America
US woman held hostage by IS confirmed dead
New York, Feb 10
The US has confirmed the
death of aid worker Kayla Mueller, who was held hostage by the Islamic
State (IS) terrorist group after being captured in Syria, media reported
Tuesday.
"We are heartbroken to share that we've received
confirmation that Kayla Jean Mueller, has lost her life," a statement
from the family read.
"Kayla was a compassionate and devoted
humanitarian. She dedicated the whole of her young life to helping those
in need of freedom, justice, and peace," the family said, CNN reported.
President
Barack Obama offered his condolences to the young woman's family and
vowed to "bring to justice the terrorists who are responsible". Mueller
"represents what is best about America", he said.
On Friday, IS
claimed that Mueller -- captured in northern Syria in 2013 -- had been
killed in a building that was hit during a Jordanian airstrike on Raqqa,
the militants' de facto capital in Syria. At the time, IS offered no
proof to back up its claim, other than an image of a badly damaged
building.
Over the weekend, the IS sent the family a private
message, National Security Council spokesperson Bernadette Meehan said
Tuesday.
"Once this information was authenticated by the intelligence community, they concluded that Kayla was deceased," Meehan said.
The
new information does not clarify how Mueller died, a law enforcement
source familiar with the case said on condition of anonymity.
Mueller's relatives Tuesday also released a handwritten letter that they say she wrote while in captivity in spring 2014.
Mueller
fell into the hands of hostage-takers in August 2013 in Aleppo, Syria,
her family said, after leaving a Doctors Without Borders hospital.
Her
family said IS contacted them in May with proof that she was alive. The
militants eventually said they would kill her if the family didn't pay
nearly $7 million by Aug 13, according to a source close to the family.