Mother of missing US journalist heads to Syria to resume search

The mother of Austin Tice, the American journalist kidnapped in Syria during a reporting trip in 2012 and one of the longest-held American hostages, has returned to the country for the first time in a decade to resume the search for her son.

Debra Tice’s visit comes in the wake of the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in a mild rebel offensive last month. His son, a freelance journalist now 43, was taken prisoner as he drove through Darayya, a suburb of Damascus, while covering the Syrian civil war.

“We had information, but the whole world changed,” he said in an interview in the Syrian capital, Damascus, referring to the ouster of Assad.

“We don’t know where he is now. It feels a bit like trying to get to know him again.”

Tice was last seen blindfolded and clearly in distress in a video posted online weeks after his capture. No government or group has claimed involvement in his disappearance, although for years, US officials have said they believed Tice was being held by the Assad government.

According to recent reports in the US media, investigators believe Tice, a former US Marine, briefly escaped a few weeks after his capture, but was recaptured by forces responding directly to Assad.

Last month, after rebels led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ousted Assad and seized power, President Joe Biden said the US believed Tice was alive, but His whereabouts are unknown. Rebels opened up Syrian prisons, freeing thousands of people and giving experts access to documents that could shed light on what happened to Taise and other disappeared people.

She said, “I never had a moment of doubt… I always knew (Tice) was going to walk free. And, you know, we have a whole new way of thinking about how that’s going to happen.” Going to do.” “I can barely wait to have my arms around her.”

On Sunday, Debra Tice — who said she wears a “Free Austin Tice” badge even at home — met with Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, who vowed to hold accountable those responsible for the most serious crimes during the Assad regime. Have eaten. ,

He said he hoped families would continue to have access to the facilities where prisoners are held “to allow people to search and maintain hope”.

“I’m here to be with those who understand the longing, to be able to celebrate with those who are reuniting, and to also hold the hearts of those of us who Still searching, waiting and wishing and hoping and praying.”

She last visited Syria in 2015, when the country’s authorities stopped issuing visas to her. Now, he said, “people are more relaxed” and “kids have smiles on their faces”.

“I want to be one of those mothers, one of those families that find my loved one and take them home in their arms,” ​​she said.