The mom of Austin Tice, an American journalist kidnapped in Syria, stated Monday that she met with Syria’s new chief in Damascus and expressed hope that “a web page shall be turned” within the greater than decade-long seek for her son.
Debra Tais gave a information convention in Damascus on Monday after assembly with Ahmed al-Shara, whose Hayat Tahrir al-Sham insurgent group led the shock offensive final month that toppled President Bashar al-Assad, ending greater than 50 years of household rule Assad in Syria. The Syrian state information company additionally reported on the assembly, posting footage of her in dialog with Mr al-Shara on the presidential palace.
Though there was no new data on her son’s whereabouts, Ms Tice, who arrived in Damascus on Saturday, stated she felt optimistic that Syria’s new insurgent leaders would assist her and Syrian households trying to find family members , who’re nonetheless lacking after being held within the jail of the previous regime identified prisons.
“It was so fantastic to study that they’re devoted and decided to convey residence my son and your sons,” Ms Tice stated, addressing the Syrians trying to find the lacking family members too. “They know what we’re going via.”
Ms Thais stated her son was nonetheless in captivity so far as she knew, however the turmoil since Mr al-Assad’s ouster had made it rather more tough to find him.
“It is like beginning once more,” she stated.
Mr Theiss was kidnapped at a checkpoint in a suburb of Damascus in 2012. He appeared a short while in a while video, blindfolded and held by masked males with assault rifles. Former US officers stated they believed the video was a ploy by the federal government guilty the rebels for his disappearance.
Former and present US officers have stated they consider Mr Tice managed to flee a couple of weeks after his seize via a jail cell window however was captured by Syrian intelligence.
President Joe Biden stated in December, after the ouster of Mr. al-Assad, that American officers believed Mr. Tice was nonetheless in captivity and hoped to convey him residence, whereas including that that they had “no direct evidence” concerning his situation.
Officers in his administration spent years trying to find Mr. Tice, together with a visit to Damascus in December by his particular envoy for the hostages. The White Home too gave a list to the rebel group to former Syrian officers who might learn about Mr. Tice, a a freelance journalist from Houston who writes for The Washington Put up and different publications.
However Mrs Tice has lately been important of the Biden administration, saying it didn’t negotiate laborious sufficient for her son’s launch.
Ms. Tice stated she felt hopeful concerning the incoming administration of Donald Trump. “Issues are going to alter,” she stated. “I am trying ahead to this. His folks have already contacted me.
It was Ms Tice’s first go to to Syria since 2015, when she met with officers from the Assad authorities, who by no means confirmed whether or not they had detained her son and later stopped issuing her visas.
Throughout her assembly with Mr al-Shara, Ms Tais stated he spoke to her about his time in jail. In 2003 Mr. al-Shara joined al-Qaida to combat in opposition to the American occupation of Iraq, the place Mr. Tice as soon as served as a Marine. Mr al-Shara spent years in a US jail in Iraq, based on Arab media accounts.
After main al-Qaida’s Syrian department within the early days of the 13-year insurgency in opposition to Mr. al-Assad, Mr. al-Sharaa reformulated the group as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in 2017. and tried to distance her from her al Qaeda previous.
Former and present US officers have stated they consider Mr Theiss was held in a number of safety service detention amenities, together with Department 248 and Department 215, each believed to be navy intelligence amenities.
Throughout her go to to Syria, she visited each locations, Ms Tice stated, describing them as a “horrible, horrible nightmare”.
