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September 06, 2025 – Syria/USA –
Newly released footage by Anadolu Agency has shed light on the possible location where American journalist Austin Tice was once held in Syria. The drone video, captured on Mount Qasioun in Damascus, shows the interior of a one-man cell inside a headquarters controlled by the regime-affiliated 4th Division, commanded by Maher al-Assad, brother of the ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. The site, described as a small cabin-like structure within the compound, is believed to be the same place where Tice was detained shortly after his abduction in 2012.
Austin Tice, a freelance journalist and former U.S. Marine, disappeared on August 14, 2012, while covering the Syrian conflict. He had been reporting for major outlets, including The Washington Post, CBS, and McClatchy, when he vanished near Damascus. Weeks later, a brief video surfaced showing him blindfolded and surrounded by armed men, but since then, his fate has remained a mystery. For more than a decade, Syrian authorities consistently denied knowledge of his detention, despite mounting evidence suggesting regime involvement.
The discovery of the alleged detention site comes after the collapse of the Assad regime in late 2024, which has reopened sensitive files on war crimes, enforced disappearances, and attacks on journalists. The footage now provides physical confirmation of claims long advanced by press freedom groups and U.S. officials that Tice was indeed held by Syrian government forces. While the images strengthen suspicions, they do not answer the crucial question of whether Tice is still alive. His family continues to campaign tirelessly for answers, insisting that renewed investigations must not be abandoned.
The U.S. government has repeatedly called for Tice’s safe return, with successive administrations pressing Syria for cooperation. Washington has also offered a multimillion-dollar reward for information leading to his recovery. Press freedom advocates view the footage as a breakthrough, underscoring both the dangers faced by journalists in conflict zones and the persistence of enforced disappearances. For many, the images highlight the urgency of accountability in Syria and the ongoing struggle to resolve one of journalism’s most enduring cases of captivity.
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