Austin Tice's mother returns to Syria with praise for its new leadership and Trump

The mother of American journalist Austin Tice said Monday that the incoming Trump administration has offered its support in finding her son, who went missing in Syria in 2012.

The mother of American journalist Austin Tice said Monday that the incoming Trump administration has offered its support in finding her son, who went missing in Syria in 2012.

While Debra Tice did not present any new findings from her first visit to the country in a decade — and her first since the regime of Bashar al-Assad was swept from power — she told a media conference in Damascus she had renewed hope that fresh leadership in America and Syria would bolster the ongoing search efforts for her son.

“I have great hope that the Trump administration will sincerely engage in diligent work to bring Austin home,” Debra Tice said. “His people have already reached out to me. I haven’t experienced that for the last four years.”

Austin Tice, now 43, was one of the first American journalists to report on the Syrian civil war that began in 2011 before his disappearance in 2012. The State Department contended he was being held by the Syrian government. Former President Bashar al-Assad’s government vehemently denied the accusation.

Debra Tice last visited Syria in 2012 and 2015 to meet with the Syrian authorities, who never confirmed if her son was in their custody before they stopped granting her visas.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/austin-tice-mother-debra-syria-trump-biden-assad-hts-rcna188356

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