A Qatar-led mission has begun in Syria to recover the remains of U.S. hostages killed by ISIL, focusing on locating Peter Kassig’s body. The effort coincides with President Trump’s upcoming visit to Qatar and Syria’s push for sanctions relief.
A Qatar-led mission has launched efforts in Syria to recover the remains of U.S. hostages killed by the ISIL (ISIS) group nearly a decade ago.
Reuters, citing sources familiar with the operation, reported that Qatar’s International Search and Rescue Group began the mission on Wednesday, with assistance from several U.S. nationals who, the news agency, said wish to remain anonymous.
So far, the team has recovered the remains of three unidentified individuals. The primary focus of the operation is to locate the body of American aid worker Peter Kassig, executed by ISIL in 2014 in the northern Syrian town of Dabiq, a Syrian security official confirmed to Reuters.
Among the Western hostages killed by ISIL were U.S. aid worker Kayla Mueller and journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff. While Foley and Sotloff’s deaths were confirmed in 2014, Mueller’s was verified the following year, in 2015.
“We’re grateful for anyone taking on this task and risking their lives in some circumstances to try and find the bodies of Jim and the other hostages,” Al Jazeera quoted Foley’s mother Diane, as saying.
The Qatar-led mission begins ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to Qatar and other Gulf countries while Syria’s new government seeks relief from U.S. sanctions.
Meanwhile, last month, the United Kingdom made a significant move by lifting sanctions on 12 Syrian government entities, including the Ministries of Defence and Interior, as well as the influential General Intelligence Directorate.
The Qatari mission was planned during a trip to Washington in April by Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and State Minister Mohammed Al Khulaifi. The visit also aimed to lay the groundwork for President Trump’s forthcoming trip to Qatar, Reuters reported citing a source.
Reuters cited a source familiar with the matter, who said successive U.S. administrations have long committed to locating the remains of murdered U.S. nationals, with multiple efforts involving U.S. officials on the ground in Syria.
The news agency reported that the source also confirmed U.S. troops remain stationed in northeastern Syria, continuing their efforts to track down ISIL remnants.
The source indicated that the remains of Peter Kassig, James Foley, and Steven Sotloff are likely located in this region, though Kayla Mueller’s case differs, as she was in the custody of ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Two former UK citizens, members of the ISIL cell known as the “Beatles” who beheaded U.S. hostages, are serving life sentences in the U.S.
