US military flies freed American captive out of Syria

The US military has flown an American citizen out of Syria, just days after he was released from months of captivity during the chaotic last days of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

Travis Timmerman, 29, was handed over to a US garrison in Syria, close to the borders with Iraq and Jordan. He is now reportedly in Jordan, where he met US state department officials.

He was found by local residents near Damascus this week after he was freed by hammer-wielding armed men.

Mystery has swirled over how exactly Mr Timmerman came to be in Syria. The White House says it had no prior indication that he was even in Syria or being held in captivity.

Two US government sources have told CBS, the BBC’s US partner, that an American military helicopter flew Mr Timmerman out of the country after Syrian rebels from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group brought him to US forces in the town of Tanf.

According to AP news agency, he has told American officials he hopes to remain in the Middle East rather than return to the US.

It is unclear what Mr Timmerman was doing in Syria.

Police in his native US state of Missouri, as well as in Hungary, have said that Mr Timmerman was reported missing in May, having last been seen in Budapest.

His parents have said he went missing in June.

Mr Timmerman has told US news outlets he was on a religious “pilgrimage” when he crossed into Syria from Lebanon.

He told CBS he was well-treated during his time in Syrian captivity. Speaking to NBC News, he said his imprisonment was “a time of solace, of meditation, and I’m stronger for it”.

Mr Timmerman’s family has expressed surprise that he was in Syria and said they were elated that he is safe.

His cousin, Mandy Pendridge, told CBS. “It’s hard not to think of negative thoughts at that time.

“We were kind of thinking it was going to be the worst outcome for us.”

Speaking to CNN on Friday, his parents said they had no idea how Mr Timmerman ended up in Syria, although his stepfather suggested he wanted to write a book about “old churches”.

His mother, Stacey Gardiner, said she believed her son “looked different” and had “gone through a lot”.

Another cousin, Miranda Collins, said finding him was the “best Christmas gift”.

“For seven months all we knew was that he disappeared,” she said. “We didn’t know if he was dead or alive.”

Mr Timmerman’s flight from Jordan comes as US officials and Syrian groups continue the search for Austin Tice, a freelance American journalist who was taken captive close to Damascus in 2012 while covering the country’s civil war.

He was last seen in a video, blindfolded and in apparent distress – posted online weeks after his capture. The US believes he was being held by the Assad regime.

President Joe Biden has said the US believes Mr Tice is alive, but that his location remains unknown.