WASHINGTON — The mother of missing American journalist and former US Marine Austin Tice has revealed new details from recently declassified US intelligence documents, saying the files contain information that could help locate her son, who vanished in Syria 13 years ago.
At a press conference marking the anniversary of his abduction, Debra Tice said the documents suggest US agencies had near-daily updates on her son’s health and captivity in the years after he disappeared outside Damascus in August 2012.
The files, released earlier this year by US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard after years of family lobbying, describe medical care provided to Tice during detention. “When he had something wrong about his teeth, they took him to a dentist. When he had some stomach issues, they took him to the doctor,” she told The Washington Post.
Tice, a freelance reporter for The Washington Post and other outlets, was kidnapped while covering the Syrian conflict. A video released shortly afterward showed him blindfolded and surrounded by armed men. US officials have long suspected the Syrian government’s involvement, though Damascus has consistently denied it.
Debra Tice alleged that Syrian officials even reached out to then–Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2012 with an offer to release her son — a claim denied by former US officials, who said the Assad regime never admitted holding Tice.
Despite the CIA’s “low confidence” assessment last year that Tice may be dead following the Assad regime’s collapse, his family rejects that conclusion. “We know Austin is alive. We need to find him,” Debra Tice said, stressing that the newly released intelligence strengthens her resolve.
Tice’s abduction is among the longest unresolved cases involving an American journalist in the Middle East. Rights groups have repeatedly urged Washington to prioritize the search and secure accountability for those responsible.
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