According to the family of American journalist Austin Tice, who vanished in Syria over ten years ago, they have information that he is still alive and think their reunion is imminent.
A few days after spending his 31st birthday in the nation, Tice vanished in 2012 while covering the civil conflict that had started in 2011. Shortly after his disappearance, footage of masked men holding him at gunpoint appeared. The U.S. authorities questioned the authenticity of the footage and speculated that it might have been manufactured.
The Syrian government was holding Tice, according to the State Department. The regime of former President Bashar al-Assad strongly refuted the charge.
Tice’s family is hopeful that the Houston native will return home now that the Assad dictatorship has fallen.
In an interview with “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt” on Monday, parents Debra and Marc Tice stated that the family was informed that Austin Tice was not only alive but also receiving proper treatment prior to the rebels taking control of Assad’s administration.
However, Debra Tice stated that it is unclear who is in custody of Austin Tice.
“We’re just waiting to see, because they’re attending to the prisons little by little and some of the larger prisons, we know those are not places that Austin is,” she continued.
On Sunday, President Joe Biden said he hoped the 43-year-old journalist will return home.
Biden told reporters, “We believe we can get him back, but we don’t have any concrete proof yet.”
A U.S. official with firsthand information told NBC News that U.S. Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens is in Beirut, Lebanon, working to repatriate Austin Tice. The administration is contacting anyone in Syria or the surrounding area who can provide assistance, the official continued.
The National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces head, Hadi al-Bahra, told NBC News that the transitional administration would prioritize looking into the whereabouts of people who vanished during the Assad dictatorship.
According to Marc Tice, all signs point to the new leadership’s commitment to the return of foreign captives, as stated by the rebel factions in public.
“It’s just as Debra said, a matter of time,” he replied. “They have to visit a lot of places and open a lot of doors, you know. Austin is undoubtedly behind one of those doors.
White House national security communications advisor John Kirby told MSNBC on Monday that this is a time of opportunity for those in Syria and for those who went missing, like Austin Tice.
“We’re working under the assumption that he’s still alive,” Kirby stated. In actuality, though, we would like to know more about him, his whereabouts, and most definitely the conditions under which he might be detained.
Simon Robert Tice and Meagan Tice Malone, siblings, told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell on Monday that they are looking forward to their brother’s return because it will fill a hole that has drastically changed their lives.
According to Simon Robert Tice, “We have a strong faith in the American government and we were all raised with a faith in the American government.” And we think there’s always more to be done as long as he’s not home.
According to the siblings, their brother, a former Marine, was a kind and bright man who felt obligated to travel to Syria and cover the civil conflict.
According to Malone, the only thing we can say is that we are pleading with anyone who has the power and capacity to bring our family back together and that the appropriate people will act morally and return him home to us.
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