Senior U.S. Diplomats in Syria to Meet With Governing Militias NYT | Top Stories By: Edward Wong and Christina Goldbaum 20 December 2024 at 23:11 The U.S. officials planned to discuss governance and look for signs of Austin Tice, a missing American journalist, as well as other U.S. citizens. © Nicole Tung for The New York TimesA rebel fighter with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the most powerful militia group in Syria, at a presidential palace in the capital, Damascus.