The White House said Tuesday it is searching for concrete answers about journalist Austin Tice and his possible location after Syrian rebels toppled strongman Bashar Assad’s government.
Mr. Tice, 43, was abducted in Syria in 2012. His family members and President Biden recently suggested he is alive and could return home.
“Our going assumption is that he’s still alive, we have no information, no indication to the contrary,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. “We also don’t have complete information about where he is, what his condition is.”
Mr. Kirby said the U.S. is searching for answers and keeping the Tice family informed.
“We are pushing as hard as we can to learn as much as we can,” Mr. Kirby said.
Mr. Tice is back in the news after rebels shocked the world by taking over Syrian cities and the capital of Damascus after a long-running civil war.
Mr. Assad fled to Moscow. The U.S. is hopeful that rebels will usher in a stable transition, though their ties to radical Islamist groups make some in the West wary.
“They are all saying the right things, but we’re going to have to watch and see what they actually do,” Mr. Kirby said.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan is scheduled to travel to Israel this week for talks on multiple fronts.
“Syria will no doubt be at the top of that list,” Mr. Kirby said.
Mr. Kirby insisted that the U.S. will serve in a support role.
“The Syrian people get to determine what their future looks like,” Mr. Kirby said. “They have suffered enough over 14 years.”
Mr. Biden remains engaged in the situation as he prepares to give way to President-elect Donald Trump on Jan. 20, according to Mr. Kirby.
“He’s going to stay completely up to speed and informed on it,” the spokesman said.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.