US President Barack Obama said that telling families of American hostages like Kayla Mueller that the US will not pay ransom for their release is "as tough as anything I do." Still, Obama defended the US government's no ransom policy hours after Mueller's family said it had received confirmation of her death from the IS group.
The President said that by paying ransom, the US would be strengthening terror groups and putting Americans at greater risk for future kidnappings.
He added that a rescue mission to recover Mueller and other hostages last summer probably missed them by "a day or two." Obama called Mueller an outstanding young woman with a great spirit that "will live on." He spoke in an interview Tuesday with BuzzFeed News.