US President Joe Biden reiterated his commitment to bringing freelance journalist Austin Tice home following the fall of the Assad regime.
“We are mindful that there are Americans in Syria, including those who reside there. As well as Austin Tice, who was taken captive more than 12 years ago. We remain committed to returning him to his family,” Biden said during remarks Sunday about the downfall of the Assad regime.
Tice has been held in Syria since 2012.
“We believe he’s alive. We think we can get him back, but we have no direct evidence of that yet, and that’s Assad should be held accountable,” Biden said. When asked if he would approve an operation to retrieve Tice, Biden said the US has to find out where he is. “We want to get him out. We have to identify where he is,” he said.
In a statement to CNN, Tice’s parents Marc and Debra Tice said, “We are eagerly anticipating seeing Austin walk free. We are asking anyone who can do so to please assist Austin so he can safely return home to his family.”
CNN previously reported that US officials reached out to Syrian opposition forces on Thursday about Tice, hoping to learn more about his whereabouts.