Freed American man safely out of Syria

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military has safely evacuated an American citizen who had gone missing seven months ago within the oppressive prison system of former President Bashar Assad in Syria. U.S. officials confirmed that this individual was among the many prisoners released this week by rebels.

Travis Timmerman, 29, was airlifted to Jordan on a U.S. military helicopter, as per two anonymous officials who were briefed on the ongoing operation. Although specifics about Timmerman’s next steps remain unclear, he has expressed gratitude toward his rescuers for his liberation and indicated a desire to remain in the region, according to another unnamed source familiar with the situation.

Timmerman was detained after entering Syria during a Christian pilgrimage from the mountainous eastern Lebanese town of Zahle in June. In an interview, he mentioned that he was not subjected to harm during his time at Palestine Branch, a well-known detention facility affiliated with Syrian intelligence.

During his incarceration, Timmerman described the conditions of his cell, stating he had access to a mattress and a plastic container for drinking water, as well as two others for waste. He recounted that he relied on the calls to prayer that echoed throughout the day to help keep track of time.

He was released on Monday alongside a young Syrian man and 70 female prisoners, some of whom had their children with them. Timmerman recounted the moment of his release, stating he was freed by “the liberators who came into the prison and knocked the door (of his cell) down with a hammer.” He noted that he had been held separately from other prisoners and was unaware of any other Americans detained at the facility.

Originally from Urbana, Missouri, approximately 50 miles north of Springfield, Timmerman earned a finance degree from Missouri State University in 2017. His mother, Stacey Gardiner, was informed that he was being transported to a military base in Jordan, but the family had not had the opportunity to communicate with him at that time.

Mouaz Moustafa, a Syrian opposition activist based in the U.S. who collaborated with rebels to facilitate Timmerman’s safe return, posted a picture on social media showing the freed American next to a U.S. military official in the arid desert landscape of the region. He captioned the photo with the words, “Safe and sound and back in American hands.”

Meanwhile, U.S. officials are still actively searching for Austin Tice, an American journalist who has been missing for 12 years near Damascus. Nizar Zakka, president of Hostage Aid Worldwide, which was commissioned to find Tice by his family, indicated that after receiving a tip from a Syrian in the vicinity where Timmerman was located, he reached out to Tice’s family for further clarification. Initially, the source believed the foreigner to be Tice. However, upon further investigation, they confirmed it was not him.

Zakka detailed some of the challenges faced in the search for Tice, which has involved visits to detention centers and residences associated with Assad’s regime, but results have been scarce. He outlined three possible scenarios regarding Tice’s fate: he might still be detained in Damascus, potentially being hidden by someone in Assad’s inner circle for security, or sadly, he could have been killed by his captors to eliminate evidence of their actions.

Zakka criticized the U.S. government’s $10 million reward for information about Tice, arguing that it prompted a surge of false leads and confusion surrounding the case.

The emotional toll of Timmerman’s release has reverberated throughout his family and the community, particularly for his mother, who expressed relief and concern in tandem upon hearing the news of her son’s liberation. As he begins these new chapters of his life following captivity, the focus now shifts to both his recovery and the ongoing plight of those still missing or imprisoned within Syria’s tumultuous landscape.