The household of a US journalist held captive in Syria for the final 12 years say they’re “incredibly hopeful” that he might be returned safely to them amid the “chaos” following the autumn of Bashar al Assad’s regime.
Austin Tice is believed to have been captured near Damascus in August 2012 whereas masking the Syrian civil conflict.
The freelance journalist was 31 years previous on the time.
Now, with the autumn of the Assad regime within the wake of a insurgent rebellion in Syria, Mr Tice’s household hopes the 43-year-old can lastly be freed.
His sister, Abigail Edaburn, mentioned the household have additionally just lately obtained proof of life from trusted sources, whereas US President Joe Biden additionally just lately mentioned his administration believed Mr Tice was nonetheless alive.
Chatting with Yalda Hakim, the journalist’s brother Jacob Tice mentioned: “We know that every effort is being extended right now to search for him throughout Syria, throughout Damascus.
“We all know that there are individuals on the bottom who love Austin. There are people who find themselves dedicated to his return, and they’re working tirelessly proper now to deliver him dwelling.
“That gives us tremendous hope, tremendous optimism. And again, we implore anybody there who is listening, anybody who hears this to help bring Austin back to us, to help reunite him with his family.”
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Jacob Tice and Abigail Edaburn, the brother and sister of lacking US journalist Austin Tice
The household mentioned they had been collectively on a household vacation when Mr Tice stopped responding to messages they usually realised he had seemingly been captured.
“There is a hole in our family that has been present for 12 years at every Christmas, for every graduation, for all of our weddings, for the birth of my sister’s children, whom he has never met, all save one,” Jacob mentioned.
“It is difficult to describe how that feels when, as we gather, to know that he is not seated at our table. And there is nothing we want more as a family than to have that hole filled and to see him back with us and have him take his seat at our table.”
Abigail was requested if the household had watched the insurgent rebellion and fall of the Assad regime with a way of anxiousness about her brother.
She mentioned: “It has been anxious, but it’s also been incredibly hopeful because we have seen these families being reunited.
“We have seen so many households being made entire. And so we’re extremely hopeful that on this second, that is additionally what is going on to be occurring with our household as effectively.”
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Pic: AP
Nonetheless, Jacob mentioned that the household had not given up hope during the last 12 years.
“We have believed every day that Austin will be released. We have been confident every day that the time of his release is coming and that we would be reunited with him,” Jacob mentioned.
“In this singular moment in Syrian history, I think the tenor around that hope has changed. I think the urgency for us as a family has increased because we know that in chaos there are opportunities for change, there are options to reset the status quo and to change the way that things have been.
“However when it comes to the earlier 12 years, sure, we now have at all times believed on daily basis that we’ll be reunited with our brother.”
On Sunday, the FBI mentioned in an announcement {that a} $1m (£782,000) reward was nonetheless on supply for info resulting in Mr Tice’s “safe location, recovery and return”.
Talking on the White Home on Sunday, President Biden mentioned his administration believed Mr Tice was nonetheless alive, however that they had been attempting to pinpoint his location in a rustic looking for stability after the speedy fall of the Assad dynasty.
