ISIS had executed many Western hostages during its control of territory in Syria nd Iraq.
A Qatari mission has launched efforts to locate the remains of American hostages executed by ISIS during the group’s control of territory in Syria in 2014.
Reuters reported on Saturday, May 10, citing two informed sources, that a team from the Qatari International Search and Rescue Group, accompanied by American researchers, has begun searching for the remains of American citizens killed by ISIS in Syria.
According to the report, the remains of three unidentified bodies have been discovered so far. The search marks a revival of longstanding efforts to recover the remains of Western hostages executed by the group.
A Syrian security source told Reuters that the identities of the remains have not yet been confirmed, while another source said the duration of the mission remains unclear.
The security source noted that the team is initially focusing its search on the body of aid worker Peter Kassig, who was executed by ISIS in 2014 in the town of Dabiq, located in the northern countryside of Aleppo.
Related: Syrian Network for Human Rights: 89 Arbitrary Arrests in April Alone
ISIS seized vast swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq in 2014, executing numerous individuals, many of them Western nationals, and releasing videos documenting the killings.
The mission’s work comes amid news that the U.S. has granted Qatar a green light to provide funding for the salaries of public sector employees in Syria, excluding the Ministries of Interior and Defence, within the transitional government. The funding is being provided under a sanctions exemption.
Reuters reported that the Qatari mission’s search for American remains was among the topics discussed during the recent visit of Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani to Washington.
Recovering missing Americans in Syria, most notably journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared in 2012, was one of the conditions recently set by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump for lifting sanctions on the Syrian transitional government, according to Reuters.
Related: Is ISIS Making a Comeback?
In mid-January, Nizar Zakka, head of the International Hostage Rescue Organisation, said American journalist Austin Tice remains detained in Syria.
Reuters quoted Zakka as saying he believes Tice is still alive and being held by loyalists of the ousted regime in hopes of brokering an exchange or deal.
Zakka added that his organisation has made significant progress in the search for Tice and that he has visited Syria several times since the fall of the previous regime in December to locate the journalist’s whereabouts.
