White House confirms death of aid worker

Gregory Korte | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Kayla Mueller family: 'The world mourns with us' Friend and family of Kayla Mueller, ISIS' latest victim, remember her as a generous and accepting person.



WASHINGTON — The White House confirmed the death of American aid worker Kayla Jean Mueller on Tuesday, four days after Islamic State militants claimed she had been killed by Jordanian airstrikes in Syria.

"It is with profound sadness that we have learned of the death of Kayla Jean Mueller," President Obama said in a statement. "On behalf of the American people, Michelle and I convey our deepest condolences to Kayla's family."

Obama's statement sheds no further light on how Mueller, 26, was killed. U.S. national security officials have said they had no

evidence to support claims that she was killed by U.S.-allied operations against the Islamic State, also known as ISIL or ISIS.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said intelligence officials were able to confirm that she had died, but not the time or cause of her death.

He said there was no evidence that civilians were in the area of a targeted Islamic State munitions facility when it was struck by the Royal Jordanian Air Force on Feb 6.

"That would call into question" the Islamic State's claims that the airstrikes caused her death, Earnest said. "What's not open to question is that ISIL, regardless of what caused her death, is responsible for it."

Earnest confirmed that there is at least one other American hostage being held in ISIL-controlled territory, but he would not discuss the details of the case.

The confirmation of Mueller's death came over the weekend, officials said. "The family received a private message from Kayla's ISIL captors containing additional information. Once this information was authenticated by the intelligence community, they concluded that Kayla was deceased," said Bernadette Meehan, an NSC spokeswoman.

Mueller went to the Turkish-Syrian border in December 2012 to help help refugees from the Syrian civil war. She was captured Aug. 4, 2013 —10 days

before her 25th birthday, the family said.

Her family kept her captivity a secret for 18 months, until Islamic State militants claimed last Friday that she had been killed in a Jordanian airstrike.

Obama had spoken to the Mueller family twice in recent days, but agreed to allow the family to make the announcement of Mueller's death, Earnest said. The Mueller family released a statement Tuesday morning.

"We are so proud of the person Kayla was and the work that she did while she was here with us. She lived with purpose, and we will work every day to honor her legacy," said the statement from her parents, Carl and Marsha Mueller, and her brother, Eric Mueller.

"Our hearts are breaking for our only daughter, but we will continue on in peace, dignity, and love for her," the family said. "We remain heartbroken, also, for the families of the other captives who did not make it home safely and who remain in our thoughts and prayers. We pray for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Syria."

The family released a letter Kayla Mueller wrote from captivity in the spring of 2014, evidently delivered by a released hostage.

"If you could say I have 'suffered' at all throughout this whole experience it is only in knowing how much suffering I have put you all through; I will never ask you to forgive me as I do not deserve forgiveness," she told her family. "I DO NOT want the negotiations for my release to be your duty. If there is any other option take it, even if it takes more time. This should never have become your burden."

Kayla Mueller's 'heartbroken' family confirms her death Kayla Mueller's family and President Obama released statements after learning that the 26-year-old Arizona native has been killed, confirming earlier reports. She had been held hostage by the Islamic State since 2013.

The Islamic State had asked for a $6.6 million ransom for Mueller, but the United States forbids paying ransoms.

Earnest said that policy has not changed. "The reason for that is that ISIL relies on hostage-taking and ransom-paying to finance their operations. it only makes Americans an even greater target than they already are," he said.

"As difficult as it is to be in a situation that was being faced by the Muellers, it's not surprising that the family would try to do anything they could do for their daughter," Earnest said.

The federal government is reviewing how it deals with the families of hostages, but Earnest said the ransom policy is not up for discussion.

Follow @gregorykorte on Twitter.