"the government would have done better to have opened talks with the kidnappers,"
Apparently your son disagreed.
"the government would have done better to have opened talks with the kidnappers," Apparently your son disagreed.
I sympathize with the parents, but pray they will seek to know in their hearts what their brave son would want them to do. I'm nearly certain such a man would find it unthinkable to "open talks with kidnappers".