Trump’s Special Representative for Hostage Affairs Calls on Syrian Rebels to Release American Hostages

December 9, 2024 TruthUSA

Trump’s envoy for hostages, Adam Boehler, urged the Syrian opposition to release American captives to demonstrate that they are not extremists.

The special envoy selected by President-elect Donald Trump, Adam Boehler, stated on Monday that Syrian opposition forces in control of the country should hand over any American hostages they have as a goodwill gesture. This action would indicate that Syria, under their rule, is a legitimate state and not a failed nation governed by Islamic extremists.

Boehler, appointed by Trump on Dec. 4, expressed this sentiment during an appearance on Fox News’s Fox & Friends on Dec. 9, in response to inquiries about multiple American hostages in Syria, including journalist Austin Tice who disappeared 12 years ago.

“I believe the time is right to secure the release of our hostages. There is hope,” Boehler emphasized. “If the rebels wish to establish themselves as a genuine country without ties to Islamic extremists, then they should release our people. This act would be a strong display of friendship towards the United States.”

The exact number of Americans held captive in Syria is unknown, as Syrian authorities led by Assad have publicly denied detaining any Americans. Boehler mentioned that aside from Tice, who was abducted in 2012, there are “four or five more” hostages.

The fall of Assad’s regime has opened up new possibilities for hostage recovery efforts, with President Joe Biden’s hostage affairs envoy, Roger Carstens, visiting Beirut, Lebanon to gather information on Tice and potentially other missing Americans.

While it is believed that Tice is still alive, his whereabouts remain unknown. Biden expressed confidence during a Dec. 8 press briefing that “we think we can get him back.”

A former U.S. Marine and freelance journalist from Houston, Tice was kidnapped in August 2012 while reporting on a rebellion against Assad. About a month after his capture, Tice’s family received a short video titled “Austin Tice is Alive,” featuring him and a group of armed men. Tice has not been heard from since.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan told ABC’s Good Morning America on Dec. 9 that finding Tice and bringing him home is a “top priority” for the administration. Sullivan added that the U.S. government is communicating through Turkish intermediaries and contacts on the ground in Syria to locate Tice and set him free.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told a press briefing on Dec. 9 that “intensive efforts” are underway to locate Tice and reunite him with his family. He encouraged anyone with information as to his whereabouts to contact the FBI immediately. The State Department-affiliated Rewards for Justice program on Monday announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the location and recovery of Tice.

In his appearance on Fox & Friends, Boehler, the incoming hostage envoy for the administration, emphasized the importance of prioritizing efforts to secure the release of American hostages given the instability caused by the collapse of Assad’s regime in Syria.

“The most crucial concern at the moment should be bringing Americans back home,” Boehler stated.

“There is an American individual there. In fact, there are four or five more,” he added, noting that this information is classified to some extent.

Majd Kamalmaz, an American psychotherapist, was detained at a checkpoint in Damascus in February 2017. In May 2024, U.S. officials informed his family of credible intelligence suggesting he had died in captivity. However, the exact circumstances of his detention and likely death remain unclear.

Several other Americans have been held hostage in Syria over the years, including journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and aid worker Kayla Mueller, all of whom were killed by ISIS terrorists.

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