Hours after confirming the death of a US hostage snatched in Syria, President Barack Obama has described the anguish of dealing with distraught families, but insists his government won't pay ransoms.
Telling loved ones he would not allow ransom payments in return for freedom is "as tough as anything I do", Obama told BuzzFeed in an interview following the death of 26-year-old Kayla Mueller.
Mueller, an aid worker from Arizona, was seized in August, 2013 in the Syrian city of Aleppo.
Obama said his "immediate reaction was heartbreak" when learning of her death.
But the White House has come under pressure to review its policy of not paying for the freedom of its citizens. Some European hostages whose governments do pay ransoms have been freed.
The policy is in place, he said, because "once we start doing that, not only are we financing their slaughter of innocent people and strengthening their organisation, but we're actually making Americans even greater targets for future kidnappings".
Obama said the US had acted in other ways to win Mueller's release, including conducting a special operations raid in Syria.
"We devoted enormous resources and always devote enormous resources to freeing captives or hostages anywhere in the world," he added.
"I deployed an entire operation - at significant risk - to rescue not only her but the other individuals who had been held, and probably missed them by a day or two, precisely because we had that commitment."
The White House also rejected claims Mueller was killed by a coalition airstrike.
Revealing details of a February 6 strike on an arms facility carried out by the Jordanian air force, the White House said on Tuesday Mueller's cause of death was still unclear.
"The information that we have is that there is no evidence of civilians in the target area prior to the coalition strike taking place," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.
"That certainly would call into question the claims that are made by ISIL," he said, using an alternate acronym for IS.
Last week IS claimed she had been killed in an air strike in the Syrian city of Raqa, the militant group's proclaimed "capital".
But, Earnest added, IS was ultimately to blame for Mueller's fate, "regardless of her cause of death".
Earlier on Tuesday, Obama vowed to hunt Mueller's captors.
"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," he said in a statement.
Over the weekend IS sent Mueller's parents a "private message" with "additional information", that allowed the intelligence services to confirm her death, the White House and family said.
The Washington Post reported that Mueller's family had been sent a photograph of their daughter's body.
Mueller was believed to be the last US hostage being held by IS, following the execution of AFP contributor James Foley, American-Israeli journalist Steven Sotloff and Peter Kassig.
The White House said it was aware of at least one other American being held in the Middle East.
Two other Americans have gone missing in Syria, journalists Austin Tice and Kevin Dawes, although they are not thought to be held by IS.
Mueller's parents Carl and Marsha Mueller on Tuesday voiced their heartbreak at the death of their daughter, but said they were proud of her and her humanitarian work.
"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 honour her legacy."
"Our hearts are breaking for our only daughter, but we will continue on in peace, dignity, and love for her."
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