U.S. officials have given the rebel group in control of Damascus a list of former members of the Assad government who could have information about Austin Tice.
The White House has given the rebel group that toppled the Syrian government a list of former officials who might have knowledge about Austin Tice, an American journalist who was abducted in Damascus in 2012.
The list of names provided to the group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, is short, officials said, because U.S. investigators believe that only a small group in the Assad government knows the details of the case.
The outreach to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which the U.S. designated a terrorist organization in 2014, reflects the Biden administration’s intense efforts to find out what happened to Mr. Tice and take advantage of the group’s willingness to help in the search.
Among the former Syrian officials on the list are Ali Mamlouk, a former head of Syria’s National Security Bureau intelligence service; Bassam al-Hassan, a close adviser to Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s ousted leader; and Hussam Luqa, a general who ran the General Intelligence Directorate, U.S. officials said.
Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s national security adviser, directed that the information be provided to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in the days after the fall of the Assad government, according to U.S. officials, who were not authorized to talk publicly about the discussions with the group.
The White House hopes that the Russians might be able to help. Mr. al-Assad fled to Moscow, and U.S. officials have asked Russia to speak with him about Mr. Tice. They have also reached out to Lebanese officials who might have insights into some of the people on the list who escaped to Beirut, such as Mr. Mamlouk. Mr. al-Hassan’s location is unknown.
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