Hope Rekindled for Former Marine Austin Tice as U.S. Intensifies Rescue Efforts

Austin Tice was kidnapped in Syria in 2012 and is a former Marine and freelance writer. The U.S. government is working harder to get him back.

Roger Carstens, who is in charge of hostage issues, is in Beirut leading diplomatic efforts. At the same time, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan stated that talks with Syrian mediators, including Turkish contacts, are still going on. "Finding Austin Tice and getting him home safely is the most important thing right now," Sullivan said Monday.

Tice, who had been in the Marine Corps, went missing near Damascus while covering the civil war in Syria. He was 31 years old. He was taken away just a few months into the protests against President Bashar al-Assad. Since rebels removed Assad and he is now living in exile in Russia, he has long denied holding Tice.

A Lebanese source told us over the summer that Tice might still be living and being held by a group with ties to Hezbollah. However, it is still hard to confirm such reports. Years of secret talks with Assad's government failed because Syria wanted things like the withdrawal of U.S. troops, which made the talks impossible.

Now that fighters have taken over Damascus and Assad has been removed, new circumstances may allow for a breakthrough. "We’re urging all parties to help us locate Austin and secure his release," he said.

Because Tice served in the military and worked hard as a reporter, his return has become a national emergency. After 12 years of being held captive, the U.S. is still trying everything it can to get this Marine hero back home.

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