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Al-Assad Says No Direct Talks with U.S. On Strikes; White House Confirms U.S. ISIS Hostage Kayla Mueller Dead

Aired February 10, 2015 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.

We begin with the war on ISIS and new developments on several fronts. The United Arab Emirates, the UAE, is resuming its airstrikes on ISIS. Back in December the UAE suspended its role in the coalition strikes after the capture of that Jordanian pilot.

ISIS releases a new video of the British journalist John Cantlie. He's believed to be one of the last Western hostages. According to new intelligence, ISIS is developing plans to abduct more Westerners from around the region.

And Syria's president says the U.S. keeps him in the dark about strikes on ISIS fighters in his own country. That's according to his interview with the BBC. Bashar al-Assad says third parties like Iraq will communicate vague information, but nothing tactical.

So let's focus on that wide-ranging interview with Syria's president.

For several years the U.S. has led a Western course calling for Bashar al-Assad to step down. And despite sharing a common enemy in ISIS, al-Assad shows no interest in bowing to his critics.

CNN's Arwa Damon is in Istanbul, Turkey. She joins us with more.

Hi, Arwa.

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi. And arguably President Bashar al-Assad is perhaps more confident at this stage, it would seem from that interview in the BBC, than he has been in recent times, maintaining his position that he will not cooperate with the United States, whom he says is backing terrorists. That is how Bashar al-Assad refers to the Syrian opposition, the Syrian rebel groups.

Also saying that the information that's being shared is not tactical information. It's not any sort of specifics and all of that coming through third party nations such as Iraq.

It was a very broad ranging interview. And one of the key points that was brought up is this issue of the barrel bombs. Now with the war on ISIS that has been taking place, a lot of attention has been on that terrorist organization, and very little attention has been on the reality that the Syrian regime continues to indiscriminately bombard various neighborhoods with these barrel bombs. But in the interview, Assad denied the fact that his government is

using this indiscriminate weapon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEREMY BOWEN, BBC MIDDLE EAST EDITOR: What about barrel bombs? You don't deny that your forces use them.

PRES. BASHAR AL-ASSAD, SYRIA: I know about the army, they use bullets, missiles, and bombs. I haven't heard of army using barrels or maybe cooking --

BOWEN: Large barrels full of explosives and projectiles which are dropped from helicopters and explode with devastating effect. There's been a lot of testimony about these things.

AL-ASSAD: They are called bombs. We have bombs, missiles and bullets.

BOWEN: So you would -- but you wouldn't deny that included under the category of bombs are these barrel bombs, which are indiscriminate weapons.

AL-ASSAD: No. There's no indiscriminate --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAMON: That statement has understandably incensed a number of Syrian activists that we have been speaking to over the course of the release of that interview. They have been feeling the brunt of these barrel bombs. The video emerging from areas that these barrel bombs are targeting are absolutely horrific.

A barrel bomb is a very crude weapon. It's effectively a gallon drum packed with explosives, shrapnel, tossed out of helicopters into neighborhoods. These barrel bombs have also possibly killed and displaced more Syrians than the violence brought on by ISIS. Millions of them fleeing areas that the regime has been targeting well before ISIS even emerged as a force within the Syrian battlefield.

Activists also saying that Bashar al-Assad's attitude, his tone in this interview is an indication he's either in complete denial of what is taking place, has absolutely lost his mind or is simply living in an alternate reality.

What these activists want to see and what they have been saying from the very beginning is whilst there is all this focus on trying to defeat ISIS, which yes, is a good thing, this coalition, this U.S.-led coalition has to also be focusing on trying to protect the Syrian population from the regime of Bashar al-Assad -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Arwa Damon, thanks so much. Thank you so much.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

COSTELLO: All right. I was a little distracted by this breaking news because I'm sorry to have to report this. But the president of the United States has released a statement from the White House saying that Kayla Mueller is dead, and I'm just going to read this to you because I just got it.

