OAN Staff Blake Wolf
10:39 AM – Sunday, May 25, 2025
President Donald Trump’s newly appointed Special Envoy to Syria announced that the new government will help locate missing Americans in the war-torn nation.
President Trump announced on Friday that the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, will also fill the role of U.S. Special Envoy for Syria.
“As President Trump’s representative in Türkiye, I am proud to assume the role of the U.S. Special Envoy for Syria and support Secretary [Marco] Rubio in the realization of the President’s vision,” Barrack wrote in an X post on Friday.
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Barrack’s appointment follows after President Trump announced temporary sanction relief against Syria.
“The cessation of sanctions against Syria will preserve the integrity of our primary objective – the enduring defeat of ISIS – and will give the people of Syria a chance for a better future. In this way, we, together with regional partners including Turkiye and the Gulf, are enabling the Syrian government to restore peace, security, and the hope of prosperity. In the words of the President, we will work together, and we will succeed together,” Barrack continued.
Barrack also announced on Saturday, that the new Syrian government agreed to assist in the retrieval of missing Americans in the country, following a meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
“A powerful step forward. The new Syrian government has agreed to assist the USA in locating and returning USA citizens or their remains. The families of Austin Tice, Majd Kamalmaz, and Kayla Mueller must have closure,” Barrack wrote in an X post.
“President Trump has made it clear that bringing home USA citizens or honoring, with dignity, their remains is a major priority everywhere. The new Syrian Government will aid us in this commitment,” he continued.
There are also 11 other Syrian-Americans on Washington’s list of missing Americans, along with the three individuals named in Barrack’s post, according to a CBS News report.
Additionally, Barrack praised the new Syrian president for “taking meaningful steps towards enacting President Trump’s points on foreign terrorist fighters, counter-ISIS measures, relations with Israel, and camps and detention centers in Northeast Syria.”
Al-Sharaa rose to power at the beginning of December after insurgent forces, led by Hat’at Tahrir al-Sham, made major offensive attacks against the Assad regime ultimately leading to its collapse after over 50 years.
Al-Sharaa, a former Al-Qaeda fighter, has rebranded himself as a moderate political figure willing to work with the United States. The Trump administration has since been improving relations with the new leadership in an attempt to assist in stabilizing the nation.
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