Islamic State aid hostage, Kayla Mueller, confirmed dead

US President Barack Obama confirmed the death of Kayla Mueller, a US aid worker who had been held hostage by Islamic State militants, saying the United States would “find and bring to justice the terrorists who are responsible”.

Mueller’s family said they were “heartbroken” to learn of her death and released a copy of a letter she wrote in 2014 while in captivity.

The comments by Obama and the family came four days after Islamic State said Mueller, a 26-year-old humanitarian worker from Arizona, was killed when Jordanian fighter jets bombed a building where she was being held, although Jordan expressed doubt about the Islamist militant group’s account of her death.