He says, "It is with profound sadness that we have learned of the death of Kayla Jean Mueller. On behalf of the American people, Michelle and I convey our deepest condolences to Kayla's family, her parents Marsha and Carl, and her brother Eric and his family, and all of those who loved Kayla dearly. At the time -- at this time of unimaginable suffering, the country shares in their grief."

As you know, ISIS claimed that a Jordanian airstrike over Syria killed Kayla. There's no information in the statement that I can see about how exactly Kayla was killed but the last paragraph of the White House's statement reads like this.

Quote, "ISIL is a hateful and abhorrent terrorist group whose actions stand in stark contrast to the spirit of people like Kayla. On this day we take comfort in the fact that the future belongs not to those who destroy but rather to the irrepressible force of human goodness that Kayla Mueller shall forever represent."

You know, I just talked to one of Kayla's former professors yesterday. She was in Zimbabwe doing humanitarian work. And she spoke of Kayla in such glowing terms. She said she was such a loving soul and all she wanted to do was help needy people in Syria. She wanted to spread love around the world and do good things and then somehow in 2013 she was captured by ISIS and held in captivity.

No word was mentioned of the American woman who was held by ISIS but then we came to know that the name of that person, which was Kayla Mueller, when ISIS claimed she was killed by a Jordanian airstrike.

Let's head live to the White House right now and CNN correspondent Michelle Kosinski. She has more on this.

Good morning.

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol, yes, well, what we're trying to find out from the White House is, you know, they put out this lengthy statement using this language talking about Kayla representing what is best about America. She epitomized all that is good in our world. I mean, the statement from the president quotes Kayla Mueller. Talks about her experience. You read some of it just then.

But what it does not say is how the White House learned that she is in fact deceased and was killed by ISIS, and they give no detail about what evidence exists to that effect. So we reached out to the National Security Council. But it's interesting that they put this out and in such a long form, but so far aren't giving any more information as to how they even came to know that this is in fact true. So that's what we wait for. That's the -- you know, the additional detail we want to know here -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Yes. I think that will -- I mean, maybe they're still trying to figure that out at this point.

I just got a statement from the Mueller family, Michelle, and I want to share it with our audience. Quote, "We are heartbroken to share that we've received confirmation that Kayla Jean Mueller lost her life. Kayla was a compassionate and devoted humanitarian. She dedicated the whole of her young life to helping those in need of freedom, justice and peace."

In a letter to her father on his birthday in 2011, Kayla wrote, quote, "I find God in the suffering eyes reflected in mine. If this is how you are revealed to me, this is how I will forever seek you. I will always seek God. Some people find God in church. Some people find God in nature. Some people find God in love. I find God in suffering. I have known for sometime what my life's work is, using my hands as tools to relieve suffering."

Kayla was drawn to help those displaced by the Syrian civil war. She first traveled to Turkey in December 2012 to provide humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees. She told us of the great joy she took in helping Syrian children and their families. We are so proud of the person Kayla was and the work that she did while she was here with us. She lived with purpose and we will work every day to honor her legacy.

My, our hearts are breaking for our only daughter but we will continue on in peace, dignity and love for her. We remain heartbroken also for the families of the other captives who did not make it home safely and who will remain in our thoughts and prayers. We pray for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Syria.

The family has requested that in lieu of flowers and following Kayla's mission of humanitarian work, donations be made to causes that Kayla would have supported. Additional information will be made available in the coming week.

She was like -- she just like an amazing young woman. It's just so sad.

I want to take you to Washington and check in with Pamela Brown, our justice correspondent.

I know you're reporting the FBI was going to great lengths to try to find Kayla. Do you know anything more?

PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: I do have some information, Carol. Of course after ISIS made the claims, as you said, analysts were working around the clock to verify what ISIS said. And what I can tell you is that new information, new compelling information, I'm told, surfaced after ISIS made the claims that Kayla Mueller died in the Jordanian airstrike on Friday and that information, I'm told, was not conclusive, though, but they looked at a variety of factors.

They looked at this new information as well as the fact that why would ISIS say that she died and then let her actually surface alive. And there are other factors as well that they took into consideration to come to this conclusion. The U.S. government, for a couple of days now, Carol, has reached that

conclusion that she was likely dead but of course they wanted to consult with the family and let the family reach that conclusion on their own and now we know that they are coming out and expressing their sadness over her death.

