In a first after President Bashar al-Assad’s ousting earlier this month, a team of US diplomats arrived in Syria to speak directly to the new Islamist-leadership to seek information in locating missing American journalist Austin Tice.
Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, former Syria envoy Daniel Rubinstein, and the Biden administration’s hostage negotiator, Roger Carstens, led delegation is the first formal US diplomatic mission to Syria in over a decade, following the closure of the American embassy in Damascus in 2012.
The US State Department confirmed the diplomats’ agenda, stating, “They will engage directly with Syrian civil society members, activists, and community representatives to discuss their vision for the future and how the United States can support them”, news agency Associated Press reported.
One of the top priorities for the delegation is gathering information on the whereabouts of journalist Austin Tice, who went missing in Syria in 2012. Tice, a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in The Washington Post and McClatchy newspapers, vanished at a checkpoint west of Damascus during the height of the Syrian civil war.
Weeks after his disappearance, a video surfaced showing Tice blindfolded and surrounded by armed men, uttering the words, “Oh, Jesus.” He has not been heard from since. The Assad government has denied holding him.
Roger Carstens, who has previously travelled to Lebanon seeking leads on Tice, is spearheading efforts to engage with rebels who played a role in toppling Assad’s regime.
The State Department noted that the diplomats would also meet HTS officials, though it did not confirm whether Ahmad al-Sharaa, the group’s leader, would participate. Al-Sharaa, once linked to al-Qaida, has made public commitments to minority and women’s rights, but US officials remain cautious. “His statements are welcome, but we are yet to see if these promises will translate into lasting actions,” said a US official, as quoted by AP.
The trip comes a week after US secretary of state Antony Blinken said the US had been in direct contact with HTS as he toured Syria’s neighbours.
Although the US has no formal diplomatic presence in Syria, its military remains active in combating the Islamic State (IS) group. In recent weeks, the Pentagon has doubled troop numbers and intensified airstrikes against IS targets, fearing a resurgence amid the political upheaval. “The power vacuum left by Assad’s fall creates a dangerous opportunity for IS to regroup,” a Pentagon official warned.
The US embassy in Damascus, which has been under Czech protection since its closure, will remain closed for now. “Decisions about reopening and recognition of Syria’s new leadership will depend on their commitment to inclusion, minority protection, and rejection of terrorism,” the State Department stated.
(with inputs from AP)
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