Jordan Denies ISIS Claim That American Hostage Died in an Airstrike
The Islamic State claims that retaliatory airstrikes from Jordan have killed an American woman being held hostage by the group, according to the New York Times—while Jordanian officials are strenuously denying ISIS' claims, calling the release "just another PR stunt."
ISIS reportedly posted a statement about the woman's alleged death on Twitter; the SITE Intelligence Group later published the message. From SITE:
The criminal Crusader coalition aircraft bombarded a site outside the city of ar-Raqqah today at noon while the people were performing the Friday prayer. The air assaults were continuous on the same location for more than an hour.
Allah made their pursuit disappointed and deterred their cunning, and no mujahid was injured in the bombardment, and all praise is due to Allah.
It was confirmed to us the killing of an American female hostage by fire of the shells dropped on the site, and she is Kayla Jean Mueller.
The U.S. State Department told Reuters that it cannot yet confirm Mueller's death. Jordanian officials tell the Daily Beast that ISIS is lying about the airstrike:
A Jordanian official denied ISIS' claims that Mueller was killed in one of the country's air strikes. "This is just another PR stunt," the official told The Daily Beast. "This is just part of their whole media-spinning strategy. They're trying to throw a wedge in the coalition" to combat ISIS. The official noted that ISIS has manipulated the public before when it comes to the status of hostages, most recently by seeming to claim that the Jordanian pilot was alive when he'd really been killed weeks ago.
Mueller—believed to be the last American held hostage by ISIS—was kidnapped a year and a half ago while traveling in Aleppo, Syria, with her Syrian boyfriend. In August, ISIS demanded a $6.6 million ransom for the 26-year-old's release. Prior to ISIS's statement (and a slip-up by the White House chief of staff), Mueller had not been publicly named out of concerns for her safety.
#ISIS: Due to airstrike near Raqqah today, "It was confirmed to us the killing of the American...Kayla Jean Mueller" pic.twitter.com/fXev9Opa1c
— Rita Katz (@Rita_Katz) February 6, 2015
Jordan's bombing campaign was launched in retaliation for ISIS burning one of their pilot's alive last month. Video of that brutal killing was posted online earlier this week.