Deployment of workers to Iraq has been halted after the reported hostage-taking of a Filipino man by gunmen
The country mentioned is Iraq, which is in the middle east.
Iraq is without a doubt in the middle east, as basic geography and media coverage has taught even the most uneducated of people - therefore, my statement is definitely correct. I think the system had difficulty because it does not understand the geography of our world. 
( z1 mention :ARG1 ( z2 country :name ( z3 name :op "Iraq" ) :location ( z4 world-region :name ( z5 name :op "Middle" :op "East" ) ) ) )