Two of the leading voices in America's fight against terrorism are preparing to speak in Phoenix about something many see as a major global threat and one of them says that threat directly connects to the death of Kayla Mueller.
Friday, the Iranian American Community of Arizona is hosting former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Hugh Shelton in a discussion about countering Islamic fundamentalism and a nuclear Iran.
It comes the same week we learned of the death of a selfless young Prescott woman in ISIS captivity.
Many lawmakers are now pushing for more military action to combat the terror group.
OPINION: Rattling sabers in the name of Kayla
Shelton told us that he was saddened by Kayla Mueller's death. He attributes what that terror group is doing to what's been happening in Iran for the past 35 years. Brutal public executions by what he describes as "thugs," he says, are inspired by Iran.
And while he does not claim to know all of the details, Shelton is confident that the U.S. did all it could to save Mueller. The nature of what's happening in the region, he explained, makes responding a delicate decision to make.
"We have so many great Americans who want to contribute to the betterment of the world, like Kayla, who go over to do things like this and you just can't protect them all," Shelton said. "Neither can you react every time and when you put yourself in the position of the president and try to think in terms of what kind of a strategy do we have, you can't have one that's driven by emotion."
You can see the entire interview with Gen. Shelton this weekend on Sunday Square-Off with Brahm Resnik.
The general will join Giuliani at the downtown Phoenix Sheraton at 3:30 p.m. Friday for the discussion about Iran.
