Islamic State (Daesh) militants claim that a US hostage, after being held for 18 months, has been killed by a Jordanian air strike, The Independent reported.
In a message posted on social media by the militants, ISIS said 26-year-old Kayla Mueller died when Jordanian planes struck targets close to Raqqa, the de facto capital of ISIS-controlled territory.
"The failed Jordanian aircraft killed an American female hostage,” the message said, according to the New York Times. “No [fighter] was injured in the bombardment, and all praise is due to Allah.”
The aid worker was seized in August 2013 while working with Syrians in Aleppo who had been displaced by the ongoing civil war. ISIS demanded $6 million and the release of imprisoned neuroscientist Aafia Siddiqui in exchange for the woman last year. The US has a stringent policy against negotiating with terrorists.
Jordan had stepped up its air strikes against ISIS after the group burned Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasasbeh alive. His plane crashed in December during an operation against militant targets.
