Islamic State militants have claimed that a female United States hostage was killed on Friday, February 6, 2015 during a Jordanian airstrike in northern Syria as part of the country’s retaliation for the killing of a captured pilot held hostage by the group.
A message published by the SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks jihadist activity, revealed that the female hostage was killed when the building where she was being held in Raqqa collapsed in the airstrike.
“The failed Jordanian aircraft killed an American female hostage,” the message said. “No mujahid was injured in the bombardment, and all praise is due to allah.”
The 26-year-old aid worker was captured in Syria in 2013 after she drove into Aleppo with her Syrian boyfriend, The New York Times reported. Her colleagues received a proof-of-life video a few months later, showing her wearing a hijab and begging for her life.
U.S. officials and her family have requested that her name be withheld to protect her and her family from future jeopardy. The terrorist group had reportedly demanded more than $6 million for her release, The Daily Beast reported.
