After a few days of uncertainty, the White House confirmed this morning that humanitarian worker Kayla Jean Mueller has lost her life while in the custody of ISIS militants. Her family had received word from her captors last weekend that she had been killed during Jordanian airstrikes and, while they are not exactly sure how her daughter died, they have now authenticated her death.
"We are heartbroken to share that we've received confirmation that Kayla Jean Mueller, has lost her life. 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," Carl and Marsha Mueller said in a statement that was issued this morning, Feb. 10.
They also released a copy of a heartbreaking letter that was written by Mueller while she was in captivity in late 2014.
Mueller was taken into captivity by ISIS in August 2013, while leaving a Syrian hospital. We now know that militants often grab hostages in countries like Syria because there is less security and more Westerners to choose from. According to her own account, Mueller was treated decently, even well at times, which is amazing when you realize that she was held by the same group that is responsible for the grisly decapitations of other hostages, such as James Foley and Peter Kassig.
President Barack Obama also confirmed Mueller's death while in captivity had been authenticated while speaking this morning. He also vowed that the United States will continue fighting to overturn this Islamic militant group.
Readers: Do you think the airstrikes against ISIS will be sufficient, or will we eventually be sending ground troops in to disable their stronghold? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.
