.

Strategic analyst Paul Buchanan told Mike Yardley they seem to be on different pages as to where she might be.

"The Red Cross believes releasing her name would make it easier for members of the Middle Eastern public to recognise her and deliver her to freedom.

"However, the Government clearly believes that she could still be in the hands of hostile forces, and therefore releasing her name would jeopardise her life."

Buchanan says this is likely just a difference of opinion that comes from having two different teams of people looking for her. 

"Perhaps our forces have a very strong reason to believe she is still in the hands of IS." 

He believes her medical skills are what's kept her alive. Buchanan says that puts her in a better position than most hostages.

"One thing that I think has helped save her life is that ISIS is desperate for medical personnel. They have taken a lot of battlefield wounded, they are in desperate straits when it comes to medical help."

Buchanan says that is the main reason why she would have been targeted.