A team of U.S. officials has arrived in the capital of Syria for the first time in over a decade. The purpose of their visit is to gather information about American citizens who went missing during the Assad regime, among other objectives.
The group in Damascus includes US Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, and NEA Senior Adviser Daniel Rubinstein. This information was provided by a State Department spokesperson speaking to Fox News Digital.
Rubinstein, a seasoned diplomat with extensive experience in foreign affairs who previously served as U.S. Special Envoy for Syria, will be leading the diplomatic efforts during this engagement.
His mission is to engage with the Syrian people and key parties within the country. He also seeks to coordinate with allies to advance principles laid out in a meeting between world leaders in the Jordanian city of Aqaba earlier this month.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken previously noted that world leaders discussed “the need for an inclusive, Syrian-led political transition” during the Aqaba Meetings on Syria in Jordan on Dec. 14.
“The United States supports a future government in Syria that is chosen by and representatives of all Syrians,” Blinken said on X.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan on Dec. 13 in Turkey to discuss establishing greater stability in Syria amid competing rebel factions. (Getty Images)
Another goal of the visit is to determine what has happened to American citizens who disappeared under the Assad regime, including former marine turned freelance journalist Austin Tice, who was kidnapped while reporting in Syria in 2012.
Carstens has been leading the charge to locate Tice and recently shared that Rewards for Justice is offering up to $10 million for information on his whereabouts.
The State Department’s Reward for Justice program is offering $10 million for information relating Austin Tice. (The State Department’s Reward for Justice)
“Given recent events in Syria, the FBI is renewing our call for information that could lead to the safe location, recovery, and return of Austin Bennett Tice, who was detained in Damascus in August 2012,” the FBI said in a statement.
