WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Local media reported earlier on Tuesday that the US government will stop prosecuting families of American hostages for attempting to negotiate ransom with hostage takers.
Too many suffering families, the release argued, of those abducted by terrorists have been “left in the dark” with respect to US government efforts to release hostages.
“[Cardin and Cornyn] introduced legislation today establishing an Interagency Hostage Recovery Coordinator… to properly coordinate a unified government response to hostage situations,” the release said on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, US President Barack Obama will issue an Executive Order with an updated hostage policy, according to the White House.
US journalists James Foley, Luke Somers and Steven Sotloff, in addition to aid workers Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller, were abducted and killed by terrorist groups, according to the release.
Aid worker Warren Weinstein was killed in a US drone strike while being held hostage on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, the release added.
In April 2015, the White House announced that the US government was in the process of creating an interagency “fusion cell” that would deal with securing the return of US hostages.
The cell would be comprised of US federal agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the departments of Defense and State, as well as other agencies in the intelligence community.
