President Obama on February 10 confirmed the death of American humanitarian worker Kayla Jean Mueller, held captive by Daesh terrorists in Syria.
“Kayla dedicated her life to helping others in need at home and around the world,” Obama said in a White House statement on the 26-year-old’s death.
The young woman was just one of many Americans working within a variety of organizations to bring comfort and aid to the people of Syria.
Before Syria, Mueller volunteered at a women’s shelter and worked at an HIV/AIDS clinic in her home state of Arizona. Her desire to help others also led Mueller to join humanitarian efforts in India, Israel and the Palestinian Territories.
Daesh terrorists abducted Mueller in Syria while she worked for a group in southern Turkey that aids Syrian refugees.
“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,” Obama said.
Obama vowed to bring Mueller’s Daesh captors to justice.
“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,” Obama said.
Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement that while Daesh terrorists exploited the Syrian crisis to rule by violence, Mueller strove to do the opposite.
“She gave people hope even as their world fell apart around them,” Kerry said. “Kayla’s sense of values, her humanity and generosity, her idealism — this is what will endure, and it will endure long, long after the barbarity of ISIL is defeated.”
