Kayla Mueller, 26, is the most recent and fourth victim of ISIS from the United States. She first traveled to the Turkey-Syria border in December 2012 to work with organizations such as Support to Life and the Danish Refugee Council to help refugees who were displaced by the Syrian Civil War. She worked with these groups until she disappeared in August 2013 after entering the Syrian city of Aleppo.
During her year and a half in captivity, Mueller never stopped fighting and trying to find her way back to freedom. In a hand-written letter to her family from the spring of 2014, available to read here, Mueller stated, “None of us could have known it would be this long but I know I am also fighting from my side in the ways that I am able + I have a lot of fight left in me. I am not breaking down + I will not give in no matter how long it takes.”
Ms. Mueller survived 18 months in the captivity of ISIS, while many of her male counterparts were cruelly beheaded. It is possible in this case that being a woman was an advantage for Mueller, for counter-terrorism experts say, “The Islamic militants didn’t see her as a hostage or a bargaining chip and could have forced her into marriage.” Mueller was reportedly given to an Islamic State leader who was being tracked by intelligence agencies. Despite all of this, she wrote in her letter to her family, “ Please know I am in a safe location, completely unharmed + healthy (put on weight in fact); I have been treated w/ the utmost respect + kindness.”
ISIS, or ISIL, claimed that she was killed when the weapons storage facility where she was held in Raqqa, Syria was bombed in an airstrike. However, U.S. officials disagree, and Secretary of State John Kerry has stated, “ISIL, and ISIL alone, is the reason Kayla is gone.” U.S. officials determined that it was impossible to figure out exactly how Mueller died. ISIS notified Mueller’s parents about her death last weekend, and the FBI confirmed it soon after.
Many people and politicians have offered their condolences to the Mueller family. Senator John McCain (AZ-R) said, “The thoughts and prayers of the people of Arizona, America and the civilized world are with the Mueller family at this terrible hour.” Obama also vowed in a statement released on the subject of Mueller’s death, “No matter how long it takes, the United States will find and bring to justice the terrorists who are responsible for Kayla’s captivity and death.”
President Obama continued in his statement: “Kayla dedicated her life to helping others in need at home and around the world. In Prescott, Arizona, she volunteered at a women’s shelter and worked at an HIV/AIDS clinic. She worked with humanitarian organizations in India, Israel, and the Palestinian territories, compelled by her desire to serve others. Eventually, her path took her to Turkey, where she helped provide comfort and support to Syrian refugees forced to flee their homes during the war. Kayla’s compassion and dedication to assisting those in need shows us that even amongst unconscionable evil, the essential decency of humanity can live on.”