Damascus: A Qatari-led mission has initiated a renewed effort to recover the remains of U.S. hostages killed by the Islamic State in Syria nearly a decade ago, according to two sources familiar with the operation. The development revives a long-standing but delicate endeavor to bring closure to the families of Western captives who were brutally executed during the extremist group’s reign.
At its height between 2014 and 2017, the Islamic State (ISIS) controlled significant territory across Syria and Iraq, orchestrating a campaign of terror that included the publicized beheadings of Western journalists and aid workers. Chilling videos of the killings were circulated globally, drawing widespread condemnation.
According to the sources, Qatar’s international search and rescue team — known for its deployments in disaster zones such as Morocco and Turkey — began its mission in northern Syria on Wednesday, joined by several American personnel. So far, the team has recovered the remains of three individuals, though identification is still pending.
One source, a Syrian security official, noted that while the remains have yet to be formally identified, the mission’s primary focus is locating the body of American aid worker Peter Kassig. Kassig was executed by ISIS in 2014 in Dabiq, a town with symbolic significance in Islamic apocalyptic narratives and one of the group’s propaganda focal points.
Another source confirmed Kassig’s remains are among those the team hopes to find, along with those of other American hostages, including journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, who were also killed by ISIS in 2014. Aid worker Kayla Mueller, another American captive, was confirmed dead in 2015 after being held and abused by ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
“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,” said Diane Foley, the mother of James Foley. “We thank all those involved in this effort.”
Efforts to locate the hostages’ remains have been ongoing through multiple U.S. administrations. A person familiar with the search said earlier attempts involved U.S. officials conducting targeted searches in key locations. Dabiq, they noted, is believed to be where the remains of Kassig, Sotloff, and Foley may still lie.
Mueller’s case is different, the person added, as she was in the direct custody of Baghdadi, and her whereabouts at the time of her death remain less certain.
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Plans for the current Qatari operation were discussed during an April visit to Washington by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Minister of State Mohammed Al Khulaifi. The visit also served to lay the groundwork for U.S. President Donald Trump’s upcoming tour of the Gulf region, including Qatar.
The renewed mission coincides with efforts by Syria’s interim government, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, to distance itself from former alliances and secure economic relief from U.S. sanctions. Sharaa, who replaced Bashar al-Assad in December, previously commanded the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front during Syria’s civil war before cutting ties with the group in 2016.
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Two former British members of the ISIS cell responsible for the beheadings — often referred to as “The Beatles” — are currently serving life sentences in the United States for their roles in the atrocities.
While the U.S. State Department has yet to issue a statement on the mission, the quiet support for Qatar’s search efforts reflects a bipartisan consensus in Washington on the need to recover the remains of Americans murdered overseas.
