Efforts to locate Austin Tice, the U.S. journalist who was abducted while covering the civil war in Syria over 12 years ago, have gained new urgency following the sudden fall of Bashar Assad’s regime in the country.

The U.S. is communicating with rebel groups inside Syria amid the search for missing American journalist Austin Tice, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

Washington — The collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria has raised hopes that more information could come to light on the whereabouts of journalist Austin Tice, who is believed to still be alive more than 12 years after his kidnapping.