Speaking at the White House, Biden said the US believes Austin Tice is alive, but they must pinpoint his location in the war-torn country.
Mr Tice, a freelance journalist, is thought to have been taken captive close to Damascus on 14 August 2012 while he was covering the country’s civil war.
“We are mindful that there are Americans in Syria,” Biden said on Sunday, “including those who reside there, as well as Austin Tice, who was taken captive more than 12 years ago.
Mr Tice, 43, was last seen in a video, blindfolded and in apparent distress, posted online weeks after his capture.
The US has about 900 troops in Syria, and Biden said on Sunday he planned for those forces to remain.
In response to the abrupt fall of the Syrian government, President Joe Biden has stated that the United States will attempt to repatriate one of the longest-held American hostages.
The United States believes Austin Tice is still alive, but they need to find him in the war-torn nation, Biden said during a White House speech.
While covering the civil war in his country, freelance journalist Mr. Tice is believed to have been captured near Damascus on August 14, 2012.
In the climax of a lightning offensive that began two weeks ago, rebel fighters took control of the Syrian capital on Sunday. Bashar al-Assad, the president of Syria, has left the nation.
Assad’s departure, according to Biden, was both “a moment of risk and uncertainty” for the Middle East and a “fundamental act of justice” following decades of repression.
“We acknowledge that there are Americans in Syria,” Biden stated on Sunday, referring to both those who live there and Austin Tice, who was kidnapped over 12 years ago.
“Our goal is still to get him back to his family. “.
As he left the room, Biden turned to respond to a media query regarding Tice.
“We believe he’s alive,” the president responded. “We believe we can win him back, but we don’t yet have concrete proof. “.
“We need to find out where he is,” the president continued. “..”.
A video of Mr. Tice, 43, wearing a blindfold and appearing distressed was uploaded to the internet weeks after he was apprehended.
Despite the fact that no government or organization took credit for his disappearance, US officials quickly stated that they thought the Syrian government was holding the former US Marine.
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The BBC was informed on Friday by Mr. Tice’s sister, Abigail Edaburn, that they think he is still in Syria.
“We are aware that he is in Syria and that he is in good health, but we are unsure of the specific conditions of the location where he is being held,” she stated.
She continued, “I’m not sure how much I can say, but this information has been verified by independent, reliable sources.”.
A $1 million reward for information leading to Mr. Tice’s “safe location, recovery, and return” was still available, the FBI said in a statement on Sunday.
About 900 US troops are currently in Syria, and Biden stated on Sunday that he intended to keep them there.
The president added that US forces had carried out “dozens” of “precision air strikes” against Islamic State group camps and activities in eastern Syria on Sunday.
The US should not launch a military intervention in Syria, President-elect Donald Trump stated on Saturday. He posted, “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT,” on social media.
The Biden administration has labeled Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Syrian opposition that overthrew Assad, a terrorist organization.
Although HTS claims it severed its ties with the Sunni Islamist group years ago, the US, UK, UN, and others view it as an affiliate of al-Qaeda.
