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US Congressmen Call for Consistent Support for American Hostages Abroad

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US Senator Ben Carding said that United States needs a coordinated and dependable approach to provide greater protections for US citizens working abroad and consistent support if they are taken hostage.

Warren Weinstein, an American doctor who was kidnapped in Pakistan by al-Qaeda in 2011, was killed accidentally in January during a United States drone strike. - Sputnik International
US Should Create ‘Hostage Czar’ to Recover American Hostages - Congressman
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) The United States needs a coordinated and dependable approach to provide greater protections for US citizens working abroad and consistent support if they are taken hostage, US Senator Ben Carding said in a statement on Wednesday.

“We… commit ourselves to ensuring better safeguards for the men and women who work on behalf of our nation to relieve suffering and empower local peoples around the world, and greater support for their families,” Cardin said.

The Senator issued the statement after the passage of two resolutions in Congress on Tuesday that urged the US government to adopt improved policies regarding hostages and their families.

The resolutions, co-introduced by Senator Barbara Mikulski and Congressman John Delaney, also commemorated US citizen Warren Weinstein, who died in a US airstrike in January 2015 while he was held hostage by al-Qaeda terrorists in Pakistan.

In 2002, US President George W. Bush signed a policy on hostage negotiations, which stated that ransoms can be paid only if doing so helps to gain intelligence about terrorist organizations, but not for the sole purpose of rescuing US citizens.

In November 2014, US President Barack Obama ordered a review of US government policy regarding American hostages taken abroad amid recent increase in such incidents.

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