Brother of slain U.S. hostage: Swap with Taliban raised IS demands

Islamic State militants who held American aid worker Kayla Mueller increased demands for her release after the US agreed to swap an Army soldier for five Taliban prisoners, her brother said on the U.S. television network NBC. The controversial prisoner exchange involving Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl and the Afghan Taliban occurred less than a year after Ms Mueller was captured by IS in Aleppo, Syria.

That made the whole situation worse because that’s when the demands got greater. They got larger. They realised that they had something.

Eric Mueller on NBC

The White House has defended the swap, insisting that the United States has a sacred commitment to men and women who serve that it will never leave anyone behind on the battlefield. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the Mueller family had been put in a difficult position by the U.S. policy against making concessions to terrorists, but he defended it as being in the best interests of the nation. Bergdahl was freed last May after five years in captivity. The 28-year-old faces possible desertion charges over allegations he had abandoned his post prior to his capture in June 2009.

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