Who is Austin Tice? Joe Biden wants forgotten marine vet who disappeared in Syria TEN YEARS ago sent home
WASHINGTON, DC: President Joe Biden has remembered the investigative journalist who traveled to Syria almost a decade ago and has not returned since. No one has taken the responsibility for his abduction, but Biden believes that it's the Syrian government that has held him hostage despite their refusal. The person of interest here is Austin Tice who disappeared 10 years ago as he covered the country's bitter civil war. The President is now asking Syria to return the American prisoner. Biden released a statement one day before Tice's birthday, i/e. August 11, to remember him.
The 79-year-old President released a statement saying, "He is a son, he is a brother, and he is an investigative journalist who put the truth above himself and traveled to Syria to show the world the real cost of war. We know with certainty that he has been held by the Government of Syria." Previous attempts to bring the American resident back home have repeatedly failed. Biden further says, "The Tice family deserves answers, and more importantly, they deserve to be swiftly reunited with Austin. We stand with Austin’s many loved ones, and we will not rest until we bring Austin home. Ten years is far, far too long. So is every additional day." After 10 years of not knowing about his whereabouts, let's take a quick recap of his journey.
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Who is Austin Tice?
Austin Tice, hailing from Houston, Texas, is a freelance journalist who went missing at a checkpoint in a challenged area west of the capital Damascus. He has worked for several news organizations including CBS News, The Washington Post, and McClatchy. Tice disappeared on August 14, 2012, when he was 31 years old. However, this is not the first time that the American government has attempted to bring him back. Two years before Biden's attempt, Trump administration officials traveled to Syria to secure Tice's safe return but returned empty-handed. However, the officials in Damascus denied any negotiations with the US troops on their land.
Throughout a decade, Tice's parents, Marc and Debra Tice, have maintained a campaign to bring their boy back. Earlier this week, Debra told CBS News, "I've never wavered. I'm not wavering now. There's no reason not to believe that he's waiting and hoping and dreaming and planning to walk free." She continued, "The United States government has worked very hard to convince me that they're working on it. My response is: Don't tell me. Show me." Debra also said, "I know that the United States government has not reached out directly to the Syrian government to request a meeting."
Despite Debra's claim, Biden decided to call out Syria in his statement which reads, "We have repeatedly asked the government of Syria to work with us so that we can bring Austin home. On the tenth anniversary of his abduction, I am calling on Syria to end this and help us bring him home. There is no higher priority in my Administration than the recovery and return of Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad. We must name them, keep them in our hearts and our minds, and make their recovery and return a priority. That is a pledge I have made to the American people and to Austin’s parents, and it is one that I am determined to uphold."