US envoy travels to seek kidnapped journalist Austin Tice in Syria
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The US had admitted years ago that Tice, who reportedly arrived in Syria in 2012, and other Americans entered the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic illegally.
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Marc and Debra Tice, the parents of US journalist Austin Tice (portrait L), who was abducted in Syria more than six years ago, give a press conference in the Lebanese capital Beirut on December 4, 2018. (AFP)
The United States committed Monday to make every effort to free journalist Austin Tice, who was kidnapped in Syria in 2012, with a US ambassador traveling to the region following the ousting of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The US special envoy for hostage issues, Roger Carstens, has landed in neighboring Beirut on a mission to gather information about Tice, according to US authorities. For years, Lebanon has been mediating negotiations regarding Tice.
The US had admitted years ago that Tice, who reportedly arrived in Syria in 2012, and other Americans entered the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic illegally.
"With every party we engage, we'll continue to seek information about Austin Tice so that we can find him and bring him home to his family and loved ones," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated during a State Department event.
During Carstens' visit, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated that the US was prepared to "engage with any organization that might have information about the whereabouts of Austin Tice."
"As Secretary Blinken has said directly to Austin's family, including in the past few days, we will not rest until he is returned home safely to his loved ones," Miller told a news conference.
He stated that anyone with information regarding Tice's whereabouts should call the FBI and is eligible for a reward.
Tice's mother, Debra Tice, claimed Friday that she had received word from the US government that her son was alive and being "treated well".
On August 14, 2012, Tice, a freelance photojournalist working for Agence France-Presse, McClatchy News, The Washington Post, CBS, and other news organizations, was held at a checkpoint near Daraya, a suburb of Damascus. Since his kidnapping, very little information has been made public.
In September 2012, he was seen blindfolded in a video when he was 31, but the kidnappers' identities are unknown to this day.
In 2022, President Joe Biden accused Syria of detaining Tice and urged its then-government to assist in his release. However, in August 2024, Syria's Foreign Ministry stated that claims made by the US are "false accusations against the Syrian government."
