Austin Tice, American journalist, reported missing in Syria

GlobalPost

American journalist Austin Tice, who was covering the conflict in Syria, has not been heard from in over a week, according to McClatchy, one of the outlets for whom he was reporting.

According to The Washington Post, which was also receiving dispatches from Tice, the 31-year-old's family has not heard from him, either.

Washington Post Executive Editor Marcus Brauchli said in a statement, according to the Post, "We’re focused intensively on trying to ascertain his whereabouts and ensure his safe return.... Austin is a talented and courageous journalist whose work has helped to shape the world’s understanding of this humanitarian and political crisis."

McClatchy reported that Tice’s editors have said they are working with government agencies in the United States and "Syrian intermediaries" in an attempt to find out where Tice may be.

Tice first entered Syria in May, the Post reported, and intended the leave the country in mid-August. But his recent lack of contact has worried his family and editors. Tice's Twitter feed has also gone silent since Aug. 11, when he posted the following:

According to his Facebook profile, Tice served as an infantry office in the US Marine Corps from 2005 to 2011 and has since worked as a freelance journalist. McClatchy wrote that colleagues said Tice's time as a Marine "gave him particular insight into the capabilities of both government and rebel forces as the uprising spiraled into a civil war."

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