Obama seeks review of government response to hostage-taking

A top Pentagon official wrote in a letter to Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-California, that President Obama had ordered a "comprehensive review of the U.S. Government policy on overseas terrorist-related hostage cases, with specific emphasis on examining family engagement, intelligence collection and diplomatic engagement policies."Hunter has advocated for a tougher U.S. response when Americans are taken captive overseas. The Obama administration response was first reported Monday by The Daily Beast.The Pentagon official who wrote Hunter, Under Secretary of Defense Christine Wormuth, said the review came as a result of "the increased frequency of hostage-taking of Americans overseas" and would seek to add "innovative and non-traditional solutions" to hostage-recovery efforts.On Sunday, Islamic State terrorists released the fifth video showing the brutal execution of a Westerner, in this case, American aid worker Peter Kassig. Two other Americans have been shown in previous videos being beheaded by ISIS: James Foley and Steven Sotloff, both journalists.After Foley's death in August, the United States said it had attempted to rescue him and other hostages in a military operation over the summer but couldn't find where they were being held.Foley's mother later told CNN she was "embarrassed and appalled" by how the U.S. government had responded to her son's case."I think our efforts to get Jim freed were an annoyance" to the U.S. government, Diane Foley said on CNN in the weeks following James Foley's death. She said the U.S. government should be more willing to negotiate with ISIS in order to free hostages.Other governments, particularly in Europe, have successfully won the release of captives by paying ransoms to ISIS. Obama and other U.S. officials have decried the practice, saying the money has fueled the group's rise.The National Security Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the new review.Bakudaily.Az