The Syrian government on Wednesday (08/17/2022) denied accusations by the United States that it had detained journalist Austin Tice, who was kidnapped 10 years ago near the capital Damascus. Last week, US President Joe Biden believed that Tice had been detained by the Syrian government. He also asked Damascus to bring its citizens back to the US.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry immediately denied Biden's accusations and dismissed them as baseless. "The Syrian Arab Republic denies that it has abducted or forcibly disappeared any American citizens who entered its territory or resided in areas under its control," the statement said.

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1. Tice went missing after being detained at a Syrian checkpoint in 2012

Tice is a former US Marine who worked as a freelance photographer for Agence France-Press, McClatchy News, The Washington Post, CBS and other news agencies. He disappeared after being detained at a checkpoint in the Damascus area, on August 14, 2012.

Last month, a video circulated showing a man (allegedly Tice) being held captive by a group of gunmen. Unfortunately, there is very little information regarding Tice in the video. He was declared missing at the age of 31.

The statement by Biden was made to mark the 10th anniversary of Tice's disappearance.

"There is no higher priority in my administration than the recovery and return of Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad," Biden said.

Under the previous US administration, Donald Trump sent a White House official on a rare mission to Damascus in 2020. To search for Tice's whereabouts. However, the mission did not appear to be fruitful.

In 2018, Washington offered a $1 million reward for providing information about the journalist's whereabouts.

Washington briefly suspended its diplomatic functions in Syria in 2012, precisely when civil war erupted in the country.

1. The US engages Syrian officials to repatriate its citizens

The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said Roger Cartens would continue to coordinate with the Syrian authorities on this liberation mission. State Department spokesman Ned Price said the US government had been encouraging Syria to repatriate every citizen. In the case of Tice, the Biden administration has engaged extensively, including directly with Syrian officials and through third parties.

"Syria has never admitted to holding him (Tice), we will not be hindered in our efforts. We will pursue every avenue to secure Austin's safe return."

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1. Syria says US violated diplomatic relations

The Syrian Foreign Ministry said the US had violated consular and diplomatic relations by supporting US citizens to enter Syria without permission. On the other hand, Syria only accepts dialogue or official communication with America if the talks are public and based on respect for the principle of sovereignty.

Damascus also denied that it had secret contacts with US officials regarding the disappearance of the American citizen. At the same time stressed that, "any official dialogue with the American government will only be published based on respect for Syrian sovereignty". Apart from Tice, there is another American missing in Syria, namely Majd Kamalmaz. He is a psychologist from Virginia who was declared missing in Syria in 2017, quoted from The Washington Post.