What's interesting here, Carol, is that the U.S. government, I'm being told, still does not know definitively how Kayla Mueller died, whether she died in that airstrike or whether she died before in another way or even after that airstrike. So that is still very much a mystery and something that U.S. intelligence analysts are still trying to figure out right now -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. I have Kyung Lah on the phone right. She talked with friends of Kayla's family.

Kyung, what are you hearing?

KYUNG LAH, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via phone): We haven't heard anything yet. But this has been, you know, what we had expected. That the family would try to issue a statement. They've been very, very guarded about speaking before cameras. This is a family where the father had an auto body shop before he sold it when he wanted to focus on trying to find his daughter. This is a family that does not like to be showy.

From everything we've heard, the family was simply trying to be as low key as possible so that they could cling onto that hope that if they kept following the ISIS demand of not speaking, of trying to keep her name out of the press until they released it on Friday, that maybe, maybe this might be some twisted ploy. From everything we have heard from friends who are in that inner circle, they remain hopeful until the very, very end -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Thank you, Kyung Lah reporting live from Prescott, Arizona.

On the phone with me now is Carol Thompson, a former professor of Kayla Mueller's.

Carol, thanks for joining me again. I know this must be so difficult. But what's going through your mind?

CAROL THOMPSON, KAYLA MUELLER'S FORMER PROFESSOR: What's going through my mind is Kayla's words of where is the world and then let me add we are the world, and I hope her death and the death of the other hostages will unite the world to stop this cycle of violence and vengeance. And so Kayla says where is the world, and let's say we are the world.

COSTELLO: You know, her family released a statement, Carol, and they released part of a letter that she'd written to her father on his birthday and she said to him, I will always seek God. Some people find God in church. Some people find God in nature. Some people find God in love. I find God in suffering.

What did she mean by that?

THOMPSON: Kayla always was teaching me -- she was my professor in teaching me that we extend humanity and compassion to those we understand the least. And she included those who were suffering the most. So it's not only that she was attentive to and I would say obviously joined the suffering of those who have given the most in these horrible wars but that she was teaching me it's most difficult to understand those with whom we disagree profoundly. But she would find God in that disagreement.

COSTELLO: And she must have known that by doing the kind of work she was doing in that part of the world that she was risking her life.

THOMPSON: Absolutely. From day one. And she at the same time felt compelled to speak out as an American against the atrocities that were occurring, and to do -- and she also knew very much that she was doing only a small part, but she had to do the small part, though it was risky.

COSTELLO: All right. Carol Thompson, thank you so much for sharing your feelings about Kayla on this very sad day.

THOMPSON: Thank you. Thank you very much.

COSTELLO: I appreciate it.

I want to take you back to Washington. Michelle Kosinski has some more new information to share.

Take it away, Michelle.

KOSINSKI: All right. We just got a statement from the president's National Security Council answering at least a bit of the question that we had, saying over the weekend the family received a private message from Kayla's ISIL captors containing additional information. Once this information was authenticated by the intelligence community, they concluded that Kayla was deceased.

So it was a message from ISIS to Kayla's family that indicated or gave enough proof or enough verification that she had indeed been killed. No other information is given right now as far as time frame but I think what's interesting here as well is to see how long it takes. I mean, from the time that this was announced by ISIS that she had been killed and doubt was thrown about the manner that ISIS has said she was -- she had been killed by a Jordanian airstrike according to them, the White House said that the intelligence community was working on it immediately to try to corroborate or disprove that claim and it's taken up to this long.

I mean, that tells you what kind of information they can get either from people on the ground, which is scant or from communications. And it took this, a message directly from ISIS, the White House is now saying, to Kayla's family, that's how the information finally comes out.

And I think it's worth noting that in this lengthy statement that the president just released talking about Kayla and her life, they did include the line, no matter how long it takes the United States will find and bring to justice the terrorists who are responsible for Kayla's captivity and death. So we do know now a little bit more about why they are definitely saying that Kayla Mueller has been killed by ISIS -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Michelle Kosinski, thanks so much.

