Fears for American journalist kidnapped by unidentified gunmen in Syria as father pleads for his safe return home


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Abducted: James Foley, 39, a freelance reporter, pictured, has been kidnapped in Idlib, Syria by unidentified gunmen

An American war reporter, who was held captive by pro-Gaddafi forces for six weeks in Libya last year, has been kidnapped by unidentified gunmen in Syria.

James Foley, 39, a freelancer reporter from Boston, was kidnapped on Thanksgiving Day while working for Agence France Presse, his family revealed today.

The Foley family from Rochester, New Hampshire, had hoped keeping silent could aid his release - following the abduction in the northern province of Idlib. 

But today they decided to appeal directly to his kidnappers, increasingly concerned over his safety since his disappearance on November 22.

'We want Jim to come safely home, or at least we need to speak with him to know he's okay,' his father John Foley said in a statement

'Jim is an objective journalist and we appeal for the release of Jim unharmed. To the people who have Jim, please contact us so we can work together toward his release.'

James, or Jim as he is known to his family and friends, is one of five children to parents John and Diane Foley. 

On their website, www.freejamesfoley.org, his family have asked visitors to support their appeal for his release by signing a petition.

The website comes 20 months after they launched a similar emotional appeal when their son was taken in Libya.

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Missing: James Foley, pictured, known as Jim, was kidnapped in Syria on Thanksgiving Day. His family, from Rochester, New Hampshire, are appealing directly to his kidnappers for his release

He was released after 45 days following an international campaign by his friends and family.

Foley, who studied at Marquette University, Milwaukee, and later studied journalism at Northwestern University, Chicago, has also reported on the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Prior to a career in journalism, he taught reading and writing skills to convicted felons at Cook County Jail in Chicago.

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Campaigning: John and Diane Foley, pictured, parents of journalist James Foley, previously campaigned for his release when he was held in Libya. They are now asking he be released from captivity in Syria where he has been held since Thanksgiving Day.

One of his Marquette classmates, Tom Durkin, was interviewed during his abduction in Libya.

'He just wanted to be actively engaged with what was going on in the world,' he told the Chicago Tribune.

'He just wanted to see things for himself and give voice to different regions.'

'He moved where the story was.'

'He wanted to see the story. He didn't want to be the story.'

Witnesses in Syria reported the journalist was picked up at gunpoint, in the town of Taftanz on November 22.

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Vigil: James Foley's parents and grandmother, Olga Wright, pictured left, held a vigil for his release in when he captured in Libya last year. He is now being held in Syria where he has been reporting for AFP, (pictured, right)

The gunmen later released the journalist's driver and translator. 

No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping in the country ripped apart by civil war since rebels failed to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad's regime two years ago.

It comes two weeks after US television reporter Richard Engel and his NBC crew escaped being held by pro-Assad militiamen in the same region.

AFP chairman, Emmanuel Hoog, said they are trying every avenue to secure Foley's release. 

'We are in constant touch with his family and loved ones, while reaching out to a range of contacts and doing everything we can to facilitate his release,' he said.

'He is a professional journalist who is absolutely neutral in this conflict'.

'His kidnappers, whoever they may be, should free him immediately.'

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Shelling: Taftanaz, a town in the Idlib province of Syria, pictured, has been subjected to shelling by government forces for the last month. American journalist James Foley was kidnapped from the town on November 22

GlobalPost CEO and Founder Philip S. Balboni said in a statement, 'Over the past nearly six weeks we have been working intensively with many parties in the United States and in the Middle East to secure Jim Foley's freedom so he can return home to his loving family.'

'Jim is a brave and dedicated reporter who has spent much of the past year covering the civil war in Syria, believing like so many of his colleagues that this is a very important story for the American people to know more about.

'We urge his captors to release him.'

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'A brave and dedicated reporter': Colleagues at AFP and GlobalPost have called for the release of 39-year-old James Foley, who has been taken by gunmen in Syria.

Speaking of his time in captivity in Libya, Foley told Marquette Magazine: 'I’d pray to stay strong. I’d pray to soften the hearts of our captors.

'I’d pray for God to lift the burdens we couldn’t handle.

'And I’d pray that our moms would know we were OK.'

Kidnappings are becoming increasingly common in Syria and it is currently one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Wasington Post reporter Austin Tice, of Houston, Texas has been missing in Syria since August 13.

He was last seen traveling towards the border with Lebanon.

His parents have also appealed for his release.

In an open letter released earlier this month, they said: 'Let us hug him, laugh and cry with him, love him in person. Let us be a whole family again,' the Washington Post reported.

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