Austin Tice's mother travels to Syria to search for missing son

WASHINGTON/DAMASCUS, SYRIA — 

At a caller property league successful the Four Seasons Hotel successful Syria's capital, Damascus, Debra Tice made wide that she would ne'er springiness up searching for her son, Austin.

A erstwhile U.S. Marine-turned-journalist, Austin Tice was detained astatine a checkpoint successful Syria successful 2012. Little has been heard oregon seen of him since, but helium is believed to person been held successful Damascus.

After the Bashar al-Assad authorities fell successful December, U.S. officials made a fewer abbreviated visits to Syria, but Tice's household said they had expected more.

Debra said she had hoped the U.S. authorities would nonstop an authoritative hunt team, but she wasn't shocked that they didn't.

"You can't adjacent judge it. It's heartbreaking," she said.

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In the weeks aft the Islamist militant radical Hayat Tahrir al-Sham — known arsenic HTS — overthrew the Assad government, hundreds of radical were released from prisons tally by the erstwhile government.

Scenes of families reuniting had raised anticipation among the Tice family. Just days earlier Assad fell, the household had convened successful Washington to accidental they had received caller grounds confirming Tice was alive.

At the property league connected Monday, Debra said that she feels solidarity with the galore Syrians who person had a household subordinate disappear.

These families "understand the symptom that we transportation each day, that our families carry, that the nieces and nephews that person ne'er met their uncles carry," she said.

"For each the mothers whose sons were disappeared successful these dungeons, our hearts are joined," she said.

When Roger Carstens, the U.S. hostage envoy for the Biden and archetypal Trump administration, visited Damascus successful precocious December, helium told reporters that U.S. officials weren't capable to beryllium connected the crushed for extended periods of clip to hunt for Tice.

Trump's caller nominee for the hostage envoy presumption is Adam Boehler, whose confirmation proceeding has yet to beryllium scheduled.

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On the crushed successful Syria, the Washington-based nonprofit Hostage Aid Worldwide has been starring efforts to find Tice.

Soon aft Assad fell, the squad began searching erstwhile prisons and buildings, including 1 that the group's president, Nizar Zakka, described arsenic a concealed detention center.

The installation was acheronian and grimy. Like successful erstwhile prisons they inspected, they recovered documents, but nary people.

"We are learning much and much astir however the situation systems run successful Syria, however it was operating, however it was moving, who managed what," Zakka told VOA aft a search. "It's going to instrumentality clip to find Austin."

In December, the U.S. State Department announced it was expanding its grant to $10 cardinal for accusation astir Tice's whereabouts.

"I recognize the State Department, that they're extracurricular of Syria and they privation to consciousness similar they're doing something," Zakka said. But the accrued reward has led to an summation successful tips with unhelpful information, helium said.

A State Department spokesperson told VOA that efforts to find Tice stay nether way.

"We are moving to get U.S. officials into Damascus for further trips to assistance nonstop the hunt and volition bash truthful arsenic soon arsenic we corroborate the conditions are harmless and section authorities tin accommodate the visit," the spokesperson said successful a Thursday statement.

Advocates accidental it feels arsenic if the hunt for Tice has fallen connected civilian nine groups, alternatively than the U.S. government.

"It decidedly feels similar that — that they're lasting backmost astatine this time," according to Bill McCarren, the enforcement manager astatine the National Press Club's Press Freedom Center successful Washington.

"There does request to beryllium a much sustained effort," said McCarren, who has worked connected Tice's lawsuit for years.

In Damascus, Tice's parent said she was hopeful that the caller Trump medication would assistance unafraid her son's release.

"I person large anticipation that the Trump medication volition sincerely prosecute successful diligent enactment to bring Austin home," she said. "His radical person already reached retired to me."

While visiting the Syrian capital, she besides met with Syria's caller de facto person Ahmed al-Sharaa.

"It was truthful fantastic to larn that they are dedicated and determined to bring location my son," she said.

But for Zakka of Hostage Aid Worldwide, the Syrian transitional authorities is besides making it harder for his enactment to hunt for Tice. Soon aft Assad fell, Zakka said his radical had a batch of freedom.

But now, "there's much restrictions each day," Zakka said. "It's getting difficult."