White House: At least one more American hostage in Middle East

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- There is at least one more U.S. hostage still being held in the Middle East, White House Press Secretary Joshua Earnest said Tuesday.

Earnest made the announcement when asked if Kayla Mueller -- a U.S. hostage held by the Islamic State who was confirmed dead Tuesday -- was the last American to be held by Sunni militants.

"There is at least one other hostage that is held in the region," Earnest said. "We are aware of other American hostages being held in the region."

Earnest did not reveal the names or locations of any hostages currently being held in the Middle East.

"We have avoided discussing the individual cases of Americans who are being held hostage," he said. "I'm not going to get into the specific discussions of the cases of the individuals who have been held hostage. Principally because we don't believe it's in their best interest for me to discuss them publicly."

Debra and Marc Tice of Houston started up a media campaign last week to bring awareness to their son's disappearance in Syria. Austin Tice, 33, a freelance journalist and former Marine, went missing in August 2012 while reporting on the Syrian civil war.

One month after his disappearance, a video clip was released showing him being held captive by armed men.