President Donald Trump wrote to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad earlier this year to “propose direct dialogue” about the release of Austin Tice, an American journalist for The Washington Post who vanished in Syria exactly eight years ago. In a statement marking the anniversary of Tice’s disappearance, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote: “The U.S. government has repeatedly attempted to engage Syrian officials to seek Austin’s release. President Trump wrote to Bashar Al-Assad in March to propose direct dialogue. No one should doubt the president’s commitment to bringing home all U.S. citizens held hostage or wrongfully detained overseas. Nowhere is that determination stronger than in Austin Tice’s case.” Pompeo added: “Austin Tice’s release and return home are long, long overdue. We will do our utmost to achieve that goal.” Tice went missing on Aug. 14, 2012, while he was traveling by taxi from the Damascus suburb of Daraya to the Lebanese border after wrapping up his reporting in Syria. U.S. intelligence believes he’s alive in Syria.