Family of Jordan journalist missing in Syria pleads for answers

The family of a Jordanian journalist who disappeared in Syria nearly three weeks ago is pleading for answers regarding his fate.

Thirty-year-old Omair Musab Al-Gharaybeh travelled to Syria with two friends on 7 February for tourism, his family said, adding that since then the family have heard nothing from him.

His brother, Mohammed, said he had contacted Jordanian officials to help locate his brother and they promised to help the family.

UK: Photographer held by Daesh could be alive in Syria 

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests. The war has killed more than 560,000 people, the vast majority by regime-allied forces.

The Al-Assad government has used chemical weapons against civilians on scores of occasions, with tens of thousands in prison facing torture and execution.

Despite the regime calling for refugees to return to the country, over one million people are still listed as wanted on government databases, with those Syrians who supported the opposition fearing state reprisals.