A group of U.S. officials is visiting Syria's capital for the first time in more than a decade, seeking information on Americans and others who disappeared under Assad's rule.
The team visiting Damascus is comprised of Roger Carstens, the U.S. special envoy for hostage affairs, Barbara Reif, assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, and Daniel Rubinstein, senior NEA adviser, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
Rubinstein, who previously served as the US special envoy to Syria and has decades of diplomatic experience, will lead the diplomatic engagement, a spokesperson confirmed.
His mission is to engage with the Syrian people and the country's main political parties. He is also seeking to coordinate with allies to advance the principles laid down at a meeting of world leaders in the Jordanian city of Aqaba earlier this month.
Biden says he knows with 'certainty' that American journalist Austin Tice is being held in Syria
Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Reif (left), U.S. Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens (center), and NEA Senior Advisor Daniel Rubinstein (right) are visiting Damascus, Syria, for national diplomacy, according to a Department report. officials told Fox News Digital. (Alex Wong/Getty Images, Mehmet Serkan Afak/Anadolu via Getty Images, Gali Tibonpour/Getty Images)
The three will meet with the Syrian people to clarify their vision for their country after the fall of Assad's regime earlier this month amid the ongoing civil war. They will also ask how the United States can help them create the future they want.
“They will interact directly with the Syrian people, including members of civil society, activists, members of various communities and other Syrian voices,” the spokesperson said in part.
The three officials will also meet with the following representatives: Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS)), The State Department said it met with a U.S.-designated terrorist organization in Aqaba, Jordan, to “discuss transition principles” supported by the U.S. and regional partners.
Abu Mohammed al-Jolani heads Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a US-designated terrorist organization that occupied Syria after the fall of the Assad regime. (Omar Haji Kadour/AFP via Getty Images)
The Islamist group that runs Syria rules the province with an 'iron fist' and has a mixed track record.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken previously said world leaders discussed “the need for an inclusive, Syria-led political transition” at the Aqaba conference on Syria in Jordan on Dec. 14.
“The United States supports a future Syrian government that is chosen by and represents all Syrians,” Blinken said on the X program.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Turkey on December 13 to discuss establishing greater stability in Syria amid conflicting opposition groups. (Getty Images)
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Another purpose of the trip is to uncover what happened to American citizens who disappeared under the Assad regime, including Austin Tice, a former Marine turned freelance journalist who was kidnapped while reporting in Syria in 2012. It is to do so.
Carstens is leading the search for Tice, and recently revealed that Rewards for Justice is offering up to $10 million for information on Tice's whereabouts.
The State Department's Rewards for Justice program is offering $10 million for information about Austin Tice. (Rewards for State Department Justice)
The FBI said in a statement: “In light of recent events in Syria, the FBI reiterates its commitment to providing information that could lead to the safe location, recovery, and return of Austin Bennett Tice, who was captured in Damascus in August 2012. I'm looking for it.''