We want to go back to Kyung Lah. She's in Prescott, Arizona.

And you've been talking to a family friend. Have you -- it's just saw eerie that ISIS was communicating with this family up until, what, a couple of days ago, yesterday?

LAH: Well, you may recall, Carol, that the family had sent out a statement asking ISIS to reach out to them directly. They wanted ISIS to reach them through what we heard through a family friend was the, quote, "original channels." We never got any clarification of what those original channels are. But that's what they wanted. They wanted ISIS to each them directly and privately.

So what Michelle is reporting right now, the family got what they wanted. They wanted an end. They wanted some sort of proof. And publicly they weren't saying anything, you know, from here in Prescott. They were continuing to say that they didn't have it. That they were hoping that she was still alive. But yesterday they didn't say anything. We didn't speak to many family friends. It was very, very quiet. And you know, that may be the family got the message and that certainly seems to piece together -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Yes. Back to Washington and Pamela Brown. You have more on that statement that Michelle Kosinski imparted to our audience. Tell us more.

BROWN: Absolutely. And that was the new information that we were talking about earlier, Carol. What I can tell you is that this was all unfolding on Saturday. That is when intelligence officials received this new information through the direct message through the family and from there they began to vet it to make sure that it was credible and that it did in fact to them, you know, lead them to the conclusion that she died.

But this -- what was sent to them, and of course we don't know exactly what that was, it was not conclusive, we're told. In other words, it doesn't tell them how she died and when she died. And that is still something that officials are trying to figure out. But I think on Saturday there was a growing sense within the U.S. government that Kayla Mueller had died based on this new information but of course they wanted to vet that and then -- and let the family come out first and say it.

COSTELLO: Right. I'm just reading in my inbox here, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has sent a statement and I'd like to read that to our audience.

He says, "On behalf of the men and women of the Department of Defense I extend my deepest condolences to the family of Kayla Mueller who died while being held hostage by ISIL and who was abducted while providing aid to victims of the conflict in Syria.

"The world is united in condemning ISIL's continued murder and imprisonment of innocents. As we join Kayla's family and loved ones in their grief, we also celebrate her selfless dedication to helping others. Her compassionate spirit will never be forgotten."

And I know, Pamela Brown, that intelligence shows that ISIS is running out of hostages and it's looking to capture more Westerners wherever they may be?

BROWN: That's right. This is really, really disturbing so we know that Kayla Mueller was the last known American hostage. John Cantlie is the last known Western hostage, he's a British journalist. And so we're being told through sources that ISIS has been developing plans over the last several months to kidnap more Western and international hostages and they may do that by going into refugee camps like refugee camps where Kayla Mueller worked, on the border there in Turkey and Lebanon and other places where they can kidnap people.

So it's very, very concerning for officials not just here in the U.S. but elsewhere knowing that ISIS is actively trying to kidnap more hostages that they can exploit as propaganda as we've been seeing, Carol. You saw the video yesterday. They used John Cantlie, the last known Western hostage, in a propaganda video, and he said that this is the last video in a series opening the question, will he be killed next?

COSTELLO: All right. I want to head to Turkey now and check in with Arwa Damon because she is an expert in that area. She's talked to known terrorists.

And, ISIS of course claims that Kayla Mueller was killed by a Jordanian airstrike. And they might have saying that to create a rift between Jordan and America, who knows, but they also might have said that because, would they want to be seen as -- would they want the world to see they kill women?

DAMON: It's very difficult to ascertain exactly what ISIS' motivations may have been when they did claim on Friday that Kayla Mueller was killed in a Jordanian airstrike. That could have perhaps been, because if you'll remember last week Jordan did launch a series of airstrikes, re-amped its effort in trying to target various ISIS locations following that horrific video we saw of the Jordanian pilot being set on fire by ISIS.

