A Qatari search and rescue mission has launched efforts to recover the remains of American hostages killed by the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria nearly a decade ago, according to two sources familiar with the operation.
ISIS, which controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq between 2014 and 2017, beheaded several Western hostages, including Americans, and released videos of the killings. The Qatari team, which has been deployed to various international disaster zones in recent years, started the search on Wednesday, working alongside American personnel. The group has reportedly uncovered three bodies so far, though their identities have not yet been confirmed.
A Syrian security source stated that the remains had not yet been identified, and it remains unclear how long the search will continue. The US State Department did not provide immediate comment on the mission.
This operation comes ahead of US President Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to Doha and other Gulf Arab states, and at a time when Syria’s ruling Islamists, who maintain close ties to Qatar, seek relief from US sanctions.
The Qatari mission’s primary focus is the search for Peter Kassig, an American aid worker beheaded by ISIS in 2014 in northern Syria. Other Western hostages, including journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, were also killed by ISIS, as was aid worker Kayla Mueller, who was subjected to sexual violence by ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi before her death.
Diane Foley, the mother of James Foley, expressed gratitude for the search effort, stating, “We’re grateful for anyone taking on this task and risking their lives to find the bodies of Jim and the other hostages.”
The families of the other hostages have not yet commented on the mission, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
The search for the hostages’ remains follows previous efforts by the US government, which has deployed troops to northeastern Syria in ongoing attempts to track down ISIS remnants.
Discussions for the Qatari mission began during a visit to Washington by Qatari officials in April, ahead of Trump’s planned visit to Qatar. The US has long prioritized recovering the remains of Americans killed by ISIS, with previous efforts involving US officials on the ground in Syria.
The remains of Kassig, Sotloff, and Foley are believed to be in the same general area, including Dabiq, which was a prominent location for ISIS propaganda. Mueller’s remains, however, are thought to be in a different location as she was held by Baghdadi himself.
Two ISIS members, former British citizens involved in the beheadings, are currently serving life sentences in the United States.