According to an anonymous source, the search and rescue group has discovered three unidentified bodies so far.
Qatar’s mission began searching for the ruins of US hostages killed by Syrian ISIL (ISIS) armed groups about a decade ago, according to Reuters.
Qatar’s international search and rescue groups began their search on Wednesday with the help of several American citizens who wished to remain anonymous, news outlets reported.
Sources say so far, three unidentified bodies have been discovered by the group. The focus of the mission was on finding aid worker Peter Kasig, who was beheaded by ISIL in Dabiq, northern Syria in 2014.
U.S. aid workers Kayla Mueller and American journalists James Foley and Stephen Sotloff were among other Western hostages killed by ISIL. Foley and Sotlov were confirmed to have been murdered in 2014. Mueller’s murder was confirmed in 2015.
Diane Foley, James Foley’s mother, said: “We would like to thank everyone involved in this effort.”
Qatar’s mission is ongoing as President Donald Trump prepares to visit Doha and other Gulf capitals next week, with the new Syrian government seeking relief from the sanctions imposed by the US.
Washington, along with several other Western governments, will wait to see how new authorities will use their power and secure human rights before lifting sanctions.
Last month, the UK removed sanctions against 12 Syrian government agencies, including the Defence and the Interior Ministry and the General Information Bureau.
Long-standing commitment
ISIL once ruled the vast Swas in Syria and Iraq, but it controlled millions of people. During the peak of power from 2014 to 2017, he beheaded many people in captivity, including Western hostages, and released videos of murder.
A coalition of over 80 countries led by the United States was established in September 2014 to fight ISIL.
The war against the group officially ended in March 2019, when the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces and Kurdish-led fighter jets captured the East Syrian town of Baghus.
The plans for the Qatar Mission were discussed by Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Binbin Abdul Raman Jasim Arnyai and Ministers of Mohammed Al-Klaifi during their visit to Washington in April.
Another person familiar with the issue said there was a long-standing commitment by successive US administrations to find the bodies of murdered US citizens, and that several previous “efforts have been with Syrian US government officials to search for very specific areas.”
The person did not elaborate, the report said. However, the United States has hundreds of soldiers deployed in northeastern Syria, continuing to pursue the remnants of ISIL.
The person said the bodies of Kasig, Sotlov and Foley are likely to be located in this part of the country. Muller’s case was different as she was under the control of ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the person added.
The two ISIL members, both US hostages and part of a beheaded cell called “The Beatles,” are serving life sentences in the United States.