Mother of slain journalist wants U.S. to review hostage policy

WASHINGTON — The mother of American journalist James Foley, who was publicly beheaded in August 2014 by the Islamic State, says her family felt abandoned by the American government. She wants to see a review of the U.S. hostage policy.

Testifying at a House hearing, Diane Foley of Rochester, New Hampshire, demanded proof that the current U.S. policy not to negotiate to seek the release of Americans held captive abroad is actually saving lives and decreasing the rate of Americans being captured.

Foley says she fears that the U.S. policy not to engage with her son’s captors led the U.S. to underestimate the group and their deep hatred for the United States. She wondered whether the U.S. would have been able to learn about the group by at least talking with them.