That incredibly brutal end brought about to his own life. We really don't know how exactly how it was that this young woman was killed or when she may have in fact had been killed. What we do know about her is that she, like so many others, was drawn to Syria because of humanitarian reasons. She first traveled there in December of 2012 working with a number of different humanitarian organizations.

In fact in a letter to her father, she wrote, "I find God in the suffering eyes reflected in mine. This is how you are revealed to me, this is how I will forever seek you."

she found God in suffering and she wrote back then that she'd known for quite some time that what her life's work is, would be using my hands as tools to relieve suffering and she found that calling, the answer to that calling when it came to the various humanitarian work she was doing with Syrian refugees along the Syria-Turkey border. She did travel into Syria and went missing in August 2013 just four days before her 25th birthday.

For months afterwards, her parents received no proof of life. And up until that claim that she had been killed last week, her name was under a blackout. Nothing was being reported on her. And a lot of details about her captivity and what transpired are for a number of reasons -- privacy and security -- at this stage not being disclosed.

But the sad news today that the family and the U.S. government do believe that she has in fact been killed. Her parents releasing a statement saying, "We are heartbroken to share that we have received confirmation that Kayla Jean Mueller has lost her life."

The family also, like the families of the other victims of ISIS' brutality, wanting not just to speak about their own personal loss but share the loss of all of the others. The other victims of ISIS. The family also saying, "We remain heartbroken for the families of other captives who did not make it home safely and who remain in our thoughts and prayers. We pray for a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Syria."

The family has also request that in lieu of flowers and following Kayla's mission of humanitarian work, donations be made to the causes that Kayla supported.

We're seeing in her family that same strength that we've seen in the families of the other hostages. That same attempt to try to remain stoic and to remind people that whilst they are yes, mourning deeply the loss of their loved ones, the world should not forget what it was that these individuals lost their lives for.

And that is trying to alleviate the humanitarian suffering when it comes to the conflict in Syria and this is humanitarian suffering that is not just brought on by ISIS, although they are in the spotlight at this stage. This is humanitarian suffering that is also being brought on by the brutality of the Syrian regime.

And in fact, when Kayla first traveled to the border between Turkey and Syria, again back in December of 2012, the vast majority of those refugees that she was trying to assist, the vast majority of those humanitarian missions that she was on were in fact helping out individuals that were fleeing the brutality of the Assad regime.

Back then ISIS did not exist as an entity that we are seeing it exist in today. They did not have those same capabilities.

Her family, the others that have come before her, something we hear repeated over and over again, we need to look at Syria as a whole. Families will say that, yes, their loved ones, their daughters and sons, lost their lives because of a humanitarian work that they were doing but the fight in Syria is not just about ISIS and defeating ISIS.

COSTELLO: Right.

DAMON: It's about trying to bring about an end to this sheer violence that has claimed so many lives in so many different ways.

COSTELLO: All right. Arwa Damon, thanks so much. Thanks to all of our fine correspondents. I appreciate it.

And again if you're just joining us, Kayla Mueller now confirmed dead at the hands of ISIS.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

COSTELLO: And it is with great sadness I report that Kayla Mueller, the young American woman being held hostage by ISIS, is dead. That's according to the White House and the Mueller family.

I just got a statement from the Mueller family moments ago. They say, "We are heartbroken to share that we've received confirmation that Kayla Jean Mueller has lost her life. Kayla was a compassionate and devoted humanitarian. She dedicated the whole of her young life to helping those in need of freedom, justice and peace."

Kyung Lah has been in Prescott, Arizona, she talked to a family friend and the Mueller family, well, needless to say, they've been through hell.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEN BENNETT, ARIZONA SECRETARY OF STATE: He told me that the capture of Kayla had happened just three or four days earlier.

LAH: The man he's talking about, Kayla Mueller's father. It had been three to four days since ISIS captured Kayla on August 4th, 2013. The threat from ISIS, talk about or release her name and they would execute her. Her father, in a fog of fear and pain, happened to hear then Arizona secretary of state, Kent Bennett, on the radio.

BENNETT: He was totally desperate and didn't know what to do. And turned to me just because I happen to be a few blocks away --

(END)