In Syria, the search is on for the remains of Americans killed by ISIS a decade ago

DABIQ, Syria — On the outskirts of a remote village in Syria, the hunt is on for the remains of American hostages murdered by ISIS more than a decade ago.

DABIQ, Syria — On the outskirts of a remote village in Syria, the hunt is on for the remains of American hostages murdered by ISIS more than a decade ago.

The site, a dusty hill about a two hour’s drive from the city of Aleppo, looks like an archeological dig, with dozens of investigators wielding shovels, ground-penetrating radar, pickaxes and paintbrushes for the delicate work of brushing away sand as they search for bones, clothing and any evidence that ISIS terrorists may have buried their victims here.

It has taken years of intelligence work to reach this point, including satellite imagery analysis, debriefs with surviving ISIS hostages and jailhouse interviews with ISIS leaders. So far, the team is optimistic. They are finding human remains in shallow graves, and, critically, they are finding them where they were expected to be.

The investigation is led by an intelligence and security company called the Soufan Group, founded by former FBI counterterrorism officer Ali Soufan. His team, mainly composed of former FBI and counterterrorism colleagues, has been working the case on behalf of the American victims’ families. They work in coordination with, but are independent from, the FBI.

“We’ve been working with the families for a long period of time, trying to figure out what happened to their loved ones. We had an opportunity to go to a location that has been off-limits,” said Soufan.

https://www.nbcnews.com/world/syria/dabiq-syria-americans-killed-isis-graves-rcna205771

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