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Reuters
Amman — Syria on Wednesday denied kidnapping or detaining a US journalist who went missing 10 years ago after President Joe Biden demanded he be sent home in Damascus.
Former U.S. Marine Austin Tais was kidnapped in August 2012 at the age of 31 while he was freelancing in Damascus to report on the violence against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. rice field.
His family believes he is alive and still being held in Syria. The identity of Taith's kidnapper is unknown, and no responsibility has been claimed for his kidnapping.
The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described Tais as a US military officer and denied the government had held him or any other US citizen.
"These are baseless claims," the statement said.
Biden issued a statement on the 10th anniversary of Mr. Tais' detention last Wednesday, saying his administration "repeatedly urged the Syrian government to cooperate with the Syrian government to bring Austin home." requested," he said.
Biden said Washington "certainly" knew that Thaïs had been detained by the Syrian government.
Washington suspended its diplomatic presence in Syria, where the civil war began in 2012.
US Secretary of State Anthony Brinken said that Biden's special envoy for hostage affairs, Roger Carstens, "will continue to engage with the Syrian government" in coordination with the White House.
Families of hostages and detainees began to collectively urge Biden to make the issue a priority and take steps such as arranging further prisoner exchanges with foreign governments. (Reported by Suleiman Al-Khalidi, edited by Nick Macfie)
