Syria Wednesday,Joe Biden President to detain the Syrian government.
The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Damascus "denies kidnapping or detaining American citizens on its territory."
“Last week, the United States released misleading and illogical statements by the US President and Secretary of State, which included Syria kidnapping US citizens, including former US Marine Austin Tice. or contained unsubstantiated accusations of detention," the statement said.
READ MORE: Parents of journalist missing in Syria visit Beirut to work for release
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Biden's Statement Convinces US That Thaïs Is Being Detained By President Bashar Assad's Government
"We know for sure that he is being held by the Syrian government," Biden said in a statement last week. "We have repeatedly asked the Syrian government to work with us to bring Austin home."
State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters on Tuesday that the US He said the government was pressuring Syria to return all Americans. Specifically in Thaiss' case, he said the Biden administration "extensively, including through Syrian officials and third parties, including direct involvement."
"Syria has never admitted to having him in custody," Price said of Theis, adding, "Our efforts will not be hampered. We will not let Austin's safe return."
In a statement, the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied secret contacts with US officials regarding the missing Americans, stating, Official dialogue will only be open on the basis of respect for Syrian sovereignty," he added.
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In May, Lebanese security chief Maj. As part of that, I met with US officials in Washington. Syria for the liberation of Tais. Lebanon's head of security, Ibrahim, has brokered complex hostage releases in the past.
In May, Biden met with Theis' parents and reiterated their promise to work toward "a return to the Austin family."
READ MORE: Syrian refugees tortured and detained after returning home, Amnesty International reports
Government hostage negotiations as Trump takes office Two senior U.S. officials, including former Army Special Forces officer Roger Carstens, the head of the .
This was the first high-level meeting between the US and the Assad regime in years, but Syrian officials provided no meaningful information about Tais.
Thais went missing at a checkpoint in a conflict zone west of the capital of Damascus shortly after his 31st birthday on August 14, 2012. A video released a month later showed him being blindfolded and being hugged by armed men, saying "Oh yes."
I haven't heard from him since.
Thaiss is one of his two Americans who have gone missing in Syria. Another is Majid Kamarmaz, a psychologist from Virginia who disappeared in Syria in 2017.
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by The Washington Post, McClatchy's Newspaper and other news outlets. He traveled to Syria to cover the conflict that began in 2011. The war killed hundreds of thousands and displaced almost half of his pre-conflict population of 23 million.
of which he is out of the country over five million.
© 2022 The Canadian Press
